THE LATEST NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM THE
LG PROFESSIONALS SA BUSINESS PERFORMANCE & IMPROVEMENT NETWORK
Welcome to our third edition of The LG Innovator! In this edition, we are taking the time to plan ahead and think about what we want 2025 to hold.
The committee is supported by the team at LG Professionals SA. If you have any queries or are seeking support, please reach out via networks@lgprofessionalssa.org.au.
Meet our current Business Performance & Improvement (BPIN) committee here. You can also contact any members of the Network committee via our Viva Engage site. If you don’t know about Viva Engage or if you've never used it before, here is a helpful Viva Engage How-To Guide. |
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IN THIS EDITION New Year, New Me - Do I Really Need a New Me? Read here In Focus - Thinking about thinking. Read here Trending - Speculative Design. Read here Spotlight - The City of West Torrens and ChatGPT 4o. Read here Connect - events and online discussions. Read more
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NEW YEAR, NEW ME... DO I REALLY NEED A NEW ME?
By Laura Kidd, Internal Control and Governance Support Officer, City of Victor Harbour
Council performance reporting and community engagement are intrinsically linked components of robust and responsive governance. Both are crucial for ensuring accountability and transparency, fostering business improvement and achieving positive community outcomes.
The start of a new year is often seen as a blank slate — an opportunity to reflect on the past and look ahead to explore new opportunities. The phrase "New Year, New Me" is plastered through our social media feeds, gyms, and conversations with friends, family and colleagues. But do we really need to reinvent ourselves? Frankly I have spent a lot of time, money and energy on the “old” me.
During the Christmas break, I reflected on the year and worked on a simple statement that I use for the year ahead. I like a statement that sets a theme for the year that doesn’t set unrealistic goals. The statement can be applied to my professional development, growth, self-improvement and my personal life at any time. Not just on the 1st of January.
My theme for 2025 is meaningful change. Change is an inevitable part of life, but not all change is created equal. However, meaningful change is not about quick fixes, fleeting goals or reaching milestones—it’s about creating lasting transformation that enhances our overall well-being.
However, with change comes challenges; and with challenges comes creativity. So, I’m embracing change and have used AI to help me collate my thoughts to share with the BPIN community. |
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THINKING ABOUT THINKING
By Ania Karzek, Manager Strategy & Governance, City of Holdfast Bay
Image credit: 1647086 002 / Popperfoto / Getty Images
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” - Albert Einstein
“Change your thoughts and you change your world.” - Norman Vincent Peale
“Life consists in what a [person] is thinking of all day.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
There are hundreds, if not thousands of quotes about thinking. It’s something we do every day, often and very ironically, without thinking. Almost everything we do every day involves thinking to some degree, even meditations that aim to momentarily cease thinking!
But how often do we engage in thinking intentionally? When was the last time you did something to either actively engage in a conscious thinking process, or did something to improve your thinking ability?
Here are three thought starters to kick-start your thinking in 2025. |
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SPECULATIVE DESIGN
Image credit: Martin Jordan / LinkedIn / Germany
In October 2024, Ania Karzek from the City of Holdfast Bay was invited to speak at a Design in Government Conference in Helsinki, Finland. One of the conference sessions was from a Swedish designer, who shared their experiences about speculative design. Here’s all you need to know about this special, and very exciting, branch of design. |
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AI AT THE CITY OF WEST TORRENS
By Clare Starkey, Business Improvement Leader, City of Charles Sturt
At our most recent BPIN Forum held at the end of last year, our theme was ‘360 Degree Feedback – Connecting Community Engagement, Performance and Innovation’, and one of the Innovation Bites presented came from Dale Drechsler at the City of West Torrens about their latest AI tools.
Due to popular demand, we followed up with Dale to get some more information… |
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The City of West Torrens' AI Assistant. |
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SAVE THE DATE FOR OUR FIRST FORUM OF 2025
Mark your calendars for 9:30AM - 12.30PM, Tuesday 25 March, at the Charles Sturt Civic Centre, for our first LG Professionals SA Business, Performance and Improvement Network Forum of 2025 with a focus on Customer Experience. Keep an eye on your inbox for your invite soon. We look forward to seeing you there. |
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The BPIN Network is keen to serve and support our sector in our never-ending quest for innovation and continuous improvement.
This year, we will again be bringing you opportunities to gather and learn at face-to-face and online forums, which we encourage everyone to attend and share widely with your colleagues. Watch your inbox for news of upcoming forums.
In the meantime, we would also like to harness the ‘wisdom of the crowd’ and start conversations across the sector about a range of topics of interest, including what vexes or perplexes you. We invite you to join our BPIN Viva Engage site to start new or join in existing discussions. Please feel free to ask questions, offer up your experiences, seek advice from others, bounce ideas around, or just generally connect with colleagues across the sector.
If you’d like to connect with colleagues across the sector but aren’t sure what Viva Engage is, here is a brief explanation in our Viva Engage How-To Guide. If you’re ready to sign up or get involved, click this link here – and don’t forget to add it to your favourites! |
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LG Professionals SA | Networks and more Did you know that the
Business Performance & Improvement Network is just one of many member
networks supported by LG Professionals SA? Alongside a range of training and
development opportunities, network events and forums are a great way for you to
connect with like-minded professionals within the sector.
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