LG Professionals SA The LG Professionals, SA Blog

My Experience of the Executive Leaders Program - Timothy Tol

Thu, 23 May 2019 00:25:48 GMT

Last year I was privileged to participate in the inaugural Executive Leaders Program (XLP) delivered by LG Professionals, SA and facilitated by Andrew Stevens, Diana Renner and Barry Bales. It is without a doubt the best professional leadership program I have attended and it has made a lasting and positive impact on me from both a personal and professional perspective. Andrew, Diana and Barry gave so much of themselves during the program, which inspired participants to do the same and to embrace the ideas and ways of thinking they shared, and the thoughts and reflections they inspired.

I’ve completed an MBA and attended various leadership programs over the years, which focus on building the skills, competencies, expertise and knowledge to do the job. While all of this is important, it won’t help you become a better leader. We can become better at the activity of leadership by broadening perspectives, thinking deeper, reflecting and focusing on vertical development, and this is exactly what the XLP delivers.

I learned that to be a more effective leader, I need to be able to pause and take the time to think deeper and be more observant to interpret our world from a range of perspectives. The program showed me that I need to embrace complexity to become more effective working in complex situations and to become comfortable in a world that is increasingly more volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous.

To get the most out of this program I had to step out of my comfort zone, embrace self-reflection and question some of my ingrained assumptions, behaviours, biases and mores. I learned that self-reflection is an effective way to confront my anxieties and enables me to focus on the development of judgement, rather than applying technical skills.

The program was not about being ‘fixed’ or to tip everything I knew on its head (although some of what is learned is counter intuitive to traditional ways of teaching). Most of us are excellent at what we do and we have extensive knowledge and skills in our respective roles, so we don’t need more expertise per se. However, we can benefit from the insights that the program delivers as it provides deeper understanding and impetus for our continual improvement as people and leaders.

I went into the program thinking I needed to be fixed—I had allowed myself to get caught up in the noise and cycle of busyness, and I was stressed and frustrated. I am eternally grateful to Andrew, Diana and Barry for renewing my thoughts, recalibrating my approach and helping me steer towards a path that has led me to greater happiness, confidence and productivity. The XLP gave me the opportunity to get back to focussing on being my best self, and I love the journey that the program has inspired me to embrace. I am making time to work on my passion, which is to write, and I have commenced learning meditation and mindfulness. More recently I have come across stoicism, which provides another opportunity for me to learn and continue to improve and be a better person.

The experience that is the XLP means something different to each of us who participate. My experience outlined above is unique to me, but I know the other participants also have similarly positive stories to tell. Being a member of the alumni of the XLP is something I am very proud of. We shared an amazing journey together and the most rewarding outcome is the great friendships I now have.

If you are after a traditional leadership program, then the XLP is not for you. If you want to challenge your thinking and seek an opportunity to take a deeper, more thoughtful and nuanced insight into yourself and the activity of leadership that provides you with new thinking, approaches, inspiration and perspectives to augment your expertise in your field, then I highly recommend you sign up for the XLP in 2019.

Timothy Tol
Director Infrastructure & Environmental Services at Renmark Paringa Council

How to build your influence at work

Thu, 28 Mar 2019 03:13:43 GMT

Influence in the workplace is a powerful thing. With it you can get more done and advance the projects you care about. You’re more likely to get noticed, get promoted and even receive raises. It can help motivate your colleagues to support your initiatives and adopt your ideas, and to position yourself as an information leader or a go-to person that people seek out for guidance and advice.

We’re at a point where everyone is so distracted by information overload and the pace of their digital lives that they have never been more difficult to influence. And yet, the increased pressure on gaining results means it’s never been more important to command influence in the workplace.

Here are a few simple principles you can adopt to begin increasing your influence in the workplace.

Build connections
At the end of the day, one of the fundamental reasons why people will do things for you is because they know you and they like you. This doesn’t mean being the most popular person at work, but a good rapport will go a long way to at least getting people to hear you out. Work on cultivating those personal connections and let people get to know you. Network, network, network!
Listen before you try to persuade
If you want people to back you up is to make them feel heard, and this is all about practicing the discipline of focus. This means when you’re meeting with someone else you need to tune out those distractions, turn to them, freeze in place and really listen. Further, make sure you ask your colleagues for their perspectives and advice. Make them feel heard!
Mind your body language and tone
Something as simple as sitting with good posture can communicate a higher level of authority than if you were slouching (considered a subordinate posture). Uncross those arms, try not to fidget, and pitch your voice a little lower and more evenly to counteract the effects of nervousness, which tends to push your tone higher. All of these actions connote power.
Develop expertise
Increase your influence by being seen as a recognised expert within your organisation. This will take time and effort on your part, but you can take steps to develop your business-critical expertise and know how. Immerse yourself in your topic area by regularly attending relevant conferences, enrolling in professional development programs and getting involved in working groups and networks, and share your learnings publicly by blogging on LinkedIn. These are all very visible signs that you are staying informed.
Map a strategy
Creating a strategic ‘plan of attack’ is a great way to leverage ythe influence you’ve built to promote an initiative or idea. One way to do this is by creating an org chart of decision makers related to your issue. If you don’t think you can influence someone directly, think about who could and channel your efforts through them. This isn’t scheming, it’s strategising.
Give people what they want
Find out how you can authentically answer the age-old question ‘what’s in it for me?’ for the people you want on your side. Do your homework to understand the needs, perspectives and temperaments of your stakeholders. Don’t be self-interested, be inclusive. Use words like ‘we’, ‘us’, and ‘our’ when talking about the benefits to help people see the value for them and the wider organisation.

Have you got a career plan?

Wed, 27 Feb 2019 07:12:14 GMT

‘A goal without a plan is just a wish.’ - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

These days you can expect to change careers five to seven times in your life, so having a career plan is a vital ingredient for your career success. While engaging in a professional coaching or mentoring relationship will help you to flesh out a more detailed plan, there are some simple steps you can take right now to catapult you to success!

Self-reflection
We are all guilty of being too busy to spend time thinking about our current situations and the paths that we actually want to be on. Make sure you take some time to reflect not only on your career path, but also yourself and your values, skill and passions. Understanding yourself and what you want will make it easier to create a plan that suits your goals and lifestyle.
Goal setting
It’s said that a goal without a plan is just a wish, so now that you’ve identified the career you want, you need to figure out how to get there. This is where setting goals comes in.

You’ve probably heard of SMART goals before. These are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timebound goals that will set you up for success. Research shows that 76% of study participants who set SMART goals, wrote them down (pen to paper) and shared them with a friend or co-worker achieved their goals—it makes you accountable, and the act of writing them down cements them in your long-term memory so you’ll think about them subconsciously.
Develop a plan

Check in time—you now know yourself and what you want to do better, and you’ve set your goals and written them down. You need to look at each goal and figure out what decisions you need to make to achieve them. Maybe you need to get some more experience to reach one of your goals, or perhaps you need to undertake some study. These decisions become the paths you’ll take to reach your goals, and you’ll soon see a career plan starting to take shape. There a few tactics you can deploy to make these sometimes difficult decisions:

Make a pros and cons list
Evaluate how each path aligns with your values and lifestyle
Think about the immediate and future consequences of a particular path

Get Involved!

Thu, 20 Sep 2018 07:05:40 GMT

Don’t stand on the sidelines! Get involved!

There are only three types of people – those that hope things will happen, those that makes things happen, and those that wonder what happened!

So, in life – family, career, hobbies, sport – you can either hang back and watch what’s going on, or get involved and be a part of the action.

Studies show that much greater satisfaction is gained by getting involved. Parents are advised to get involved with their children’s development and activities. Community members are encourages to get involved with community issues and have a say in making decisions that will affect them.

And of course, workers are advised to get involved with activities that can increase job satisfaction and help to further their career.

LG Professionals offers a range of opportunities to get involved and get the best value from your membership - from our award-winning professional development programs, to a wide range of focused networks that meet regularly to learn and engage, and also mentoring and coaching.

There are 7 main benefits of “getting involved”

1. Make new contacts who are outside of your normal circle
LG Professionals strives to bring people in our sector together. Whether you’re just starting out, or are already an experienced manager, LG Professionals creates opportunities to make friends and contacts in similar organisations with no strings attached. Who doesn’t need a sounding board for ideas?

2. Be connected to the pulse of what’s happening
Networking groups give you an inside track into what’s happening in your part of local government. You can access people and information from experts who influence your field, discuss solutions to common issues, and keep up to date with latest trends and information.

3. Be proactive. Share your voice and opinions
Want to help shape the future? Then let your voice be heard. People who are active in their networks can have a big impact on the conversations that inform that space. If you have something worth contributing, take ownership of it and the whole sector (and the communities we serve) will benefit.

4. Build your career
Networking and engaging with others in the industry will raise your profile. Others will recognise your contribution, colleagues will hear and utilise your great ideas, and your career will develop faster as a result.

5. Get advice
Being part of a large, diverse group gives you many opportunities to get advice from people who’ve gone through it all. What to do. What not to do. Their experiences can point you in the right direction and help you avoid many costly pitfalls. Reach out through LG Professionals Network Groups to meet others who share your passions and can help you build your career.

6. Seek professional development opportunities
In addition to being a great resource for job seekers and employers, LG Professionals networks and programs can help you gain professional contacts, find a mentor/coach and expand your industry knowledge. You’ll be surprised how quickly you can build long-lasting relationships and potential career opportunities.

7. Fuel your passion
There is no better way to stay motivated than to be passionate about your role. Getting involved fuels that passion – and helps you to stay focused on what’s important, and avoid falling into the trap of doing the “same old thing” every day.

LG Professionals offers a wide range of opportunities to get involved, from Leadership Development programs to a wide range of short courses, events and networking functions.

Check out the full program here.

Industry Trends - Staff Development

Tue, 19 Jun 2018 22:57:28 GMT

Do your Council have a strong staff development policy – and are you promoting it?

Organisations are becoming more aware that a positive (and well-promoted) staff development policy – including ensuing development plans and actions are reviewed in line with staff reviews -- is a necessary part of rewarding, attracting and retaining staff.

The most recent Seek ‘laws of attraction’ survey found that staff development is a very strong attractor - especially for Millennials.

Almost every form of career development was significantly more likely to be a ‘must have’ for Millennials than other generations as they looked for ways to propel their career forward.

Almost half (47 per cent) considered opportunities for promotion a must when considering an employer, while 44 per cent said the same for on-the-job skill development.

Work-life balance, although ranking the third most important factor for Millennials behind money and development, was less important for the younger demographic than for Generation X and Baby Boomers.

The increased use and sophistication of the internet also enables candidates to become more aware of factors such as employer reputation, additional benefits and colleagues and co-workers. This may be having an impact on how a candidate perceives their importance, so employers would be wise to look at the bigger picture when it comes to attracting talent.

Read more about the results of the Seek survey for government and defence, here.

An organisational focus on learning and development (from AHRI)

It is critical for organisations to establish an organisational focus when setting goals for its learning and development activities. The learning and development objectives and strategies should link with the broader organisational objectives.

Organisations should ensure that appropriate needs analyses are undertaken to identify the learning and development needs of the organisation, the business units/departments and individuals. These needs should be prioritised in terms of their potential impact on organisational effectiveness and profitability.

For an organisation's learning and development strategy and policies to be successful, they should be focussed on helping the business to meet its objectives, and they should also reflect its mission, values and culture.

(From https://www.ahri.com.au/assist/learning-and-development)

The top 10 ways to invest in yourself

Tue, 19 Jun 2018 22:53:07 GMT

"Ultimately, there's one investment that supersedes all others: Invest in yourself. Nobody can take away what you've got in yourself, and everybody has potential they haven't used yet.” Warren Buffett

What’s the definition of an investment?

In this context, to invest is to put money, effort, time, etc. into something to make a profit or get an advantage: (expectation of an advantage or greater return in the future)

“A stitch in time saves nine” is a well-known saying that suggests investing a little time today can save lots of time in the future.

