Joe Bannan, Liza Perrett and Anselm Boehl

Proudly sponsored by

LGMA QueenslandPropeller Program 2008

Who are the Propellerheads and Why are they Here?

Propeller Program 2008

Proudly sponsored by

• Anselm Boehl, Townsville City Council

• Manager Asset Management, Water & Wastewater

• Joe Bannan, Moreton Bay Regional Council

• Manager Asset Management & Programming

• Liza Perrett, Logan City Council

• Executive Services Officer - Organisational Services

Propeller Program 2008

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• Develop people who will lead local government in Queensland in the future.

• Develop people who will lead at all levels and across all professions.

• Provide an opportunity for participants to network with others who are

passionate about local government and developing their careers.

• Increase appreciation of the wider issues in Queensland local government.

• Utilise practical experiences and learnings from within the local government

sector to further professional leadership and development.

• Provide training for emerging leaders that is not necessarily ‘management’

focused.

Program Objectives

RETAIN PASSIONATE, SKILLED AND COMPETENT EMPLOYEES IN THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT (LG) SECTOR

Propeller Program 2008

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• Inaugural program for Queensland but has been successfully running in

Victoria for 5 years and South Australia for 2 years.

• 32 nominations received for the 25 positions.

• At least 10 professions represented.

• Over 10 Councils represented - 4 from South East Queensland

- 3 from Central Queensland

- 3 from North Queensland

- 1 from Darling Downs

• Major Sponsor – Moreton Bay Regional Council

Some Facts …

Propeller Program 2008

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Who are we …

Propeller Program 2008

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Who are we …

• We are social, strategic and land-use planners, engineers, managers,

administrators and accountants

• We work in economic development, open space & recreation, library

services, community development services, water services, traffic, regional

collaboration and corporate services

• We come from all over Queensland – rural, regional and metropolitan areas

• Fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, partners, friends

…and we all have a passion for our communities, leadership & Local Government.

Propeller Program 2008

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Since we have come together …

• We have had a baby – congratulations Anselm

• We got married – congratulations Paul

• We got new jobs or our old ones –

• Library Services Manager – congratulations David

• Community Services Manager - congratulations Michelle

• Principal Officer Business & Performance – congratulations Tricia

• Community Services Manager – congratulations Jane

• Manager Asset Management & Planning – congratulations Joe

• Senior Manager, Business Support and Governance – congratulations Robyn

• We’re having a baby – congratulations Amanda

• We became a Grandfather – congratulations Wes

Propeller Program 2008

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• Introductory (2 day) forum focused on OUR personal leadership

• 7 one-day workshops, in various locations:

- Mentoring & Coaching- LG: The Political Context- Leading & Communicating- Community Engagement- Exposure to LG: Metropolitan Perspective - Exposure to LG: Rural Perspective - Maintaining a Leading & Learning Perspective

• Group Project

The program …

Propeller Program 2008

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• 2 day workshop

• Overview of program and the next 10 months

• Group bonding – allocated into groups

• Leadership within Council

• Leadership styles & competencies

Introductory Forum

Propeller Program 2008

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• Anselm & Liza - ESTJ

• Myers Briggs Profile - practical, realistic, matter-of-fact

• ESTJ Simpson’s Leadership Style:

Leadership Styles

Strengths: Enthusiastic, fulfil duties & obligations; good in a tight spot

Weakness: Tendency to need to be in charge; control freak!

Chief Wigam – the Overseer

Propeller Program 2008

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• Joe - ESFP

• Myers Briggs Profile - outgoing, friendly, accepting

• ESFP Simpson’s Leadership Style:

Leadership Styles

Strengths: Generous, live for the moment

Weakness: Take conflict personally

Homer – the Entertainer

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• 4 Groups:

JACKAL’s Transformers

Teekou The Associates

• Each group is responsible for organising, planning and implementing up to 2 of the One-Day Workshops

• Self-managed

• Self-facilitated

• Everyone presents/participates

7 One-Day Workshops

Propeller Program 2008

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Workshops

Propeller Program 2008

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• We’ve been to Brisbane, Emerald, Townsville, Mackay & Longreach

• We are going to the Whitsundays, Logan and Brisbane

• We have heard from Mayors, Councillors, Chief Executive Officers, LG and industry professionals around Queensland, sharing their experiences and observations

• Mentored, interviewed, presented, discussed, networked: LEARNED

What have we done so far

Propeller Program 2008

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• People in local government are very smart, funny and extremely passionate about what they do

• Importance of a structured mentoring relationship

• Focus on strengths and weaknesses as leaders and offers strategies and a safe environment for developing and improving our leadership styles.

• Never develop a higher public profile than the politicians.

• Arrive on the Thursday night - It takes 5 hours to fly to Emerald from Brisbane, which includes 3 hours circling the Emerald International!

What have we learnt so far

Propeller Program 2008

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• All 25 participants to work on this project

• Project will be presented to LGMA by 28 February 2009

• The 2008 group will present a 1 hour session on the project at the Future Leaders Forum in April 2009

• Open brief on topic

• Flexible and creative approach on presentation of project - self-directed

• Utilise the various skills in the group!

Group Project

Providing community confidence during a crisis –

What is Local Government’s Role?

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• There is always a task master!

• The group dynamics in such a large group take a while to establish

• The discussion is difficult with people spread all over Queensland

• Divide project into sub-tasks and involve people based on their ability to contribute

• 2 subgroups: 1. Report/content & 2. Presentation/publication

• The definition of terms/scope is time consuming

• LG is multi-facetted and activities/reputation impact on each other

• 10 months isn’t as long as it seems

Learnings from the Group Project

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The life of a Propellerheads workshop experience

• Arrive Thursday night

• Meet up, chat to fellow Propellerheads

• Interesting times with LG Reform!

• Workshop on Friday

• Lead, participate and interact

• Friday night activityThe end of a big workshop – Happy Hour

in Mackay

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Then there are the fun times, road trips & mishaps

Propeller Program 2008

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• Time commitment by participants and Councils

• Materials and time for the group work

• Travel to new destinations and meet new people

• Staff time away from the office

Organisational & Personal Commitment

But it is all worth it!

Networks, camaraderie, learnings, professional development

Propeller Program 2008

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• Confidence in abilities

• Better understanding of complexities associated with urban and rural local governance

• Appreciation for the different issues facing local governments across Queensland and the many different roles and responsibilities that LG has for its communities.

• Important insights on how Council's are dealing with the restructuring process, staff morale, Council policies and corporate planning for the new local government areas

Benefits to participants personally

Propeller Program 2008

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• Developed a network base

• opportunity to network with other local government officers across Queensland

• Next generation of LG management know each other very well

• Networking with peers outside of my organisation allows honesty about issues and personal shortcomings, without showing the troops

• Created immediate connection with others in the industry

• Develop skills of networking, which has assisted in confidence with professional and organisational peers

Benefits of networking

Propeller Program 2008

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• More committed to my council and a stronger manager

• Development of an internal leadership development program

• Application of learnings into daily work, taking advantage of ideas raised during the workshops and available through new contacts

• Deepened by knowledge of how local government works

• Kazoo playing!

Benefits returned to my council

Thank youLGMA & our Councils

Propeller Program 2008

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Who are the Propellerheads andWhy are we here?

The ability to perceive or think

differently is more important

than the knowledge

gained

– David Bohm