Leader+ Observatory Seminar ‘The Legacy of Leader+ at local level: Buildingthe future of rural areas’24-26 April 2007Cap Corse, Nebbiù è Custera, Corse, FRANCE

Mini-plenary E: Establishing and managing a successful LAGLiisa Häme

European Commission

How to manage a successful LAG

Open and transparent decision-making Good web pages, leaflets, guidebooks and

accessible office Everybody has opportunity to join Board members from all sectors / turnover rate Good, comprehensive and easily understandable

communication to all parties, everywhere, all the time. Not only in beginning. Good projects are always good news.

How to manage a successful LAG 2

Project preparation process which supports clients Supporting projects during implementation Learning by doing Good and continuously developing relationships with local

and regional authorities Correct advice and properly done paperwork Self-evaluation and taking into account the results in

developing approaches Effective activation of poorly participating regions / sectors Who are your clients? Where? Move!

Don’t even try these:

Don’t save money for future ”better projects”. You need working examples to show that it really IS possible to get

some money.

Don’t cling to competent, “easy” board members. Turnover in the board will bring new ideas and guarantee regeneration

of operations. It will also effectively prevent power from ending up with one person or interest group.

Don’t let a professional consultant create a strategy. Nobody will be committed to the strategy or understand what it says.

Never do anything on behalf of the applicants; always work with the applicants.

The idea is to learn by doing.

Don’t even try these:

Never quarrel with the authorities if you can avoid it. Your clients will benefit more from functional relationships, even

if accompanied with stricter conditions.

Don’t hire “big bosses”. LAG work is all about cooperation, teaching and counselling.

Don’t stop; never think that you are dealing with a ready-made system. If you start thinking so, you are turning from open and flexible, free body to an authority. Those we have enough already.