Lydia Walters 12/9/24 Lydia Walters 12/9/24

Thriving in Uncertainty – Episode Five

You often hear about 21st-century leaders in government, but what about 22nd-century leaders? It’s an intriguing concept to ponder, especially considering that Gen Alpha, children born between 2010 and 2024, will play an pivotal role in stewarding our community, country, and world into the next century.

Join us in exploring this topic and much more with Kate Driver. Kate is the CEO of IPAA ACT and the co-founder and board member of the CoRE Learning Foundation, linking education, industry, community, and government to meet the needs of students and deliver future sustainable workforces for the Australian Industry.

Thank you for joining us for our new podcast series on Thriving in Uncertainty, where we spotlight leaders who have gotten comfortable in ambiguity and hear their professional stories of overcoming challenges to navigate change successfully.

Through her work with teenagers in her charity, she explores what they want from leaders today and how many question or reject the long-standing assumptions about the world of work that have persisted for generations. Listen in as Kate moves beyond the excitement of science fiction hype to provide pragmatic insights on the jobs and industries of the future, framing the importance of sustaining and improving life for humans at scale.

Listen to episode five:

Also available through Apple Podcasts and Spotify:

Links to information sources mentioned in this episode:

Foundation for Young Australians research - Our Reports: The New Work Order Series - FYA
Crawford School of Public Policy |
Pathways to Positive Public Administration – An International Perspective | Elgar Online: The online content platform for Edward Elgar Publishing
Dr Laurie Santos, Yale University - The Science of Well-Being | Yale Online
Dr Angela Duckworth - https://angeladuckworth.com/

Organisational links:

IPAA ACT - Institute of Public Administration Australia (ACT) Limited |
IPAA National - Institute of Public Administration Australia | IPAA National Website
The CoRE Learning Foundation - Leading Foundation Education & Learning Centre in Australia

Find out more about this Trailblazer:

**Kate Driver**
**Chief Executive Officer**
**IPAA ACT**

**Co-founder and board member of the**
**CoRE Learning Foundation**

After starting her career as a private practice Barrister and Solicitor, Kate realised that she was destined to follow a less “planned” but more “intentional” path, with careers and roles that better aligned with her personal and professional values. So she left behind the view of Sydney Harbor and unfulfilling hours at the desk, and returned home to Canberra where she began an eclectic career working in the Commonwealth Public Sector. Kate was appointed as the CEO of IPAA ACT in January 2024.

Kate describes herself as the quintessential “accidental public servant”. After she took a 6 month contract in the APS, she found herself in a rewarding public sector career spanning almost two decades. Her career mantra has been “good things with good people”. She has worked across a variety of roles as a senior executive in public policy and programs, HR and corporate services, property and security, policy implementation and National Cultural Institutions.

In addition to her professional executive career, Kate is a philanthropic leader, working across a variety of Australian charities and not-for-profit enterprises, including co-founding the CoRE Learning Foundation. Kate is a proud Auntie and Auntie Mother to some wonderful First Nations young people, and is a passionate advocate for inclusion and belonging.

That was the last episode of Thriving in Uncertainty for 2024.

Tune in on Tuesday, 28 January 2025, as we return with our series and are joined by Martin Hehir, Deputy Secretary and Chief Operating Officer for the Governance and Corporate Group within the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, as he talks about taking the path less travelled.

Series Home

Lydia Walters 12/1/24 Lydia Walters 12/1/24

Thriving in Uncertainty – Episode Four, Part Two

Our two-part special podcast episode with Dr Rachel Bacon, Deputy Commissioner of Integrity, Reform and Enabling Services at the Australian Public Service Commission, discusses a growth mindset approach to change. In part one, Rachel shared insights on what makes up a growth mindset and integrity within the APS.

In part two, we continue our conversation with Rachel, discussing the APS Reform, which she has been heavily involved with, and how she keeps herself and others motivated on long-term projects that are hugely significant, have many initiatives attached to them, and require enormous patience and perseverance.

Welcome back to part two of our special podcast episode with Dr Rachel Bacon, Deputy Commissioner of Integrity, Reform and Enabling Services at the Australian Public Service Commission, where we discuss a growth mindset approach to change. In part one, Rachel shared insights on what makes up a growth mindset and integrity within the APS.

Listen to part two:

Also available through Apple Podcasts and Spotify:

Find out more about this Trailblazer:

**Dr Rachel Bacon**

**Deputy Commissioner**

**Integrity, Reform and Enabling Services**

**Australian Public Service Commission**

Dr Rachel Bacon is currently the Deputy Commissioner Integrity, Reform and Enabling Services at the Australian Public Service Commission. Rachel has also been appointed to the IPAA ACT Council where she works to promote excellence in public administration.

Prior to this Rachel worked at the Department of the Prime Minister & Cabinet (PM&C), as Deputy Secretary Public Sector Reform, helping to shape and deliver a suite of reform initiatives to make people’s interactions with government simpler, easier – and make life inside the public service understood and valued.

Over the previous four years, Rachel has worked for the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts as Deputy Secretary of the Regional, Cities and Territories Group, delivering place based policy and services for communities around Australia. Rachel has also spent time in the Department of Environment and Energy, running the Policy Analysis and Implementation Division, and as Deputy Chief Executive Officer with the Northern Territory Government’s Department of the Chief Minister.

