Women Leading in Local Government
Women Leading in Local Government aims to increase the leadership capabilities of women councillors elected to local governments through training, coaching and support delivered over an eight-month period from February 2021 to 30 September 2021.
The program is funded by the Department of State Development, Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning under its Women in Local Government Strategy, which promotes gender diversity and the inclusion of women in local government.
About the program
The program has been designed to provide an inclusive, safe environment to nurture and develop women councillor’s leadership capability and create supportive connections across all levels of experience.
This program is built on a proven leadership formula and participants will engage in deep exploration of your own strengths and weaknesses, gain insights from group discussions, and develop adaptive leadership skills needed to lead your communities confidently and courageously through challenging times.
Women Leading in Local Government is being delivered on behalf of the department by our partners Vital Leaders whose expert facilitators will guide participants through many learning approaches including:
- self-paced
- online-access best-practice content
- self-analysis exercises
- interactive workshops
- facilitated group coaching
- collaborative learning through sharing of practical scenarios, tips, tools and frameworks.
Over the course of the program, you will gain insights into your leadership capability through the confidential Social and Emotional Intelligence Profile assessment, which includes a comprehensive individual report and three one-on-one coaching sessions.
There is also a unique opportunity for participants to engage further with the Lean In global network and access world-renowned resources and global online events.
Program outcomes
Through Women Leading in Local Government, you will:
- become more aware of your personal strengths, values, motivators, aspirations, and limitations
- build your skills in effective communication, negotiation, and engagement strategies
- increase your knowledge of personal resilience and wellbeing practices
- strengthen your self-management skills and techniques
- build confidence in your ability to create change
- develop self-promotional skills around core leadership ideals
- increase your methods for dynamic thinking, greater understanding of changing environments and situational awareness.
- continue building a strong peer support network.
Program delivery and timing
The program will be delivered on behalf of the department by Vital Leaders and their experienced facilitators.
Program elements are accessible to all and will be delivered online, given COVID-19 travel restrictions and social distancing requirements.
During this self-paced program, you will need to commit approximately four to six hours per month. The more interactive you choose to be, the more likely the average time spent per month.
Program Modules
The program content has been designed to encapsulate the areas of Character, Capability, Courage, Commitment and Connection (the 5 C’s) into seven key leadership attributes which build on each other.
-
Module 1: Authentically you
- Self-awareness
- Values clarity
- Strengths identification
Understanding authenticity – and what it means, why authenticity matters as a leader, and where and how to access the inner-strength to establish an authentic self.
Outcome
Greater self-awareness, values clarity and strengths identification, and permission to be their authentic selves.Module 2: Resilient you
- Self-management
- Resilience
- Stress management
- Personal power
Understanding what it means to be resilient, how to build and maintain inner strength, how to recognise and mitigate the de-railers, and why personal agility matters.
Outcome
Greater self-management, personal power, resilience, and ability to transition to and/or lead change. -
Module 3: Effective you
- Social and emotional intelligence
- Emotional self- awareness
- Intentional leadership
Understanding what Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is, why EQ matters in leadership, introduced to social and emotional intelligence framework; to increase emotional self-awareness and self-management.
Outcome
Greater appreciation for the importance of EQ competence for individual success and leadership effectiveness. -
Module 4: Courageous you
- Self-confidence
- Congruence matters
- Influential leadership
Understanding that leadership is an inside-out process; taking increased clarity on strengths and EQ competence to next level – to courageously showcase the ‘real you’ as a key person of congruency and influence.
Outcome
Greater levels of self-confidence and courage to stand in the arena, ready to leave their mark – unapologetically.Interactive workshop 1
Building Your Individual Presentation Quotient (IPQ)
Outcome
Participants will not only learn more about how to present their best version to the world, they will be given permission to showcase their brilliant, full-version selves. -
Module 5: Compassionate you
- Situational awareness
- Servant leadership
- Women-wise leadership
Understanding that leadership is not about position and power; the importance of situational awareness, recognise impacts on others, and the servant leadership role of improving the community for greater-good, short and long-term outcomes.
Outcome
Greater appreciation for women-wise traits of compassion and deeper consideration of feelings and impacts. -
Module 6: Conciliatory you
- Negotiation
- Managing conflict
- Challenging the status-quo
Understanding that negotiating is problem solving, exploring different ways to negotiate and manage conflict, challenging the status quo; with goal to drive positive change.
Outcome
Greater confidence to problem solve, negotiate outcomes, manage conflict, and address unacceptable status-quo.Interactive workshop 2
Recognise, respond and rectify gender bias
Outcome: Participants will acknowledge that silence is assumed acceptance of biased behaviours, and commit to speak up when they see or hear gender bias actions; knowing that collectively women can lead positive change.
Module 7: Collaborative you
- Behaviour types
- Effective communication
- Purposeful networking
Understanding and easily identifying the four core behaviour types, communicating more effectively with ‘different’ people, purposeful networking, and building a personal ‘A team’.
Outcome
Greater engagement capability, willingness to form collaborative relationships and develop support structures. -
The SEIP is the most comprehensive, globally renowned assessment profiling social and emotional intelligence framework, developed by the Institute for Social and Emotional Intelligence, an international learning and research organisation.
It identifies with pinpoint accuracy, the individual’s strengths and weaknesses in 26 crucial competencies, grouped into four key skill sets:
- self-awareness
- self-management
- situational awareness
- relationship building.
Participants will be provided with an individualised, comprehensive report and armed with these insights, participants can immediately begin to build on their strongest competence areas to showcase those leadership strengths, and work on the most critical areas, supported by our professional coaching sessions.
Meet the Vital Leaders facilitators
Jilinda Lee MMgt, CMgr FIML
Director / Principle Trainer / Coach / Program lead
Acknowledged as a Change Champion, Leadership Mentor, Organisational Development and Human Behaviour Specialist, Jilinda’s expertise comes from 30+ years in lead roles. After leaving a regional leadership role with Training Queensland in 2012 to start her own leadership consultancy, she has been delivering training and coaching services in the local government sector since 2015.
Gary Kerr BBus, MAICD, AFIML
Director / Project and Contract Manager / Communication lead
With extensive senior leadership experience across private, public and NFP sectors, including 15+ years in local government lead roles, Gary brings well-honed governance, administration, and coordination skills to this project. A highly experienced project and contract manager, he has overseen a large range of projects from small feasibility studies to multi-million-dollar infrastructure projects.
Program costs
Participants’ tuition fees will be paid by the department. All associated travel for participants to attend the program (where and if required) must be covered by the council.
Key dates
- 1 December 2020 Expressions of interest opened
- 18 December 2020 Expressions of interest closed
- 1 February 2021 Program commences
- 30 September 2021 Program concludes
Submit your expression of interest
Expressions of interest closed on Friday 18 December 2020.
Contact us
If you have any questions regarding the program, please contact the department on:
- Phone: (07) 3452 6751
- Email: chloe.murdoch@dlgrma.qld.gov.au
- Office hours are 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.
Last updated: Monday, Dec 21, 2020