“Often, the legacy of a leader is talked about in terms of their achievements. However, in public services, the job is never done.“You constantly strive towards your goal for a better service, a better life or a better experience for people who you serve. You can only do that effectively if you drive a culture where others can develop to the best of their potential.”That was the view of Rajesh Nadkarni, Executive Medical Director at Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne & Wear NHS Foundation Trust, as he discussed with host Matt Roberts the advice he would offer fellow leaders having undertaken the NLC Accelerate Programme.Joined by Tosca Fairchild, Delivery Director for Equality & Health Inequalities and Intensive Support for the East of England at NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSE/I), it was clear despite such different journeys to their current positions, there was a consensus of desire to improve their skills not only for their own benefits, but the benefits of their colleagues, organisations, and service users equally too.That dictates a strong, conscientious public service leader and is one of the end targets of the NLC Accelerate Programme, which has striven to provide the skills and environment necessary to encourage and develop these skills within their cohort.With the NLC Accelerate Programme now open to new applicants for the 2021/22 cohort, both Rajesh,Tosca and the other participants of this four-part miniseries strongly recommended that leaders consider the benefits the NLC could offer.Tosca explained: “The network that we’ve created, through being part of the programme, is going to be in my view invaluable for all 20 of us on this programme.“As we go forward, we have been introduced to people that we would not ordinarily have come across, we will have action learning sets and people to call upon when, as leaders, things get tough and you need to run something past someone.“We now have a network of people that I know with confidence, I can pick up the phone and say ‘Rajesh, I’ve got this in mind, can I have a conversation with you to help me?’ [and they’ll support me with that].”The NLC Accelerate Programme brings together 20 high-performing ethnic minority leaders from across public services, who are currently working at Deputy CEO level and aiming to become CEO-level leaders within their respective fields.Applications for the new 2021/22 cohort of the NLC Accelerate are open until September 24, 2021. Those keen to take part in this year’s course can register their interest here.

PSE Podcast

NLC x PSE Ep 4. The Way Forward

Most of us can identify the qualities that make a good public sector leader, but what turns a good leader into a great one? In particular, what can we learn from other leaders around us to help take advantage of opportunities and deliver greater services to the public?As part of our four-part podcast miniseries with the National Leadership Centre (NLC), Public Sector Executive is delving deeper into what helps make a great leader’.Joining host Matt Roberts on the podcast, Parveen Yaqoob, Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Reading and Shantha Dickinson, Deputy Chief Fire Officer, discuss their leadership journeys and the experiences that helped propel them forward in their careers.  For Parveen, there was one particular moment which represented a turning point in her career progression.“About five or six years ago, I was asked to take part in a STEM event for Year 9 girls. I was one of six role models, women representing different areas in STEM, and at the start of the event the facilitator asked each of us to stand up and explain why we were there. I stood up and found myself saying that there weren’t enough women in senior positions in universities and I wanted to see change.“As soon as the words were out of my mouth, it just hit me like a thunderbolt. I realised I couldn’t say something like that, and yet have no intention of doing anything about it.”That drove Parveen to make the most of opportunities, and to help guide and support others to come through too. But equally, it also taught her to take pride in her achievements and recognise the success she had achieved in her career, and how she could then turn that into a shareable experience for others.There are many different ways that a leader can go from having a good career to a great one, with guests Parveen and Shantha’s very different experiences demonstrating as much, but one thing comes across immediately clear: the growth of a great leader doesn’t just benefit themselves, but it benefits everyone across their organisation and in the case of the NLC Accelerate delegates, it benefits the recipients of the public service their organisations provideListen to the full discussions with Shantha and Parveen and discover what truly took them to that next stage of personal, professional, and collaborative success, and how the NLC Accelerate Programme has impacted their leadership journeys The NLC Accelerate Programme brings together 20 high-performing ethnic minority leaders from across public services, who are currently working at Deputy CEO level and aiming to become CEO-level leaders within their respective fields.Applications for the new 2021/22 cohort of the NLC Accelerate are open until September 24, 2021. Those keen to take part in this year’s course can register their interest here.Listen to the full NLC x PSE podcast episode with Parveen and Shantha below: 

NLC x PSE Ep 3. Good to Great

As ethnic minority leaders, there have been many barriers and challenges to overcome to reach the career heights that our guests from the NLC Accelerate Programme have done, and in the second of our four-part miniseries with the National Leadership Centre (NLC), we hear about some of these challenges and how the delegates have managed to surmount them.Joined by Mohit Venkataram, Executive Commercial Director at East London Foundation Trust, and Acosia Nyanin, Regional Chief Nurse for the South East at NHS England & NHS Improvement (NHSE/I), our host Matt Roberts was able to delve into some of the root experiences and explore very honest, candid answers from the guests.One of the biggest elements, and one which the NLC Accelerate Programme was able to directly intervene and help with, was the construction of strong, valuable networks of like-minded, driven public leaders; leaders who often otherwise might not have crossed paths.Through both the building of connections among the course cohort, and the implementation of a mentor system, the NLC Accelerate delegates were able to connect, learn and share in confidence.As Mohit explained: “I think it’s often felt that one is alone in the room. It has felt like that for a long time.“It is incredibly important to feel in your heart that you have a network, where you can bounce off ideas and where you can feel comfortable, and there’s a safe space to have an open discussion.“The pandemic made a difference. It taught us that our strength comes in being a group, a collective and in not competing with each other but recognising the experiences we bring in together as a group which makes a difference to the lives of people that we are here to serve.”Listen to the full conversation with Mohit and Acosia and discover how these two inspirational public sector leaders have overcome barriers and challenges in their career, with the support of the NLC Accelerate Programme,The NLC Accelerate Programme brings together 20 high-performing ethnic minority leaders from across public services, who are currently working at Deputy CEO level and aiming to become CEO-level leaders within their respective fields.Applications for the new 2021/22 cohort of the NLC Accelerate are open until September 24, 2021. Those keen to take part in this year’s course can register their interest here.