Rachel has led a number of taskforces (many based in PM&C) to deliver whole of government priorities in areas such as environment regulation reform and Australia’s engagement with Asia, and has worked in teams to improve implementation capability, deliver strategic policy projects, and support government in areas such as counter terrorism, native title and refugee law.

Rachel’s PhD focused on administrative law and organisation change.

Tune in next week as we speak to a new trailblazer in another episode in our series on Thriving in Uncertainty.

Series Home

Lydia Walters 11/25/24 Lydia Walters 11/25/24

Thriving in Uncertainty – Episode Four, Part One

Dr Rachel Bacon, Deputy Commissioner of Integrity, Reform, and Enabling Services at the Australian Public Service Commission, joins us for a special two-part episode to discuss a growth mindset approach to change. In this engaging conversation, Rachel shares unique insights and perspectives, blending evidence-based and consultancy viewpoints with her personal experiences.

In part one, we delve into the components of a growth mindset and integrity within the APS with Rachel. She explains how the literature on high-potential leaders has evolved over the past decade: once focused on high IQ as the primary predictor of leadership potential, the emphasis has shifted toward the importance of a growth mindset. Rachel discusses how a growth mindset is closely tied to learning agility, which involves curiosity, openness, and a willingness to continuously learn. This openness to new experiences transcends culture, age, and gender.

We also delve into integrity, exploring how making mistakes at an institutional level doesn’t necessarily undermine trust and confidence—but how those mistakes are handled certainly can. Rachel discusses the importance of vulnerability in leadership, emphasising how fear of showing it can stifle innovation and compromise psychological safety within an organisation.

Join us next week as we wrap up our conversation with Dr Rachel Bacon, who shares insights into the design approach for the APS Reform Agenda, including the six guiding principles for implementation. She also offers a thoughtful perspective on maintaining resilience and perseverance in long-term change projects.

Listen to part one:

Also available through Apple Podcasts and Spotify:

Find out more about this Trailblazer:

Rachel’s PhD focused on administrative law and organisation change.

Please tune in next week for part two of our episode with Dr Rachel Bacon, Deputy Commissioner, Integrity, Reform and Enabling Services at the Australian Public Service Commission.

Series Home

Lydia Walters 11/18/24 Lydia Walters 11/18/24

Thriving in Uncertainty – Episode Three

In today’s episode, we are steering off course - literally! Mandy Young, Chief Executive at the NSW State Insurance Regulatory Authority or SIRA, joins us to discuss ‘Taking the path less travelled.’

Mandy has diverse leadership and public sector experience, with a background in social work at the Department of Communities and Justice. She has also worked as the Deputy Secretary and Chief Operating Officer for the NSW Department of Customer Service during COVID-19.

For the past two weeks, we have spoken with two prestigious leaders, discussing growth and adaptability themes and creating future-ready workforces.

In today’s episode, we are steering off course - literally! Mandy Young, Chief Executive at the NSW State Insurance Regulatory Authority or SIRA, joins us to discuss **‘Taking the path less travelled.’**

Mandy has diverse leadership and public sector experience, with a background in social work at the Department of Communities and Justice. She has also worked as the Deputy Secretary and Chief Operating Officer for the NSW Department of Customer Service during COVID-19.

Over this 30-minute conversation, you will hear Mandy provide specific examples from her time during these roles and the significant involvement and subsequent impact of the initiatives that Mandy has driven and been responsible for.

This inspiring chat showcases a leader who exemplifies authenticity and resilience. Mandy has been involved in some amazing transformation and reform projects, and we hope that you will find this episode as engaging and refreshing as we did!

Listen to episode three:

Also available through Apple Podcasts and Spotify:

Find out more about this Trailblazer:

**Mandy Young**

**Chief Executive**

**State Insurance Regulatory Authority**

Mandy is a proud Aboriginal woman whose mob is Gamilaroi (Quirindi in north west NSW).
Mandy Young was appointed the Chief Executive of the State Insurance Regulatory Authority in June, 2024. Prior to this, Mandy was the Deputy Secretary and Chief Operating Officer for the Department of Customer Service responsible for enabling 14,000 staff in multiple portfolio agencies with responsibility for a $4b budget. She drove significant reforms across corporate functions to better enable portfolio agencies to deliver to the citizens of NSW.

With a NSW Public Sector career spanning over 20 years, Mandy has dedicated her career to driving better outcomes for people and communities, improving service delivery, and implementing large-scale socioeconomic and justice changes for the citizens of NSW.

Mandy has diverse leadership and public sector experience, having held Executive Director and Deputy Secretary roles within the NSW Departments of Customer Service and Communities and Justice and its predecessor agencies.

Mandy holds a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of New South Wales.

Tune in next week as we speak to a new trailblazer in another episode in our series on Thriving in Uncertainty.

Series Home

Lydia Walters 11/11/24 Lydia Walters 11/11/24

Thriving in Uncertainty – episode two

In today's episode, Jody Grima, Chief People Officer at the NSW Department of Customer Service, joins us for an open and compelling conversation as we talk about leading change and preparing workforces for the future.

Thanks for joining us for another episode in our new inspiring weekly podcast series, Thriving in Uncertainty, where we spotlight leaders who have gotten comfortable with ambiguity and hear their professional stories about overcoming challenges to navigate change successfully.