So, to invest in oneself is to put effort in today, on a personal level, that will return more tomorrow, in terms of, for example:

· Work or life skills
· Relationships/networks
· Learning experiences
· Health/Wellbeing
· Lifestyle

A good example is attending University (to get a degree, to get a better job, to earn more, to have more job satisfaction) or taking the time to regularly go to the gym (to get more healthy so you can enjoy life to the fullest – or even to live for longer)

A large part of investing in self is to build your knowledge and skills, and form strong and lasting relationships.

These investments usually take the form of reading often and widely, making the effort to attending courses, training and programs, attending conferences and accessing a mentor and/or coach.

Read more about how to invest in yourself here – ‘the top 10 ways to invest in yourself – and why it’s so powerful’

Is your glass half full - or half empty?

Wed, 23 May 2018 23:43:04 GMT

Alison Ledgerwood, a Professor of Psychology at UC Davis, presented a thought-provoking TED talk about ‘getting stuck in the negatives - and how to get unstuck’. Essentially, it’s about the power of positive language.

Do you ever wonder why we remember our failures very clearly, but are more likely to ‘gloss-over’ or forget our successes?

Alison speaks about getting stuck in the ‘loss frame’. It’s the way we look at things. ‘Glass half empty’ is the loss frame, while ‘glass half full’ is the gain frame.

While we are all pretty familiar with the glass half full or half empty analogy, we tend to put it down to simple optimism or pessimism. However, Alison’s research shows it’s much more than that.

It seems that if we think in the gain frame – glass half full, we can be convinced to change our thoughts to the negative, loss frame, if presented with an alternative view.

However, if we start in the loss frame, it’s almost impossible to change our thinking to the positive. She calls this getting stuck in the loss frame.

Accordingly, she advises to always think positively, work to see the upside and also explains why expressing gratitude, works so well as it focuses us on the positives.

Invest a very worthwhile 10 minutes of your time and watch this video, it might just change the way you think.

Industry Trends - Use the power of language in performance reviews

Wed, 23 May 2018 23:36:23 GMT

Regardless of what side of the table or desk you are on performance reviews can be nerve-wracking. There are many articles about how to conduct a performance review. This is not one of them. Rather, this is about what questions to ask your manager in your own performance review.

Should you just respond to the questions being asked? Should you spend ages preparing your succinct, to the point, and impressive responses? No! (well, yes you should, but you should also think about what you should ask your manager in the review).

Use the power of language in your performance reviews. For example, asking “what are your most important goals for the coming year?” lets your manager know you are interested in the overall team performance and how you can help.

You’ll be seen as a helpful resource, someone who can help solve issues – not add to them.

Or asking “Is there anything I could do to make your job easier?” is always going to be well received.

Asking “How do you think local government (or our organisation) is going to change in the future? What challenges do we face?” will show that you are interested in the big picture, and will help you, and your manager, identify opportunities and frame your responsibilities and activities in the future.

Read more for a summary of the best questions to ask during performance reviews – it’s great preparation for your next review.

Everyone has a personal brand - do you know what yours is?

Sat, 28 Apr 2018 03:01:55 GMT

You may not know it yet, but – you are a brand. Just like Coca-Cola, or Holden, or any corporation.

A brand is really just defined by a whole series of attributes, that the person (or corporation – or product) is KNOWN for – and stands for.

For example,

Mercedes-Benz – quality, dependability, luxury

Volvo – safety, luxury

Aldi – small range, cheap prices

Tesla, Apple – innovation, style

You get the idea.

So what’s your personal brand? How would you describe yourself in a few words, as brand attributes? Are you smart, quick-thinking, with a can-do attitude?

Or maybe you are reliable, dependable and trustworthy.

The interesting thing is, just as beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, your brand is not only defined by what YOU think you are, but what OTHERS think you are.

What if you think you are dependable, trustworthy and reliable, but others see you as dodgy and dishonest? Then, I’m afraid, your BRAND attributes will reflect just that.

How do you find out if your own perceived brand attributes match others perceptions of you?

You need to ask them. Ask your manager, your CEO, or your peers what they believe and perceive your brand to be, by coming up with three to four descriptors. What are you known for? And what messages are you sending out?

Corporations make sure that they align their brand attributes with all that they do. Their advertising, products, services and more. A high-value brand attribute like “quality” can soon be dashed if your customer service department gives poor service.

So, personally, if you want to be seen as ambitious or a potential future leader, you need to start taking the right actions and live by those values so that others will start to see it, and recognise it as part of your BRAND. And be very careful to avoid doing anything that will damage your brand.

So, what are you waiting for? Get out there and start understanding and building your brand.

Industry Trends - Council Brand or City Brand - What's the difference?

Tue, 24 Apr 2018 02:05:33 GMT

Like it or not, we are always competing. As cities and regions, we compete for investment, for population, for workers, for businesses and much more. As councils, we compete for the best employees, the highest community satisfaction ratings and for recognition.

That’s why it’s so important to understand the two branding forces at play in a local government environment –

1. the Place brand (City or Region brand) and
2. The Organisational or Council brand.

With Placemaking becoming much more prominent in recent years, most people are very familiar with Place branding. It’s those things that people think about when they think about a Place.

So, for example, New York – what first comes to mind when you think of New York? Vibrant, hectic, “city that never sleeps”, stylish, exciting.

Tasmania – Unspoilt environment, natural beauty, quality food bowl, safe, compact

Adelaide - Vibrant, cultured, artistic, refined, plentiful open spaces

So it’s fairly easy to think about a place and what it’s like. The things that define it, essentially, create the Place brand. What it’s known for, how it’s perceived by others.

The Place brand is what people will think of when they consider living there, working there, taking their leisure time there, investing there or setting up a business in the area.

So, a Place brand is the core basis for competition between cities and regions. It encompasses what the region offers, WHY it’s a great place to live and so on.

What about your city? What is its Place brand? Do you know? It would be a good idea to run some research if not, with local residents and non-residents from other council areas to see if your Place brand is really what you think it is….

But there’s another side to the story - the Council brand. Just because Adelaide is vibrant, cultural, refined and compact – are these the brand attributes of the council too? No – they are not. Place brand attributes and council brand attributes are different. They will always be different, but they should be aligned.

The City of Adelaide is doing a great job of aligning their City and Council brands.

A quick look at their website shows not only what the council offers but also what events and activities are scheduled in the city. This is just one example of how a city can support a Place brand.

In doing so they are immediately seen as supportive but also facilitative – they are aligned with the vibrancy of the city – it’s not just something happening on its own without council involvement or direction.

Unfortunately, there are many examples of cities and regions with a very powerful and positive brands where the council does not enjoy such a strong positive association. You’ve probably heard it before – “love the place, but the council is terrible” – poor service, hard to deal with and so on. Make sure you are not one of those!

So, just as you work hard to promote the Place brand, you need to also distil and promote positive brand associations with your Council brand.

The Council brand will have a large impact on ratepayer satisfaction, employee pride and also attraction of high calibre candidates.

If a city is vibrant and exciting, and a great place to work and play, what sort of council is needed to facilitate that? Probably forward-thinking, easy to work with, innovative, service-oriented.

If a city or region is known for its natural beauty and unspoilt environment, the council had better have pretty strong brand attributes of environmental awareness and environmental responsibility, in order to benefit from the association of the Place brand.

What’s your Council brand? Do you know?

Do some research, find out if your Place brand and your Council brand is aligned to ensure that your brand attributes are seen as supporting the Place brand.

That way, you will be more likely to be seen to be contributing to the creation of a successful and desirable place to live, work and play.

How to develop – and promote your personal brand

Fri, 20 Apr 2018 03:28:47 GMT

We spoke to LG Professionals, SA member and Executive Assistant to CEO & Mayor at Mount Barker District Council, Sue Miller on building, managing and protecting her personal brand.

What is your brand and how have you come to establish it to what it is today?

My brand is my reputation and my ability to influence. Protecting it is incredibly important to me. I’ve established it by being informed, consistent, ethical and kind. My brand gives me confidence to act with purpose and be self-directed, especially when I’m under pressure. I believe my brand is built upon value adding for my community and helping my colleagues achieve that outcome, too. I don’t just show up, I show up joyful.

What were the benefits of doing the Emerging Leaders Program (ELP) and what has that led to?

The ELP reinforced for me the value of reflection, as it has a strong focus on emotional intelligence, self-awareness, and understanding how underlying assumptions impact on decision making and team processes. I enjoyed working through my Team Management Profile, and articulating my story, including future planning. My CEO supporting my participation, and including me in our Leadership Group (third level managers) despite my not having any direct reports, has given me professional courage, which gives me a more strategic outlook, and in turn strengthens my ability to deliver and execute ideas.

I encourage conversations around the potential EAs have, to influence within council and be agents for change. Having done the ELP in 2015, I recognise EAs are strong in the areas of emotional intelligence and relationship management, and recommend managers give thought to what could be achieved by exposing EAs to leadership training.

I am fortunate to work with managers and colleagues who trust my judgement and give me opportunities to be involved in projects and expand my influence without delegated or positional authority.

Personal brand and the influence it has had on people, the workplace and council

My preferred working style is one of being in the background, but I now appreciate I have a responsibility to my colleagues, community and self to share my experience and knowledge, because I have learnt the most, and developed professionally the most, from others who have done just that with me. In 2014 I established our Administrative Excellence Group (AEG), comprised of PAs to GMs and administrative officers at Mount Barker District Council, to share knowledge and experience. I try to promote via AEG a collaborative, rather than competitive, mindset.

I have in the past done an intervention to the CEO with a PA colleague when we saw that a project had the potential to seriously impact on one of council’s external communication tools. This was risky, but because of my brand, my presence in his office suggested I would not have been there asking for this course of action if it wasn’t important. This reinforced my brand, my capacity for problem solving, the extent of my influence, and the quality of my relationships. I have been able to preserve relationships across council because my brand reinforces that my motivation is to provide a direct community benefit.

In July last year Mount Barker District Council jointly hosted with Adelaide Hills Council a meeting of the Local Government Chief Officers’ Group (comprised of CEOs/GMs in LG from across Australia and New Zealand). Our CEO, Andrew Stuart, asked me to be part of the meeting and share my experience navigating the Mayor/CEO relationship – the duality of the role and the political mindset. Addressing 83 CEOs from across the country was very high risk in terms of reputational damage if I fluffed it, but I took courage from Andrew’s faith in my brand. I figured if I’m going to fail, fail spectacularly! I proposed the LG COG establish a national Executive Assistants group, which was supported. I was honoured and humbled that Mount Barker hosted 53 Executive Assistants from Australia and New Zealand at the inaugural Local Government Chief Officers’ Group Executive Assistants’ Alliance (LG COG EAA) meeting on 12 April, and it will be an annual event.

“My brand is my reputation and my ability to influence. Protecting it is incredibly important to me.”

My legacy. What is yours?

A member of my immediate family has been undergoing treatment for a serious illness, which has generated many discussions around what kind of legacy this person will leave (personally and professionally).

Our AEG is my professional legacy, as is the inaugural LG COG EAA.

Having leaders in our organisation who are willing to educate and coach, guide and encourage EAs and PAs to be involved to a greater level in delivering on their objectives is another. Without this, the level of effective support to colleagues to enable them to deliver measurable community benefit is perhaps diminished, and the real potential of EAs/PAs may not be realised.

Changing mind models around administrative roles I hope will be another legacy. EA networks and administrative roles have the potential to be levers in mitigating silos in councils. Perhaps the unrecognised power of EA networks lies in keeping the boundaries of teams flexible, particularly as our council grows. I hope EAs and managers recognise EAs are well placed to move between silos, translating messages in non-technical language up, down and sideways. You do need specialist areas, but as EAs we are well-positioned to see overlaps, underlaps and issues falling between the cracks.

Inspire and encourage others to think more about their brand

Trust, delegation and communication flows from management, and is often facilitated by EAs/PAs. Working relationships don’t just happen – they take time and investment. Please consider investing in your administrative personnel’s professional development and building their brand. Hopefully they also recognize it’s critical to remaining relevant and building their reputation. In our council, pressure from growth means a higher degree of flexibility and professionalism is required from our AEG.

As EAs we have advisory rather than operational responsibilities; we provide a valuable service to others; it’s difficult to measure our performance in productivity terms and justify expenditure associated with training – generally we are facilitating the productivity of others!

