According to a survey by finder.com.au, 73% of Australians made a New Year's Resolution for 2024. That's 14,000,000 resolutions! As the end of this year draws closer, many of us may start thinking about how we want to eat healthier, get fitter, or change some of our lifestyle habits for the better in the New Year.
But what about organisational resolutions? As professional careers form an important part of our identity, isn't it equally important that our workplaces focus on getting healthier and happier in 2025, too?
This year, as part of our Trailblazing with CorbettPrice podcast, we’ve spoken to many aspirational public sector leaders. With our new weekly series, Thriving in Uncertainty, we’re excited to continue these discussions as we close out 2024 and head into 2025.
Over the past few weeks, we’ve released episodes on topics like growth and adaptability, how taking the path less travelled can lead to new opportunities, viewing failure as a critical learning moment, and nurturing future-ready workforces. These conversations have inspired valuable insights for people leaders, culminating in our inaugural 12 Aspirations for People Leaders in 2025.
Aspiration #1
One of the questions that we always ask our trailblazers in our series on Thriving in Uncertainty is who inspires them and why? Each leader's answer has truly been uplifting. While each answer is different, several themes resonate across all of their responses.
These are the value of mentorship: having leaders who see your potential and encourage you to stretch and grow into new opportunities because they believe in you and are there to help you succeed, even when you may doubt your abilities. These often unsung heroes behind the person also help ground you and keep you 'real' by holding up a mirror and letting you see yourself for who you are.
Listen in to Janet Schroer, Chief Delivery Officer at TAFE NSW, in her podcast episode on growth and adaptability on how she describes this further in episode one.
Subscribe to Apple Podcasts or Spotify to also ensure you don't miss our upcoming episode with Martin Hehir, Deputy Secretary and Chief Operating Officer for the Governance and Corporate Group within the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. Our forthcoming episode with Martin is on the topic of "Taking the path less travelled." In it, he details how pivotal the role of mentors he has had throughout his career has played in helping him remain honest and real with himself in his leadership journey.
Aspiration #2
"So I think that for me as a leader, it's really significant that I, one, turn up and be 100% who I am, and I'm authentically leading the way that I lead. I can't lead how you lead, or somebody else leads, and we've got enough of you and others. So I'll just lead the way that I lead. And by doing that, I create an authorising environment for others to know that it's okay for them to be who they are. In fact, I need them to be who they are." Julie Etchells, Chief Human Resources Officer, Department of Child Safety, Seniors and Disability Services, Queensland Government.
While a 'perfect' leader may not exist, authentic leaders who have deep empathy for their team and are pragmatic in their leadership style can have deeper engagement that has an enormous effect on their team and helps to encourage others to lead authentically in their professional careers.
A leader who personifies this attribute is Janet Schorer, Chief Delivery Officer at TAFE NSW, listen to her episode in our podcast series on our website.
Subscribe to Apple Podcasts or Spotify to also ensure you don't miss our upcoming episode with Erma Ranieri, Commissioner for Public Sector Employment for South Australia. In this powerful discussion, Erma talks about how she has always led with authenticity and how she draws on her lived experiences to ensure that she creates better opportunities for others.
Aspiration #3
We've spoken a lot to trailblazers about a growth mindset, what it looks like, the critical attributes of having one, and even the dangers to an organisation of having leaders with a fixed mindset when it comes to approaching change or tackling significant challenges.
In our episode with Jody Grima, Chief People Officer at the NSW Department of Customer Service, she spoke about adapting through changes by allowing yourself to have the ability to continue learning every day and not become fixed in your mind about how things need to be a certain way tomorrow, the next day and the next day after that.
She also spoke of the need to keep a beginner's mindset – one that is about growth and making sure you stop and reflect on the one thing you've learned each day and how you'll use that to approach things slightly differently tomorrow because of what you learned today, as well as undertaking those roles or tasks that you may not be comfortable with because it's in the discomfort that you see the growth.
Listen to Jody's full episode on our website.
Aspiration #4
Inclusive leaders create thriving teams through trust, where each member feels that their perspective is valued and that the best possible outcome can be achieved through sharing different ideas and discussing them respectfully.
Mandy Young, Chief Executive of the State Insurance Regulatory Authority in NSW, discussed this in detail in our episode on “Taking the path less travelled.” During our conversation, Mandy shared what a massive difference it has made to her professionally, knowing that you can get a better outcome and come at things differently when workplaces are inclusive and encourage diversity not only through race, religion, and those things but also the diversity of thought.
Listen to her episode on our website.
Aspiration #5
“You can’t be strong for others and create the environment you want if you aren’t feeling safe yourself.”
It's a lesson that Mandy Young, Chief Executive of the State Insurance Regulatory Authority in NSW, explains she hasn't always learned that easily in our recent podcast episode. Mandy also explains that it is ok for leaders to have a moment, giving them the time to retreat and rebuild if they feel that they need it for whatever reason.