Over just 30-mins, you'll hear Jody share her experience in gauging the success of change programs working for Service NSW in the early days when they were establishing the three channels for service delivery in the state, how mindset and EQ play pivotal roles in preparing the workforce for the future, the biases that organisations need to overcome to ensure our workplaces are inclusive and equal for all, and how leaders throughout her career have inspired her to become the leader she is today.

It's a great episode that will leave you with some great takeaways to reflect on, and we hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Listen to episode two:

Also available through Apple Podcasts and Spotify:

Find out more about this Trailblazer:

**Jody Grima**

**Chief People Officer**

**NSW Department of Customer Service**

As Chief People Officer for the Department of Customer Service (DCS) Jody is focused on growing a diverse and inclusive workforce to build out the experiences we offer for both our people, and our 8million+ customers across NSW. With extensive experience in transformation, service delivery, governance, and people development, Jody is committed to driving initiatives that foster transparent ethical behaviours, enhance employee engagement, and equip teams with future-ready capabilities.

Jody has a wealth of experience across the NSW public sector, where she has been instrumental in championing transformation, supporting workplace wellbeing, and promoting an inclusive, speak-up culture. Jody’s background is leading significant reform in service provision and running large multidisciplinary teams in complex environments, including in Family and Community Services, and Service NSW, and more recently as Chief Operating Officer of DCS.

Jody oversees strategic people initiatives that align with the Department’s commitment to delivering exceptional customer service. In 2020, Jody was recognised with a NSW Public Service Medal for outstanding public service to the community.

Please tune in next week as we speak to Dr Rachel Bacon, Deputy Commissioner, Integrity, Reform and Enabling Services at the Australian Public Service Commission, as she joins us in discussing a growth mindset approach to change.

Series Home

Lydia Walters 11/4/24 Lydia Walters 11/4/24

Thriving in Uncertainty – episode one

In today’s episode, Janet Schorer, a senior public sector leader and Chief Delivery Officer at TAFE NSW, joins us to discuss growth and adaptability.

In this uplifting chat, Janet shares her experiences from her early career, how other leaders helped her grow and develop, and how she leans on these experiences to help others grow and develop today. She also explains how important it is for leaders to put themselves in someone else’s shoes, acknowledging that the world is now different from what it was, that workplaces themselves are different too, and that it’s through a connection with purpose that you can keep yourself, and your team, motivated through times of continuous change and uncertainty.

Thanks for joining us as we kick off our new weekly series of Trailblazing with CorbettPrice!

Each week, we will spotlight senior, inspirational leaders from across the public sector who have gotten comfortable in ambiguity as they share personal experiences throughout their careers around the importance of adaptability for growth, developing the next generation of leaders, taking the path less travelled and learning from failure to achieve success. They also reflect on the key leaders who inspire them and have helped them become the leaders they are today.

**In today’s episode, Janet Schorer, a senior public sector leader and Chief Delivery Officer at TAFE NSW, joins us to discuss growth and adaptability.**

In this uplifting chat, Janet shares her experiences from her early career, how other leaders helped her grow and develop, and how she leans on these experiences to help others grow and develop today. She also explains how important it is for leaders to put themselves in someone else’s shoes, acknowledging that the world is now different from what it was, that workplaces themselves are different too, and that it’s through a connection with purpose that you can keep yourself, and your team, motivated through times of continuous change and uncertainty.

Listen to episode one:

Also available through Apple Podcasts and Spotify:

Find out more about this Trailblazer:

**Janet Schorer**

**Chief Delivery Officer**

**TAFE NSW**

With 20 years of senior public sector experience, Janet has led educational and community transformation programs, including the National Disability Insurance Scheme, workforce strategy, and the Families NSW strategy for the NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet. Janet has a passion for children and young people, with a background in nursing and child and adolescent psychology, previously serving as the NSW Children’s Guardian and receiving a Public Service Medal for outstanding service, particularly through the protection of children. She is a National Fellow of IPAA and the Vice President of IPAA NSW.

Series Homepage

Lydia Walters 10/30/24 Lydia Walters 10/30/24

Trailblazing with CorbettPrice is back in a new weekly format!

Join us from Tuesday, November 5, for our new podcast series “Thriving in Uncertainty,” where we get comfortable in ambiguity, talking with leaders as they share their personal experiences in overcoming challenges and navigating change effectively to propel their workforces forward into the future.

Together, we’ll discuss topics including growth and adaptability, next-generation leaders, and taking the path less travelled with our impressive new line-up of trailblazers from across the Australian public sector. 25-minute episodes will drop weekly and be available to listen to from our website or across Apple podcasts and Spotify, helping you gain fresh and unique perspectives at a time that’s most convenient for you.

Our new series also takes on a more personal lens, exploring what it takes to be resilient and persevere through significant reforms, which our trailblazers have been inspired by in their own career and professional journey, and how their influencers have helped shape them into the leaders they are today.

