I stepped into a new leadership role at the beginning of 2017 managing one of our major contracts along with pre-existing staff. In August I was given the opportunity to participate in Universal Leadership Skills in Brisbane which not only created a great foundation for my current role but also gave me the opportunity to escape the Melbourne winter for 3 days.

 

Working for a small, local, not-for-profit organisation, the amount of exposure I get to people outside of the sector is limited so I really enjoyed meeting interesting and highly experienced people from different sectors. We all learned that we can apply ‘the same’ set of flexible leadership techniques in any work setting (not-for-profit, government, corporate) – no matter the size of the team or organisation.

 

The course encouraged me to reflect on my own leadership strengths as well as weaknesses. I identified through very hands-on activities (and lots of post-its!!) what I need to change in terms of my own leadership style, behaviour and practices while keeping in mind the development stage my team is at on the Sigmoid Curve. Another major learning was that while we cannot motivate others we can remove dissatisfiers, which I have actively pursued since the training.

 

I have also implemented well-defined and mutually agreed team objectives, purpose and vision and have ensured these are linked to the organisation’s overall strategic direction. Gaining the team’s buy-in was crucial to creating mutual support and respect while also ‘kicking goals’. The team has delivered beyond our targets in 2017 which was a huge achievement and has secured us funding for an additional 2 years to enable us to continue the good work we do for young people in Maribyrnong and Moonee Valley.

 

Anna Lemcke

Project Manager

Maribyrnong and Moonee Valley Local Learning and Employment Network