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

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

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

How did you find organising the module with your group?

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

What was your biggest takeaway from the module? All our guest speakers were so passionate about their regions and roles, which I found to be very inspiring. I especially enjoyed their honesty in answering questions from the cohort. My biggest take away is that those who are in leadership positions have often worked for many different councils or in varied roles and disciplines across an organisation, they have not been afraid to get out of their comfort zones, which in turn has contributed to their expanse of knowledge and ability to positively lead teams and organisations. From a rural perspective, collaboration across council and often an adjoining council is key in order to deliver for the community, which should always be our main focus as public servants.

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

What made you sign up for the Emerging Leaders Program?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What made you sign up for the Emerging Leaders Program?

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

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

What was your biggest takeaway from the opening retreat?

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

What are you most looking forward to as the program progresses? I am really looking forward to developing my confidence, knowledge, and professional development through this program. I am already inspired and learning so much from the Emerging Leaders Program and Participants.

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

What made you sign up for the Emerging Leaders Program?

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

What was your biggest takeaway from the program?

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

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

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

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

What made you sign up for the Emerging Leaders Program?

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

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

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

What was your biggest take away from the program?

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

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

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

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

What made you sign up for the Emerging Leaders Program?

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

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

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

What are you most looking forward to as you near the end of the program? This program was on my bucket list. As the program comes to a close on the 30 November 2023 I’ll be able to tick this off my list of achievements.

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

What made you sign up for the Emerging Leaders Program?

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

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

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

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

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

We caught up with one of this year's Emerging Leaders Program participants, Egon Loh, Community Development Officer at 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 new in the local government sector (less than a year), and I saw the Emerging Leaders Program as a great opportunity to understand and develop my leadership style, help me understand my strengths and weaknesses, and build valuable connections with fellow peers undertaking the program.

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

I was fascinated by Clinton Jury, Chief Executive Officer, LGA SA presentation about the complexity between the three tiers of government (local, state and federal), and I remembered the exact words Clinton said “the crossover between the three tiers is where the magic happens.”

Alison Hancock, Executive Manager, Mount Barker District Council, also shared about the uniqueness and different working relationships between the administration and the Elected Members, and their separation of roles is quintessential to how local government operates.

This module enabled me to gain a deeper appreciation of the intricacies of working in local government.

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

I am looking forward to the last module of the program (Integration) where I will review the learnings and reflect on my personal growth over the past 5 months in the ELP and I am excited to apply them in my work area.

We caught up with one of this year's Emerging Leaders Program participants, Kat McAteer, Operational Excellence Business Partner at City of Onkaparinga to find out how she is enjoying the program so far. 

What made you sign up for the Emerging Leaders Program?

Participating in this program has been a long-term goal, I consider myself fortunate to have the opportunity to take part this year. It's the local government focus, collaboration opportunities with future leaders from other councils and exploring my leadership style that appealed to me. What makes this experience even more enriching is the practical, hands-on setting in which it takes place, with the invaluable support of LG Professionals SA and UniSA.

The program allows me to expand my knowledge of leadership concepts and practices, challenge my assumptions, explore innovative ways of thinking, and enhance my self-awareness and confidence. It also provides a networking environment with local government professionals, which facilitates not only real-life and tangible learning outcomes, but also offers a unique opportunity to exchange ideas and experiences.

A recent module focused on ‘A Rural Perspective’ – what were some of your takeaways from this module?

The rural module marked the beginning of our participant-led content, and it was exceptionally well-organised and thought-out. It provided us with a comprehensive view of the 'rural perspective,' emphasising both commonalities and differences compared to metropolitan councils. Reflecting on a full day of great content, I particularly enjoyed the site visit to Summit Sports Park and learning about the Gather Round. 

My personal favourite was the panel discussion with Ritu Datta and Nigel Morris, as it provided valuable insights and perspectives, with key takeaways related to the distinct employment opportunities that rural councils can offer and their willingness to explore alternative employment arrangements.

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

I look forward to every module within the program, as well as our weekly project and module team meetings. Each interaction offers a new opportunity for learning, whether through formal lectures or our exchanges with one another. The content is consistently well-suited to local government and is directly applicable to both my professional responsibilities and my personal growth and leadership development.

We caught up with one of this year's Emerging Leaders Program participants, Simon Bartosak, Team Leader Civil Maintenance at City of Salisbury to find out how he is enjoying the program so far.  What made you sign up for the Emerging Leaders Program? I have been working at City of Salisbury for the last 5 years as Team Leader Civil Maintenance and I have been looking to broaden my local government networks, undertake further professional development in leadership and work towards obtaining formal Business qualifications. After reviewing the content delivered in the Emerging Leaders Program, delivered in partnership by LG Professionals SA and The University of South Australia this seemed like a good fit for me and great way to commence the journey towards becoming a more effective leader.  The most recent UniSA module focused on Culture - what was your biggest take away from this session? In the module on Culture and Team Dynamics I developed a greater awareness of organisational culture and how I can better influence team culture and team dynamics. I’m looking forward to taking this knowledge back to City of Salisbury and trialling some of these new concepts within the team I currently lead. What are you most looking forward to as the program progresses? I'm looking forward to continuing to build relationships with the ELP cohort, expand local government networks and continue to grow and develop my leadership brand.