Council Capabilities Under Constraint: Insights from Alexandra Deng‘s LGPro Webinar
In a recent LGPro webinar, Alexandra Deng, Associate Partner of Talent Acquisition at Future Leadership, delivered compelling and practical insights on ways Local Government can develop leadership capabilities whilst operating in an increasingly constrained and high-demand environment. Her presentation, titled “Capabilities Under Constraint,” addressed one of the most pressing questions facing local government today: What are the top Council capabilities needed for the future?
Capabilities to future-ready the Council workforce
Drawing on extensive experience in organisational development and talent acquisition at Future Leadership, our Organisational Psychologists have developed the Future Leadership Capability Framework (FLCF) to help organisations tackle emerging talent challenges. This structured framework supports conversations around talent acquisition, succession planning, and learning and development.
Council leaders consistently highlight several capabilities as pivotal for future-readying their teams. Focusing on these capabilities through targeted development ensures Council not only survives in a complex environment but thrives under pressure.
Systems thinking: a “whole of Council” approach
The most frequently cited capability for development is systems thinking, also known as enterprise leadership. This encourages leaders to adopt a “whole of Council” perspective on strategy, decision-making, and implementation. Many Councils operate in functional silos, missing opportunities for collaboration and efficiency. Systems thinking helps leaders understand how services, departments, and external stakeholders interconnect, which is essential for tackling complex community issues.
Leaders can foster systems thinking by designing cross-departmental projects, mapping cause-and-effect across teams, offering secondments, and creating shared goals beyond individual KPIs. Psychologically safe workplaces, where challenge and collaboration are welcomed, provide the ideal environment for this capability to grow.
Ethics & integrity: strong governance
Operating in the public sector with public funds requires leaders who demonstrate integrity and ethical decision-making. Councils increasingly expect officers and Councillors to champion governance and accountability.
Developing ethical leadership can include senior leaders modelling ethical choices, creating mechanisms for staff to call out questionable behaviour, and empowering all levels of staff to take ownership of governance as part of their day-to-day responsibilities.
Organisational capability: aligned talent & match-fit systems
Delivering on community needs depends on having both the right people and systems in place. Strategic workforce planning, acting or interim roles to bring fresh perspectives, and early engagement with People & Culture teams help ensure the Council has the right capabilities.
Trusted partnerships with aligned recruitment providers also strengthen the organisation, ensuring talent is sourced that can sustain long-term success and deliver on the Council’s vision.
Commercial acumen: maximising resources and finding synergies
Financial maturity is essential to balancing short-term needs with long-term sustainability. While many public sector leaders excel in service delivery, commercial realities can pose challenges.
In practice, commercial acumen involves monitoring industry trends, using insights to make informed, risk-aware decisions, understanding political and funding environments, negotiating and innovating revenue streams, and communicating decisions effectively to ratepayers.
Session results
When we asked session participants which capabilities they considered most important for Council, their teams, and their own development, the majority chose Systems Thinking, followed by Commercial Acumen. Together, these capabilities enable faster, more efficient decision-making and innovation in a resource-constrained environment.
Systems thinking does not always come naturally and benefits from training that clearly shows what enterprise leadership looks like at every level and in every role. Practical ways to encourage this “whole of Council” approach include:
- Link systems thinking to real results & lived experience: Show how collaboration drives measurable outcomes such as Council revenue, community satisfaction, and project delivery. Highlight where siloed behaviour has caused delays or missed opportunities.
- Reward enterprise behaviour: Recognise and reward team members who engage across the Council. Tie performance measures, acting-up roles, and learning opportunities to enterprise thinking.
- Remove barriers to collaboration: Siloed teams often resist working across functions due to inefficiency or lack of clarity. Clear processes, shared goals, and discussion forums make collaboration straightforward and motivating.
If you’d like to know more about how to future proof your council leadership with the right capabilities, reach out to me: [email protected]
Alexandra Deng is an Associate Partner specialising in agile talent within Future Leadership’s Interim Executive practice. with a focus on senior appointments in the Public Sector, she works across all levels of Government, with a functional speciality in People & Culture. Alexandra is diversely experienced in Human Resources and Law, having held senior positions in People & Culture across industries including technology, R&D, horticulture and construction.
