We recently caught up with Jess Davis, Community and Economic Development Officer at District Council of Streaky Bay to find out how she's enjoying the Emerging Leaders Program.

What made you sign up for the Emerging Leaders Program (ELP)?

I first heard about the Emerging Leaders Program through my Manager (Penny Williams – General Manager Prosperity) at Council, Penny had recently participated in the LG Professionals SA, Strategic Management Program and Executive Leaders Program and had not stopped raving about them. We discussed the Emerging Leaders Program and believed it would be a good fit for moving forward in developing my leadership and management skills and career progression at District Council of Streaky Bay. Recently Council has undertaken a re-structure in which my current position becomes one of supervision and leadership, and to gain confidence in my ability to be a positive and knowledgeable leader and decision maker I believed this program would be a great experience. I was excited to participate in a program that would take me out of my comfort zone and provide me with an opportunity to build on my confidence and further develop my leadership skills, which this program has certainly done.

The most recent module focused on sustainability – what were some of your takeaways from this module?

The Module 7 Group did a great job, and I found the module very interesting, the CAWRA Materials Recovery Facility project was very impressive. Currently our Council is very focused on tree revegetation so hearing Tim from Tree Net speak was very insightful.

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

Not waiting for as many delayed flights!

Only one more session together to go, at this point I am eager to finalise the group project and get together to see what the other groups present. I am looking forward to celebrating the hard work that every participant has contributed and hope to further develop the connections that we have made over the last few months. The networking opportunities within this program have been fantastic.

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

DO IT. It has been challenging and takes you out of your comfort zone, but it provides valuable insights into leadership styles and some surprising information about yourself as an individual and team member. I encourage anyone thinking about it to take the leap and register, the leadership skills and relationships you build with others on the journey with you are fantastic.