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RGS Leadership Academies

RGS created local government leadership Academies in response to our work with over 250 local government agencies. RGS sought to help public agencies address loss of leadership expertise, lack of succession planning solutions, and incomplete talent pipelines.

Our Academies are designed to:

  • Incorporate trends and needs across all the local government agencies with whom we have worked.
  • Leverage our Trainers’ experience in local government to deliver meaningful and engaging content.
  • Utilize a variety of learning modes, including interactive processes, role-playing, and team coaching to support growth and skills training.
  • Facilitate the sharing of attendee ideas and experience to get well-rounded perspectives on responses to leadership and agency challenges.
  • Create live, interactive virtual training sessions with opportunities to participate and engage with our Trainers and other agency participants.

Since our creation in 2014, RGS Training & Development has trained over 900 supervisors, managers, leads, and senior-level employees from over 100 local government agencies. Positive feedback and re-referrals from host agencies, agency staff, and attendees have allowed us to grow organically. RGS has incorporated feedback from attendees, hosts, and Training/HR professionals to keep our content up-to-date and relevant.

Curriculum

Our Leadership Academies focus on developing the following core leadership skills:
  • Getting Work Done Through People
  • Engaging Employees to Create a Positive & Productive Workforce
  • Exploring the Many Roles of Supervisors/Managers
  • Identifying Leadership Levels
  • Building Power and Influence
  • Communicating Effectively as a Leader
  • Conducting Difficult Workplace Conversations
  • Leading Proactively
  • Creating a Culture of Accountability
  • Managing Performance
  • Coaching for Success

Format

This format features six 3-hour virtual training sessions every two weeks. This format breaks the content into smaller modules and still which allows concepts to be presented in stages, establish goals and practice learned skills. This version features the same great platform delivered in a sophisticated virtual environment that allows for interaction and discussion. Attendees receive an electronic binder with training content, handouts, and materials.

Additional benefits of virtual learning include elimination of travel costs, delivering content more quickly, ensuring delivery of consistent information across dispersed locations, and improving employee engagement. These benefits make virtual training a critical resource for today's local government agencies that struggle with to manage COVID-19 impacts as well as limited resources and time.
*Currently due to COVID-19 restrictions, RGS is only delivering the virtual version of our Academy in 2020.

Levels

The Management Academy level focuses on the manager role as a strategic planner, goal setter, and team manager. Managers translate Executive vision into outcomes and programs that drive local government services. The Academy frames these core concepts in the unique local government environment. Managers will learn how to: develop systems and programs, think critically and make better decisions, manage remote/hybrid teams, navigate difficult conversations, and build influence to be responsive to the constantly changing local agency landscape. Requires application and supervisor approval to attend.
Syllabus/sample flyer
The Supervisor/Manager Academy level focuses on the supervisor or manager role as a leader, communicating effectively, and performance management. The Academy frames these core concepts in the unique local government environment and helps new or established supervisors and managers build trust, accountability, and effective work teams.
Syllabus/sample flyer
This level focuses on many of the same concepts from our Supervisor/Manager level but focuses particularly on the lead/senior-level employee role. These roles often have to get work done with teams and co-workers without a formal authoritative role. This Academy shows leads how to contribute to a better work environment and performance and provide support to supervisors and managers.
Syllabus/sample flyer

Types

In this type, attendees come from a variety of agencies and RGS provides the trainers and content. This type unites attendees from diverse organizational cultures, structures, and experiences, which enhances knowledge sharing and builds support networks across agencies and regions.
RGS also gets requests for in-house Academies. This model involves RGS trainers presenting either level of the Academy (or both) to a single agency who has enough of their own staff (20 or more) to attend. While this agency model does not involve multi-agency sharing and networks, it does allow agency leaders to be trained simultaneously and consistently on key leadership competencies, which can be powerful. It also allows RGS to customize the academy to meet a specific agency’s leadership development needs. For questions about an in-house Academy, contact Richard Oppenheim at roppenheim@rgs.ca.gov.

Additional Details

Tuition for Academies is $950 per attendee. This cost covers all days of the Academy. It also includes Academy material, handouts, goal sheets, Performance Management Guide. Attendees who successfully complete all three days get a Certificate of Completion with the number of hours attended.
RGS can work with your agency to create a custom Academy. We can work with you to do a leadership needs assessment, customize our standard course content/format, include elements that your agency needs, and deliver agency-wide or to sub-groups of employees.
See the main Training and Development page for a list of upcoming academies and training courses. Remember that registration must take place prior to the start of the first day.

To get more information about our Academies, or request a quote for a custom Academy, contact Richard Oppenheim at 650-587-7313 or roppenheim@rgs.ca.gov.