Leaders in Action (LIA) is an executive development training program for current executive and upper-level managers employed by the Southern California human service agencies aspiring to executive and director-level positions. The program is a collaborative partnership between the Southern Area Consortium of Human Services (SACHS), San Diego State University, and the Academy for Professional Excellence.

Yes, you must currently be in an executive or upper-management position in one of the participating SACHS county departments in order to participate:

• Imperial County Department of Social Services
• Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services
• Los Angeles Department of Public Social Services
• Orange County Social Service Agency
• Riverside Department of Public Social Services
• San Bernardino County Human Services
• San Diego Health and Human Services Agency
• Santa Barbara Social Services Department
• Ventura County Human Services Agency

All LIA participants are required to:

• Attend (with your supervisor) the ½ day Orientation.
• Attend and actively participate in all 15 days of scheduled classes.
• Complete a 360 Assessment where your supervisor, peers, and subordinates rate your performance in various leadership tasks and skills.
• Create an Individual Development Plan (IDP) that identifies steps to achieve career goals, based on 360 feedback and temperament survey.
• Participate in individual leadership coaching provided throughout the training program.

The supervisor’s role goes beyond simply sending their employee to the training. Supervisors are a critical factor in influencing their staff’s professional development (transfer of skills and knowledge learned occurs back at the workplace). For the greatest impact on their employee and the organization, supervisors must mentor and coach employees as they attempt to apply what they have learned to the workplace. Therefore, demonstrating support for their staff who participate in LIA is essential.

Supervisors can actively demonstrate support for their participants by:

• Providing sufficient coverage for your LIA participant while they are away from the office for classes.
• Attending LIA training-related events, such as the orientation and graduation.
• Ensuring time for discussion about career development plans highlighted in your employees Individual Development Plan, new insights gained in the training, and opportunities to apply new learnings.
• Providing opportunities for participants to apply new skills and knowledge. For example, expose participants to high profile committees and projects at your county or identify other state or regional activities where they can gain leadership experience (such as CWDA meetings and committees).
• Encouraging pursuit of promotional opportunities and development of career tracks within your agency.

See our: Application Process

No. LIA participants are selected from a pool of interested applicants who have completed the Application Process. The final selection of candidates for the training group is mutually agreed upon by county representatives and LIA staff. This will ensure an appropriate level of candidates and a diversity of backgrounds and experiences is represented in the classroom.

The number of training slots allocated to each county varies according to county size and agency need, but the range is from 2 – 5 candidates per county for each LIA training, and the total classroom size is approximately 30 people.

Contact your county’s LIA Liaison (Director’s Admin.) to assess whether the position you currently hold constitutes an “upper-level management position” and/or whether your background and experience match the level of the standard candidate. In general, most candidates have at least 3-5 years of mid- to upper-level management upon application to the program.

See the LIA Alumni Page for a list of employees in your county who have participated in LIA.

You can either contact your county’s LIA Liaison (Director’s Admin) or the LIA/SACHS Program Manager, Alice Kennedy (adkennedy@sdsu.edu).