Jackie Woollaston, Head of Corporate Services, HR Casework in the MoJ’s People and Capability team, shares her personal experience working with MatchFit as a client.
Initially, Jackie participated in MatchFit’s full CLIMB programme.
“When I initially got involved with MatchFit, they were delivering their CLIMB programme to the team,” said Jackie. “CLIMB for us was something that evolved over the years and it allowed us to work through challenges in detail. We then moved onto what we called CLIMB Spotlight which was a very focused hour’s session on what we, as the client, felt were our priorities. MatchFit would take our feedback and design the CLIMB Spotlight sessions, and it was because of their high levels of responsiveness and agility that they were able to do this so well.”
One of Jackie’s main areas of involvement was the Shadow ExCo programme—first as a participant, then later as the manager running the initiative for the wider HR Casework team.
“For me the relationship and support progressed onto the Shadow ExCo programme, evolving off the back of CLIMB. We wanted to do some work specifically to develop SEOs and HEOs. One of the things I liked so much about Shadow ExCo was its ability to upskill people and push them out of their comfort zone,” said Jackie.
The HR Casework team launched with a cohort of 10 participants working on five strategic projects, each intentionally outside their area of expertise. All projects were planned through a combination of collaborative internal and external discussions.
“MatchFit’s agility was again important meaning they were able to quickly take our thoughts on board and shape the programme so that it directly met the requirements we had at the time,” said Jackie.
At the time, Jackie recorded her reflections on the programme and her personal development journey:
“Starting the Shadow ExCo Programme I knew that I would have the opportunity to develop my skills working on a team project. To support this, I was appointed a MatchFit coach and started working with a mentor. This part of the programme has been very rewarding, and my leadership skills have continued to improve from attending workshops, self-learning and participating in action learning sets. Knowledge is built on throughout the programme, so I was able to apply my new skills to my project and my own work from the very first workshop.
The Shadow ExCo Programme provided an opportunity for personal development. One of the first things my coach asked was what did I personally want to achieve from the programme. I had recently started a period of temporary promotion, and I told my coach that I wanted to finish the programme with the skills to help me achieve the next grade. My coach helped me keep site of this goal and towards the end of the programme I was successful in promotion to the next grade. The work that I have undertaken on my project and the skills that I have developed gave me the belief and determination to achieve my goal. I would recommend this programme to anyone who not only wants to be a driving force for team improvement but who also has a personal desire to improve and progress.”
When Jackie took over managing the programme, the approach was structured from the start. Expressions of interest were sent out to gauge applicant interest, with those from the first cohort available to speak to prospective participants about what to expect. Team leaders also carefully matched applicants to ensure the programme suited them.
“When we started it was mainly SEOs but then we got HEOs involved so different levels of people would be working together,” said Jackie.
One element Jackie particularly valued was the involvement of managers from clients across the Civil Service, who shared insights into their career development journeys, offering participants invaluable advice. Attendees were also encouraged to find mentors who best suited their needs.
“I still speak to my original mentor and have a strong relationship there,” said Jackie.
A key aspect of the Shadow ExCo was presenting the results of the participants’ projects to the Senior Leadership Team (SLT).
“In subsequent years when I was part of the SLT I looked forward to those on the programme coming and presenting, because I had been on the other side,” said Jackie. “It was great to see the work they’d done and how they had measured the impact. The fact that the projects were there to solve an actual business problem gave them a legitimate purpose and made them even more valuable.”
Strong programme results
Both the MoJ and MatchFit were careful to measure the results of the Shadow ExCo initiative, which proved to be overwhelmingly positive.
Key cohort achievements included:
- 46% of attendees obtained further promotions
- 8% changed role internally (via the Job Placement Programme)
- 34% took on long-term additional duties
- 4% secured new opportunities within the Civil Service
- 11 new roles were created as a direct result of successful projects
For clients, the main benefit was enhanced productivity through increased capability. For participants, Shadow ExCo significantly boosted engagement, delivering sustainable personal growth and the development of transferable skills.
“I enjoyed working with MatchFit, especially on the Shadow ExCo,” said Jackie. “I enjoyed watching the projects move forward and how they made a difference. The communications project has resulted in us having our Pulse Bulletin that goes out every Monday containing pretty much everything that we want to share with the team, so we don’t keep having to do that all during the week unless it’s urgent. And that’s still going.
It was also a time when I was looking to move up, and being on the Shadow ExCo helped me develop professionally and get that promotion.”
If you’d like to learn more about our MatchFit leadership programmes, take a look at our information pages here, or why not get in touch? enquiries@matchfitclimb.com