If you have an assistant who you think value-adds, please acknowledge their contribution by being their champion and supporting their professional development, and encouraging involvement in projects – it will ensure credibility and build capacity in council.

If you are inspired by Sue’s story, her commitment and passion towards her role, we encourage you to connect with Sue on LinkedIn.

Industry Trends - the decline of public transport?

Tue, 27 Mar 2018 02:55:19 GMT

There are many initiatives that city planners introduce to attract people to use public transport.

Free transport within certain zones, restricting car access, air-conditioned buses and trams, extensive public transport routes, new light rail lines and more.

But with all this in place – why are some major cities declining in public transport use?

The City of Perth has just recorded a drop in public transport use for the fifth year in a row.

And Perth is not alone. While capital cities (not surprisingly) see the largest share of public transport use, many are also seeing consistent declines across the world as well as in Australia.

New York City’s subway system has posted its first dip in ridership since 2009, according to data from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The news follows a news week full of reported transit passenger declines in Los Angeles and San Francisco. And, for years, nearly every city in the U.S. (with a few notable exceptions) has posted negative percent changes, too. (Citylab, 2017)

It seems many people still prefer the relative privacy and personal space afforded by private vehicles.

Many predict the fast-approaching option of self-driving vehicles may be another solution – offering the convenience of a taxi or bus with the privacy of a private vehicle. Will this trend also take away from the existing public transport pool?
Read more about the decline of public transport in Perth (and the likely reasons) here.

5 golden steps to achieving success

Mon, 26 Mar 2018 02:26:59 GMT

It’s hard to achieve anything significant without goals. I suppose it’s theoretically possible, but it hardly ever happens.

Some time ago it was commonplace for managers to have slogans on their office wall. A popular one was a big poster with the words “Conceive – Believe – Achieve.” A quote from Napoleon Hill, Author of Think and Grow Rich.

At the time many thought this was a bit over the top, having something like that on the office wall, but now it makes sense.

It was a constant reminder that you can't achieve anything significant without first planning what success looks like to you.

You have to want to achieve something, so first you need to conceive it, and to do so, you need to think about why you want to achieve it.

In other words, you need to set goals. And for goals to work, they need to be SMART.

What are SMART goals?

Specific – not vague. “Host more community events” is vague, “Host more community events in the Parklands” is specific.

Measurable – “More events” is not measurable. “three more events” is measurable.

Achievable – goals must be achievable – you have to believe you can do it.

Relevant – goals must be relevant to you and your interests, your lifestyle, and in this case career.

Timely – goals should have a time frame. “Host three community events by June 30” is specific and measurable, whereas “host three community events” has no timeframe for achievement.

Then, you have to believe that you can reach your goal.

If you want a promotion, more responsibility, widen your networks - that's not just going to happen by itself.

But if you have SMART goals it will become clearer what you need to do to reach your objectives.

This is when you will, consciously or unconsciously, start to work on HOW you will get there, be it accessing more training, seeking opportunities for more development, gaining more experience and so on.

This approach is far from new. Napoleon Hill wrote Think and Grow Rich in 1937, and others have followed similar concepts. The popular book (and movie), The Secret (2006) was along the same lines. And Norman Vincent Peale wrote “the power of positive thinking” in 1952 along a similar theme.

The concept is this - visualise the desired outcome, (your goal) and you will develop actions to work towards it.

Some people think it’s a bit “smoke and mirrors” and all you have to do is wish for something and it will happen.

Actually, the power of these books is that they help clarify what you really want to achieve, and if sufficiently motivated, you will almost automatically start seeking opportunities and activities that will move you toward achievement of your goal.

So, if you acknowledge what your goals are, and have implemented the SMART goals strategy, then you can achieve what you set out to do.

Programs like the LG Professionals, SA Emerging Leaders Program can be very useful in assisting people to achieve their career goals by providing a targeted program of professional development, training, networking and experience.

The LG Professionals, SA Leadership Excellence Awards recognise outstanding achievement in the local government sector.

These awards serve to not only recognise, but to inspire and encourage others through the sharing of ideas and best-practice approaches.

And certainly, achievements should be both recognised and celebrated. It is celebration that cements positive outcomes, teamwork and the knowledge that hard work and determination reaps rewards.

We applaud all those who set out to achieve, specifically in local government and look forward to celebrating the achievements in the sector at the 17^th Annual Leadership Excellence Gala Awards.

The power of engaging citizens online

Thu, 08 Feb 2018 22:19:08 GMT

Author: Matthew Gordon, OurSay

Turn the digital space from something many organisations fear into a great opportunity.

We operate in an era where influence with the traditional gatekeepers in media and government no longer guarantees the reputation of an organisation.

Public sector organisations need to approach their communications holistically, in a way that not only understands the traditional requirements of issues management and government relations but equally recognises the empowered digital citizen and online communities.

We understand that many public sector organisations are struggling to find the right strategic direction to engage with their communities in the digital domain. The challenge is to develop strategies and capabilities that make your digital engagement economically sustainable in the long term.

Register for Workshop 1: Communicating the value of the local government cause and Workshop 2: Going from opinion to ownership.

Those organisation which demonstrate the most passion for new media will be best placed to harness their reputation and positively interact with their communities. Those organisations which don’t, will fail.

The social media train wrecks that litter the corporate landscape mainly occur because most communications advice is still based on an outdated 20th century paradigm. The key will be found in developing multifaceted and integrated communications strategies incorporating both “new” and “traditional” media.

Once harnessed public organisations will be able to deal with a range of situations from the hostile local newspaper editor through to developing an advocacy campaign to boost funding for community projects.

The first next step to this journey is taking the temperature of your organisation and equipping it with surefooted, affordable advice and expertise to turn the digital space from something many organisations fear into a great opportunity to positively cement your place- and reputation- in the eyes of the community.

Download the brochure for the full details of our Engaging Citizens Series running from 15 February - 21 June 2018.

Australasian Management Challenge - Alexandrina STEAMS ahead

Thu, 26 Oct 2017 14:56:07 GMT

As part of the Australasian Management Challenge each year, teams are required to complete a pre-challenge task.

In 2017, this task was designed so that teams would need to work with their organisations and management to conduct community consultation on a real issue, and make recommendations.

Alexandrina was one of the teams in SA that worked on a consultation exercise that was so successful, it actually received council funding to become a real project.

We spoke with Colin Shackleford of the Alexandrina team - Alexandrina STEAM.

Hi Colin - thanks for speaking to us about your pre-challenge task.

How did you choose the subject for your pre-challenge task in 2017?
We looked at several real scenarios that required public consultation and short listed 3 projects based on their social impact and urgency. We then met with our Executive Management team and presented the three options for their consideration.

The Skate Park project was an issue of public safety and potentially poor PR for Council so it was the preferred option.

How did you get management involved?
By involving senior management in the project selection process we gained their support and buy-in. It helped that the project was already listed with the Community Wellbeing Manager so we had access to the right team for support.

How did you engage the community?
We arranged a pop-up event at the Skate Park with a free sausage sizzle to encourage people along to tell us their views on the facility. We also linked with another Community Wellbeing OPAL event at a local park and set up a booth to hand out surveys and record people’s views about the Skate Park.

Council uses the MySay online consultation tool so we set up the survey on that platform and also used Facebook to gather feedback. Overall we had more than 7000 responses in one form or another.

Although the pre-challenge task could have been just based on a hypothetical project or issue, what was the end outcome at Alexandrina?
The project was initially given to me as a problem that needed to be solved with the preferred outcome being the closure of the Skate Park. Instead, the overwhelming public response was to improve the facility and address the public safety issues as it was considered to be an excellent Skate Park.

Did you end up actually delivering the project in reality? How did that happen?
As a result of the public response, we formed a “Friends of the Goolwa Skate Park” group and created a project plan to address the facility and security issues.

We also applied for grant funding to add a toilet, improve the landscaping, add security cameras, install new signage and decorate the bowl with professional street art. We received $40,000 to create the street art and beautify the bowl. The remaining works will be subject to a Council budget request for next financial year.

What was your experience of the Management Challege in general? How did your team members benefit from the experience?
I found it to be quite a challenge in several ways. Firstly, it was difficult to commit the time required as an operational manager with a broad portfolio and I needed to make sure that I did not simply join the group as a “manager” and play that role. Also, I did not really understand what was required so it was a bit daunting to begin with.

I really enjoyed the experience of being part of a new team and sharing my abilities but also learning about each team member and gaining valuable insights from them about their area of work and life experience.

It certainly broadened my understanding of Council and our governance processes even after being in Local Government for nearly 20 years. I really found out how much I did not know and I think this was the same for the other team members.

We covered areas right outside of our comfort zones but we became a very strong, focused and supportive team. We had a broad age and experience range within our team and this gave us a unique dynamic which could have worked against us but instead proved to be vey beneficial.

Would you encourage other councils to participate in the Management Challenge and especially put in the time and effort to get real value from the pre-challenge task?
I would highly recommend the challenge to other Councils and in particular, ensure that the pre-challenge tasks are real scenarios that can benefit the Council and community beyond the Challenge activity.

You can view a short video outlining Alexandrina's pre-challenge task here.

Marty! We’ve got to go back!

Thu, 26 Oct 2017 01:35:13 GMT

Looking back and learning from the past is a bit like time travel (well, without the fun, Back to the Future style ACTUAL time travel…)

But it is fun – and can be very beneficial.

To help us look back – and forward - imagine there are three versions of you. There’s the past you, the current you and the future you.
Let’s call them the yesterday you, the today you and the tomorrow you.

To illustrate how this works here’s a couple of examples.

When you go out and have a few too many drinks and stay out far too late – the today you is having a great time but the tomorrow you will suffer.

Conversely, when you diet to lose weight or workout in the gym – the today you puts in extra effort but the tomorrow you will thank you for it.

It’s the same with our work life.

Goal setting and planning
By looking forward and setting goals on where we want be in terms of career, health, family and more we can see what we need to do to get there.

We can see what the today you needs to do, to make sure the tomorrow you achieves what we have set out.

Taking the time for professional development - attending a course or program, learning a new software package or reading about the latest developments in our industry will put extra time pressure on the today you but the tomorrow you will reap the benefits.

So think about where you want to be in the future – what does your tomorrow you life look like? How does that compare to the today you? What are the steps you need to get there?

Sometimes, looking back can help too.

Reflection – not obsession!
What can the yesterday you teach you about today, or tomorrow?

Or to put it another way – if you could talk to your yesterday you what would you advise them? Sometimes thinking about it in this way helps us to distil the learnings from past experiences.

The idea of reflection on the past is not to dwell on every ‘sliding door’ moment and obsess about what could have been– that’s not healthy!

But you can reflect on the way you handled things, examine what you did right and wrong so you can do better next time.

'Fail early and often' is a saying that is based on these same principles. Failing early and often gives you plenty of opportunities to learn from your mistakes and make incremental improvements (like the continuous improvement ‘Kaizen’ article we spoke about in last month’s newsletter).

So don’t let your yesterday you go to waste, learn from their experience so your tomorrow you can do just a little better next time.

And next time you’re out for a big night, spare just a thought for the long suffering, tomorrow you…

Let's hear from the winning team- Wattle Range Council

Tue, 24 Oct 2017 04:36:25 GMT

Our team found the Rural Management Challenge provides a safe environment in which to experiment, try something new, step outside of your comfort zone, work with colleagues you might not ordinarily work with and network.

In preparation for challenge day our team identified that we wanted to learn, grow and have fun by participating. We learnt about our own work styles, how we interacted as a team and how we could effectively work with each other to achieve team and personal goals. On challenge day we managed to achieve these goals and the benefits will continue long after challenge day.

Our perspectives on council have broadened, we have built our confidence and are starting to do things we might not have previously thought possible! We are all using the energy, enthusiasm and new skills we gained from participating in our day to day. Now when 'problems' happen at work, we tend to see them more as challenges and apply the same techniques and mindset we used on the challenge day to solve the issue.

We joked the challenge was like Top Gun school for councils! It certainly was a day of pushing ourselves, flying high and having a lot of fun along the way.

Wattle Range Wranglers

2017 Rural Management Challenge winners

I haven't got time for professional development or networking!

