Dattner Group's - The Leadership Bottleneck. Planning for succession in councils through capability uplift and unearthing emerging leaders

Succession planning and performance management are often treated as separate conversations in local government. One is future-focused and strategic. The other is operational and compliance driven. The result is a growing leadership bottleneck where, often, neither is done particularly well, especially at the middle and upper management levels, where development stalls and critical knowledge is at risk of leaving the organisation. 

In this sector panel event, we will explore how councils can take a more integrated, organisation-wide approach to succession and performance. One that builds leadership depth, strengthens capability and ensures intellectual capital is retained when people move on. 

Together, the panel will unpack: 

• Why leadership development so often breaks down at the middle and upper management levels and what senior leaders can do to remove this bottleneck 

• How to approach succession planning strategically and courageously so knowledge, relationships, culture and organisational insight are not lost  

• The role a constructive, ‘high performance culture’ can play in genuine development rather than just accountability  

• What workforce-wide enablement of succession planning looks like beyond the CEO and executive team 

This session is designed for: 

• CEOs, General Managers and Executive Leaders who are responsible for leadership continuity, workforce capability and long-term organisational sustainability in councils. 

Informed by years of research into local government cultures and leadership patterns, you will walk away ready to: 

• Identify and open up the leadership bottlenecks across your organisation 

• Strengthen succession planning beyond ‘short-term thinking’ or narrow executive focus 

• Use performance management as a meaningful development lever for all  

• Retain critical knowledge and capability during leadership transitions 

• Apply fresh ideas from outside the sector to your council context 

Meet the Panellists 

Jackie Kruger, General Manager, Leeton Shire Council 
Daniel Boyce, Chief Officer, Planning and Activation, Armidale Regional Council 
Leah Burns, Chief People & Capabilities Officer, Greencross Pet Wellness Company

Location

Zoom, details provided 1 day before the session

Meet your Hosts:

Fabian Dattner – Founder, Chair, Resident Visionary - Dattner Group

Fabian is a highly regarded ethics commentator, leadership expert, and activist. A fierce advocate for women in leadership, Fabian says the world is at a critical crossroads and leadership is a key leverage point for positive change.

A visionary speaker, advisor, and facilitator, Fabian’s career spans more than 40 years, during which she has collaborated with numerous organisations in local, state, and federal government and thousands of leaders across the globe.

Zoe Dattner, CEO, Dattner Group 

Zoe Dattner is the CEO at Dattner Group. Zoe works closely with many of the organisation’s clients, particularly in local government, and collaborates with the team to remove obstacles, build leadership capacity and enable sustainable growth. Her work reflects years of learning, deep listening and collecting people’s stories. Zoe courageously meets challenging conversations head-on to develop greater self-awareness in leaders for the benefit of their organisations, their communities and the richness of a well-examined life. 

About Dattner Group 

Dattner Group is one of Australia’s most accomplished and trusted consultancies, helping to build sustainable, purposeful leadership for almost forty years. We work closely as a culture and leadership development partner for many councils, large and small, around Australia.

And we are ready to help you create big change, little by little.