Posted on: 15/05/2025

Thought Leadership

Local government leadership faces relentless challenges, from reorganisation and budget cuts to escalating citizen expectations. Michelle O'Neill introduces the #BuildAWindmill philosophy—using coaching strategically to harness uncertainty, promote clarity, and build resilient teams. She outlines practical coaching strategies enabling leaders and staff to thrive despite constant change. With targeted coaching, organisations can navigate complexity, strengthen workforce planning, and transform challenges into opportunities for sustainable progress.

Michelle O'Neill Principal Consultant OD, Leadership and Learning at West Midlands Employers

You don’t need me to tell you that local government right now feels like leading in a storm, with no sign of calm ahead. Local Government Reorganisation (LGR), devolution, AI, shifting demographics, skyrocketing citizen expectations, and ever-tightening budgets… it’s relentless. And yet you show up, every day. That’s why this message is for you. It may have been a Chinese proverb that says, 'When the winds of change blow, some build walls others build windmills' - but I like to think it’s WME who have given it new life here for councils in the West Midlands!

The Windmill Philosophy

I believe we only have two choices: try to build walls and block out the chaos (impossible), or build windmills to harness it. That’s the heart of our #BuildAWindmill philosophy. It’s not fluffy. It’s fiercely practical. Coaching, in this context, is the ultimate windmill. It gives leaders and teams space to pause, reflect, build capability, and strengthen confidence to act, even when the landscape keeps shifting under their feet.

What does this look like in practice? It's the director who, despite facing a 15% budget cut, uses coaching sessions to move from reactionary decisions to strategic prioritisation. It's the newly-merged team finding common purpose through team coaching despite different organisational backgrounds. It's front-line managers helping staff navigate citizen interactions that grow increasingly complex.

Coaching as a strategic anchor

I see coaching as our strategic anchor in this moment of uncertainty. I don’t have all the answers - and I don’t believe any one leader should – but we are leading in a full-blown BANI world: brittle, anxious, non-linear, incomprehensible. Coaching doesn’t remove the chaos, but it helps us ask better questions, focus on what we can control, and keep moving. I find myself more frequently referring to the hare and the tortoise analogy – don’t get caught racing like the hare. Momentum is progress. Steady, deliberate steps win the long game. I implore you not to underestimate what coaching can add to the solutions you seek. It helps leaders cut through the noise and complexity to find clarity. It allows people to explore the unknown and feel safe doing so. Coaching is the quiet engine that helps individuals, teams, and entire organisations move forward.

Strategic Workforce Planning

As we talk more about strategic workforce planning (SWP), which many of you are rightly focusing on right now, we must acknowledge that people are our biggest asset and our greatest risk. SWP is ultimately about how we maximise the capacity, performance, and potential of everyone we have - especially in an era of LGR, where structures shift but people remain the key to continuity and transformation. That’s the deliberate paradox we’re asking (without always saying it) of every individual in our workforce: to change everything and yet protect what matters most. It’s a huge ask, and what else is going to help them carry it? Coaching can.

Taking Action: Your Coaching Roadmap

So, the question is simple: have you started building your windmill? Coaching can be found in many places, but the Public Sector Coaching & Mentoring Pool (CMP) is unique. It's designed for the sector, by the sector, with a flat rate model that delivers measurable ROI and the flexibility to scale to your organisation's needs.

Here's how to begin:

1. Identify your organisation's most pressing challenges where human capability is the critical factor

2. Consider where targeted coaching could create the biggest impact—is it with senior leaders, middle managers, or frontline staff?

3. Reach out to discuss how a tailored coaching approach can address your specific context

The councils already leveraging our coaching pool report not just surviving, but strategically thriving amidst the chaos. Will you join them? Let's not just weather this storm---let's harness it.

Ready to build your windmill? Contact our team at info@wmemployers.org.uk to discuss your coaching needs.