Fri, 25 Aug 2017 22:56:12 GMT

"Take a day out of the office? Me? You've got to be kidding - I'm so flat out that I don't have time to focus on my own development. In fact the last three things my HR manager has booked me on, I've ended up cancelling."

If this is you - or even sounds a bit like you - and be honest - you need help!

Turning your back on your own professional development restricts your ability to plan and think - and importantly, to keep up to date with new approaches or ideas.

People who are too focused on the tasks at hand can be a bit like this:

So how can you keep up to date with the latest trends and innovations - and work on your own development?

6 tips for taking time to focus on your own development in local government
1. Recognise that your own development is important. Like going to the gym, you’ll always put it off if you don’t see the big picture – in this case, recognise the importance and potential benefits to your career of ongoing development.

2. Make a set time each week (or day) to focus on it. Set aside time and mark this time out in your diary. Make it a habit to spend time on this activity.

3. Read voraciously. Read articles and books about innovation in your own industry but also other industries too. Consider how lessons learned elsewhere can apply to your role in local government. Many successful CEO’s have a target of reading at least one book each week.

4. Take advantage of technology – join relevant groups on LinkedIn, watch educational videos on YouTube and attend relevant webinars. Information has been made very ‘bite sized’ so many of these activities will take very little time - but will deliver huge rewards in terms of information and learning.

5. Attend relevant courses and programs to build your skills. Ongoing learning is vital to ensure your skills stay current and that you continue to grow and add value to your organisation (or, the next organisation you work for!)

6. Always take opportunities to network with your peers to gain new ideas and strengthen personal and professional associations. Where possible, join an existing network that meet regularly to share ideas and information.

Regional Tourism Summit - Ella Winnall

Sun, 26 Mar 2017 04:27:16 GMT

We chat with Ella Winnall, Community Services Coordinator, Berri Barmera Council, about an idea that was fostered during her participation in the ELP and PLP - which has now culminated in the first ever SA Regional Tourism Summit. (16-18 May 2017)

Hi Ella - please tell us about the Regional Tourism Summit.
The Riverland Tourism Industry and the South Australian Tourism Commission are inviting representatives of local government (both staff and elected members), visitor information centres and tourism businesses to come together for the first ever SA Regional Tourism Summit.

It is a diverse three-day program of high calibre speakers and professional development opportunities, off-site study tours and networking sessions. For all the details head to www.destinationriverland.org.au/summit to download a program.

What do you hope to achieve through the summit?
We hope to bring together all parts of the tourism industry together to foster better collaboration and understanding in the industry, especially for local government delegates. We have lots of events in the tourism world which are delivered to just one part of the industry, and we felt it important to have business owners, senior managers, visitor information centre coordinators, and elected members in the same room to cross pollinate ideas. We have chosen to keep our content realistic and practical for councils who want to get better value from their tourism investment.

What councils are involved - and why?
From the start we have had support from all four Riverland Councils (Berri Barmera Council, Renmark Paringa Council, District Council of Loxton Waikerie and Mid Murray Council) to make the event happen. Together with Destination Riverland and the SATC, the Summit has been a collaborative effort. Our councils invest heavily in tourism in one way or another, whether it be funding regional marketing through Destination Riverland, operating visitor information centres and museums or providing facilities for visitors.

The councils in the Riverland see tourism as key to their economic development goals, and work well together to promote the whole district as a tourist destination rather than just one town. Our councils felt this was a great opportunity to showcase to the rest of the state some of the initiatives the region has delivered, and create a platform for a much needed cross-industry discussion about the future of tourism (and local government’s involvement in it).

What are the highlights - who's speaking - and what about?
Day one has some amazing guest speakers, including SATC Destination Development Director Nick Jones, marketing guru Dan Gregory, and brothers Duane Major & Adam Gardner from NZ who crowdfunded about $2million to buy a private beach in NZ and return it to the public.

We also have Sean Keenihan speaking at our final dinner, to talk all things economic development and SA tourism.

I am looking forward most to our day two choose your own adventure study tours, with morning and afternoon tours taking you on-site to see first hand how some of our local success stories have worked. You can learn about local government’s role in tourism, how to measure your events, sustainable accommodation projects, food and wine tourism, even eco tourism, it’s up to you!

Who should attend and why?
Tourism & Economic development staff, event staff, senior management, and elected members are all encouraged to attend. In particular, we want to see some delegates from other regional areas. It’s not often an event of this calibre is delivered on a level which is achievable for smaller councils, or councils with small tourism investment so it’s a good opportunity for them to come without feeling out of their depth. Because of the style of our summit allowing delegates to choose what they want to attend, it means we are having councils register a few staff from different levels to all get what they want out of it. Registrations close mid April so sign your council up asap so you don’t miss out.

How will you measure the success of the event? - and are you planning this to be an annual event?
It’s pretty rare to get all of the right heads together to do something like this, with industry, local government, marketing bodies and state government all making it happen – so that in itself says a lot about the event’s success. All we need now is for delegates to come and it to spark some really good initiatives around the whole state.

We aren’t sure whether this will happen again. If there is enough interest in it this year, we think it could be done every second year in conjunction with the regional visitor information centre managers conference – but that will be a conversation for another region’s councils to take it on. We sure hope it starts something for the state!

Since you are a recent graduate of the PLP (Professional Leaders Program) and ELP (Emerging Leaders Program) - is there anything you learned during the ELP or PLP (or any relationships you made) that have in some way contributed to your work on this Regional Summit? If so, in what way?
I honestly couldn’t be doing this without the lessons I learnt in the ELP and PLP. It’s a huge undertaking to take on, and having the confidence to do it was a direct result of those programs. I actually started the conversations about this project while doing the ELP, and secured the key stakeholders in the middle of the PLP. The professional connections I made in both the programs were key to the success of the project, particularly with developing content, securing speakers and finding sponsors.

Both the PLP and ELP gave me a better understanding of the issues facing councils across the state, which was great to know that it wasn’t just us – and a state wide approach is warranted.

Both of the programs also gave me access to some insightful speakers like Sean Keenihan, who was all too happy to speak at our event when I approached him about the concept. I also think the help and generosity of sponsors like LGRS and LG Professionals, SA probably wouldn’t be afforded to me if I was trying to make contact without any connection or knowledge of the organisations.

In addition to this, the networks I made within the program have helped me so much, even if it has just been to send the program onto the right people in their councils – that’s such a help.

Assumptions and attention to detail

Sun, 26 Mar 2017 04:08:38 GMT

'Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won't come in.'
― Isaac Asimov

Many job descriptions include a requirement of 'attention to detail'.

But what does that mean?

Essentially it means the job role is ideally suited to someone who has the patience and care to research and read thoroughly, fully understand what is required and to produce quality work inclusive of the correct level of detail, in all aspects of the role.

Often we speak about attention to detail in writing reports – ensuring there are no spelling errors for example.

But it also extends to understanding the issues at hand – taking the time to investigate thoroughly all the requirements and acting accordingly. A good example in local government is community engagement- where a detail-focused person will take the time to consider all the impacts and therefore seek input from all the relevant stakeholders – rather than assuming.

Here’s an example. What do you see here?

I love Paris in the Springtime...?

No – if you read it again – you'll notice the word “the” is repeated.

Here’s another example that will test your attention to detail. It’s an interesting test based on an experiment developed by John Ridley Stroop way back in 1935. In fact it’s called the “Stroop effect”

Try to say, our loud, the colour of the each word…

Not easy is it?

It takes time to process. Just as it takes time to understand each situation in local government - the needs of the ratepayers, the residents, local businesses, the Elected Members – and of course your manager.

Often it’s a balancing act but being able to focus on the detail and use patience to ensure everything is considered will go a long way.

And of course, never assume you know the answer….

Necessity - or frustration - is the mother of invention

Sun, 26 Feb 2017 00:42:15 GMT

Necessity - or frustration, is the mother of invention – and often leads to 'out of the box' thinking.

At the recent LG Professionals SA conference, Eyal Halamish (CEO and co-founder, OurSay) spoke about innovation and invention - and how frustration with the status quo often leads to entrepreneurs developing a new approach to solve problems. He cited recent examples such as UBER, which responded to a market need for fast, reliable and cost-effective transport.

However, innovation, out of the box thinking and rapid prototyping is not a recent phenomenon.

Two examples come to mind from the past:

1. Apollo 13. One of the most incredible stories of adversity and out of the box thinking in history. After a catastrophic failure that left the Apollo 13 command module with very little power, little oxygen and failing systems, the task fell to the ground team in Houston to work out how to save the astronauts.

It’s a long story but there were a number of innovative – not to mention risky – decisions made to enable to crew to come home. One of the most courageous was the use of the rocket motor in the LEM (Lunar Module – designed only for landing on the moon) as a boost rocket to propel the stricken command module back towards Earth, after they swung around the moon.

This rocket motor was only designed to be fired once – to lift the LEM off the moon - but this maneuver required it to be fired twice. History shows it worked, but in terms of our of the box thinking – you don’t get more 'out of this world' than that. (by the way, the Flight Director for Apollo 13 was Gene Krantz - a really good read is his book, 'Failure is not an option' - you can check it out here.)

2. The Army DUKW. The second example comes from the 2nd world war. Troops were very vulnerable when landing on beaches as they needed to leave the relative safety of the water craft and make their way on foot across the open beach. The Army realised what they needed was a craft that could carry troops on water – and then drive up the beach towards cover. This need (or frustration) led to the development of the Army DUKW. (colloquially, the DUCK)

The DUKW is widely acknowledged as a great example of responsiveness to a need, because it was developed quickly using an existing truck design as a basic platform, it was designed to be easy to make and able to be made in great quantities - and was quickly put in to effective service. It was also constantly improved throughout production - long before the phrase “continuous improvement” became fashionable!

It even included innovations such as central tyre pressure control, allowing the operator to adjust the tires for hard surface roads (high pressure) or sand (low pressure) from the driver's seat. This is now a feature of the military HUMVEE and even some modern buses, trucks and 4WD passenger vehicles.

City of Onkaparinga Frank Hilton Reserve

Fri, 25 Nov 2016 05:09:05 GMT

Once used to store unsightly landfill, Maslin Beach’s Frank Hilton Reserve is now a picturesque play space favoured by families.

The council project that managed its transformation was awarded the ‘Hard Won Victory’ prize at the 2016 Planning Institute of Australia’s annual awards – a nod to the innovative problem-solving it required.

City of Onkaparinga Mayor Lorraine Rosenberg said council overcame a range of environmental and economic issues over seven years to deliver an outcome that enhances the area.

“Our team challenged themselves to think differently about the planning and design process, and that helped deliver great solutions to problems while hugely reducing the project budget,” Mayor Rosenberg says.

“The initial estimate put the cost of the project at $5.9 million but the team worked hard to find more efficient and cheaper solutions to remediate the landfill while still meeting all EPA requirements, bringing the project in at $2.6 million, which is a fantastic result.”

While unconventional, the idea to stockpile 24,000 tonnes of surplus material from road projects at a nearby quarry provided a cost effective solution to capping the landfill.

Topsoil removed from the site was also stockpiled and reused at later stages to reduce the carbon footprint associated with purchasing and transporting imported fill.

Project Leader Victoria Masterman said the focus was on embracing the natural landscape rather than considering solutions in isolation.

“For example, instead of using a traditional concrete channel for drainage we used a geo-fabric membrane liner with rocks over the top,” Victoria said.

“It achieves the same outcome but it’s a lot cheaper and more aesthetically appropriate for the setting.”

Local residents, Kaurna representatives and groups including the Native Vegetation Council, Coast Protection Board and Maslin Beach Community Association provided feedback on the project in ongoing consultation sessions.

At the time, Local Government Association of South Australia President Mayor Dave Burgess said the end result illustrates the value and quality of projects delivered by local government.

“The level of expertise, innovation and efficiency demonstrated in this project proves that local projects, driven by local government in close partnership with the local community, can deliver outstanding results,” Mayor Burgess said.

“Onkaparinga Council has delivered the best project of its kind in the nation, setting the benchmark right here in South Australia.” The national award win follows a state award in the same category last year.