Listen to her episode on our website.
Aspiration #6
Often, when confronted with change, our natural human reaction can be to be threatened by it. Neuroscience can explain that when our brains are on high alert, we can get a fight, flight or freeze response when faced with something new or unexpected.
Dr Rachel Bacon, Deputy Commissioner of Integrity Reform and Enabling Services at the Australian Public Service Commission, spoke about this on a recent podcast episode with us, where she explained how, as humans, we are hard-wired through evolution to be a little bit wary of change but that working through change with a curious and open mindset can make the difference between being threatened by it and seeing the opportunity that's coming through it. And how shifting the way we think and approach change can generate a little bit of energy instead of the exhaustion created when you feel threatened by something.
Part two of our episode with Dr Rachel Bacon will be out Tuesday, 3 December. Tune in on our website or subscribe to Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Aspiration #7
As part of a fascinating and in-depth conversation with Dr Rachel Bacon, Deputy Commissioner of Integrity Reform and Enabling Services at the Australian Public Service Commission, on growth mindsets, Rachel distilled what it means to have a growth mindset into learning agility.
Simply put, it's an openness to try new things and learn new things. Rachel also stressed how important it is for leaders to weave this conversation thread into regular one-on-one staff catch-ups, performance reviews, and feedback meetings.
Listen to part one of our episode with Dr Rachel Bacon, Deputy Commissioner of Integrity Reform and Enabling Services at the Australian Public Service Commission, on growth mindsets on our website.
Aspiration #8
There is often a misconception that leaders who show vulnerability are weak. But the truth is, showing vulnerability provides many opportunities for organisations. It can open the door to innovation and being open to trying things differently. It promotes a high-integrity culture and creates a psychologically safe workplace where people can openly contribute and express their ideas.
Dr Rachel Bacon, Deputy Commissioner of Integrity Reform and Enabling Services at the Australian Public Service Commission, discusses this further in part one of our podcast episode on a growth mindset to change, available to listen to on our website.
Aspiration #9
When we ask trailblazers to give advice to other leaders who may be going through change or challenging circumstances, many go back to the importance of understanding yourself and what drives and motivates you. Your own purpose can be extremely valuable as it can drive you through difficult and uncomfortable times, building resilience and giving you the grit you need to keep going.
Janet Schorer, Chief Delivery Officer at TAFE NSW, joined us in a recent episode on growth and adaptability, where she spoke about purpose and how powerful it is when you find something in your career where the purpose aligns with your own values as it then guides you in the choices you make and helps you persist through change because it's energising. You can listen to Janet's episode on our website.
Aspiration #10
“We’re all touched by mental health. Whether it’s yourself, or whether it’s family, or whether it’s friends, every single person can say they know someone or they themselves have had a time when they actually didn’t feel happy.”
Erma Ranieri, Commissioner for Public Sector Employment for South Australia detailed how important it is for leaders to think of their people as human beings that have interactions and things happening in their life in an upcoming podcast episode on next generation leaders.
This ‘whole-person’ approach detailed in her ‘Conversations Matter’ guide can help you to look beyond just the person when they are come to work, and pick up on cues that there might be something different about them on a particular day so that you can offer them support.
Subscribe to Apple Podcasts or Spotify to also ensure you don't miss our upcoming episode with Erma Ranieri, Commissioner for Public Sector Employment for South Australia.
Aspiration #11
We've spoken about the importance of #2 authenticity and #7 vulnerability for leaders. Sometimes, when faced with challenges or even failures when things don't go as planned as anticipated, we can feel defensive or get into self-justification for why we are doing something a particular way. That's why it's so important to be real with yourself and surround yourself with mentors who will hold up that mirror so you can be honest with yourself.
Martin Hehir, Deputy Secretary and Chief Operating Officer for the Governance and Corporate Group within the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, talks about this in an upcoming episode of our Thriving in Uncertainty podcast.
Subscribe to Apple Podcasts or Spotify to also ensure you don't miss our forthcoming episode with Martin.
Aspiration #12
When measuring the success of a program of work, you tend to look at the outcomes versus what your objectives were. But what about the broader impact that the program of work has delivered? Sure, there is only so far you can measure when you look at the impact of what you have delivered, as often it can go beyond what you can control.
Articulating the value of impact can be challenging, but there is enormous value in thinking about impacts and explaining their potential.
Tune in on Tuesday, 10 December, as we explore this through an analogy with Kate Driver, CEO of IPAA ACT and co-founder and board member of the CoRE Learning Foundation.
Subscribe to Apple Podcasts or Spotify to also ensure you don't miss this forthcoming episode with Kate.
Weekly podcast series - Thriving in Uncertainty
We look forward to bringing you more conversations with aspirational people leaders in the public sector as we continue our weekly series in 2025. Keep up to date on our website or through our LinkedIn community.