Posted on: 16/10/2025

Thought Leadership

Matthew Hotten highlights how the West Midlands Tri-sector Challenge shows leadership in public services moving from siloed approaches to collaborative, cross-sector problem solving. For participants, it means stepping outside their comfort zones, leading under pressure and building the skills needed to navigate uncertainty. For organisations, it’s a reminder that leadership development must keep pace with the realities of modern public service: complex challenges, shared responsibilities and the need for trust-based collaboration.

By Matthew Hotten, Senior Consultant Organisational Development, Leadership and Learning at West Midlands Employers

If you want a snapshot of what great public service leadership looks like in action, the West Midlands Tri-sector Challenge is a pretty good place to start. On 18 September, thirteen teams from across the region gathered at the Molineux Stadium, home to Wolverhampton Wanderers FC, for a day that was part simulation, part competition and entirely about stretching leadership potential.

Delivered in partnership with RWTA and steered expertly by Richard Wills and Dave Senior, the Tri-sector Challenge is a fast-paced, high-pressure leadership simulation designed to feel real, but safe. Participants are plunged into a complex scenario that mirrors the messy, ambiguous world of public service leadership, where decisions need to be made quickly, collaboration is crucial and there’s rarely a single right answer.

This year’s event reflected the diversity and strength of our region’s public services. Eleven local authority teams were joined by two NHS Trust teams and, for the first time, a doctor’s practice stepped into the mix. That’s a big deal. It shows how the lines between services are shifting – and how leadership development has to keep pace with a world where no single organisation can tackle challenges alone.

Across the day, teams wrestled with competing priorities, unexpected twists and tricky decisions. They had to lead under pressure, communicate clearly, and balance ambition with realism. And while every team walked away stronger for the experience, a few stood out.

Worcester City Council emerged as the overall winners of the Tri-sector Challenge 2025, impressing the judges with their teamwork, creativity and calm decision-making when things got tough. They also scooped the award for Best Behaviours, proving that how a team works together is every bit as important as what they achieve.

Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council claimed the prize for Best Communications, while North Staffordshire Combined NHS Trust Team 2 were recognised for outstanding Leadership. Close behind were strong performances from Bromsgrove & Redditch Councils, Rugby Borough Council and others, showing just how tight the competition was.

The individual Shining Star award was one of the day’s highlights, celebrating those who made an exceptional impact on their teams. This year, the judges couldn’t split the top spot – joint winners Sharna Leigh-Cooper and Katie Sharp-Fisher from Bromsgrove & Redditch Councils stood out for their drive, resilience and impact. With names like those, it’s fair to say they gave the challenge both barrels – and the results spoke for themselves.

But the real story of the Tri-sector Challenge isn’t about trophies. It’s about people stepping outside their comfort zones, experimenting with new approaches, and building the leadership capabilities our public services need. It’s about teams discovering how to lead through uncertainty, how to build trust quickly, and how to keep focused on purpose when the pressure is on.

And perhaps most importantly, it’s about collaboration. The issues our organisations face don’t arrive neatly packaged within service boundaries – so the way we train and develop leaders shouldn’t either. The Tri-sector Challenge creates a rare space where future leaders from local government, health and beyond can come together, learn from each other, and build the relationships that will underpin stronger, more joined-up services in the years ahead.

None of this happens in a vacuum. Across the public sector, budgets are under strain, recruitment is tough, local government reorganisation and devolution looms and the pace of change isn’t slowing down. But within that challenge lies opportunity: to think differently, to lead differently, and to build services that work better for the people and places we serve. Events like the Tri-sector Challenge give us the chance to explore those possibilities – not in theory, but in practice.

The good news is that the learning, connections and ideas sparked at this year’s challenge won’t stop when the simulation ends. They’ll ripple out into the organisations represented, shaping how teams work and how leaders grow. And for those already looking ahead, the next Tri-sector Challenge will take place on Thursday 24 September 2026.

If this year’s event is anything to go by, it will be another day of ideas, energy and collaboration – and another powerful reminder that the future of public service leadership is in safe, capable hands.