Leadership Excellence Awards - Economic Development

Mon, 31 Oct 2016 00:21:03 GMT

Norman Waterhouse Lawyers sponsor the Excellence in Local Economic Development award, so we speak to Sean Keenihan, Chairman of Partners, Norman Waterhouse Lawyers for his insights.

Hi Sean - can you start by telling us why, as a law firm, do you sponsor an economic development award?

We enjoy partnering with our council clients to make a real difference in local and regional economies. We are delighted to recognize the efforts of councils that play an active role in leading and supporting economic growth.

How do you think councils can benefit from focusing on local economic development?

Developing the strength and sustainability of local economies is an essential for community prosperity. Councils that support sustainable economic growth and transformation in local and regional economies are making a significant and tangible contribution to community prosperity.

How do you think councils can benefit from participating in the awards - especially this category?

It assists councils to focus on the link between what they are doing and the impact that has on communities. It also encourages the sharing of lessons and experiences among councils (i.e. what can be done) to raise the bar in terms of performance. It also supports continuing innovation as councils are encouraged to strive for excellence in economic development.

This year's winner was the Coorong District Council SA Motorsport Park Development. Why do you think this was such a great example of Excellence in Local Economic Development?

The council played a lead facilitation role in the realisation of a project that will result in immediate and long term, sustained jobs for its community and the broader region.

They exhibited vision and commitment while adopting a collaborative approach (with other tiers of government and the private sector) to catalyse the development of infrastructure that will be an economic pillar for its community for decades to come.

This involved calculated risk taking on the part of the council – but the rewards will be significant and long-lasting for its community and the State’s broader visitor economy for many years to come.

Leadership Excellence Awards - a winner's perspective...

Mon, 31 Oct 2016 00:11:24 GMT

We chat briefly to Kate Jessep and Victoria McKirdy about their joint facility (The Fleurieu Regional Aquatic Centre) and their win in the 2016 awards - at both a State and National level.

You were successful in winning the award for Community Partnerships and Collaboration at both the State LG Professionals, SA and National LG Professionals Australia Awards with the FRAC project (Fleurieu Regional Aquatic Centre). What was unique about the approach that led to winning the award at both State and National levels?

Furthermore, this required strong community collaboration to demonstrate support for the project and more than 30 concurrent decisions of both councils which demonstrates the complexity of the venture.

While many councils collaborate to deliver services we think two Councils agreeing to partner to build and jointly own infrastructure is fairly rare.

If you were doing the project again would you do anything different? Why or why not?

No. We are very proud to share the governance framework for this successful project with other Councils.

It is currently under construction on time, on budget and will deliver an excellent, above standard, $21 million community facility for a maximum capital outlay of $6.5 million for each Council.

What do you think are the benefits to staff, Council and the public of winning an award of this type?

This reinforces the community's confidence in their Council's ability to deliver an ‘Award winning’ community facility.

It promotes the Council's brand at State and National level and assists us to attract and retain excellent staff.

Would you recommend other councils nominate for the LG Professionals, SA awards program? Why?

Yes, for the above benefits. Furthermore, we would suggest that when you have the opportunity and good fortune to achieve a great outcome for your community the Award nominations are a great way to share your learning’s and contribute to the wider sector and community.

Kate Jessep, Director, Corporate and Community Services, City of Victor Harbor
Victoria MacKirdy, Acting CEO, Alexandrina Council

Let's hear from the winning team- Rural City of Murray Bridge

Thu, 27 Oct 2016 02:12:36 GMT

As members of the Rural City of Murray Bridge team, we were delighted to have been awarded first prize.

All being new to the Challenge we didn’t know what to expect on the day and were extremely nervous but once we started the challenges given to us in the morning our nerves soon disappeared as we focused on the tasks at hand. The pace soon went into over drive when we were given 4 tasks to undertake simultaneously with calm planning and discussion turning into near panic and frantic action.

We started the day as five independent individuals and finished the day as a cohesive team that respected, trusted and supported each other. We amazed ourselves at the workload we could achieve in a day and there were definitely lessons learnt about spending time planning each task and not jumping straight into it without having a clear idea of the outcome. This is certainly something we will practice in our day jobs.

Whilst it was great to have won, all teams must have had similar experiences and it is a great way to develop skills working out of your comfort zone and appreciating the dynamics of working in a team. We learnt how to support each other when working under pressure and have developed an extremely strong and lasting bond between all team members.

We would encourage council’s to enter the LG Professionals, SA Rural Management Challenge next year as we believe we have all truly benefited from the experience.

The Rural City of Murray Bridge Team (Muzza Bizza’s)

Sponsor Insight - Statewide

Tue, 27 Sep 2016 05:16:56 GMT

In this month's Sponsor Insight we chat with Darren Wunderer, Senior Relationship Manager at Statewide.

Hi Darren - thanks for speaking with us.

Statewide are a valued Corporate Partner of LG Professionals SA. For those who don’t know, what services do Statewide offer to clients?
StatewideSuper is the local industry fund based in South Australia with more than $6.5 billion dollars in funds under management, looking after the super savings of over 140,000 members and working with 18,000 employers in SA, NT and beyond.

We provide tailored, appropriate and cost effective super support and advice to our local government members and employers. In addition we have a history of strong investment returns, provide competitive insurance cover and our fees are kept as low as possible.

How long have you worked at Statewide and what is your role? What does it involve?
Prior to the merger of Local Super and Statewide in 2012 I had worked at Local Super in various roles for 15 years. After a couple of years break I returned to StatewideSuper in May this year as a Senior Relationship Manager. I work closely with local government employers and other businesses who utilise Statewide for their employees’ superannuation arrangements and am involved in educating our members to ensure they get the most out of their super with the ultimate aim of a comfortable retirement.

What motivates you? What do you find most interesting or exciting about working in local government?
I enjoy sharing my knowledge and working with members to improve their future retirement outcomes. In local government there is such a diverse range of people and roles, every meeting or session can be different. I also enjoy visiting the regional councils who work so hard for their local communities.

What is an interesting fact about you that not many people know?
I was born in Naracoorte and then lived in Kadina for four years when I was in Primary School.

How do you spend your leisure time outside of local government?
I am a keen tennis player and have played competition for over 25 years and am a big Adelaide Crows fan. I enjoy travelling and have been fortunate to have had some wonderful holidays overseas.

An inside look at Tedx Adelaide - interview with Nathaniel Mason

Thu, 22 Sep 2016 07:22:52 GMT

TEDx Adelaide tickets are now on sale!

One of our members, Nathaniel Mason, (formerly at Barossa Council now City of Tea Tree Gully) is involved with the upcoming Tedx Adelaide event - so we thought we'd ask him a few questions about it to find out what's in it for local government professionals.

Hi Nathaniel - please tell us about Tedx!
TED is a non-profit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading where leading thinkers and members of our communities have a platform to share their ideas. TED started as a 4 day conference in California 30 years ago, with TEDx running as locally organised events supporting individuals or groups in hosting TED-style events around the world. Through TEDx Adelaide we are helping Adelaide innovators, activists and thinkers to amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities.

What do our readers need to know?
TEDxAdelaide 2016 is on Thursday 20 October 2016 from 2:00pm – 8:00pm. This year's theme is 'Metamorphosis' and will be held at the Adelaide Town Hall, 128 King William Street, Adelaide.

TEDxAdelaide 2016 is set to be the biggest and most diverse TEDx event in Adelaide to date. With a focus on deep transformation, the speakers you will hear, connections you will make and the event experience are sure to inspire you to develop and pursue ideas at the conference and in the future.

Tickets are available here now - https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/tedxadelaide-2016-metamorphosis-tickets-26698447776

TEDxAdelaide is available to follow on social;
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/tedxadelaide
Twitter - https://twitter.com/tedxadelaide
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/tedxadl/

How have you been involved?
I have been a long time follower of TED talks, gaining tremendous insight and inspiration from a variety of talks and topics available online in both professional and personal pursuits. I recently shared an article on LinkedIn about my experience - https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/whats-your-identedy-nathaniel-mason?trk=prof-post

I joined TEDx Adelaide this year in the role of Stage Manager, bringing experience, skills and networks from lifelong participation in the Adelaide theatre and music communities and a keen ambition to support South Australian initiatives, economy and sustainability through collaboration and the TEDx platform of sharing ideas. Working in local government gives me a direct connection to understanding and participating in initiatives that shape our daily lives, where we live, work and play to ensure we can curate a TEDx Adelaide experience that is meaningful and relevant. At the same time, participation in TEDx provides perspectives, ideas and connections that I am able to bring directly back to local government and share with my peers.

The TEDx Adelaide management team comprises of a diverse group of people who are passionate about recognising the incredible history, celebrating successes and increasing potential of Adelaide and South Australia.

Will there be any local government content?
All speakers are South Australian locals and will cover an incredible and diverse line up of topics around the 'Metamorphosis' theme including government, sustainability, community growth, inclusion, leadership, technology and more. Many of the speakers, volunteers and organisers are involved with local government initiatives already and much of the content will be connected to initiatives, grants and services that local government provide, support and participate in.

In my experience, I have frequently been able to apply ideas and lessons learned in TED talks directly back to local government, be it back of house operations in continuous improvement and leadership or customer facing ideas across community, culture and environment.

What can local government professionals look to gain from attending? What can they expect?
Local government and TEDx Adelaide share similar goals of achieving cultural vibrancy, environmental sustainability and economic prosperity within Adelaide and South Australian communities. The opportunities for attendees extend beyond the presentations they will hear on the day, through to interactive experiences at the event and networking with a broad group of like-minded, constructive and passionate peers.

The Metamorphosis theme tackles individual struggles as well as great political or economic transformations experienced by societies. Change is often something we confront and it isn’t on a mission to be liked. Most of the time, we’d rather not think about metamorphosis at a personal, political or any scale, let alone talk about it in front of a thousand strangers. This is what is behind the power of TED; great talks bring our fears and hopes into the open and propel us towards better things.

Sponsor Insight - LGRS

Tue, 23 Aug 2016 03:24:06 GMT

Interview with Tony Gray, Executive Manager, LGRS

LGRS is a valued Corporate Partner of LG Professionals SA. For those who don’t know, what services does LGRS offer?

Local Government Risk Services (LGRS) was established to manage and service the insurance and risk management needs of local government in South Australia. At LGRS we work with the sector, all 68 SA Councils, to develop and implement proactive systems and processes for risk management, claims management and risk transfer. All of this is delivered through our mutual schemes – LGA Workers Compensation Scheme, LGA Mutual Liability Scheme, Asset Mutual Fund and Income Protection Fund – and our Risk Consulting Services team.

LGRS also recently became the Principal Partner of Local Government Professionals Australia, and the Principal Management Challenge Sponsor. What benefits do you see for Councils who enter a team in the challenge and would you recommend this as a valuable leadership opportunity?

LGRS is proud to be the Principal Partner of LG Professionals Australia. Given our strong relationship with all 68 Councils in SA it seems only fitting we support the sector in this way. Appropriately managing risk is a team effort which is why we strongly support this Challenge concept.

LG Professionals SA is currently calling for teams for the Rural Management Challenge- we strongly encourage all rural Councils to enter a team this year as it provides a great opportunity for rural Councils to show us what they’ve got!

How long have you worked at LGRS and what is your role? What does it involve?

I joined LGRS in December 2015 as Executive Manager of the Public Sector team in SA, I have responsibility for all LGRS schemes. I work closely with our teams internally and manage key relationships with our membership. Much of my focus is centred on making sure the client relationship is managed effectively and our service delivery exceeds expectations.

What motivates you? What do you find most interesting or exciting about working in local government?

Everyone I have worked with or met within the local government sector so far has been extremely passionate about what they do and this is really exciting to see. There is a tremendous focus on community and high expectations when it comes to service delivery standards.

The unique partnership LGRS has with local government and the holistic approach LGRS takes to risk management is what I found most interesting and is what first attracted me to the role. Council employees engage and confide in us and trust our ability to provide them with support when the need arises. We work extremely closely with Councils to implement effective safety programs and risk management strategies, which in many cases are best practice. Our strong relationship with the LGA, LG Professionals SA and Councils, and the trust that has been established over a long period of time is very motivating.

What is an interesting fact about you that not many people know?

