We caught up with one of last year's Emerging Leaders Program participants, Josephine Baker, Executive Assistant & Project Officer, City of Mitcham, to find out how she enjoyed the program.

What made you sign up for the Emerging Leaders Program?
I was interested in meeting new people from other councils and gaining an understanding of how things worked in and across their local government organisations. Through the program, I made some great friends who are fabulous contacts should I need to ask questions of other councils to problem-solve and make improvements to my own processes and projects.

What was your biggest takeaway from the program?
Communication and leadership skills. There are many different forms of leaders, with the most well-known being technical leaders and people leaders. Understanding these leadership types has allowed me to have discussions with fellow staff members about any issues they are experiencing, as well as problems they might be having within their personal leadership sphere. Understanding the Team Management Profile and from that, the differences between people's different working and communication styles has given me further insight into how some people work differently. 

As an Executive Assistant, this is a great asset to hold, as I've been able to apply this to how my Managers and General Managers work, and how I can change some of my work styles to accommodate them.

What advice would you give to someone considering doing the Emerging Leaders Program?
Don’t consider it - just do it! What is the worst that can happen? You may not get in this year, but try again next year. Even if you just mention it to your leader so they are aware you are interested can go a long way. The LG Professionals SA Management Challenge is also a great step toward learning alternative ways on how to approach work, and that there are such a wide variety of people across your organisation with different and valuable skills.