Our Trailblazers

Janet Schorer

Jody Grima

Mandy Young

Dr Rachel Bacon

Found out more about our Trailblazers:

With 20 years of senior public sector experience, Janet has led educational and community transformation programs, including the National Disability Insurance Scheme, workforce strategy, and the Families NSW strategy for the NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet. Janet has a passion for children and young people, with a background in nursing and child and adolescent psychology, previously serving as the NSW Children’s Guardian and receiving a Public Service Medal for outstanding service, particularly through the protection of children. She is a National Fellow of IPAA and the Vice President of IPAA NSW.
As Chief People Officer for the Department of Customer Service (DCS) Jody is focused on growing a diverse and inclusive workforce to build out the experiences we offer for both our people, and our 8million+ customers across NSW. With extensive experience in transformation, service delivery, governance, and people development, Jody is committed to driving initiatives that foster transparent ethical behaviours, enhance employee engagement, and equip teams with future-ready capabilities.

Jody has a wealth of experience across the NSW public sector, where she has been instrumental in championing transformation, supporting workplace wellbeing, and promoting an inclusive, speak-up culture. Jody’s background is leading significant reform in service provision and running large multidisciplinary teams in complex environments, including in Family and Community Services, and Service NSW, and more recently as Chief Operating Officer of DCS.
Jody oversees strategic people initiatives that align with the Department’s commitment to delivering exceptional customer service. In 2020, Jody was recognised with a NSW Public Service Medal for outstanding public service to the community.
Mandy is a proud Aboriginal woman whose mob is Gamilaroi (Quirindi in north west NSW).
Mandy Young was appointed the Chief Executive of the State Insurance Regulatory Authority in June, 2024. Prior to this, Mandy was the Deputy Secretary and Chief Operating Officer for the Department of Customer Service responsible for enabling 14,000 staff in multiple portfolio agencies with responsibility for a $4b budget. She drove significant reforms across corporate functions to better enable portfolio agencies to deliver to the citizens of NSW.
With a NSW Public Sector career spanning over 20 years, Mandy has dedicated her career to driving better outcomes for people and communities, improving service delivery, and implementing large-scale socioeconomic and justice changes for the citizens of NSW.
Mandy has diverse leadership and public sector experience, having held Executive Director and Deputy Secretary roles within the NSW Departments of Customer Service and Communities and Justice and its predecessor agencies.
Mandy holds a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of New South Wales.
Dr Rachel Bacon is currently the Deputy Commissioner Integrity, Reform and Enabling Services at the Australian Public Service Commission. Rachel has also been appointed to the IPAA ACT Council where she works to promote excellence in public administration.
Prior to this Rachel worked at the Department of the Prime Minister & Cabinet (PM&C), as Deputy Secretary Public Sector Reform, helping to shape and deliver a suite of reform initiatives to make people’s interactions with government simpler, easier – and make life inside the public service understood and valued.
Over the previous four years, Rachel has worked for the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts as Deputy Secretary of the Regional, Cities and Territories Group, delivering place based policy and services for communities around Australia. Rachel has also spent time in the Department of Environment and Energy, running the Policy Analysis and Implementation Division, and as Deputy Chief Executive Officer with the Northern Territory Government’s Department of the Chief Minister.
Rachel has led a number of taskforces (many based in PM&C) to deliver whole of government priorities in areas such as environment regulation reform and Australia’s engagement with Asia, and has worked in teams to improve implementation capability, deliver strategic policy projects, and support government in areas such as counter terrorism, native title and refugee law.
Rachel’s PhD focused on administrative law and organisation change.

Weekly episodes:

**Tuesday 5 November**

In our first episode, we are joined by Janet Schorer, a senior public sector leader and Chief Delivery Officer at TAFE NSW, to discuss growth and adaptability. In this open and inspiring chat, Janet shares experiences from her early career of how other leaders helped her grow and develop and how she leans on these experiences to grow and develop others today. She also explains how important it is for leaders to put themselves in someone else’s shoes, acknowledging that the world is now different from what it was, that workplaces themselves are different too, and that it’s through a connection with purpose that you can keep yourself, and your team, motivated through times of continuous change and uncertainty.
**Listen now**

**Tuesday 12 November**

In our second episode, we are joined by Jody Grima, Chief People Officer at the NSW Department of Customer Service, for an open and compelling conversation as we talk about leading change and preparing workforces for the future.
Jody shares how there is no 'rinse and repeat' process for approaching change and that the first step is to be on the ground, understand the environment in which you're working with, what the culture is, and sensing the appetite for change. She also talks about other critical success factors, such as transparency and communication, and how without these, you risk losing trust very early on in the change process.
**Listen now**

**Tuesday 19 November**

In episode three, we are steering off course - literally! Mandy Young, Chief Executive at the NSW State Insurance Regulatory Authority or SIRA, joins us to discuss ‘Taking the path less travelled.’
Mandy has diverse leadership and public sector experience, with a background in social work at the Department of Communities and Justice. She has also worked as the Deputy Secretary and Chief Operating Officer for the NSW Department of Customer Service during COVID-19. During this episode, Mandy provides specific examples from her time during these roles and the significant involvement and subsequent impact of the initiatives that Mandy has driven and been responsible for.
**Listen now**

**Tuesday 26 November**

This is part one of our two-part episode on a growth mindset approach to change with Dr Rachel Bacon, Deputy Commissioner of Integrity, Reform, and Enabling Services at the Australian Public Service Commission.
In part one, we delve into the components of a growth mindset and integrity within the APS with Rachel. She explains how the literature on high-potential leaders has evolved over the past decade: once focused on high IQ as the primary predictor of leadership potential, the emphasis has shifted toward the importance of a growth mindset. Rachel discusses how a growth mindset is closely tied to learning agility, which involves curiosity, openness, and a willingness to continuously learn. This openness to new experiences transcends culture, age, and gender.
**Listen now**

**Tuesday 3 December**
In part two of our conversation with Dr Rachel Bacon, Deputy Commissioner of Integrity, Reform and Enabling Services at the Australian Public Service Commission, we discuss the APS Reform, which she has been heavily involved with, and how she keeps herself and others motivated on long-term projects that are hugely significant, have many initiatives attached to them, and require enormous patience and perseverance.
Listen in as Rachel shares the details of the design approach for the APS Reform Agenda, including how they determined the six guiding implementation principles using extensive research they conducted into global best practices on similar-scale projects. She also provides an introspective look at how she remains resilient and perseveres on long-term change projects .

