Strategic leadership training for local government
Mosaic's Strategic Leadership Training and Mentoring Programme helps public sector leaders make confident decisions, lead through uncertainty and build strong, resilient and high-performing organisations.
Training for public sector leaders
Senior leaders in local government - whether councillors or council officers - face growing demands. They must set direction, manage people and resources, respond to changing expectations and maintain the confidence of a wide range of stakeholders.
Mosaic’s strategic leadership training gives public sector leaders the time and space to step back from immediate pressures, challenge their thinking and focus on the long-term needs of their organisation.
Led by highly experienced political leaders Louise McKinley and Abi Brown OBE, our unique programme combines practical leadership training, executive mentoring and constructive challenge. Every course is tailored to your organisation, participants and outcomes required.
Courses can be booked individually or combined to create a complete strategic leadership development programme.
Full or half day training
Delivered in person or online
Tailored content and feedback
One-to-one executive mentoring available
For individuals or larger groups
Course overview
Senior leadership can be isolating, particularly when difficult decisions must be made under pressure. Leaders may need to balance financial performance, organisational purpose, workforce expectations, stakeholder relationships and reputational risk without always having a neutral person with whom they can discuss their options.
Our Strategic Leadership and Mentoring Programme for local government leaders provides a trusted and confidential environment in which participants can examine current challenges, strengthen their strategic thinking and develop practical approaches to leading their organisation.
Public sector leaders from local government can select an individual course to address a particular priority or combine several courses to create a tailored leadership development programme.
Sample course outline
Course overview
Leadership in a public-facing environment requires confidence, credibility and a clear understanding of how personal behaviour affects organisational performance.
Here we explore what distinguishes effective leadership from management and how leaders can develop an authentic style based on their values, strengths and responsibilities.
The course helps participants build greater self-awareness, strengthen trust and lead effectively through uncertainty, scrutiny and change.
Topics covered
- What makes an effective leader
- Leadership versus management
- Developing an authentic leadership style
- Building credibility and trust
- Values-based leadership
- Leading during uncertainty and change
- Organisational leadership
Course overview
Leaders are often required to make significant decisions with limited information, competing priorities and intense pressure.
This course helps participants look beyond immediate operational demands, assess risks and opportunities and make decisions that support long-term organisational objectives.
Drawing on experience of political, financial and organisational decision-making, we provide practical techniques for balancing ambition with deliverability and maintaining strategic focus during uncertainty.
Topics covered
- Thinking beyond the immediate issue
- Strategic planning techniques
- Assessing risks and opportunities
- Making decisions under pressure
- Balancing political, financial and operational priorities
- Setting a clear long-term vision
- Turning strategy into action
Course overview
During a crisis, leaders must make difficult decisions, communicate uncertainty and maintain the confidence of employees, stakeholders and the public.
This course explores the principles of effective crisis leadership and the behaviours required to provide clarity, direction and reassurance when events are moving quickly.
We draw on leadership, political and media experience to examine how organisations can prepare for crises, respond under pressure and learn from major incidents.
Topics covered
- Principles of effective crisis leadership
- Preparing organisations for disruption
- Decision-making under pressure
- Maintaining public and stakeholder confidence
- Managing internal and external stakeholders
- Communicating uncertainty
- Learning from major incidents
Course overview
Leaders are increasingly expected to communicate confidently across traditional media, public meetings, internal channels and social media.
Drawing on his experience as a BBC journalist, media trainer, political leader and business chairman, Kevin Bentley provides practical guidance on handling media scrutiny, communicating difficult issues and protecting personal and organisational reputation.
Participants will learn how journalists approach stories, how to prepare for challenging interviews and how clear, credible communication can strengthen public confidence.
Topics covered
- Understanding how journalists think
- Preparing for media interviews
- Handling difficult questions
- Crisis communications
- Public speaking and presentations
- Leading through social media
- Protecting personal and organisational reputation
- Radio and TV-style interviews with feedback
Course overview
Leadership can bring sustained pressure, public scrutiny, difficult decisions and significant personal responsibility.
Without effective strategies for managing these demands, performance, judgement and wellbeing can suffer.
This course provides leaders with practical approaches to building resilience, managing criticism and sustaining effectiveness over the long term. Here we share lessons from senior leadership across business, media, politics and public service.
