Member profile - Julie Short

24 Jan 2014 3:32 PM | Anonymous

This month we speak with Julie Short, Manager of Organisational Development at the City of Tea Tree Gully.  Julie speaks about her background and the upcoming challenges of the baby boomers leaving the workforce.

Hi Julie, thanks for speaking with us.

What’s your current role, and what does it involve?
I am the Manager of Organisational Development and I have been at the City of Tea Tree Gully for four years.

My role is very diverse, with responsibility for leading a team of 11 in the implementation of strategies to develop our culture and leadership capability, delivering human resources services and responsibility for our health and safety system.

Where were you before and what attracted you to your current role?
I was working as Manager Human Resources and Customer Service at the City of Unley. I was attracted to this role as it was an opportunity to work in a larger Council, the role was more diverse and it provided the opportunity to lead a much larger team.

What is the most satisfying thing about working in Local Government?
The diversity of the work you do and the close connection with the local community.

Speaking about your current role – what are the key trends in OD in 2014?  How do you think this will change in the future?
We have an Organisational Development Strategy in place that maps out the key initiatives that we will deliver over the next three years to develop the organisation.

This year we are focusing on developing our culture, improving the way we manage change and continuing our leadership development journey – focussing on team leaders.

There will always be a focus on leadership and cultural development as these are critical for high performing organisations, but the requirement for robust workforce planning will increase as the baby boomers start reaching retirement age over the next 5 years.

Personally, what’s the longer term plan – where do you see yourself in 5 years?
I am really enjoying my current role, but I would also like to gain experience working in a customer facing role. I am yet to decide whether to pursue a Director/General Manager role.

What’s your most embarrassing Local Government moment?
Nothing specific comes to mind, but I am terrible with names. Sometimes with people I have known for some time!

How do you spend your leisure time outside of Local Government?
I love wining and dining, but I also attend the gym regularly and cycle – so hopefully they offset each other. I also have two teenage girls, so they keep me on my toes.


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