**Listen now**

More episodes coming soon…

Lydia Walters 9/9/24 Lydia Walters 9/9/24

Series three – Solving the Capability Gap – episode five

Our final episode today is the perfect conclusion to our series, providing advice and insights on how to maintain an ongoing connection with your employees that helps to fuel a culture of continuous learning in your organisation.

Thank you for listening to our third podcast series on Solving the Capability Gap. We hope that you found the insights that our trailblazers have shared valuable in helping your organisation to build skills capability and develop future-ready, high-performing workforces.

Our final episode today is the perfect conclusion to our series, providing advice and insights on how to maintain an ongoing connection with your employees that helps to fuel a culture of continuous learning in your organisation.

In the series' opening episode, we spoke to Subho Banerjee about continuous learning and how organisations must adopt it to develop a high-performing workforce ready for the future.

Equally crucial to adopting a continuous learning culture is maintaining one. This involves ensuring that employees have an ongoing connection to their organisation, which sometimes is more easily said than done. Globally, there are alarmingly high rates of disengaged employees who are 'quiet-quitting,' and it takes leaders with an EQ approach to navigate the often uncomfortable conversations to reconnect employees to their organisation.

Maeve Neilson is a highly respected and experienced leader in New Zealand. In this episode, she joins Andy to discuss how she has developed and led teams in New Zealand, drawing on her direct experience in creating a cross-functional team from the Mosque Shooter sentencing event in 2020 to create a great workplace culture.

Listen to episode five:

Also available through Apple Podcasts and Spotify:

Download the full transcript of episode five:

transcript pdf

Find out more about this Trailblazer:

Maeve Neilson is the former General Manager – Health, Safety and Security for the Ministry of Justice, New Zealand. Maeve is a senior leader with unique and broad experiences that enable her to bring an innovative and fresh approach to any opportunity.

Maeve has substantial depth and breadth of experience having worked in diverse sectors and functions to deliver commercial and sustainable outcomes whilst lifting productivity and engagement. This includes a range of challenges from managing large operational functions, organisational transformations, and significant incidents and workplace fatalities, including the operational response to COVID-19.

Maeve’s ability to successfully communicate organisational vision and priorities across multiple levels sees her frequently called upon to translate the "complex" into a language all can connect and engage with, transforming both leadership behaviours and organisational cultures. She has managed teams through significant change, complex disputes and negotiations that have enabled organisations to deliver against strategic goals, and aligned teams to the direction, significantly shifting engagement. She comfortably interacts with Boards and executive teams and maintains strong networks across public and private entities.

Maeve is passionate about Aotearoa, New Zealand, particularly organisations doing great things within their communities to enable tamariki and mokupuna to thrive. She welcomes the challenge of solving “wicked problems” and enjoys aligning the operational delivery and people capability to the strategic direction. Her commercial acumen and operational management expertise allow her to quickly adapt to any environment and bring value and different thinking to support organisational growth.

Maeve holds a Masters of Arts (Psychology), and subsequent qualifications in Innovative Thinking and Dispute Resolution. She is also accredited in several leadership development tools, including the suite from Human Synergistics.

That now concludes our third series on Solving the Capability Gap. Thank you to our trailblazers and all our listeners for tuning in!

Due to popular demand, Trailblazing with CorbettPrice will soon return in a regular and ongoing format. Follow us on LinkedIn to stay updated on the latest information.

Missed an episode?

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Lydia Walters 9/2/24 Lydia Walters 9/2/24

Series three – Solving the Capability Gap – episode four

According to LinkedIn's Workplace Learning Report for 2024, 4 in 5 people want to learn how to use AI in their profession. But in the public sector specifically, there has been much trepidation about where to use it, how to use it, and, importantly, ensuring that it is used safely with the proper guardrails in place.

James Christie, Director of Artificial Workflow, and a guest instructor on our Elevate course on Enhancing Processes with AI, joins Andy to discuss the increasingly popular and in-demand skill of AI. Listen in as James answers the fundamentally essential questions on learning AI skills, including if having a technical background is necessary in learning AI, what the best use cases are in getting started, what other skills are complementary to learning AI skills, and the five critical success factors in implementing AI in an organisation. You will also want to take advantage of James's checklist to get going with AI in your organisation, which is provided as a download below.

We hope that you have been enjoying our podcast series on Solving the Capability Gap.

Already, we've had the pleasure of being joined by three phenomenal trailblazers who have shared their insights and top tips on how leaders can build workforce capability in their organisations to prepare for the future.
In today's episode, we hone in on arguably one of the most important skills everyone will need to learn, regardless of their position, going forward: AI.

