Activities

The Senior Leadership Experience comprises the following activities:

Briefing session

Meet fellow participants on the Senior Leadership Experience from across the One Welsh Public Service and third sector and learn what you need to do to complete the diagnostic components.

Diagnostics

You will undertake a comprehensive series of online diagnostics, developed with Korn Ferry, aimed at exploring personal behaviours and leadership styles, team climate, relationships and emotional intelligence.

The diagnostics you’ve completed will be brought together to provide you with two Leadership reports, 'About Me' and 'How I Lead'.

For you to gain the most from the Experience, it is essential that you can identify at least 3 people that you lead (ideally 6-8). This may be a formal line management relationship or a relationship where you work together in a similar way. You will also select 1-2 line managers, as well as peers, others and clients/customers to complete the diagnostics.

Profiling session

In this session you will meet and work with other public service colleagues on the Experience.

You will explore the models behind the diagnostics so that you can understand your report when you receive it. Your report will provide you with insight to help you prepare for your coaching sessions. It is therefore imperative that you attend the profiling day.

Coaching sessions 1 and 2

The coaching sessions are an essential part of the Experience. Your coach is accredited in all of the diagnostics but acts as a coach not a feedback facilitator.

This is where you can explore the steps you want to take in areas such as personal and team growth and leadership development.

You and your coach will agree the dates and times for your coaching sessions.

Learning into action day

In the morning you will come together with other participants and their line managers, to share your learning and experiences, and to celebrate what you have achieved. After lunch there will be a development workshop to start you off on the next part of your leadership journey.

Submitting your application

Applicants must first meet all mandatory requirements, including line manager agreement, attendance commitment and suitability for the Senior Leadership Experience. 

Eligible applications will then be scored on the strength of the personal statement, with assessors looking for clear evidence of senior leadership fit, purposeful development outcomes, readiness for reflection and feedback, and the potential to apply learning for wider organisational or public service benefit. 

Where applications exceed the number of available places, places will be offered to those whose applications provide the strongest evidence against the criteria. As part of the final decision-making process organisational spread and geographical representation will be considered. 

Applicants are therefore encouraged to give careful attention to their application form and to provide specific, well-evidenced responses that clearly show why this experience is right for them at this stage of their leadership journey.

Line manager

To complete your application, your line manager is required to read and sign the programme agreement. Your line manager must agree:

• That you may attend all of the Experience sessions
• That they will attend the Learning into Action event, to support your ongoing development
• That should you withdraw from the programme your organisation will pay the full cost of £350 + VAT.

Visit our application page to find out more.

Application form

Applications will close on 20 November 2026; however, we reserve the right to close applications earlier if we receive a high volume of submissions. Please ensure that you submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.