Jim Leonard, General Secretary of Advance Union, shares the journey of internal transformation the organisation has undertaken, completely reshaping how the union supports, engages, and advocates for members. He writes:
Two years ago, when I was elected to the role of General Secretary, I set a clear and uncompromising goal for Advance Union: to build an organisation that delivers a world-class experience across every single member journey. Trade unions must be dynamic, responsive, and deeply attuned to the evolving needs of the people they represent. To achieve this, we had to embark on a profound journey of internal transformation, completely reshaping how we support, engage, and advocate for our members.
Every great journey requires a map, and for us, that map had to be drawn from within. We knew that to elevate the external member experience, we first had to redefine our internal foundations.
Defining Who We Are: Culture and Accountability
The initial and most vital hurdle of the past two years was clearly defining the culture of Advance Union. We needed absolute clarity on two core questions: “What do we do?” and “How do we do it?”.
Culture cannot simply be a passive statement on a website: it must be the active standard by which an organisation operates daily. We set out to establish a transparent framework of Behaviours to which every single one of us is held to account. This meant aligning our collective values, standardising what excellence looks like in our daily advocacy and embedding these expectations across every tier of our Union.
By demanding high standards of ourselves first, we created a culture of mutual accountability. This foundational shift ensured that no matter where or when a member interacts with Advance Union, they are met with a consistent, professional, and value-driven response.
From the Ground Up: Empowering and Training Our Reps
With a healthy, accountable culture firmly in place, we turned our focus to the vital engine of our union: our Workplace Representatives. Our Reps are the frontline of Advance Union. They are the immediate support for members facing hardship, the local negotiators and the living embodiment of our values on the shop floor.
The next phase of our evolution focused intensely on growing the engagement of our Rep community. We wanted our Reps to feel profoundly empowered to deliver outstanding Member Outcomes, but equally, to feel a deep sense of accountability for those results.
True empowerment requires capability. We cannot expect our Reps to confidently navigate complex workplace environments without giving them the modern tools to do so.
To bridge this gap, we designed and launched a comprehensive, bespoke training programme. Moving away from generic training templates, we built a curriculum specific to the unique challenges which our members face. This programme supports our Reps in developing a broad spectrum of skills across multiple disciplines — ranging from advanced Conflict Resolution and Technical Advocacy to Strategic Communication. This investment in capability has fundamentally elevated how we service our members on a daily basis.
Driving professionalism: The invaluable impact of IPA (Involvement & Participation Association)
We knew the direction we wanted to take, but achieving a transformation of this scale required an exceptional partner. The design, development, and execution of this entire modernization process was made possible through the dedicated support Advance Union received from the IPA.
Our collaboration with IPA has been an absolute catalyst for our progress. They worked hand-in-hand with us to convert our strategic vision into a highly effective, operational reality. Together, we drove this change through:
- Targeted Training Sessions: Purpose-built workshops that challenged old habits and introduced modern Industrial Relations practices.
- In-Depth Case Studies: Examining real-world successes to understand exactly how to maximize Member Satisfaction and Workplace Harmony.
- Collaborative Focus Groups: Giving our Reps an active voice in shaping the tools, processes, and support structures that they need to succeed.
This rigorous, end-to-end process has successfully injected a new level of professionalism across our entire Rep community. IPA did not just act as consultants: they became true partners in our progress. I want to pay a distinct tribute to IPA for their unwavering commitment, insight, and expertise, which have been genuinely pivotal in driving Advance Union forward.
Standing Tall for the Future
Two years into this journey, the landscape of Advance Union looks fundamentally different. We are a more unified, professional, and accountable organization than we were 24 months ago. Our Reps are highly engaged, uniquely skilled, and fiercely supported to win the best possible outcomes for our members.
Culture, capability, and member experience are not fixed destinations — they require continuous care and ambition. However, by establishing a clear cultural identity, investing heavily in our Reps, and collaborating with outstanding partners like IPA, we have built a rock-solid platform for the years ahead.
Jim Leonard, General Secretary
About Jim Leonard
Jim took his first union role in 2003 as a work place rep for Advance Union before going on to sit on the National Executive Committee and later being elected at the Chair of the NEC. In 2008 he became a full time member of Advance Union’s leadership team, taking the role of Assistant General Secretary in 2013 before being elected as General Secretary in 2024.