James Christie, Director of Artificial Workflow, and a guest instructor on our Elevate course on Enhancing Processes with AI, joins Andy to discuss the increasingly popular and in-demand skill of AI. Listen in as James answers the fundamentally essential questions on learning AI skills, including if having a technical background is necessary in learning AI, what the best use cases are in getting started, what other skills are complementary to learning AI skills, and the five critical success factors in implementing AI in an organisation. You will also want to take advantage of James's checklist to get going with AI in your organisation, which is provided as a download below.

Listen to episode four:

Also available through Apple Podcasts and Spotify:

Download the full transcript of episode four:

Transcript PDF

Download James’s AI Adoption Checklist:

AI Checklist - pdf

Find out more about this Trailblazer:

James Christie is a co-founder of Artificial Workflow, an AI solutions firm that has developed a flexible AI platform called Echobase, that can support a range of consulting and business use cases.
James has spent a significant proportion of his career working for an international FMCG company and in consulting with EY and boutique firms practicing in the areas of corporate, organisational and customer strategy.

Please tune in next week as we conclude our series on Solving the Capability Gap with Maeve Neilson, General Manager of Health, Safety, and Security for the Ministry of Justice in New Zealand, as she shares her unique perspectives and advice for leaders on how to foster a culture of continuous learning in your organisation.

Missed an episode?

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Lydia Walters 8/26/24 Lydia Walters 8/26/24

Series three – Solving the Capability Gap – episode three

Sandra Lerch, Executive Director of Strategic Workforce Futures at the Public Sector Commission for the Queensland Government, joins Andy in this latest episode to explain how organisations can create workforce agility. She shares her experiences and learned lessons from her direct involvement in the recently released Even Better Public Sector for Queensland Strategy for 2024-2028.

Listen in to hear Sandra explain how organisational agility is a change process and how, by putting people at the centre, you can achieve the agility you need to be fit for the future. Sandra also shares the three important ingredients for being purposeful and holistic in your approach to developing and embedding workforce agility in the way you work.

Over the past two episodes, we’ve discussed critical dimensions of capability building, including adopting continuous learning models and using skills-based approaches in your talent strategy. A resonating sentiment from both these episodes has been the concept of future readiness, equipping and preparing workforces to meet future challenges.

In today’s episode, we unpack this further, discussing the role that skills play in workforce agility and how leaders can be purposeful and holistic in their approach to achieving organisational agility.

So far in our series, we’ve spoken to two highly experienced trailblazers who have given their insights into critical success factors of creating high-performing teams. These have included the importance of becoming a learning organisation and the need to be comfortable in ambiguity.

Listen to episode three:

Also available through Apple Podcasts and Spotify:

Download the full transcript of episode three:

Transcript PDF

Find out more about this Trailblazer:

Sandra Lerch is the Executive Director, Strategic Workforce Futures at the Queensland Public Sector Commission. In this role, she has responsibility for a suite of initiatives that help create a workforce that is agile, inclusive and fit for the future.

Sandra has worked in both the state and federal public sectors, in a wide variety of roles, spanning strategic policy, organisational performance, and service delivery. Much of her experience is in central agencies during periods of significant workforce change.

Sandra and her team played a major role in bringing the Even better public sector for Queensland strategy 2024-2028 to fruition. The strategy’s first two-year action plan sets out 18 actions that aim to inspire trust in government, build a workforce that is ready to meet any challenge, and create workplaces that support employees to serve their community.

Sandra holds a Masters degree in Public Policy and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She has a long-standing interest in public sector reform, having contributed to a number of independent reviews in this area. Other areas of interest include employee engagement and how the Queensland public sector can position itself as an employer of choice.

Please tune in next week as we talk with James Christie, Director of Artificial Workflow, as he joins us to discuss developing AI skills in the public sector in our fourth episode in the Solving the Capability Gap series.

Missed an episode?

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Lydia Walters 8/19/24 Lydia Walters 8/19/24

Series three – Solving the Capability Gap – episode two

In today’s episode, we dive deep into the current skills landscape, outlining the skills that are becoming increasingly important and discussing proven strategies that can help organisations become more skills-based in how they attract, develop, nurture, and retain their workforce.

Welcome back to the second episode of our new podcast series on Solving the Capability Gap.

In today’s episode, we dive deep into the current skills landscape, outlining the skills that are becoming increasingly important and discussing proven strategies that can help organisations become more skills-based in how they attract, develop, nurture, and retain their workforce.

Across the world, organisations are grappling with skills shortages. According to LinkedIn data, on an individual level, the skills needed for a given position are shifting and are expected to double by 2027, leaving a high number of employees who require training and capability development.

However, the potential of untapped latent or adjacent skills within the workforce is intriguing, presenting organisational leaders with an excellent opportunity to identify, develop, and nurture these skills to create an engaged workforce capable of driving their organisation forward.

Listen in as Julie Tickle, Chief People Officer at TAFE NSW, joins Andy to share her extensive experience in how organisations can become more skills-based in their talent strategy. Listen in as Julie answers compelling questions covering important topics such as skills versus qualifications, human skills versus technical skills, how TAFE uses skills-based approaches in its talent strategy, and how to measure skills initiatives.

