"It was recognizing the intangibles. Understanding the importance of style, energy, and authenticity that make this program and its outcomes more than just a sum of its parts."
Ontario Public Service (OPS) demonstrated an unwavering commitment to public service through the pandemic. Those in IT played a crucial role in rapidly adapting systems, networks, and infrastructure to support service continuity, enable emergency response coordination and support provincewide remote work. While it created conditions for flexibility, speed, and innovation, this proved resilience and dedication took a significant toll – but it was only the beginning. The Ontario government set a bold path forward.
[Ontario’s] ambitious digital and data strategy is an important step in making our province a world-leading digital jurisdiction.
- Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy
For OPS, returning to the old ways of working was not an option; there are new expectations and higher stakes. Leaders in IT have a central role in reimagining and empowering service delivery to the people and businesses of Ontario. In the OPS, different “IT Clusters” provide sector-specific tech while connecting as one Government Technology Ontario (GovTechON) team. This mean that there was an opportunity for increased collaboration beyond organizational barriers.
Strategy and transformation team leads across these clusters saw an opportunity and began working with Chief Information Officers and Unicorn Labs in co-creating this impactful program.
“How could we reignite inspiration, reset mindsets, prioritize people, reinforce fundamental skills, cultivate connections among these leaders – while keeping up the pace?”
- Marilyn Holder, Senior Manager Strategy and Transformation at Government Services Integration Cluster
GovTechON had aspirational goals, but a realistic understanding of what their leadership team had the capacity and focus to engage in. Shifting attention from delivery and operational commitments proved to be a very challenging task. Simply delving deeply into a single area of development or focusing solely on one group was insufficient. Recognition and investment were deserved by all their leaders. It was necessary to establish a connection with the strengths each individual brought to the team, create an environment where they could be open and vulnerable about growth opportunities, develop common toolkits, and even have a bit of fun in the process.
- and even have a bit of fun!
The Unicorn Labs Leadership program was designed to be a balanced holistic approach, comprehensive in areas of focus and learning elements but delivered in quick agile cycles.
The Unicorn Labs Leadership program was designed to be a balanced holistic approach, comprehensive in areas of focus and learning elements but delivered in quick agile cycles.
“More than that, we were looking to try something new. Create a program that felt different from standard corporate training and brought a focus to the tech side of our jobs. Unicorn Labs seemed like a perfect fit right from the start, a local company that brought an innovative approach to coaching private sector companies of all sizes and maturity. We asked Fahd to bring his “start-up” perspectives to help us think in new ways.”
Marilyn Holder, Senior Manager Strategy and Transformation at Government Technology Ontario
When exploring potential partnerships with other similar programs, the team couldn't find one that was a suitable fit for addressing their challenges in a flexible and efficient manner. They were in need of a program that embraced modern practices and research, rejuvenating their team instead of overwhelming them to the point of burnout.
Recognizing the importance of finding an engaging curriculum, they also sought a program that was willing to incorporate their existing leadership principles and cater to their unique requirements. Fahd delivered exactly that experience, ensuring that their team felt supported throughout the learning process by acquiring knowledge of the latest practices and understanding how to adapt them to their individual leadership styles.
What they truly required was a level of support that would reignite their team's enthusiasm for growth and learning.
“Sometimes a bit of enthusiasm can make all the difference!” says Marilyn.
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The Program’s Areas of Focus were Threefold:
Focus areas were intertwined with Three Key Elements:
These three cycles were delivered over 9 months, requiring only a 3-hour time commitment per month. In each cycle, leaders completed a circuit of activities targeting meaningful growth:
The whole program was packaged in individual and team workbooks, providing all of the content, expectations and opportunities for “extras” upfront.
By incorporating these elements into their methodology, the team created an ideal environment for learning and empowering themselves on their leadership development journey. It enabled them to assess their starting point, engage in focused learning, and foster a sense of connection and collaboration among team members.
“There was a wide range of short-term positive outcomes, but the program will continue to pay dividends to the team for months or years to come.” says Marilynr.
Of ourselves, our teams, each other, and our organization. Individual development plans leveraged assessments and reflections. Results at the organizational level helped us better understand our team’s strengths and some key capability gaps that can help inform future programs.
Managers came out of our workshops reinvigorated, interested to share ideas and ready to explore with a future-focus. The program was shared beyond the participants, shining a spotlight on the strong need for engaging and inspiring our leaders in this time of transformation.
For each other, the work we are leading and the challenges we face. For what it means to be a people-leader, the responsibilities and approaches that can empower high-performing teams. It is a great reminder of the privilege we share as public servants and managers.”
Together this impact reinvigorated the team’s approach to burn out and change fatigue through a better understanding of each other and being transparent about their strengths and blindspots and how they can best mitigate and address them. While simultaneously reinvigorating a focus on themselves to gain new momentum on leadership capacity and adapting new mindsets geared for innovation.