I am originally from Adelaide but have spent over 10 years at different times in Los Angeles and Sydney. Most of my career has been in Medical Devices, most recently as the CEO of the Australian & New Zealand Commercial operations for the world’s largest Ophthalmic lens company. This has given me a great background to understand the benefits and challenges associated with effective enterprise risk management. It also gave me great experience in managing a self-insured operator as we had over 600 employees, most of which were in manufacturing.

How do you spend your leisure time outside of local government?

I love to surf on weekends and still keep involved in Surf Lifesaving, patrolling at the local beach and competing in the Surf Boats when I can - in the masters these days!

Rural Management Challenge Interview - Michelle James

Wed, 17 Aug 2016 08:44:32 GMT

In this interview we speak with City of Victor Harbor Communications Officer, Michelle James - who was a participant in the 2015 Rural Management Challenge. Michelle tells us about the challenge, the benefits to the council, her own personal experience and also shares a few tips....

Hi Michelle - thanks for speaking with us.

In 2015, City of Victor Harbor participated in the Rural Management Challenge. Will your council enter a team for future Challenges?
Yes, definitely. Last year was the first time the City of Victor Harbor had entered a team in the Rural Management Challenge for a number of years. Our senior management team were really supportive and encouraging and have made a commitment to enter teams in future challenges.

Would you recommend the Rural Management Challenge to other rural councils thinking of participating for the first time?
Absolutely! It is a great team building experience and pushes individuals to think outside the square, look at different ways to solve problems, think about how we communicate with different people and make decisions quickly.

It is also a great way to learn more about the people you work with and their roles.

Do you think rural councils thinking of participating for the first time would benefit from having another council mentor them?
It definitely helps being able to draw on the experiences of someone who has completed in a challenge before. We were really lucky last year to have a mentor who had been a member of a past rural challenge team. We also tapped into our neighbouring council of Alexandrina for advice which was a real advantage for us.

I think most councils are always willing to provide support to their neighbours, so I wouldn’t be afraid to ask.

Who were the members of your team and what roles do they have in council?
We had six team members. They included Ben from the Library, Stephanie our Senior Finance Officer, Kyla our Para Planner, Jeremy our STARCLUB Field Officer, Kerry from our Family Support Service and myself, Council’s Communications Officer.
It was a diverse team which was great because we all had different strengths that really complemented each other.

What have been the key benefits to both team members and your council?
Entering a team into the Rural Management Challenge is a win-win for individuals and council. Staff are given a hands-on, practical professional development opportunity and the organisation is helping build a positive team culture and ends up with staff who are inspired, motivated and have a great understanding of the environment in which they work.

What positives did you personally take away from the experience?
I really enjoyed getting to know the members of my team. While we are a relatively small council we do get bogged down in our own work and it was nice to take the time to understand the roles of others.

Professional development wise, I learnt a lot about working in a high pressure environment and making decisions quickly. The pressure on the day of the challenge is unbelievable – I don’t think anything can prepare you for it. You have a problem and a relatively short time to get to a solution. It is about trusting your instincts and backing yourself (and your team).

Can you provide some tips on how to get the most out of the Rural Management Challenge?
Use the preparation time in the lead up to the challenge wisely to build a strong team. You need to be ready to hit the ground running from the moment you arrive at the challenge.
Read everything carefully!

City of Onkaparinga Pop-Up Shop

Thu, 21 Jul 2016 23:04:49 GMT

As part of the City of Onkaparinga’s place-making and economic growth and investment strategies, in 2015 council opened a pop-up space in a vacant shop on Beach Road, Christies Beach to gather the communities’ ideas for the precinct’s future.

The Pop-Up helped council connect with residents, visitors, groups and local businesses to build a bank of ideas and opportunities to activate and enhance the area. Council’s aim was to generate ideas for Beach Road and demonstrate the great potential this area has. While Beach Road is already a vibrant and busy precinct with a diverse mix of businesses, there remains huge potential for the strip to become an iconic destination.

To activate the space, council presented a range of free events art exhibitions, networking sessions, music performances and activities. The CBBTA also supported the Pop Up shop initiative, arranging network evenings, social events, a range of street activities to draw people into the area and encourage people into the popup shop to provide ideas. In April Council introduced a parklet outside the shop as an additional temporary dining space for nearby businesses and as a mechanism to activate pop-up bars and similar business ventures.

Key stats
-    16 start-up businesses trialled operating in a retail environment in our Pop Up shop.
-    More than 40 businesses enquired directly with us about setting up operations on Beach Road.
-    6,500 people visited the space and provided their thoughts and ideas on the future of Beach Road.

We have also provided assistance to both existing and potential new businesses in terms managing council approvals and negotiating and understanding various issues they might be facing.

Blue Pepper Wine Bar’s establishment is a direct response to community comments we received in the Pop Up shop about a desire for more eateries on Beach Road.

Mike Green (Former Chair of Christies Beach Business & Tourism and current landlord) discussed the concept of a wine bar and the vacant bank building was mentioned as an opportunity. Several months later he came back to the Pop Up Shop and said that he had purchased the building and was taking up the challenge to establish a small bar venue and council provided assistance to help through all the regulations.

Council’s artist impressions which were based on the ideas we received from the community through the Pop Up Shop, were posted online via the CBBTA’s ‘onbeachroad’ Facebook site.

They had over 40,000 views of the illustrations and a significant number of inquiries from as far as China about setting up on Beach Road as a result a young lady named Kirra (the owner of the new Kibbi’s café that will soon take up residents in the Pop Up Shop) came to have a look and made the decision to take up the Pop Up Shop lease.

Kirra has also expressed a keen desire to have a ‘Parklet’ out front of Kibbi’s. Council has guided her through the process of setting up the business.

Swire and Noble have also established a cellar door on Beach Road which we believe is the closest cellar door to the ocean in Australia.

Sponsor Insight - Norman Waterhouse - Myths Busted

Wed, 22 Jun 2016 10:14:45 GMT

MYTHS BUSTED: IT’S TIME TO STEP UP

Norman Waterhouse has a long and proud partnership with local government driving economic development through a range of innovative and progressive programs and projects. I recently spoke to a group of local government professionals where we debunked myths that are often barriers to successful council involvement in driving economic development in local communities.

The principles, roles and functions of Councils contained in the LG Act together with the powers conferred in the Act provide Councils with considerable flexibility and capability to shape and directly influence community prosperity. In the presentation I highlighted examples where local government professionals had exercised professional skill and judgement to:
•    secure best value for money in procurement;
•    leverage community assets effectively to enable business and community growth; or
•    apply regulatory powers in an enabling framework
and achieve significant transformational outcomes for their communities.

My sense is that local government feel pressured to adopt convention and work well within the outer boundaries of what lawmakers envisaged when conferring a unique and broad range of largely unfettered powers available to South Australian Councils in the LG Act.

Applying conservative convention is not going to deliver or even support transformative outcomes in local and regional economies.

It’s time for local government to step up to the plate and challenge the myths around what Councils can and can’t do or can and can’t influence or deliver to drive community prosperity.

Sean Keenihan
Chairman
Norman Waterhouse Lawyers

Sponsor Insight - McArthur - the future of leadership

Wed, 30 Mar 2016 03:47:12 GMT

The future of leadership - McArthur

In follow up to the LG Professionals SA Conference, Allan Preiss from McArthur addressed the qualities of the leader of the future. Here is a follow up summary of the session, together with the audience responses during the session.

Our leadership model has failed us badly. Never have we had such low levels of trust in our leaders – be they corporate, political or religious leaders.

It is not just how our organisations are led. Rather it is the way we think about leadership that is at the heart of the problem.

Our leadership mindset goes back to Napoleon and is built on a hero leader model. This directs us to an obsession with strong, individualistic, charismatic leaders who are all-knowing and powerful and who must be in control of every situation. And if we just let them they will take us into a bright future.

Their role is to determine the strategy, devise the tactics and have an army of subordinates to do their bidding.

This might be appropriate in military campaigns or in times of crisis. It is totally unsuited to the 21st century where the success of our organisations and institutions is built on the skills and knowledge of their people. It is often said that the role of leaders is to create followers. This is certainly true of the hero leader model. But it is wrong!

We need more leaders in our organizations - not more followers. I am not talking about people with a title. I mean people who are prepared to take a lead on issues that matter, working in organisations that encourage and facilitate that kind of leadership.
These sorts of leaders already exist.

Jim Collins calls them Level 5 leaders. Robert Greenleaf speaks of servant leaders.
For Collins these leaders are characterised by the following features:

•    They have great ambition for their organisations whilst being personally very humble.
•    They are focused on their organisations being successful well beyond their tenure.
•    They have a window and mirror philosophy. When things go well they look out the window to attribute success to the work of others or good fortune. When things go badly they look in the mirror and ask what they could have done differently to generate a better outcome.

The servant-leader focuses primarily on the growth and well-being of people and the organisations and communities to which they belong. While traditional leadership generally involves the accumulation and exercise of power, servant leadership is about sharing power, putting the needs of others first and helping people develop and perform as highly as possible.

At the LG Professionals SA conference in Adelaide we asked participants to describe the attributes of the best and worst leader they knew of or had worked for. Their responses are shown below.

Best leaders:
•    Leads by example
•    Inspires others to leave a legacy
•    Passionate
•    Enables staff
•    Shares leadership
•    Achieves through others
•    Develops people

Worst leaders:
•    Doesn’t treat people fairly
•    Withholds information
•    Doesn’t listen
•    Dictatorial
•    Doesn’t share recognition
•    Says one thing and does another
•    Micro manages
•    Self centred

None of these attributes have anything to do with hero leadership or skills and knowledge. They are all about emotional intelligence and being other-centred.

Yet what courses do our aspiring leaders undertake? Invariably they are post-graduate programs that have a technical orientation: MBA, Strategy and Planning, Public Policy. I am not suggesting that technical/professional skills are not important. They are.

But they are 'table stakes'. They are what gives you access to the leadership table.

As we have seen far too often they are not what will make you a stand out as a leader.
We know what will do that. Too often we just choose to ignore it as we search for the next hero to fix the mess the previous hero got us into. Just look at the recent political turmoil we have experienced – Rudd to Gillard to Rudd to Abbott to Turnbull.

Some organisations do get it. They embrace the idea of being a leaderful organisation and they reap the benefits. They are a living alternative to hero leader organisations.
As William Gibson said: “The future is already here - It’s just not very evenly distributed.”

If you want to know more about McArthur’s approach to leadership and leadership development contact Rebecca Hunt or Allan Preiss from McArthur on 08 8100 7000. Or visit www.talentarchitects.com.au

Sponsor Insight - Norman Waterhouse - Deconstructing the New Council Member Conflict of Interest Provisions

Mon, 14 Dec 2015 02:59:42 GMT

Sponsor Insight provides the opportunity for our LG Professionals SA partners to share their experience and knowledge with the sector.

Deconstructing the New Council Member Conflict of Interest Provisions

The Local Government (Accountability and Governance) Amendment Act 2015 (the Amendment Act) was assented to and became law on 5 November 2015. The amendments are expected to come into force in the first half of 2016.

The Amendment Act provides for a number of amendments and insertion of new provisions to the Local Government Act 1999 (the LG Act). The Amendment Act also amends the City of Adelaide Act 1998 and repeals the Local Government Act 1934.

From a governance perspective, there are many notable amendments, including:

•    the requirement for a council member to notify the CEO of any change or variation to information appearing on the register within one month of the change or variation;
•    details such as income sources or employer, membership of a political party, trade union or professional association, and gifts must now be published on a website determined by the CEO;
•    a requirement upon councils to develop a policy on managing ‘informal gatherings’; and
•    the introduction of offences for the disclosure of information or documents the subject of a confidentiality order.

However, the amendment which has garnered the most attention for the Local Government sector is the wholesale replacement of the current council member conflict of interest provisions with a new, substantially different framework.

Material Conflicts of Interest

The new provisions now divide conflicts of interest into various different categories, namely, material, actual and perceived conflicts of interest.

A council member is considered to have a material conflict of interest if the council member would either gain a benefit or suffer a loss (directly or indirectly) depending on the outcome of a matter considered at the meeting. This benefit or loss may be of a personal or pecuniary nature.