Listen to episode two:

Also available through Apple Podcasts and Spotify:

Download the full transcript of episode two:

Transcript PDF

Find out more about this Trailblazer:

Julie Tickle is a respected educational leader, with over two decades of experience in the VET sector as teacher, mentor and executive. In her role as Chief People Officer for TAFE NSW Julie oversees the attraction, development and retention of a capable, engaged, and adaptable workforce of over 15,000.

She is responsible for ensuring TAFE NSW operates in a safe, diverse, and inclusive work environment, and her team ensures TAFE NSW has the capability to deliver the best outcomes through effective people and safety processes, policies, and programs.

With TAFE NSW since 2002, Julie was initially a part-time casual teacher of Business based out of the Taree campus and remains dedicated to regional employment and educational outcomes throughout NSW. She has held a wide range of positions including Head Teacher of both online and on-campus faculty teams, Business Development Consultant, Manager Curriculum Development, Faculty Director, Leader Organisational Workforce Development and Head of Organisational Development and Talent Management.

Remaining dedicated to supporting individuals to reach their potential, Julie holds a Masters in Adult Education and Training, Bachelor of Arts (Psychology), Graduate Diploma of Education, Leadership and Sustainability and the current Cert IV Training and Assessment qualification in order to remain connected to teachers. She is an Alumni of the NSW Public Sector Leadership Academy and a keen mentor of emerging leaders in the sector.

Julie is a member of the DEWR VET Workforce Blueprint Steering Committee, TAFE Director’s Australia Workforce Network and the National VET Educator Development Network. Her team designed and implemented the successful Paid to Learn teacher attraction and retention program to support an ongoing commitment to solving the VET teacher shortage in NSW, which has become the benchmark for innovative attraction strategies across the sector.

Julie is passionate about Diversity and Inclusion and is a member of the NSW Public Service Disability Steering Committee, Co-chair of the TAFE NSW Diversity & Inclusion Council and executive sponsor of the Aboriginal Strategic Leadership Group and Aboriginal Employment Strategy. She has strategic oversight of the inaugural TAFE NSW Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Plan which launched in 2023 as well as TAFE Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan, Disability and Inclusion Action Plan and Multicultural Action Plan.

Please tune in next week as we talk with Sandra Lerch, Executive Director of Strategic Workforce Futures at the Public Sector Commission for the Queensland Government, as she joins us to provide insights on workforce agility and the agile enterprise in our third episode of this series on Solving the Capability Gap.

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Lydia Walters 8/12/24 Lydia Walters 8/12/24

Series three – Solving the Capability Gap – episode one

Listen in as Subho Banerjee, Deputy Commissioner of the Australian Public Service and Head of the APS Academy and Capability, joins Andy to discuss continuous learning, and provide his unique perspectives, drawing on his vast experience across the public and private sectors. In this episode, Subho explains what continuous learning looks like and outlines some of the fantastic learning opportunities he has experienced that have benefited his career. He also provides an overview of the components of the APS continuous learning model, the importance of building adaptability skills across all levels in the public sector, and how to overcome challenges he has seen in becoming a learning organisation.

Thanks for joining us as we kick off our third series of Trailblazing with CorbettPrice!

Our exciting new series explores critical dimensions of capability building across five insightful and thought-provoking episodes. This series is designed to help leaders instil continuous learning into their organisation’s DNA and develop high-performing workforces that are equipped and ready to embrace the future.

As the perfect start to our series on Solving the Capability Gap, Subho Banerjee, Deputy Commissioner of the Australian Public Service and Head of the APS Academy and Capability, joins Andy to discuss continuous learning.

Listen in as Subho provides his unique perspectives, drawing on his vast experience across the public and private sectors. In this episode, he explains what continuous learning looks like and outlines some of the fantastic learning opportunities he has experienced that have benefited his career. Subho also provides an overview of the components of the APS continuous learning model, the importance of building adaptability skills across all levels in the public sector, and how to overcome challenges he has seen in becoming a learning organisation.

Listen to episode one:

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Download the full transcript of episode one:

Transcript pdf

Find out more about this Trailblazer:

Dr Subho Banerjee is the Deputy Commissioner, Head of APS Academy and Capability at the Australian Public Service Commission.

He has previously held Deputy Secretary roles in the Education, Industry and Climate Change portfolios, focusing on vocational education and skills, science and climate change adaptation and negotiations.
He has also been responsible for finance, human resources and governance functions in a number of departments, as well as contributing to whole-of-APS efforts on public service reform and Indigenous employment.

Subho has also worked in the private and not-for-profit sectors. Prior to his current role, he worked at the Australia and New Zealand School of Government on public sector reform issues at the intersection of practice and academia. He has also worked for a private sector management consultancy and an Indigenous policy think tank.

Subho’s initial disciplinary background was in physics, which he studied as an undergraduate and postgraduate at the ANU. He also holds qualifications in economic and social history, and environmental change and management, from the University of Oxford, where he was a Rhodes Scholar.

Tune in next week as we talk with Julie Tickle, Chief People Officer at TAFE NSW, as she provides her experience and perspectives on becoming a skills-based organisation, in our second episode in this series on Solving the Capability Gap.

Check out our full listing of episodes and trailblazers:

Series 3 Home

Lydia Walters 6/26/24 Lydia Walters 6/26/24

Brand new series starting 13 August

Join us for our ground-breaking new podcast series, "Solving the Capability Gap," where we delve deep into the evolving skills landscape. Together, we'll explore how organisations can pivot towards a skills-based approach to their talent strategy, enhance their workforce's adaptability and agility, develop AI skills in the public sector, and nurture a culture of continuous learning.

