Leadership Competency Framework
The LG Professionals WA Leadership Competency Framework has been developed by local government, for local government to provide a shared language for leadership across the Western Australian local government sector.
Whether you're an emerging leader, experienced manager, executive or CEO, the Framework supports leadership growth at every stage of your career. It also provides organisations with a practical tool to recruit, develop and retain exceptional leaders.
Developed over 2025-26, the Leadership Competency Framework is the result of a rigorous co-design process involving more than 450 professionals from over 40 Western Australian local governments, with significant input from Band 3 and Band 4 CEOs to ensure it reflects the leadership challenges and opportunities experienced across the profession.
Download the Leadership Competency Framework and start building leadership capability in your organisation.
Why we developed the Framework
Our members told us they wanted stronger leadership pathways, practical tools and greater investment in developing future leaders.
The Leadership Competency Framework is the first major initiative delivered under our Strategic Plan 2026–2029, supporting our vision of empowering every local government professional to thrive, lead and make a positive difference in their community.
It provides a consistent approach to leadership development that can be used by individuals, teams and organisations across Western Australia.
The Framework
The Framework is built around four interconnected leadership domains that recognise leadership begins with self before extending to others, organisational performance and strategic impact.
Leading Self: Build self-awareness, resilience and personal effectiveness.
Leading Others: Inspire, develop and support people to succeed.
Leading Performance: Deliver outcomes through collaboration, accountability and continuous improvement.
Leading Strategy: Shape the future through vision, innovation and strategic thinking.
Together, these domains are supported by eight core competencies and 92 observable behaviours, providing practical guidance for leadership development at every level.
How can you use the Framework?
Organisations can use the framework to:
- Recruit and select leaders using a consistent capability framework.
- Guide performance and development conversations.
- Support coaching and mentoring programs.
- Identify future leaders and succession pathways.
- Design leadership development programs.
- Build a shared leadership culture across your organisation.
Individuals can use the framework to:
- Reflect on your leadership strengths and development opportunities.
- Assess your current capability.
- Create a personalised leadership development plan.
- Prepare for career progression and new leadership opportunities.
- Guide conversations with your manager, coach or mentor.