The precise scope of what is a ‘personal interest’ is unclear, as this language has not previously been used in the LG Act.

A council member would also be considered to have a material conflict of interest if, for example, a relative, partner, employer, employee, or a body corporate of which the council member is a director, gains a benefit or suffers a loss depending on the outcome of the consideration of the matter.

However, a council member is taken not to have a material conflict of interest where the benefit or loss would be enjoyed with all or a substantial portion of the ratepayers, electors or residents of the council area. This, for example, allows council members who live in the council area to set council rates.

Another exemption is where a council member did not know or could not reasonably be expected to know of a relative’s interest, providing that the relative is not the council member’s spouse or domestic partner.

The Amendment Act provides that where a council member has a material conflict of interest in a matter, the council member must inform the council of the conflict of interest and leave the meeting room so that he/she cannot view or hear any discussion or voting. Council members are now also no longer permitted to stay in the meeting to ask and answer questions.

Serious penalties are prescribed for a breach of the provision, with a maximum penalty of $15,000 or four years’ imprisonment where the council member votes on the matter.

Actual and Perceived Conflicts of Interest

Separate provisions have also been inserted for ‘actual and perceived’ conflicts of interest. Actual and perceived conflicts of interests are considered to be less serious than material conflicts, but still must be disclosed and documented.

An actual conflict of interest is where there is a conflict between a council member’s interests (whether direct or indirect, personal or pecuniary) and the public interest that might lead to a decision that is contrary to the public interest. For example, a decision that could impact personal relationships, but which does not fall into the more serious ‘material conflicts of interest’ provisions, could be an actual conflict of interest. However, the word ‘actual’ in this part of the provision does in itself create confusion about its intention.

A perceived conflict of interest is where the council member could reasonably be taken, from the perspective of an impartial, fair-minded person, to have a conflict of interest in the matter discussed at a council meeting. This appears to be an attempt to codify the common law concept of ‘reasonable apprehension of bias’. However, the extent to which common law concepts will continue to interact with the LG Act is not yet apparent.

A council member who has an actual or perceived conflict is required to deal with the conflict in a ‘transparent and accountable way’. What is considered ‘transparent and accountable’ has not been defined in the Amendment Act. However, the Amendment Act clearly indicates that non-participation in a council meeting is not the only way to deal with an actual or perceived conflict.

The new terminology may present interpretative challenges while the provisions remain new and relatively untested. There are, in our view, ambiguities in the proposed provisions which may require analysis from Courts, tribunals or public integrity institutions before the proper application of the provisions will be made clear for council members generally.

It is worth noting that the staff conflict of interest provisions have not been amended.

Norman Waterhouse is currently in the course of providing training sessions for council members and staff, and other interested stakeholders, to discuss and analyse the changes to the LG Act. We would be pleased to provide training and advice on any aspect of the LG Act. We look forward to assisting the Local Government sector navigate these extensive changes, both now and in the years to come.

For more specific information on any of the material contained in this article, please contact Sathish Dasan on 8210 1253 or sdasan@normans.com.au.

Ebony Krumins reflects on Salisbury's Management Challenge Win

Thu, 19 Nov 2015 10:36:27 GMT

When the City of Salisbury was announced the winner of the Management Challenge at the LG Professionals Awards Night - there was a deafening roar of screaming, whooping, and even some crying. And that was just from the other teams!

Seriously though the Salisbury team were very excited to win the award - so we were keen to chat to one of the team to see how the win would benefit the team members - and the council in general.

We caught up with Ebony Krumins for a chat.

Hi Ebony - What's your current role at Salisbury?
Learning and Development Support Officer

Your team won the State Management Challenge this year - how did you feel about that?
Incredibly grateful. We never went into the challenge with the sole focus or expectation being on winning. We were so proud of the journey, achievements and the way we performed - winning was just the cherry on top.

Why do you think you were successful?
I personally believe it was the attitude we went in with on the day. We backed the development we had been through, we were organised, we knew the way our team worked best and we entered the day with a ‘let’s rock this challenge but really enjoy the day’ type of attitude.

Was there any part on the day of the challenge that was especially memorable for you? Why does it stick in your mind?
It was the friendliness, humour and openness of information/knowledge sharing from all of the councils. It absolutely made the day that everyone wasn’t so caught up in the ‘competition’ that they couldn’t share a smile or laugh. A few tasks required collaborative work across a few teams and the way everyone shared information without hesitation or purposeful restriction of knowledge due to fear and ‘competition’ is one memorable component of the day that has stuck with me.

How do you think you will benefit, personally, from participating in the challenge? Has it changed your career aspirations?
The personal and professional development has been significant. I have an improved confidence in my professional ability and have now shifted what I considered my development areas (public speaking etc.) into an area that I don’t dislike as much!
The relationships and networks built across my own organisation and within the local government sector is something I’m grateful for as a result of the challenge and see being very beneficial.

It hasn’t changed my career aspirations per se, but has identified that there is still a lot of room for development should I wish to pursue a leadership role. Exciting journey ahead!

How do you think the City of Salisbury benefits from having staff participate in the challenge?
There are numerous benefits for the organisation.
•    The cross organisational sharing/transfer of knowledge (corporate knowledge and other learnings). We had many staff members deliver training sessions on their areas of expertise.
•    By having staff participate from all areas of the organisation, the challenge assists in the breaking down those natural ‘silos’ we all work within.
•    The challenge touches on actual issues that the local government sector is facing, creating a broader understanding of what’s happening.
•    Enables staff to build a relationship with executive.

Have you seen a change in the team members since the challenge?
We are hungry for further development and opportunities and excited for the next challenge.

What advice would you have for a Council considering putting in a team for next year's challenge?
Do it. 100%. Take the challenge. Encourage your staff to strive and do something that challenges and excites them. Use it to engage challenge members and other staff to share learnings!

It is one of the most terrifying, challenging and rewarding experiences I’ve had in my career so far and would strongly recommend it to everyone.

Interview with new LGA CEO, Matt Pinnegar

Thu, 19 Nov 2015 10:25:10 GMT

We recently took the opportunity to chat to Matt Pinnegar, the new CEO of the LGA SA. We were keen to understand Matt's approach to this role and his plans for the LGA, but we also wanted to know a bit about him as well.

Matt's straight-talking approach makes for very interesting reading....

Hi Matt - What’s your current role, and what does it involve?
CEO of LGA SA. The Local Government Association provides services, support and leadership to SA Councils for the benefit of the community. It is recognised as the peak representative body for Local Government in this State and prides itself on being the Voice of Local Government South Australia. The Association provides leadership to councils and representation outwards to State and Federal governments and other key stakeholders.

Where were you before this role? (i.e. what is your work background/career path so far)
I was the external affairs manager for BP in South Australia working on an offshore exploration program. Prior to this I worked in the state government as an adviser and Chief of Staff to the Minister for Transport Energy and Infrastructure and before this I was a ministerial adviser to Rory McEwen Minister for State and Local Government relations.

What skills and experience from your career background will be most relevant to the LGA CEO role?
A strong understanding of state and local government, strategy, advocacy and intergovernmental relations. From my time with BP I hope to bring some of the culture, values and behaviours of a super major that has existed since the early 1900's.

What attracted you to the LGA role?
I am passionate about South Australia. Local government is the sphere closest to communities and I want to assist the local government sector get better for the benefit of the communities we enable. I have worked with local government for most of my career and have always respected the sector.

What motivates you? - what will you find most interesting or exciting about working with the local government sector?
I am dealing with South Australia's community leaders on a daily basis. Everyday I work with people who are passionate about making South Australia better. The sector has a fantastic and diverse skill set and the challenges and opportunities are rich and varied.

Speaking about your current role - what is your plan for your first 12 months? What do you want to have achieved in this role by Christmas, 2016?
By Christmas 2016 I hope to have met with as many council members as possible. I also hope to have secured a greater role for communities in the proposed planning reforms and progressed a new strategic plan for the Association to be endorsed in January. A governance review should also be well underway by then.

Personally, who is Matt Pinnegar as a person? What do you like to do with your leisure time - and how would your friends describe you?
I got married in my second week of the job and had a Monday off! My son is 15 and I enjoy spending time with him and guiding him through some of the most important years of his life. I love music and spend leisure time listening out for hidden gems in new artists.

Do you have an embarrassing 'work moment' that you can share?
I didn't know how to tie a tie when I started at the LGA! I have progressed to a half Windsor with the help of YouTube but still need a mirror. Thank you to everyone that helped tie my ties until this job.

Sponsor Insight - Telstra - a vision for the future

Tue, 22 Sep 2015 06:48:06 GMT

CONNECTING YOUR COMMUNITY: A better vision for the future of citizens, business and government.

Imagine the day in the life of a council manager in the future… On your way out the door, you run into your neighbour who tells you how great the new council portal was when he submitted his building plans. He was also able to look up tree removal guidelines and book an on-site inspection for the next day.

In the office, you take a look at the month’s data reports – parking fines, rubbish collections, pet registrations, library usage…you can see how your council is tracking against other months, and also against other local governments. It’s interesting to look at the fleet management stats – since you introduced the new ‘safe driver’ system, costs have been cut by a quarter and WH&S compliance is a breeze.

Then it’s time to meet with the social media guys, who have come up with a great new app for identifying dumped rubbish and graffiti. Now locals can simply snap a photo and send it – you can pinpoint the location of the problem from the geo-tag and send someone out there to sort it out.

Another team provides a demo of the new smart bins. Council workers won’t have to waste time checking them individually now – thanks to the inbuilt sensors, workers will be alerted when a particular bin is full and can then empty it.

For morning tea, you head to the local bakery, noting on the council’s parking app the closest free spot. The bakery has been nominated for ‘Best Vanilla Slice’ in the area. You can vote on the council app, online or on Facebook, and customers can also check out their scores for food handling. Council has provided free Wi-Fi all down the main street, which makes it even easier.

While there, you log on and check out some of the virtual communities that are springing up in the local area. There are groups for everything from dog walking to free fruit sharing. You receive an alert on your phone letting you know that today‘s the last day to enroll your son in kinder and book his next check with the local maternal health centre. They share information with your GP, so all records are updated at the same time. Handy being able to do it all from the one place, rather than making endless phone calls.

Then it’s back home to finish off that report – with access to information on the go, you can even hold a web conference with a counterpart in another state.

Back to the present
At Telstra, we call this vision for the future, Connected Communities. It may sound futuristic, but the reality is that much of the technology and the platforms behind it already exist today.

At its heart, the vision is all about making connections. Being deeply social, we thrive on the feeling of connection to other people. We want to feel the sense of community we remember from the good old days.

In some ways, technology has come to be seen as the enemy of community. But as digital technology exponentially expands the possibilities for connecting with one another, the balance is shifting back the other way. Technology can now bring us closer in safer, more welcoming, energised, more efficient and liveable communities.

*****

A Connected Community is one in which citizens, businesses and local governments can come together through digital engagement to revitalise business and public spaces, be more competitive, attract investment, promote safety and security, share in better public amenities, promote sustainable living, and encourage tourism, visitation and a strong local economy.

Every Connected Community is different, but they are all places that improve quality of life and connectedness. Connected Communities offer smart technology solutions – working separately and together – to address the challenges faced by urban, rural or regional populations.

Of course, much coverage over recent times has been devoted to the roll-out of smart mega-cities, with massive investment in smart electricity grids, public transport and more. All well and good for those with multibillion dollar budgets, but how does this translate on a local government level? Working within real budget constraints, the question is, how can we leverage the best of the latest technology to connect the local community, manage council resources, and serve local citizens and businesses better? And it is possible. With the consumerisation of IT – the way apps and social media and other platforms are increasingly entering the workplace – the barriers to entry are lowering by the day.

It’s about people, not just technology
Of course, while it’s intriguing to think about the applications of technology to such issues as street lighting, rubbish bins and transport, let’s not forget the real reason we need to connect our communities: people. It’s about making meaningful differences to the daily life of the local business or resident – about making engaging with council as easy as possible and streamlining services so that things ‘just happen’.

It’s about making the business of government easier too –through products and services to enable collaboration, sensors to automate processes, and analytics to provide insight. Gathering information about the city, and encouraging its use, helps councils to learn, plan and innovate.

