We caught up with one of this year's Emerging Leaders Program participants, Jamie Thornton, Team Leader Environment & Natural Assets, Mount Barker District Council to find out how he is enjoying the program so far.

What made you sign up for the Emerging Leaders Program?

I was honoured to be nominated by P&C and after looking at the prospectus I thought this would be a great opportunity to learn leadership skills in a local government context given my mostly commercial background. I have attended various professional development short courses in leadership during my career including Certificate IV in Frontline Management (Business) and feel that leadership requires ongoing work and diligence in training to effectively lead your team and organisation.

A recent module focused on the Political Context – what were some of your takeaways from this module?

The day was very good and provided great insight with excellent speakers. One of the key things I took away was from Mark Withers who provided detail on how he spends his time - 20% each across – strategy planning, relationship management, problem solving, politics and creative. It highlights the multiple areas, disciplines and skills a CEO is required to work, and time spent to remain sustainable given multiple responsibilities within the role.