NACo High Performance Leadership Academy

The NACo High Performance Leadership Academy is an innovative, completely online 12-week program created to equip frontline county government professionals with practical leadership skills to deliver results for counties and communities. 

With a robust curriculum developed by the Professional Development Academy in partnership with Fortune 1000 executives, public sector leaders, world-renowned academics and thought leaders, including General Colin Powell and Dr. Marshall Goldsmith, NACo HPLA was designed specifically for the unique challenges and opportunities of serving in county government.

Other leadership trainings from NACo include the NACo AI Leadership Academy and NACo's Enterprise Cybersecurity Leadership Academy.

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The program is guided by an expert moderator to help keep participants on track, and a world-class faculty of prominent public, private and academic sector leaders deliver engaging and thought-provoking sessions.

NACo's High Performance Leadership Academy focuses on five practical skills:

• LEAD: Engage teams and stakeholders to foster positive climates and exceed common expectations
• ORGANIZE: Plan, lead and execute organizational change more effectively and consistently
• COLLABORATE: Establish alignment and strong partnerships through building stronger relationships
• COMMUNICATE: Create clarity, confidence and community
• DELIVER: Measure projects and processes to deliver results aligned with county and community priorities

A world-class faculty of prominent public, private and university sector leaders will deliver each course. All module content is guided by an expert moderator.

Anyone in county government can participate, but the NACo HPLA is designed for current and emerging leaders, particularly those who manage teams or are preparing to in the future.

NACo HPLA is built to accommodate busy work schedules with self-paced learning. Each 12-week HPLA program covers four courses on leadership which are broken down into weekly modules. Each module includes a one-hour live webinar and one-hour breakout discussion, plus daily assignments ranging from 3 to 35 minutes. (Live webinars are recorded – so don't worry if you miss one!)

In addition to videos, reading, writing and reflection, participants are placed in a small group cohort where they'll build their network, receive support from peers facing similar challenges and opportunities and celebrate successes. 

Managers will receive regular dashboard reports outlining the progress of their HPLA enrollee(s). We encourage managers to meet with participants and review the program content as it relates to individual development plans.