Leadership for Complexity, Not Just Control
Co-creating a leadership development program that strengthened collaboration, shared decision-making and adaptability inside a highly structured environment.
Public Safety Canada, established in 2003, coordinates all federal departments and agencies responsible for national security and the safety of Canadians.
The Human Resources Directorate, a crucial component of this framework, ensures a skilled, responsive, and well-prepared workforce by providing essential support in personnel management, training, and development.
The Challenge
During and after the pandemic, leaders were managing a dispersed team amid rapid change and uncertainty. Traditional hierarchical processes remained necessary, but the Directorate also needed leaders who could create dialogue, empower teams and make better decisions in complexity.
How We Worked
- Co-designed the program with Directorate leaders around their real challenges.
- Delivered a sequence of monthly workshops on facilitative leadership and group coaching.
- Built skills in strategic decision-making, team dynamics and communication.
- Used each session as part of a continuous learning cycle rather than a stand-alone training.
What Changed
- Increased leader confidence in complex and high-pressure situations.
- Strengthened team cohesion and decision-making practice.
- Built a stronger culture of continuous learning and adaptation.
Client Feedback
Working with Manal has been a journey of discovering, questioning and adjusting my leadership.
“Working with Manal has been a journey of discovering, questioning and adjusting my leadership. Her facilitation skills support a true and dynamic engagement of participants Her coaching approach is applied throughout by asking key questions to generate rich discussions. She includes a variety of techniques for check-ins, sharing of experience, questioning, ensuring engagement in the hybrid context. Manal continues to help our management team grow a coherent leadership approach by creating space for each members to go through introspection and adjustments. Great work!!”
Veronique Gauthier
Director General, People & Culture
Public Safety Canada