This month we spoke with Chris Campbell, Digital Communications Officer at City of Tea Tree Gully about his role, his recent experience completing our Emerging Leaders Program and how he is planning for the future.

What is your current role and what does it involve?

Digital Communications Officer. My focus is customer and employee digital experience - transforming services and bringing processes online for continuous improvement. This includes managing our online forms, CRM’s, website, reports and analytics. It’s a real mix between digital content creation and digital services.

How long have you worked in local government and what is your career background to date?

I’ve worked in local government for almost 7 years, all with the City of Tea Tree Gully. Previously I worked in media: TV News, 3 years at the ABC and 3 at Channel 9. My work there consisted of news video editing and news transmission. I made the move to local government to work on the ‘other-side’ of media, in what started out as a more traditional communications role. Quickly this transitioned into having a digital focus, and hence to the role I’m in today.

What do you enjoy most about working in local government?

I didn’t know a lot about local government before I started, but like a lot of people, quickly realised how much local government does. I’ve really enjoyed getting a better understanding of all the things that support a community, from the operational to the events and opportunities.

I always find myself looking towards the future and sharing the possibilities of what could be and where we could go. So I suppose being a part of a team and organisation that’s working towards that, and looking at the best way to build a resilient, safe, innovative and sustainable place to live is exciting to be a part of.

January is often a time for reflecting on the year that has passed and planning for the year ahead. What does this look like for you?

2019 was a year to just get stuff done. I was pretty exhausted by Christmas and really enjoyed the holiday break. In an ideal world the plan for 2020 would be to spend more time planning, less time doing (on the business not in the business). I’m hoping to focus on presenting and sharing ideas, continue my own professional development and focus on where I can add the most value to the organisation.

You recently completed our Emerging Leaders Program. What were your biggest takeaways from this program?

I really enjoyed the course. For me there were two things that stood out.

1. Weaved throughout the course structure were models and systems to support our understanding of behavioural & cognitive psychology, and how this relates to leadership, teamwork and organisational culture. I found the mix of these topics really engaging and it renewed my interest in personality profiles and psychology.
   
2. The Team. The 2019 Emerging Leaders were an amazing group of people. We all connected and formed a close friendship. I feel that for all of us, as our careers evolve throughout local government, we now have an extended network to be able to lean on and collaborate with.

What advice would you give someone who is thinking about doing the Emerging Leaders Program?

Jump in. Admittedly there was probably more group/assignment work than I had previous imagined, but this is all part of the challenge. It’s a good course that explores workplace culture, who you are and how you fit within it. If not for the learnings, the network and friendships you make along the way are invaluable.

Finally – what do you enjoy outside of work? How do you spend your leisure time?

Being a dad with 2 young children a lot of non-working time is spent with them. Bike riding, skateboarding, sports. But I love to travel and we try and get away to a national park a few times each year for camping, hiking and exploring the wilderness. Working on a computer for so much of my day, it’s always nice to get outdoors and enjoy the natural world. Catching up with mates and of course Netflix is also a nice way to relax.