We caught up with one of this year's Emerging Leaders Program (ELP) participants, Craig Pearson, Information Technology Coordinator, Coorong District Council, and module organiser, Laura Morgan, Manager Property, Mount Barker District Council, to find out more about their experiences with the ELP.

Having recently joined the local government sector, my director asked if I would be interested in the program. Eager to broaden my knowledge across different areas of local government, I recognised this as an excellent opportunity. The program’s prospectus promised substantial personal and professional growth, as well as the chance to network with colleagues from other councils.

To date, the program has exceeded expectations, offering a diverse range of topics and a fantastic range of tutors and guest speakers. While it has pushed me beyond my comfort zone - an aspect I had not fully anticipated - this challenge has proven to be the most rewarding part of the experience.

A recent module focused on Media and Engagement – what were some of your takeaways from this module? 

Media and Engagement aren't really areas that I would be involved with on a day-to-day basis so I went into the module with an open mind as to what I could learn from the day. The group who organised the module did a fantastic job, with a wide range of views on strategies for managing media, engagement and community consultation. Having Kate O’Neill take us on her career journey gave great insight and inspiration into taking risks and not letting others tell your story. It has been a continued theme from guest speakers, to embrace the unknown and say yes to new challenges.

The 45 minute ‘express masterclass’ by Brett Manuel was highly entertaining, and participants were able to see the value in which having real experience and expertise in engagement is favourable within local government.

What are you most looking forward to as the program comes to close? 

Witnessing the growth of all Program participants. Collectively you can see the level of confidence increase, so I am excited to see the results of this in the final presentations. Having worked on our group project for around six months now, I am looking forward to the opportunity to present the final report to local government colleagues, executives and the other ELP participants.

We caught up with one of this year's Emerging Leaders Program participants, Victoria Olupeka, Senior Advisor, WHS, City of Tea Tree Gully, to find out how she is enjoying the program so far.

What made you sign up for the Emerging Leaders Program?

I signed up for the Emerging Leaders Program to gain contemporary, evidence-based leadership skills. I wanted to explore my leadership style and leverage it to lead myself and influence others more effectively.

As a newbie to local government, I wanted to deepen my understanding of its structures and operations. Additionally, the opportunity to connect and build relationships with colleagues from other Councils allows me to tap into valuable knowledge and support throughout my journey in local government.

What was your biggest takeaway from the latest module, Leading Change? 

My key takeaway from the 'Leading Change' module is a deeper understanding of resistance to change, along with practical strategies for effectively leading teams at various stages of the change process.

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

I am eager to collaborate with my project team to create a modern solution for retaining intellectual property when different generations retire. Our approach will be easily adaptable for both local government and beyond

This backed up comments from the CEO of Rural City of Murray Bridge, Heather Barclay, from the rural module who noted her CV would for some be quite chaotic but as a CEO the diversity and understanding of multiple areas is not only key but politically this diversity is needed to gain an understanding of all aspects, seen as good experience for the CEO role.

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

Continued networking and problem-solving opportunities with the group and valued insight from various speakers and leaders within the local government setting.

We caught up with a couple of this year's Emerging Leaders Program participants, Carly Broadbent, Senior Development Officer - Planning, City of Onkaparinga and Leon Nguyen, Finance Manager, Port Augusta City Council to find out how they are enjoying the program so far.

You were part of the organising group for the recent Rural Perspective module. What did you want the cohort to get out of the module?

Our group's aim was to take the cohort on a journey from city to soil with a focus on Mount Barker, Murray Bridge and the Coorong. We were interested in understanding the difficulties that regional and rural councils face from a sustainability perspective, with limited resources, and often less staff and larger land areas than most metropolitan councils. Our main goal was to provide an engaging and interesting module, allowing opportunity to gain insight into governing from a rural perspective whilst listening to our very inspiring guest speakers with a picturesque backdrop.

How did you find organising the module with your group?

The rural perspective module was very challenging - as we were the first module group, we wanted to set the bar high, and we had a whole day to plan. Our group was very organised, passionate about the topic and we established early on what our
individual strengths were. We had regular weekly meetings and had a team’s chat which we all actively contributed towards. We had members of the group who were very creative and big picture thinkers and then other group members who would ground us and work out the finer details. I am very honoured that I got the opportunity to work with Craig, Tara, Victoria, Jamie, Lyndal and Lok and I am proud of the
module which we delivered.

We caught up with one of this year's Emerging Leaders Program participants, Georgy Zachariah, Senior Capital Works Planner, City of Onkaparinga to find out how he is enjoying the program so far.

What made you sign up for the Emerging Leaders Program?

By participating in the Emerging Leadership Program, my primary goal was to augment my knowledge of local government and significantly deepen my understanding of political and sustainability contexts, which are among the modules being presented. In addition, I am aiming to broaden my professional network and gain mentorship from experienced leaders.

As a pioneer leadership program, the objective is not just to learn and implement impactful leadership best practices, but also to foster personal growth and development. This aspect of the program fuels my aspirations to undertake diverse roles within the City of Onkaparinga.

A recent module focused on Culture – what was your biggest takeaway from this session?

The session proved highly enlightening, particularly in exploring the relationship between culture and leadership and their combined impact on organisational success. In particular, I found the importance given to showcasing the difference between Paternalistic culture & Stewardship culture quite insightful, especially aligning an individual’s vision to the organisation's interest and contributing to its success.

