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- Season 6 of the The Political Acumen Master Class begins live in January 2022 - Registration Opens in November 2021.
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PROGRAM TESTIMONIAL
“It is a rare opportunity to access such a well-structured series on leadership in the public service, not just the theory we see in typical programs, but the practical and exciting/gritty reality of what public service leadership is really about.” David Morhart Former Deputy Minister, Service Alberta, and, Past President, Institute of Public Administration of Canada. 
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JUST WHAT IS POLITICAL ACUMEN?
Dr Jared Wesley’s definition of Political Acumen from his book: The Public Servant’s Guide to Government in Canada:
Political Acumen encompasses:
Dr Peter Constantinou, professor at York University, describes Political Acuity as . . . “an understanding and knowing that means you can anticipate future events and individual behaviours in a nuanced context.”
Dr Jared Wesley and Dr Peter Constantinou are Master Mentors on faculty with the IPSL program and will be speaking in Module 1 on January 6th, 2021. The terms, Political Acumen, and Political Acuity have the same meaning and are used interchangeably in the IPSL program by different experts.
Dr Jared Wesley’s definition of Political Acumen from his book: The Public Servant’s Guide to Government in Canada:
Political Acumen encompasses:
- Broad knowledge of internal and external power structures, both within and across government;
- Refined situational awareness when it comes to the political, economic and social environment
- Soft skills in diplomacy, including strong emotional and social intelligence, and skill in persuasion and collaborative negotiations; and
- A firm ethical foundation, grounded in the value of the public service.
Dr Peter Constantinou, professor at York University, describes Political Acuity as . . . “an understanding and knowing that means you can anticipate future events and individual behaviours in a nuanced context.”
Dr Jared Wesley and Dr Peter Constantinou are Master Mentors on faculty with the IPSL program and will be speaking in Module 1 on January 6th, 2021. The terms, Political Acumen, and Political Acuity have the same meaning and are used interchangeably in the IPSL program by different experts.
The Political Acumen Master Class
SEASON 6 ~ January - March 2022
3 Pre-Classes: Recorded Mentor Panel Conversations
Designed for those new to government or for aspiring leaders wishing to gain a stronger foundation
Designed for those new to government or for aspiring leaders wishing to gain a stronger foundation
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NAVIGATING THE HALLS
Relationships & Information Flow in Government Challenges | Connections | Communication | Structure |
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EXECUTIVE ROLES IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR
Who Does What and When? Expectations | Nature of Work | Skills | Attributes |
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FROM ELECTION TO OPERATIONAL REALITY
From Planning to Governing Process | Trust | Roles | Clarity | Relationships |
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10 Live & Interactive Mentor Panel Conversations
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INTRODUCTION TO POLITICAL ACUMEN
~ What is it and why is it so important? Definition | Political Acumen/Political Acuity |
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SPEAKING TRUTH TO POWER
~ Political Presence Courage | Trust | Difficult Conversations | Culture |
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SEEING AROUND CORNERS
~ Strategic Agility & Anticipation Judgement | Trust | Networks | Relationships|
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BEHIND THE CURTAIN
~ The Inside Story of Issues Management Media | Complexity | Trust | Timeliness | Relationships|
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THE OUTSIDE STORY
~ Social Media & Public Engagement Channels | Social Licence | Framing | Transparency |
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CULTURE & INCLUSION
~ Essentials in a Post-Covid World Unconcious Bias | Empathy | Communication | Values|
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WHEN NO ONE IS LOOKING
~ Ethics & Integrity Authenticity | Impartiality | Standards | Role of Culture
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CONFLICT & CONTROVERSY
~ The Search for Common Ground Trust | Psychological Safety |
Compromise | Anticipation | |
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BLINDSPOTS & BLUNDERS
~ Insights, Recovery and How to Get Ahead Networking | Feedback | Wilfull Blindness | Recovery |
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GETTING IT TOGETHER
~ Collaboration Across Government Federal | Municipal | Provincial & Territorial | Indigenous
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COURSE FORMATThe IPSL Master Class in Political Acumen shares conversations between current & former public sector leaders, politicians, academics and media experts about what it takes to be successful as a public sector leader in Canada .
The program is designed around a keynote and 9 key modules that focus on an aspect of political acumen. Each module begins with a live panel conversation between 3 Master Mentors on our faculty. The panel style is conversational and interactive using story telling as a means of demonstrating concepts and reinforcing behaviours. Registered participants will also have access to 3 Pre-Class modules designed to help those new to government or those wishing to deepen their knowledge of government fundamentals. The program also includes an extensive Resource Room filled with articles, links, podcast interviews, video clips, and an E-HandBook companion guide designed to reinforce and enrich your learning experience. IPSL MASTER CLASS HIGHLIGHTS:
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WHO SHOULD ATTEND?Public Sector Leaders from all backgrounds, experiences, and educational levels will benefit from participating in the IPSL Political Acumen Master Class. Program content is relevant to Federal, Provincial and Municipal leaders across Canada.
Our alumni tell us after taking the IPSL program, they feel more confident, more inspired and more effective in their jobs as a result.
"My team attended as a group which meant we were able to discuss our learnings after each session. This approach added another layer of value to the program and allowed us to sharpen our skills even further. We continue to remind each other of advice we heard in these sessions.” IPSL Program Alumni |
Meet Your Master Mentor Faculty
42 Master Mentors who have been there. . .
Your Master Mentor presenters come from a distinguished cadre of former Canadian provincial, national and municipal politicians and bureaucrats, who are excited to ‘pay-it-forward’ and share their experience and hard won lessons. You'll also hear from top academic and media experts sharing their knowledge and perspectives on Political Acumen and what it takes to succeed in government today and tomorrow.
Your Master Mentor presenters come from a distinguished cadre of former Canadian provincial, national and municipal politicians and bureaucrats, who are excited to ‘pay-it-forward’ and share their experience and hard won lessons. You'll also hear from top academic and media experts sharing their knowledge and perspectives on Political Acumen and what it takes to succeed in government today and tomorrow.
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"The lessons really helped fill in my 'swiss cheese gaps' of knowledge." IPSL Program Alumni
"Making a mid-career change into the public service requires learning a unique culture that doesn’t have parallels in the private sector and leaves one with a lot of questions. This course goes a long way towards answering many of them, even ones you would never have thought of asking. I feel I was able to benefit from the hard won wisdom and experience of the presenters." IPSL Program Alumni
"I’ve been participating in this course and just wanted to pass on how excellent I think it is. This is the kind of highly practical and relevant real world advice that is missing from much management training. I appreciate how finely tuned the material is to the challenge of executive leadership in the public service. The examples are great. Thank you and keep it coming."
IPSL Program Alumni |
"As an aspiring ADM, and someone who wants to contribute to the best of my ability as an Executive Director, I can say that I was able to make use of the advice I heard after each session. I am more confident now as I interact with those at the political level because I was able to gain insight into what senior executives were thinking in real life situations. I recommend this program to those who are interested in a behind-the-scenes look at how this work is done by those with mastery in what to watch out for.”
IPSL Program Alumni "I think the presenters were fabulous and their stories are super interesting and informative. Much of it was a great reminder of how things “really” work." IPSL Program Alumni
"The course was excellent – I like the dynamic of having a 3 mentor panel with different views and perspectives – either because they had been in different positions or just different situations. Including a politicians perspective was super interesting to me." IPSL Program Alumni
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Learn More About the IPSL & IPAC Program Partnership