Topics covered
- Understanding leadership pressure
- Building personal resilience
- Managing criticism and scrutiny
- Maintaining perspective during difficult periods
- Establishing healthy leadership boundaries
- Avoiding exhaustion and burnout
- Sustaining long-term effectiveness
Course overview
Organisations that understand political decision-making are better placed to influence policy, build partnerships and secure support for their priorities.
This course provides a practical introduction to public affairs and government relations, helping participants understand how local and national government operate and how decisions are influenced.
Drawing on extensive experience within local government, we explain how to engage effectively with politicians, officials, public bodies and strategic partners.
Topics covered
- Understanding local and national government
- How political and policy decisions are made
- Identifying and influencing decision-makers
- Developing public affairs strategies
- Working with MPs, councillors and public bodies
- Building effective political partnerships
- Navigating policy development
Successful leaders must understand how power, influence and relationships shape organisational decisions.
This course helps participants navigate complex stakeholder environments, manage competing interests and build productive relationships with elected members, boards, senior teams, partners and external organisations.
Here we draw on extensive political, business and partnership experience to provide practical guidance on influencing without formal authority, building consensus and maintaining trusted relationships when interests do not always align.
Topics covered
- Understanding power and influence
- Mapping stakeholders, partners and organisations
- Building productive relationships
- Working with elected members, boards and senior teams
- Influencing without authority
- Managing competing interests
- Negotiation and consensus building
Course overview
The impact of effective leadership should extend beyond an individual’s position, title or period in office.
This course encourages participants to consider the long-term contribution they want to make to their organisation, colleagues and community.
Here we explore how leaders can build strong organisational cultures, develop future leaders and create sustainable success. Participants will consider how their decisions, behaviours and priorities shape the legacy they leave behind.
Topics covered
- Defining personal and organisational success
- Understanding long-term leadership impact
- Building and supporting future leaders
- Succession planning
- Creating a sustainable organisational culture
- Leaving a positive legacy
- Leadership beyond position and title
Course overview
Strong leadership requires more than vision and strategy. Leaders must also maintain financial control, strengthen governance and identify emerging risks before they become crises.
In an environment of increasing financial pressure, greater scrutiny and rising public expectations, organisations need clear accountability, robust oversight and effective decision-making.
Drawing on her experience leading a major local authority, supporting council improvement programmes and serving as a Government Intervention Commissioner, Abi Brown provides practical insight into financial stewardship, governance and organisational resilience.
This module helps leaders recognise warning signs, strengthen scrutiny and assurance, and create a culture of transparency, accountability and constructive challenge.
Topics covered
- Understanding the leader’s role in financial stewardship and balancing ambition with sustainability
- Creating organisational grip through accountability, performance management and effective oversight
- Identifying early warning signs, risks and challenges before they escalate
- Strengthening governance, scrutiny and assurance to support confident decision-making
- Understanding intervention, its causes and how leaders can rebuild trust and stability
- Developing sustainable financial leadership through resilience, long-term planning and continuous improvement
Course overview
Transformation is one of the defining challenges facing modern leaders.
Financial pressures, technological change, organisational restructuring, devolution and public sector reform all require leaders to guide organisations through uncertainty while maintaining confidence, performance and trust.
Drawing on extensive experience of leading transformation in local government, combined with formal PRINCE2® project management expertise, Louise McKinlay explores how successful change is planned, communicated, delivered and sustained.
The module considers both the strategic and human aspects of transformation, helping leaders build support, manage resistance and deliver lasting improvement.
Topics covered
- Understanding transformation and the difference between improvement and transformational change
- Aligning people, processes and technology to deliver successful change
- Building organisational cultures that support trust, engagement and continuous improvement
- Designing effective operating models with clear governance, accountability and decision-making
- Leading change through vision, communication and stakeholder engagement
- Managing resistance by understanding concerns and creating constructive conversations
- Sustaining change through accountability, measurement and demonstrating long-term value
Not quite what you’re looking for? We can tailor this training to your exact needs. If you require a shorter session, more delegates or a unique course outline, contact us to discuss bespoke options.
