Getting back to the top

Lawyers with their eye on the chief executive's role must broaden their horizons and raise their profile, writes Martin Tucker.

It is well documented that the last 20 years or so has seen a significant decline in the number of local government chief executives being appointed from a legal background. From a virtual full house in 1974, when the position was created, the figure now stands at around 5%. So what leadership skills will it take to get to the top of local government in the twenty-tens?

Emphasis on delivery and strategy in vision

'Delivery' is a watchword of the moment. There is an emphasis both upon the strategic vision required to improve performance but also the ability to ensure that service delivery is achieved on time, to the right quality standards and increasingly under last year's budget. As such, members often want to see evidence of successful management of substantial service areas such as Resources; Environment; Children's or Adult Services. This is where lawyers may struggle if they have not moved beyond what might be viewed as a narrow remit.

Lawyers have also been distanced from a direct line of contact with chief executives. Prior to the Local Government Act 2000, the traditional committee system for local authority decision-making favoured a larger number of directors (often up to 10 representing each professional discipline) reporting to the chief executive. Since then, most local authorities have moved to reduce the number of directors with the result that directors of law have, in most cases, become heads of legal services reporting through to a director of resources.

The dilemma

The rub here, in terms of direct career progression, is that most chief executives (and elected members) want a qualified accountant as the director of resources. Although heads of legal services still have a direct line into the chief executve as monitoring officer, their departments tend to be quite small focusing purely on the provision of legal advice and democratic services.

Of course there are plenty of exceptions to this general rule. Some counties retain the 'County Solicitor' who might also have some administrative functions. Many London boroughs still have directors of law as well as directors of finance. However, the trend has been noticeable and often when incumbents retire or move on, then the opportunity is taken to restructure.

The key: beyond legal

So lawyers who aspire to be chief executives, need to broaden their horizons wherever and whenever possible. They need to become involved in transformational change, beyond their immediate service areas. They need to take risks and go for jobs that give them breadth and ensure they are compelling propositions as future chief executives.

Use some of the skills honed during a legal career to your advantage. For example, the ability to challenge and question norms as well as cut through the detail, can be a massive benefit in helping those organisations aiming to achieve rapid change. For others, already in the process of transformation, identifying risk and spotting alternative solutions will be key. The ability to assimilate information quickly and make intelligent connections between relevant strands and stakeholders is essential as is the need to determine conclusive actions. Deliberating over doctrine will not, by itself, deliver.

When making tough decisions, as many authorities currently must do, objective and rational judgement is needed to secure longer term improvement. Demonstrate your ability to switch from the immediate detail to a broader corporate overview whenever you get the opportunity. However, balanced against this, is the need to empathise with people across the entire organisation and this understanding must come from effective communication and high visibility. No amount of intellectual analysis will help you here.

Raise your profile

In the short term, raise your profile in terms of chief officers and elected members and be pro-active in making a tangible and immediate difference to the organisation. Be central to the solution and not just part of the process, focusing on what can be done and how you will measure your contribution.

Heads of human resources and heads of policy arguably face similar problems but the best do succeed. There are highly capable chief executives working in local government today who were once human resources or policy officers .... and yes, lawyers as well. Each has made it to the top on their own terms. Good luck!

Martin Tucker is Managing Partner of GatenbySanderson Executive Search and Assessment.

This article first appeared in ACSeS' Firing Up the Passion for Leadership publication. To obtain a copy (for a nominal £10 to cover production costs) contact the Association of Council Secretaries and Solicitors at 64, Smithbrook Kilns, Cranleigh, Surrey, GU6 8JJ; telephone: 01483 277888; e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.