Series three will feature five impactful, thought-provoking episodes as Andy explores critical topics in solving capability gaps using skills-based approaches with a fresh line-up of Trailblazers. For the first time, we will also include a complete series wrap-up at the end.

Weekly episodes will be available on our website and on your preferred podcast platforms, including Apple, Google, and Spotify, starting Tuesday, 13 August.

Read a synopsis for each of our episodes:

**Episode one:**
**Adopting continuous learning models for developing and preparing workforces for the future.**

**Featuring**:
Subho Banerjee, Deputy Commissioner and Head of APS Academy and Capability

Organisations today face many challenges. With high levels of Australian employees reporting that they feel burnt out at work and the skills needed to perform current and future roles significantly shifting, learning and development can help organisations develop and prepare their workforces for the future.

In the first episode of our new series, we will be joined by Subho Banerjee, Deputy Commissioner and Head of the APS Academy and Capability. Together, we will visualise what a continuous learning culture looks like, and formulate a strategy for how organisations can foster learning and development to develop and prepare their workforces for the future.

**Episode two:**
**Becoming a skills-based organisation**

**Featuring:**
Julie Tickle, Chief People Officer, TAFE NSW

Are the skills people have or could develop more important than their original qualifications? We’ll explore this intriguing question in the second episode of our series on solving the capability gap. Joining us is Julie Tickle, Chief People Officer at TAFE NSW. Together, we'll discuss how organisations can adopt a more skills-based approach to their talent strategy, covering everything from recruitment to mentoring, coaching, and the role of collaboration and cross-functional teams in skill identification. We’ll also delve into best-practice strategies for measuring these skills and more.

**Episode three:**
**Workforce Agility & The Agile Enterprise**

**Featuring:**
Sandra Lerch, Executive Director of Strategic Workforce Futures, Public Sector Commission, Queensland Government

In times of constant uncertainty, employees may face higher burnout levels and become disengaged. Thriving amid such ambiguity, though challenging, is achievable. In the third episode of our series on solving the capability gap, we'll explore this theme with Sandra Lerch, Executive Director of Strategic Workforce Futures at the Public Sector Commission, Queensland Government. With extensive experience in managing change and preparing agile, inclusive workforces for the future, Sandra will shed light on the pivotal strategies she developed for the 'Even Better Public Sector for Queensland' initiative. We’ll discuss collaborative approaches and identify key skills needed for future readiness.

**Episode four:**
**Developing AI skills in the public sector**

**Featuring:**
James Christie, Director of Artificial Workflow

According to LinkedIn's Workplace Learning Report for 2024, 4 in 5 people want to learn how to use AI in their profession. In the public sector, there is considerable uncertainty about how and where to best utilise AI, and whether existing technical skills are necessary to acquire AI competencies. We will tackle these crucial questions and more in the fourth instalment of our podcast series on solving the capability gap, where we will be joined by James Christie, Director of Artificial Workflow and guest instructor on our Enhancing Processes with AI Elevate course.

**Episode five:**
**Fostering a culture of continuous learning**

**Featuring:**
Maeve Neilson, General Manager of Health, Safety and Security, Ministry of Justice, New Zealand

In the concluding episode of our series, we are joined by Maeve Neilson, General Manager of Health, Safety, and Security at the Ministry of Justice in New Zealand. A seasoned leader, Maeve excels in building cross-functional teams and will share her valuable experiences from coordinating the team for the Mosque Shooter sentencing event in New Zealand. Together, we will delve into the importance of skill acquisition, examine how learning and development vary across multi-generational teams, discuss the components of effective learning experiences, explore how leaders can re-engage employees with a human-centric approach, and discuss strategies to foster a culture of continuous learning within an organisation.

More in our Solving the Capability Gap series:

**Frequently Asked Questions**

Listen in as Maeve Neilson, General Manager, Health, Safety, and Security at the Ministry of Justice New Zealand, answers key questions about the role that learning and development play in fostering a great culture and how leaders can build and maintain a continuous learning culture within their organisation.
**Listen in**

Lydia Walters 9/19/23 Lydia Walters 9/19/23

Embracing organisational change - episode 5

Thanks for listening to our second podcast series on embracing organisational change. We hope you’ve found the insights our trailblazers shared valuable.

In our fifth and final episode of this series, we are tackling a significant change that’s on the minds of most public sector leaders today: how to adopt new technologies responsibly.

According to a recent McKinsey report, more than half of global survey respondents on AI said that they had adopted AI in at least one of their business units, and nearly two-thirds expected that their company’s investments in AI would increase over the next few years. Yet according to Boston Consulting Group, Australia lags globally, with around 70% of Australian organisations yet to succeed in delivering digital transformation, a critical first step to succeed in AI.

Pia Andrews, a global expert in open government and digital government transformation and former public servant, joins us to navigate this important change and provides her unique global and local perspectives on how public institutions can approach the responsible adoption of AI. In this episode, Pia shares her six fundamental questions that the public sector must answer when designing for trust, which are part of The Trust Framework for Government Use of AI and Automated Decision Making whitepaper she developed and her top tips on getting started.