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

I look forward to the different modules the teams will present. In addition, working on a group project that could contribute to enhancing the functioning of local government is quite appealing.

We caught up with one of this year's Emerging Leaders Program participants, Kim Gregory, WHS Coordinator, District Council of Grant to find out how she is enjoying the program so far. 

What made you sign up for the Emerging Leaders Program?

In my role as WHS Coordinator I am required to work with every person across the organisation, from trainees to the CEO, along with many external stakeholders. I really wanted to develop my ability to work with diverse groups of people and understand how my personality can work with other types of personalities to achieve effective and positive outcomes.

Increasing my understanding of leadership concepts and practices and integrating them into my workplace would also help me provide a positive approach to WHS. I was very excited read the ELP Prospectus for 2024. It will provide confidence and professional development in all areas of leadership, all relevant in my role.

What was your biggest takeaway from the opening retreat?

The first thing I noticed was what an amazing group of local government professionals I am undertaking this program with! I really enjoyed the sessions and information delivered by the presenters. The activities really were fun and left me with the revelation that we have a lot more in common with people than we realise.

We caught up with one of the 2023 Emerging Leaders Program participants, Jake Dean, Media Officer, City of Onkaparinga to find out how he enjoyed the program. 

What made you sign up for the Emerging Leaders Program?

My interest in doing the program was sparked when I filled in for my team leader a few times while he was on leave and I felt like I needed more development in this area, having not had direct reports before. I was also entering my fifth year in local government, so I felt like it was time to expand my knowledge and skills and make more connections across the sector.

What was your biggest takeaway from the program?

I found the results of, and the discussion around, our Team Management Profiles really illuminating. I was initially sceptical of what my questionnaire responses would reveal about me and my preferred style of working, but I found that it taught me a lot about myself and the areas I need to work harder on. It also made me realise a good team is one that has people with a diverse group of working styles, rather than everyone sharing the same traits. I also need to surround myself with a Creator Innovator 24/7!

What advice would you give to someone considering doing the Emerging Leaders Program?

I’d say there’s never a perfect time to do it, so give it a go. I’ve got two young kids and, like all of us, work can get stressful—especially when you’re trying to juggle all the other things—so a year earlier I’d turned down an opportunity to apply. Then, last year when I was on the fence again, I realised I could always come up with an excuse not to do it, so I just decided to go for it. While the program workload can be demanding, you’ll learn a lot about yourself and maybe even make some lifelong friends!

We caught up with one of this year's Emerging Leaders Program participants, Shraddha Dhungel, Infrastructure Engineer, Mount Barker District Council to find out how she enjoyed the program. 

What made you sign up for the Emerging Leaders Program?

Having started this graduate job less than two years ago, I am very early on in my career and am still shaping myself professionally and my leadership style. Although I have a while to go before I take on a leadership position, I believe it’s never too early to learn good leadership habits. I wanted to dig deeper within myself and learn what it takes to be a good leader – hence I signed up for the program.  

A recent module focused on 'Sustainability’ – what were some of your takeaways from this module?

It was a great module, the presentation from City of Mitcham regarding their power grid was a very interesting topic and definitely something that all of the councils should be thinking moving forward. It wasn’t just the actual initiative itself – it was all the back end thinking, planning and convincing council to go with the idea that was really impressive. 

What was your biggest take away from the program?

The biggest takeaway for me was the different TMS profiles for people in a workplace - how to relate/work with them best and also understanding how this relates to other people’s perception of me. This program really helped me get out of my comfort zone, and made me more mindful about of the different collaboration techniques required when working with different people to get the best possible outcome. 

What advice would you give to someone considering doing the Emerging Leaders Program?

Be open to different ways of thinking and doing things, and definitely get out of your comfort zone and do things the way you normally wouldn’t do it. 

We caught up with one of this year's Emerging Leaders Program participants, Paul Minks, Senior Procurement and Fleet Officer, Alexandrina Council to find out how he is enjoying the program so far. 

What made you sign up for the Emerging Leaders Program?

The Emerging Leaders Program is a well-respected and highly sought after experience. I wanted to sign up to represent Alexandrina Council in this program to connect and collaborate with likeminded from across the sector. 

A recent module focused on 'Media and Engagement’ – what were some of your takeaways from this module?

The key takeaway from this module was understanding the benefit of having a great communications team and governance system that understand social media platforms. Be on the front foot and keep up to date with what is reported, most times the media only republish existing media reports.

We caught up with one of this year's Emerging Leaders Program participants, Meegan Barrett, Team Leader Library and Volunteers at City of Burnside to find out how she is enjoying the program so far. 

What made you sign up for the Emerging Leaders Program?

I’ve been in my current Team Leader role for over four years, and with the City of Burnside for 20 years this year. I seek out opportunities to learn more about myself and my role as a leader in the organisation. The program offered the balance of theory along with practical applications which appealed to me. While it had been more than 30 years since I was last at Uni, the thought of pushing myself out of my comfort zone was another reason I signed up.

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

The module on change was a day that went by too quickly! The day focussed on setting expectations, drivers for change, internal and external pressures and communication. The takeaways were many and included the practices of active listening and leading by example. We were all encouraged to embed our learnings into our everyday life within the first 24 hours by practicing active listening with our colleagues.

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

The networking opportunities and relationships I have built have been my biggest takeaways at this point. I have met and connected with people from different councils from all over South Australia. I look forward to leveraging these connections in my role as a leader. I am also looking forward to celebrating the successful completion of our projects with the rest of the wonderful group.