We caught up with Jaimie Martin, Marketing Advisor, City of Tea Tree Gully, about why she signed up for the Emerging Leaders Program, her experience at a recent program module, and what she's looking forward to the most as the program progresses.

What made you sign up for the Emerging Leaders Program?

Having previously completed the LG Professionals SA Management Challenge in 2024, I experienced firsthand how valuable these programs can be for personal and professional growth. It pushed me outside my comfort zone and sparked an interest in further developing my leadership capability.

With aspirations to move into a formal leadership role, I was motivated to sign up for the Emerging Leaders Program to better understand myself as a leader - how I lead, how others experience my leadership, and what might be holding me back from becoming a more effective leader.

For me, Emerging Leaders was an opportunity to challenge my existing thinking, develop greater self-awareness and understand the human side of leadership - particularly how to influence others, navigate different personalities and lead through change.

A recent module focused on leading through change – what were some of your takeaways from this module?

One of my biggest takeaways was a better understanding of how to put the human side of change into practice as a leader. It's one thing to recognise how change impacts people, but another to know how to effectively guide them through the transition.

It made me think more deliberately about what effective change leadership looks like – communicating clearly about the change and its impacts, creating space for people to ask questions and be heard, and identifying and understanding the ‘invisible’ factors influencing resistance. Importantly, it gave me a better framework for supporting people to navigate the emotions of change, even when the outcome itself can’t change.

The J Curve reinforced that progress isn't always linear and that leaders need to anticipate and navigate temporary dips in performance, while the discussion around social influence highlighted the value of empowering advocates to build momentum rather than focusing solely on overcoming resistance.

What are you most looking forward to as the program progresses?

The program is nearing its end, and I'm looking forward to seeing everything we've been working toward come together!

My module group is facilitating the sustainability module in November, and it's been an interesting challenge to take responsibility for designing and delivering a learning experience for our peers.

I'm also looking forward to finalising our group report and presenting the outcomes of our research. The team has taken on a huge challenge, exploring a concept that’s entirely new to all of us, and I can’t wait to see their amazing efforts pay off.

Most of all, I'm looking forward to reflecting on how my thinking and approach to leadership have evolved throughout the program, and how I can carry those learnings forward.