I’ve just looked back at when I joined the Socitm mentoring programme and was shocked that it was over 2 years ago.
The journey was originally planned to last around 6 months. But I still meet up with Carol, my mentor and friend, every few months to catch up and share what’s going on in our local government and home worlds!
Where I was in 2023
My manager had recently left the organisation, which provided me with the opportunity to temporarily act up.
This left me thinking: Could I do this? Was I a good enough leader? Imposter syndrome had well and truly set in!
So, I put myself forward for mentoring through Socitm and invested some time in me and my development.
The team at Socitm matched me up with Carol Williams (Director of Transformation and Digital at Walsall Council) and the journey started.
The journey
Carol set me off with looking at the Mentor Loop Goal Setting Framework [PDF] which really helped me to think about what I wanted to achieve and get out of our meetings.
Our goals focussed on:
- effective leadership,
- improving confidence,
- being successful in securing a permanent senior role.
It does take a few sessions to build up a relationship. But Carol was kind, listened – she was just dead approachable.
She provided lots of ideas as to how to get feedback on my current leadership approach which included asking people at different levels in the organisation.
Simple advice but useful
It was good to get feedback from director level, which included me being seen as methodical, pragmatic, trusted, and someone who can deliver.
We discussed what I saw as key attributes of a successful leader, how important they were to me and whether I had this attribute already.
Self-reflection and feedback are powerful tools to identify where you are really at – the outcome is often surprisingly positive.
Dealing with difficult situations was often a topic of conversation. And with Carol’s vast experience as a manager and leader she was always able to offer different avenues to try.
It’s been invaluable to have discussions outside of my own sphere/organisation. Albeit still being with someone who understands the local government make up.
What does 2025 look like?
Well, I secured the role! I’m proud to lead a team of nearly 30 staff.
Mentoring helped improve my self-belief and I think I am an OK leader. I’m authentic, honest and have learnt to pull on other members of the team with those attributes that aren’t naturally my strength.
Good leadership is about knowing who’s best placed to deliver, providing other people with opportunities to grow as opposed to trying to do everything yourself. Carol has feedback that I’ve moved from ‘I might do this’ to ‘I’m doing this’. And has seen me grow into a more confident person.
Local Government Reorganisation is happening across Lancashire. And for me this creates exiting opportunities and big programmes of change work to get stuck into.
Would I recommend the mentoring scheme?
Absolutely – if you get the opportunity take it.
I think the relationship that Carol and I have built up says something about the success of Socitm’s mentoring programme. And let’s not forget, she was Socitm’s President in 2024-25. So I feel lucky that she took the time out to invest in me.
Volunteer for the mentoring programme and get started in 2026.
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