Our trainers
Abi Brown OBE
Leadership Coach and Mentor
Kevin Bentley
Strategic Leadership Trainer & Mentor
Louise McKinlay
Leadership Coach and Mentor
Frequently asked questions
Have any other questions? Get in touch.
We don’t do open courses for individuals. Sorry about that.
We specialise in tailored training that’s created to exactly meet your needs, so our courses will be made uniquely for you and/or your organisation.
If you’re interested in a one to one tailored session or a group course for your organisation, do get in touch!
Our courses are all tailored specifically to you and your organisation’s needs. So usually our training is delivered at your place. We’ll be pleased to come to you, wherever you are.
If you prefer to book a hotel, meeting room or other accommodation that’s fine too.
If it’s hard for you to get everyone in one place we can also do your training online using either Zoom or Teams.
Our pricing depends entirely on your needs – we don’t do “one size fits all”!
Our course development includes working with you to understand your current levels of skills and experience, what you want to achieve from the training and how we can get you there.
We’ll also want to find out how many people you want trained and where you’d like the course delivered.
Once we know all that we can price your course which means you won’t pay for anything you don’t need.
As a guide, most of our full day courses start at £1995+VAT for up to four people, so that’s less than £500+VAT a head.
But speak to us and we’ll make sure we’re within your budget.
Absolutely! And we don’t just think so – our clients keep coming back, which tells us we’re giving them real value. We’re really proud that 40% of our work is with returning clients, so we must be getting it right.
Because we specialise in tailored training, everything we do for you is aligned to your outcomes. We know you don’t want to spend time or money on training that’s not directly going to help your business or organisation.
Apart from our one to one training, our fees are always for group sessions, so the most efficient cost per head is to fill all those places. It’s also really efficient to have two trainers attend if you have a large group size or have consecutive days of training. We’re always happy to explain our pricing – just let us know.
Everything you need!
- Planning meeting(s) with you to develop learning outcomes
- Course programme development
- Course content research and creation
- Scenario research to make your training relevant and “as real as it gets”
- Delivery by our former BBC journalist trainers and marketing experts
- Most courses have our Pre Course Questionnaire so we know what each delegate wants to achieve from their session with us
- Copies of our PDF guides as applicable
- Recordings of the full training session (online training)
- Recordings of radio and TV interviews carried out during the training (in person training)
- Course admin including scoping availability, confirming resources, booking confirmation and invoicing
No problem. The great thing about tailored training is that it’s exactly that. Tailored to you, including your availability. Speak to us and we’ll create a programme that fits your time.
Yes! We like to support charities with a discount, do ask us for more details.
We also offer discounts for multiple bookings. So for example if we create you a tailored course and you book multiple sessions, later ones will be discounted since the groundwork is already done. We’ll go through this once we know what you want.
Yes. We deliver training across the world and it’s nearly always much easier for one of two of us to come to you than all of you to come to us.
As a registered BCorp, we’re committed to using public transport wherever we can. Our travel cost covers our train fare, transfers and overnight accommodation where needed. We also charge a token amount for our travel time. This is because when they’re travelling to you our trainer isn’t available to train someone else.
We’ll cover all this in detail when we send you your proposal.
Lots of organisations come to us in exactly that situation.
By bringing in our expertise your team’s skills will be sharpened even further which helps your organisation and their professional development. For example, you might only deal with a media crisis every few years – we handle them every day for our wide selection of clients!
Our training is also an invaluable external assessment of your skills, capacity and resilience. Think you’ve got all skills covered? Let us confirm that for you by putting them into practice, or help you fill the gaps.
We can also help you address professional development. Our BBC expertise means we can give credible, valued feedback to all your delegates, including conversations you may not feel confident to have.
Why choose Mosaic for your training?
Our outstanding training is unique in the following ways:
- The Mosaic team has more than 25 years’ experience training a wide range of organisations including blue chip companies, charities, schools, universities, government departments. and local authorities.
- Every course we deliver is individually tailored exactly to your needs. We never do “off the shelf” training - your course will be about skills, issues and great practice in the areas relevant to you.
- Our leadership trainers are hugely experienced leaders and communicators. They bring insight and expertise to each course based on decades of delivery and success.
- We are a B Corp Certified Company, which means we are committed to sustainable and ethical practice to benefit people and planet.