Underpinning all this are resources such as secure, high-performance, network infrastructure (something we know a bit about at Telstra) as well as technology solutions, such as apps and messaging platforms, that may be integrated with community assets (lights, bins, parking, schools, libraries, etc.)

From A to B and beyond
The vision is a powerful one. Getting there, though, is no small challenge. Budgets, skill sets and knowledge are critical, but in most councils all have to come from the same small pool of resources. Meanwhile, technology – the enabler – is changing at a pace too fast for individual organisations to keep up. Multiple vendors need to be managed, while the latest digital innovations need to be integrated to work as an effective whole.
So what’s the best way to move forward?

At Telstra, we believe that small, measurable, achievable steps can pave the way to a truly Connected Community. With the right partner beside you, you can take simple steps to get more value out of the data you do have, to open up new and better channels of citizen engagement and create efficient processes, sustainable over the long term.

Technology should not stand between you and your vision for your city. Instead, it should be the bridge between where you are today and where you want to be tomorrow.

In a Connected Community.

Why you should do the Rural Management Challenge- an interview with Yorke Peninsula Council

Fri, 14 Aug 2015 01:28:21 GMT

How long has your council been participating in the Rural Management Challenge?

We have been participating for three years.

What attracted you to participate in the first place and what keeps you coming back?

It is a fantastic opportunity for staff to develop and step outside their comfort zone. It also allows staff from all areas of Council to work together, get to know each other and learn more about what each other does.

What did you put in place to enable team members to take the time out required to prepare and participate in the Rural Management Challenge?

Once we registered the team, we allocated weekly meetings over a period of six weeks. This enabled the team to build their relationships, get to know each other and establish their team values and name. They had the time to look at the pre-challenge task and information that was provided and work at building a profile for the mock Council. Whilst it can be an intense period, with appropriate support and encouragement, it is a worthy development opportunity for staff.

Who were the members of your team and what roles do they have in council?

We had the following employees participate:

Business Improvement Officer;
HR Officer;
Development Officer x 2;
Patrol Grader;
Visitor Information Coordinator.

In 2014, we had the first outside Council employee participate in the challenge and it was extremely beneficial for all. He totally stepped out of his comfort zone and really gelled with the team.

Did participating help with cross council relationships?

Yes, definitely. Our Council is spread over four offices and four depot locations with many employees not having face to face contact with each other. It was a great way to put a face to a name and build work relationships between departments. It also gave us a better understanding and appreciation of the varied skills of our employees.

The challenge really encourages the connection and appreciation of the various skills our employees possess. This connection is important to employee relations and builds up morale and allows transfer of knowledge. Each employee was able to come away from the challenge with a new appreciation of their own skills and knowledge base and the confidence to use it. This can only benefit Council.

Which team member stood out in the area of transformation and growth as a result of participating?

One of our Patrol Grader’s participated and his role requires him to work solely on his own with little contact with other departments, which is normally limited to training and/or social events. He was very much out of his comfort zone but during the team exercises before the challenge was able to contribute and build on his own skills. He was very nervous the morning of the challenge but rose to the occasion beautifully, participating and contributing to all the challenge tasks. I think he would also say he gained an appreciation of the work and skills needed to do the work of the inside staff member.

What have been the key benefits to both team members and your council?

As mentioned earlier many staff never get the opportunity to interact with each other through normal day to day operations (or have never even seen each other pre-challenge). The challenge really throws a diverse mix of people together, which helps to create a greater knowledge of all the roles within a Council. Due to the intensity of the Challenge, these relationships remain strong back in the workplace after the Challenge is over.

Improved internal communication between the staff participating in the Challenge, greater depth of knowledge for the team members on how Council works as a whole and improved staff satisfaction of the participants – they feel valued, have experienced the best form of training. This in turn should lead to better staff retention.

Can you provide some tips on how to get the most out of the Rural Management Challenge?

Some preparation meetings are the key. Have a look at the data that is provided, build a profile for the fictitious council, make it a fun event, and really step outside your comfort zone. This is about challenging yourself. If you are afraid of public speaking, this is the time to step up and present. It truly is a fun and rewarding experience.

Do you think rural councils thinking of participating for the first time would benefit from having another council mentor them?

Yes, it is an invaluable experience to work with a mentor. Engaging someone who is willing to share some secrets and assist your team to push themselves and strive high, I would highly recommend.

Do you need a 'third space'?

Wed, 22 Jul 2015 01:37:06 GMT

Do you need a 'third space'?

Yes, you do - and it’s already paid for!

The idea of third space has caught the imagination of numerous commentators, researchers and managers over the last few decades. The concept emerged in 1982 when the importance of stress free spaces were realised as providing a valuable place for relief from the pressures of work and home (the two other places).

Social spaces away from the dominant life paradigms can provide an environment which can enhance social relations, create a supportive community and help build resilience as tensions at work and home wax and wane.

A valuable place between work and home? Many people probably see their 'third space' as the local pub!

But a creative space - designed for stimulating thinking and personal development - is going to do more for your career in the long run!

The Leadership Lab at the University of Adelaide is your third space – and access to it is included in your membership!

What can you do there?
•    Take time out to think- develop new ideas, work on your own personal development.
•    A space to get away from your daily work environment to work on new plans and strategies.
•    Attend sessions on key topics, get involved, discuss.
•    Study time – the range of resources is staggering and just a few hours there will have you energised and motivated.
•    Got a meeting in the City? Use the Lab as your 'base' to go to - before or after your meeting.
•    Engage with others – inside and outside the sector. Widen your interactions with other thinkers/leaders and engage, learn from them and share your own knowledge and experience with others.
•    Hold small team building/development sessions (not for everyday meetings – but leadership/strategic planning meetings such as brainstorming and visioning). To discuss holding a small team session, please contact Mel at connect@lgprofessionalssa.org.au

The Leadership Lab is designed to facilitate interaction and discussion – it’s a less formal space than a meeting room.

And if you don’t want to come in on your own – that’s fine, you are allowed to bring a guest.

How come we get to use this for free?
LG Professionals SA is a sponsor of the lab – so as part of our sponsorship, our members have access to it and all of its facilities..

Sounds great! How do I do this?
Once you are a member of the Leadership Lab, just come in anytime to use the lab and resources - or if you are holding a meeting, get in touch with Sarah McGregor (Lab Manager) to let her know when you are planning to come in to make sure there’s not a conflict.

Just register as a member of the Leadership Lab and you are underway. To register, simply contact Mel at connect@lgprofessionalssa.org.au. It costs nothing (if you are a member) so get cracking!

Sponsor Insight - AME Recruitment - Managing your own Career

Sun, 29 Mar 2015 00:13:31 GMT

Local Government employees are blessed to work in an industry that actively provides opportunities for career development. However, that does not mean you can leave it to the organisation to manage your career. You alone are responsible for managing your career and like anything in life, you need to work hard to get there.

Be active and take control or you may find yourself in a 'comfortable' job and not in a fulfilling career.

The issue most people are faced with when thinking about career goals is how to get started? What is your dream job and how do you get there? Start by asking yourself hard hitting questions and be prepared to answer them.

What experience do I need?

In recruitment we often tell candidates they didn’t get the job because they were “out experienced”. This is the catch 22 of how to get the job without the experience and how do I get the experience without the job.

What qualifications do I need?

You must be prepared to undertake further study. Open Universities are a good option especially when working full time. You don’t want to lose your foot in the door by having to step out to study.

Do a skills audit – what are you good at and what do you not excel in.

Be honest! You need to see yourself as others see you. And if you don’t like what you see then change it.

Take advantage of professional development opportunities that are offered to you.

Most organisations will offer professional development in ways of conferences, training courses or even qualification enhancements. Be sure to find out what is available.

Have a mentor.

This should be a person that you respect and knows you well – and also knows your profession well. It may take some time to investigate the right person.

The “soft skills” are essential.

Soft skills are sometimes the hardest to acquire. Empathy, good communication and the ability to confront conflict are essential. If you don’t have these you will never be a people manager.

Don’t chase dollars

A job title, the size of the office and money do not give happiness – beware of competing with others for the sake of it – be true to yourself!

Understand how those organisations recruit.

Understanding the recruitment structure will help you get in front of the right people.

Who can help you?

Don’t be afraid to seek help from outside parties or recruitment consultants who work within your sector. They know the in’s and out’s and have relationships with those stakeholders you want to get in front of. But make sure they are someone who knows the market, who has experience in your profession and is interested in building a long term relationship with you.

Remember it’s not a straight line to get to there.

Understand that your dream job may not come straight away, and put a plan in place to stay motivated in between.

AME would be pleased to discuss how we can assist you with your career development. We can be contacted on 08 8228 3800 or at reception@amerecruitment.com.au

Sponsor Insight - Norman Waterhouse - Maintenance Obligations under Council Leases

Wed, 25 Feb 2015 01:22:58 GMT

The extent of a tenant's responsibility to maintain their premises under a lease is often an area of concern for both landlords and tenants, and is not always easy to determine.

Councils are typically responsible for an array of properties either owned by the council, or under its care and control. It is important for councils to ensure their lease agreements are regularly reviewed, and that those properties are regularly inspected to ensure their tenants are not only complying with their maintenance, repair and replacement obligations, but also, to ensure that all maintenance works have been properly completed in accordance with all relevant laws and standards.

Where a tenant neglects its maintenance obligations, then this raises safety concerns and financial risks for both the tenant and the council. Where a tenant has failed to comply with its maintenance obligations, councils may inadvertently incur costs from undertaking the maintenance obligations in default of the tenant. These costs may or may not be ultimately recovered from a tenant and may be contingent on any financial security provided under the lease, and the financial viability of the tenant.

If you would like advice in relation to risk minimisation under your lease agreements, and how the maintenance obligations of both the landlord and the tenant can be structured for improved understanding and transparency, please contact Janine Carroll on 08 8210 1265 or jcarroll@normans.com.au or Jessica McNamara on 08 8210 1215 or jmcnamara@normans.com.au.

Creating efficiencies - Resource Sharing

Wed, 25 Feb 2015 01:20:09 GMT

Creating Efficiencies - Resource Sharing

A very enthusiastic discussion took place at the last GM Network meeting on 23rd January 2015 about how General Managers from across the region could work together and derive benefits from closer cooperation.

One of the ideas debated was the sharing of personnel resources. As you all know, South Australia has 68 Councils of varying sizes, all of which have a significant number of internal and external services / functions to perform no matter the size of the council. These services frequently require individuals with specialised skills or experience but may not necessarily represent a full time resource for a particular council.

In these circumstances GM’s need to decide:-
•    whether to undertake the work by using an employee who has a different role and therefore may not be fully skilled / experienced in the given field
•    appoint a specialist / experienced member of staff and underutilise them or ask them to undertake other work for which they may not be fully experienced or qualified
•    appoint external consultants
•    make do / not undertake the service or function

I imagine all Councils are under cost pressures and are seeking ways to achieve efficiencies. Resource sharing would provide significant opportunities to reduce overall costs yet result in higher quality outputs.

Whether you work for a larger council and already have someone appointed in a particular position who is not 100% utilised or you are in a smaller council with a requirement for say 30% to 50% of a particular skill set there are benefits to resource sharing.

Sharing a resource is likely to lead to:-
•    better utilisation of specialised members of staff
•    appoint of higher skilled (more expensive) specialists to obtain better advice and services
•    cost savings by utilising current staff 100% between two or more councils
•    cost savings by utilising employed staff as opposed to external consultants
•    retaining valued knowledge and skills within councils by using employed staff not consultants

The above would apply to individual employee appointments but could equally apply to specific back office services eg payroll. I consider this is a real opportunity for many of us and the solution could be fairly simple by registering an area where particular skills or resources are required and matching the requirement with another council who has spare capacity or who also has a similar requirement.

I would be grateful to hear from any of you who consider there could be a benefit in this collaboration and would like to discuss this further. From the response I can judge what interest there is among other GM’s and will be able to evaluate how we might take this forward in a more formal manner.

Please let me know your interest by emailing me on a.brown@murraybridge.sa.gov.au or by calling me on 0447 026 098.

Anthony Brown
General Manager Corporate Services
Rural City of Murray Bridge
On behalf of the General Managers Network