Tag: PublicSectorLeadership
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Resilience Under Pressure
Sustaining Energy in Prolonged Transformation Transformation is not a sprint. For senior executives, the initial burst of urgency and focus can give way to long months—or years—of uncertainty, political friction, and relentless demands. What begins as a high-profile mandate to “fix” or “modernize” soon becomes a test of endurance: keeping yourself, your team, and the…
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Confidence in the Fog of Transformation
Leading Through Ambiguity Without Pretending Certainty Transformational assignments are rarely neat. They are more often fog than roadmap—shifting conditions, unclear end-states, multiple stakeholders, and moving constraints. For senior executives accustomed to providing clarity, this can be disorienting. The instinct is to manufacture certainty: to declare a fixed plan, to over-specify, to project more confidence than…
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Embedding Change: Ministers and DMs Driving Cultural Transformation in Government
Beyond Technology — Leading Cultural Change Digital transformation in government is not only a technological challenge but also a cultural one. Ministers and Deputy Ministers (DMs) are responsible for embedding new ways of working across departments, ensuring that staff adopt digital tools and processes while aligning with broader political priorities. Cultural transformation is critical because…
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Driving Digital Transformation: Ministers and DMs as Strategic Anchors
Digital Transformation as a Leadership Imperative Digital transformation in government is not merely a technical upgrade; it is a strategic and cultural shift that affects every branch, process, and interaction with citizens. Ministers and Deputy Ministers (DMs) are responsible for anchoring this shift, ensuring that technology adoption aligns with political priorities, operational realities, and citizen…
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Assistant Deputy Ministers: Embedding Transformation Through Sustained Sponsorship
The ADM’s Sponsorship Mandate Assistant Deputy Ministers (ADMs) are at the epicentre of federal transformation. They are the leaders responsible for ensuring that ministerial direction and deputy ministerial vision translate into tangible, lasting organizational outcomes. While Ministers set policy and Deputies manage the departmental enterprise, ADMs bridge political direction with operational execution by sponsoring transformation…
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ADMs as Transformation Anchors: Balancing Urgency and Patience Across Complex Portfolios
ADMs in the Sponsorship Chain Assistant Deputy Ministers (ADMs) sit at a critical juncture in Canada’s federal public service. Positioned between Deputy Ministers (DMs) and Directors General (DGs), they are expected to both translate ministerial and DM-level vision into operational reality and champion change across their portfolios. In transformation initiatives, ADMs are not just administrators;…
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Ministers and Deputy Ministers: Sustaining Transformation Amid Political and Operational Pressures
Leadership Continuity as a Transformation Imperative Ministers and Deputy Ministers (DMs) occupy the apex of government transformation efforts. Ministers provide political vision, drive mandate alignment, and engage stakeholders, while DMs ensure operational feasibility, continuity, and accountability. Transformation succeeds when political priorities and administrative capabilities are fully aligned, creating both momentum and sustainability. In a context…
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Ministers and Deputy Ministers: Anchoring Transformation Through Political and Administrative Alignment
Political-Administrative Leadership as a Transformation Anchor In the Canadian federal system, transformation initiatives succeed only when political and administrative leadership align. Ministers set the political vision and policy direction, while Deputy Ministers (DMs) ensure administrative continuity and operational feasibility. When both roles work in synergy, reforms are not only launched but also embedded and sustained.…
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Assistant Deputy Ministers: Aligning Transformation Across Silos
The ADM as a Cross-Silo Integrator Assistant Deputy Ministers (ADMs) occupy one of the most complex and demanding roles in Canada’s federal public service. While Deputy Ministers (DMs) set strategic priorities and Directors General (DGs) ensure execution, ADMs are responsible for cross-silo alignment. They must ensure transformation initiatives not only succeed within their own branch…
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Directors General: Bridging Strategy and Execution in Government Transformation
The DG Role in Sponsorship In Canada’s federal system, Directors General (DGs) hold a pivotal but often underappreciated role in driving transformation. Positioned between the strategic direction of Assistant Deputy Ministers (ADMs) and the operational realities of Directors and Managers, DGs are uniquely placed to translate high-level change into departmental execution. In periods of transformation,…