NLC x PSE Ep 2. Barriers and Challenges

“It is fundamentally important to work with people, understand what motivates them and what their lived experience has been.”Those were the words of Salma Yasmeen, Executive Director of Strategy and Change at South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, as she joined two of her fellow NLC Accelerate Programme delegates on the first of a four-part miniseries being ran between the National Leadership Centre (NLC) and PSE’s Public Sector Voices podcast.For Salma and her fellow Accelerate programme delegates, one of the biggest strengths of the programme was connecting the experiences of a diverse, varied group of public sector leaders to learn from one another and build up valuable connections.One of the ways that was achieved was by sharing people’s stories up until then, the challenges and successes they had experienced in their careers and their general feelings within their roles; helping to reveal common sentiments among leaders.Joined on this episode by Gurpreet Jagpal, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Business and Entrepreneurship at the University of Suffolk and Buki Adeyemo, Medical Director and Deputy CEO at North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust, the three fascinating leaders shared their own journeys and experiences up to that point.From experience working in the voluntary sector and in the Middle East, through to a transformative experience in Nigeria, and hard-working summers in their youth, each of the NLC Accelerate Programme members had a unique, rich story to share with our podcast host Matt Roberts.Jump in and listen to the full stories and learn about some of the transformative benefits that the programme has given these rising public sector leaders.The NLC Accelerate Programme brings together 20 high-performing ethnic minority leaders from across public services, who are currently working at Deputy CEO level and aiming to become CEO-level leaders within their respective fields.Applications for the new 2021/22 cohort of the NLC Accelerate are open from September 1-24, 2021. Those keen to take part in this year’s course can register their interest here.

NLC x PSE Ep 1. The Journey to Now

On Episode 31 of PSE’s Public Sector Voices podcast, we sat down with Peter Hutt, Business Intelligence Consultant at OpenSky Data Systems, who specialises in helping local authorities realise this potential.

Ep 31. The opportunities of data in waste management, Peter Hutt

Lahari Ramuni from Centre for Cities discusses their "High streets recovery tracker", a tool which comprises of several pieces of research measuring how our high streets have coped with Covid.

Ep. 30 How Covid has affected our high streets, Lahari Ramuni, Centre for Cities

Cllr Graham Carr-Jones discusses how Dorset Council have used the coronavirus pandemic to put a spotlight on homelessness, something which saw them nominated for PSE's Council of the Month award.

Ep. 29 Putting homelessness first, Cllr Graham Carr-Jones, Dorset Council

On this week’s episode of Public Sector Voices we are joined by Anna Firth, Councillor on Sevenoaks District Council, and one of the founders of the Invicta Summer Academy.

Ep. 28 Keeping education level during lockdown, Cllr Anna Firth, Sevenoaks District Council

On this week’s episode of Public Sector Voices we are joined by two key members of the National Association of Local Councils, Chief Executive, Jonathan Owen and Chair Sue Baxter.

Ep. 27 National Association of Local Councils - Changing the landscape

On this week’s episode of Public Sector Voices we are joined by Martina Kane, Policy and Engagement Manager, at The Heath Foundation. She is calling for young people’s future & current health to be taken seriously by eliminating stress and uncertainty surrounding work and housing.

Ep. 26 Caring for this generation of young people - Martina Kane, The Health Foundation

On this week’s episode of Public Sector Voices we are joined by Cllr Mandy Clare from Cheshire West and Chester Council. As the Leader’s champion of Poverty and Inequality, she is calling for the full Cabinet to declare a Poverty and Inequality Emergency.

Ep. 25 Why Councils need to declare a Poverty Emergency - Cllr Mandy Clare

This week’s episode of Public Sector Voices, covers a hydrogen transport revolution, with Centre for Policy Studies researcher, Eamonn Ives.

Ep. 24 A Hydrogen Transport Revolution - Eamonn Ives

On this week’s episode of Public Sector Voices, Emily is joined by Sir David Bell, whose career in local government spans almost four decades.

Ep. 23 Sir David Bell - Is Higher Education the key to economic recovery?

On this week’s episode of Public Sector Voices, Emily is joined by the Director of National Innovation Centre for Data, Steve Caughey, to highlight the potential of using data to it’s full potential within the public sector and beyond.

Ep. 22 How can data help the public sector? Steve Caughey - National Innovation Centre for Data

This week, Leader of Isle of Wight Council, Dave Stewart, Joined host Emily Rodgers on the Public Sector Voices podcast. The Island has received national attention throughout the coronavirus crisis for piloting the Government’s controversial track and trace app.

Ep. 21 Isle of Wight fighting Covid-19 with the digital edge - Cllr Dave Stewart

We are your hosts Matt and Emily and this is the PSE podcast, where each episode we will be joined by key figures within the public sector, covering everything from the environment to the economy! #WeArePSE