Overseas Mission Capacity Building programme (LEADERGEN33)

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A twelve month institutional leadership capacity building programme to enhance the effectiveness of African senior-management teams in overseas missions to act as economic gateways, promoting and attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).

Overview

This is a critical success factor for improving the economic performance, wealth and prosperity of their nation.

Overseas Missions Capacity Building Programme (OMCBP) is a leadership development initiative designed to standardise the performance of senior diplomats and their teams in overseas missions, by building a specific set of core skills and capabilities to enable them to meet or exceed the key economic and political policy objectives of their Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Programme aim

The Overseas Missions Capacity Building Programme ( OMCBP) will accelerate the learning of senior diplomats, and strengthen their understanding of the critical role they can play in delivering economic growth and prosperity for their country to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The participatory, hands-on approach will focus on six target areas that are conducive to delivering durable growth and development:

Developing a concrete strategy for achievement, by defining concrete objectives, setting priorities and delivering meaningful results.
Transferring technical know-how and skills from experienced former African ambassadors and retired UK Foreign Office senior executives.
Strengthening of managerial systems and structures to improve impact.
Prioritising critical outcomes to obtain clarity about what needs to be done, and within what timeframe.
Minimising barriers/implementation constraints to overcome key challenges.
Brainstorming practical pilot initiatives based on priority needs, to test-run innovative new solutions to longstanding problems/issues.

Who for?

Senior management teams of African missions around the world including:-
• Head of mission
• His/her deputy(s)
• Senior advisers/heads of departments

The Programme, which will be aligned to the policy objectives of the Foreign Ministry, and is designed to have an impact at the level of:
• the government department
• the mission
• and the individual.

The OMCBP will stimulate and challenge senior diplomatic staff to think about their contribution as a strategic change agent, and identify areas for enhancing their impact and effectiveness in delivering increased levels of foreign direct investment.

Programme content

The OMCBP will adopt a country focussed approach, clearly identifying specific economic and development needs, and delivering against the Foreign Ministry’s policy objectives. It will provide the following tailored support that is appropriate to country circumstances:

• A series of 7 x bespoke 1- day leadership capacity development workshops, delivered by former Foreign & Commonwealth senior executive Graeme Thomas to transfer practical know-how and expertise in achieving trade & investment goals. The workshops will include :

1) Strategic Planning, including formulation of vision, mission, strategic objectives and concrete action plans.
2) Communications Strategy to articulate and promote the unique selling points of the African country that would make it a destination of choice to attract FDI, and identify the best channels for communicating this core message.
3) Implementation – improving the capacity and accountability of the mission to deliver.
4) Performance Review at quarterly intervals to assess what is and isn’t working and so corrective action can be taken in a timely way.

• Rapid results pilots to test-drive innovative solutions to know what works and doesn’t work for winning the confidence and support of private investors.
• Peer-To-Peer engagement/knowledge sharing with colleagues in other missions.
• Periodic meetings/conferences to enhance the transfer of knowledge between missions, and national government.
• Mentorship opportunities with experienced former African Ambassadors.
• Opportunities to identify common issues for improving cooperation, collaboration and knowledge sharing among diplomats in the country’s worldwide missions.
• Conference to share the learning gains

Key outcomes

This practical application programme will:-

• Deliver increased FDI through the implementation of well designed and constructed strategic action plans.
• Create a strong foundation for increased mission performance for achieving results through effective and purposeful leadership.
• Leave a legacy of skills by encouraging innovations in problem solving and sharing accountability for achieving measurable outcomes.
• Development of concrete action plans, with milestones and benchmarks that generate visible, and measurable results.
• Facilitate the introduction and internalization of a new results orientated culture to achieve the Foreign Ministry’s strategic objectives, within agreed budgetary levels.
• Enhance self-confidence of individual leaders and empower them to become more effective through knowledge of best management and leadership practices and the principled use of power.
• Facilitate the formation of mutually supportive peer learning groups for diplomats to ensure that they use, share and develop what they have learned as an important tool for driving forward the required culture and organisational changes.
• Improve the co-operation, and co-ordination activities of heads of missions and their colleagues in other missions around the world.

Design & delivery

• Initial contact with African Foreign Minister and senior team to discuss issues/challenges, desired improvements sought, and agree set of core competences and performance criteria for assessing the effectiveness of individual missions.
• Visit all selected heads of missions in-country to gain their buy-in, gauge level of commitment and underscore ownership of the process.
• Scoping mission to assess country specific issues/challenges and diagnose best fit intervention.
• Development of bespoke best fit programme.
• Interim period of preparation of programme workshops, materials and resources.
• Event delivery
• Follow up monitoring & evaluation.

Learning styles

The programme will place a great emphasis on practical and experiential learning based on the real challenges of the leader for improving individual effectiveness.

Participants will be encouraged to keep personal learning logs to record their learning and personal objectives, and chart their progress in meeting objectives. The learning methodology will also include:-

• Interactive workshops
• Work on ‘live’ personal issues
• Self-assessment tools
• Peer-to-peer engagement
• Collective learning events/discussions
• Personal Action Plans