Roots to Results

Roots to Results is a system-wide leadership and management development Pathway, developed in close collaboration with UN entities and the UN Secretariat, to strengthen leadership capacity across the system.

Rooted in UNSSC's system-wide mandate and drawing from decades of experience, insight, and data collected through deep engagement with thousands of UN leaders, the Pathway reflects the College's deep understanding of the realities of leadership within the UN.

At the heart of Roots to Results lies the newly developed UNSSC KCLM Leadership and Management Competency Framework – a system-specific, future-oriented model that defines the knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviours required for effective leadership across all UN contexts.

It is designed to align with and reinforce existing system-wide standards – including the UN System Leadership Framework, the UN Values and Behaviours Framework, and the principles of UN 2.0 – while providing the additional specificity and behavioural granularity needed to anchor learning design and measurement.

The Framework outlines 15 core competencies, each essential to more ethical, strategic and people-centred leadership. These include Resilience and Wellbeing; Strategy and Foresight; Accountability and Decision-making; Systems, Acumen, and Alignment; Digital and Data Fluency, and others. These then incorporate critical themes such as respect, anti-racism, equity, power dynamics, ethical responsibility and inclusion – all critical leverage points for any leader regardless of their level or function.

What makes this Pathway different

Tailored by design - Each engagement has been co-designed with the UN System and can be further tailored to reflect agency-specific mandates and contexts. 

Long-term development - The Pathway offers a clear and sustained progression mapped to differing leadership expectations and is designed to accompany staff as they transition to different levels and roles.

Flexibility and accessibility - Digital-first, lower-cost and flexible by design, adaptable across duty stations, functions and contract types.

Results-based learning - Coaching, peer coaching and applied learning, accountability and bespoke 360-degree Assessments are incorporated into the learning architecture to help ensure learning translates into more measurable, sustained behavioural change and leadership growth.
 

The four-track Pathway - The Pathway covers a progression of leadership influence – from young talent and mid-level professionals to senior directors – across four distinct tracks, each mapped to the competency levels of the UNSSC KCLM Leadership and Management Competency Framework.