Program Overview

Public Executive Program

The Public Executive Program is designed to address the key leadership competencies identified by the Treasury Board of Canada and provincial and municipal public service counterparts. This program provides a unique overview of strategy, leadership, and management best practices to address policy development, program planning, and the specific leadership challenges facing today's public-sector executives and directors.

About the Program

This program has been developed to provide public-sector executives with the skills and knowledge necessary to excel in their roles. The program focuses on creating vision and strategy for organizations, managing change, inspiring and motivating teams, and building emotional intelligence and resilience in leaders.

Program Details

• The program is available via live, in-person delivery at the Donald Gordon Conference Centre in Kingston, Ontario.
• The program fee is $11,000 CAD (plus applicable taxes), which includes a private guest room at the conference centre, full use of amenities and parking, meals, programming materials, and post-program support.
• The program schedule includes:
  • Monday: 11:30 AM to 6:30 PM ET
  • Tuesday: 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM ET
  • Wednesday: 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM ET
  • Thursday: 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM ET
  • Friday: 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM ET
• There will be breaks for lunch and dinner each day, as well as a break in the afternoon to provide participants with a chance to reflect and have some downtime outside of the classroom.

What You Will Learn

In this program, you will learn:

• To create vision and strategy for your organization
• Tools to achieve results related to your strategy and vision
• Ways to cultivate motivation and inspire teams
• Improved communication and relationship-building skills
• Tools for navigating conflicts and challenging situations
• To distinguish between the different types of unpredictability that managers and executives encounter
• Strategies that can be used to overcome organization change hurdles
• How to inject trust, commitment, and voluntary cooperation into change efforts
• How to deliver presentations and communications that engage, inform, and motivate others
• Adaptive leadership skills critical for responding to rapid change, crisis, and complexity
• How to leverage technology to drive decision-making and organizational success
• To better understand the Canada-US relationship, in the context of both business and government

Who Should Attend

This program is designed for public-sector managers, directors, and leaders who are looking for fresh perspectives and approaches to policy issues and leadership, in all areas of government, government agencies, and the public service.

Session Leaders

The program features a range of experienced session leaders, including:

• Kathryn Brohman, Associate Professor at Smith School of Business
• Lobna Ch廨if, Chair in Resilience at the Royal Military College of Canada
• Matthew Reesor, Professor at Smith School of Business
• Colin Robertson, Vice President and Fellow at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute
• Michael Sartor, Associate Professor at Smith School of Business

Program Focus

The program focuses on:

• The fundamentals of leadership excellence in government
• World issues and current affairs
• Communication and stakeholder management
• Leading in the digital age

Personal Benefits

Participants can expect to gain:

• A broadened public policy perspective through interaction with a diverse group of session leaders and public-sector executives
• Enhanced ability to motivate and inspire others
• Strengthened communication and relationship-building skills
• Practical tools for navigating and resolving conflicts
• Greater personal resilience and emotional agility to manage stress, uncertainty, and complex leadership challenges
• Stronger capability to foster resilient, high-performing teams
• Improved digital literacy to become more confident and proficient in strategic decision-making
• Enhanced ability to communicate effectively with noticeable impact and influence
• Greater ability to establish trust and credibility with stakeholders, both internal and external
• Tools and frameworks to navigate unpredictability
• Increased productivity by focusing on acts and activities that will motivate and guide the people you lead

Organizational Benefits

Organizations can expect to benefit from:

• Improved team performance and morale through leaders who foster psychological safety, trust, and resilience
• Reduced burnout and turnover by equipping leaders with sustainable well-being and stress management strategies
• Access to tools for evaluating emerging technologies and making informed decisions that guide digital initiatives
• Ability to overcome frequent internal communication challenges
• Improved team collaboration and communication, resulting in higher productivity
• Increased employee satisfaction and engagement through supportive leadership practices
• Enhanced ability to recognize the opportunities that are hidden in volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous circumstances
• Accelerated efforts to implement change by strengthening the connection between executives and the teams they lead
• Executives that have the ability to transform the organization and team
• Improved morale and results, as leaders overcome the hurdles of organizational change quicker and at a lower cost

Discounts and Grants

The program offers various discounts and grants, including:

• The Canada-Ontario Job Grant, which can help offset training fees for organizations located in Ontario
• Volume discounts for organizations that pre-pay for five or more seats on any program within a 12-month period
• Discounts for registered charities, with a limited number of discounted seats available in every program

Digital Badge Credential

Participants who complete the program will earn a Public Executive Program digital badge credential, recognizing their achievement and demonstrating their commitment to ongoing learning and professional development.