Undergoing this development program as a group only reinforced the support for the initial challenges faced by the group. By the end the team not only had a clear understanding of how to move forward to continue addressing the issues at hand but also how to proactively mitigate it with practical tools in the future.
The group reset a new standard of group norms nestled in camaraderie, motivation, and a continued will for improvement.
"It was recognizing the intangibles. Understanding the importance of style, energy, and authenticity that make this program and its outcomes more than just a sum of its parts." says Marilyn.
Ultimately the collaboration between the Unicorn Labs Leadership Program curated for IT Leaders Fostering Growth was more than just a development program. It was a way to reframe conversations, it was new topics to discuss beyond the day-to-day, it was insights and perspectives that previously hadn’t been considered.
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"It was recognizing the intangibles. Understanding the importance of style, energy, and authenticity that make this program and its outcomes more than just a sum of its parts."
Ontario Public Service (OPS) demonstrated an unwavering commitment to public service through the pandemic. Those in IT played a crucial role in rapidly adapting systems, networks, and infrastructure to support service continuity, enable emergency response coordination and support provincewide remote work. While it created conditions for flexibility, speed, and innovation, this proved resilience and dedication took a significant toll – but it was only the beginning. The Ontario government set a bold path forward.
[Ontario’s] ambitious digital and data strategy is an important step in making our province a world-leading digital jurisdiction.
- Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy
For OPS, returning to the old ways of working was not an option; there are new expectations and higher stakes. Leaders in IT have a central role in reimagining and empowering service delivery to the people and businesses of Ontario. In the OPS, different “IT Clusters” provide sector-specific tech while connecting as one Government Technology Ontario (GovTechON) team. This mean that there was an opportunity for increased collaboration beyond organizational barriers.
Strategy and transformation team leads across these clusters saw an opportunity and began working with Chief Information Officers and Unicorn Labs in co-creating this impactful program.
“How could we reignite inspiration, reset mindsets, prioritize people, reinforce fundamental skills, cultivate connections among these leaders – while keeping up the pace?”
- Marilyn Holder, Senior Manager Strategy and Transformation at Government Services Integration Cluster
GovTechON had aspirational goals, but a realistic understanding of what their leadership team had the capacity and focus to engage in. Shifting attention from delivery and operational commitments proved to be a very challenging task. Simply delving deeply into a single area of development or focusing solely on one group was insufficient. Recognition and investment were deserved by all their leaders. It was necessary to establish a connection with the strengths each individual brought to the team, create an environment where they could be open and vulnerable about growth opportunities, develop common toolkits, and even have a bit of fun in the process.
- and even have a bit of fun!
The Unicorn Labs Leadership program was designed to be a balanced holistic approach, comprehensive in areas of focus and learning elements but delivered in quick agile cycles.
The Unicorn Labs Leadership program was designed to be a balanced holistic approach, comprehensive in areas of focus and learning elements but delivered in quick agile cycles.
“More than that, we were looking to try something new. Create a program that felt different from standard corporate training and brought a focus to the tech side of our jobs. Unicorn Labs seemed like a perfect fit right from the start, a local company that brought an innovative approach to coaching private sector companies of all sizes and maturity. We asked Fahd to bring his “start-up” perspectives to help us think in new ways.”
Marilyn Holder, Senior Manager Strategy and Transformation at Government Technology Ontario
When exploring potential partnerships with other similar programs, the team couldn't find one that was a suitable fit for addressing their challenges in a flexible and efficient manner. They were in need of a program that embraced modern practices and research, rejuvenating their team instead of overwhelming them to the point of burnout.
Recognizing the importance of finding an engaging curriculum, they also sought a program that was willing to incorporate their existing leadership principles and cater to their unique requirements. Fahd delivered exactly that experience, ensuring that their team felt supported throughout the learning process by acquiring knowledge of the latest practices and understanding how to adapt them to their individual leadership styles.
What they truly required was a level of support that would reignite their team's enthusiasm for growth and learning.
“Sometimes a bit of enthusiasm can make all the difference!” says Marilyn.
The Program’s Areas of Focus were Threefold:
Focus areas were intertwined with Three Key Elements:
These three cycles were delivered over 9 months, requiring only a 3-hour time commitment per month. In each cycle, leaders completed a circuit of activities targeting meaningful growth:
The whole program was packaged in individual and team workbooks, providing all of the content, expectations and opportunities for “extras” upfront.
By incorporating these elements into their methodology, the team created an ideal environment for learning and empowering themselves on their leadership development journey. It enabled them to assess their starting point, engage in focused learning, and foster a sense of connection and collaboration among team members.
