Following the Leader Jess Holmes, City of Greater Dandenong Pranjal Pawar, City of Banyule Harry Hansen, City of Kingston Stuart Joyce, Morphum Environmental

Agenda Where do we start?? Research What do we want from our leaders? Trust Compassion Stability Hope Findings How can YIPWEA (and IPWEA) help

Where do we start?? We were asked to present on the followers perspective. But what does this mean and how does it relate to Public Works? As engineers we are often put into roles that may include a combination of leadership and following We decided our focus for this presentation should be on behalf of our Young IPWEA members. Technically this covers all members U35, but we always welcome: Young in your career Young at heart Willing to shout a round So now we had our focus, but where do we start??

Research Being resourceful engineers, we thought we’d use work completed by others to help define our direction Gallup Research team asked 10,000 followers what the most influential leaders contribute to their lives Four key basic needs were identified: Trust Compassion Stability Hope We wanted to find out from our YIPWEA members whether these needs were met by their leaders, and if not, how they could be

Trust Building trust is considered an essential activity in managerial leadership. However, the task of building and maintaining trust is complex. “Trust is like a forest. It takes a long time to grow and can burn down with a just touch of carelessness” So, to what extent do we trust our leaders?

Trust How much trust do you have in your leader/manager/director? (1-10) Over 80% of the scores are 7+ Good sign that in general there is already a high level of trust between employees and leaders in local government. So, what exactly do we look for within our leaders to build trust? Percentage of Respondents (%) Scale of Trust (10- very high, 5- reasonable, 0- none at all)

Trust What do members of the Young IPWEA look for to gain trust in their leaders? Honesty & Transparency Have open Communication Are Consistent with their actions Provide ongoing Recognition

Trust What do members of the Young IPWEA look for to gain trust in their leaders? Show Generosity Share Mutual Trust Clear about their expectations. People trust the clear and mistrust or distrust the ambiguous.  Are Inclusive Fair

Trust In summary, Trust can’t be built overnight. It requires time, effort, diligence, and character to foster trusted relationships. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. There is a strong link between Trust and Compassion.

What is Compassion? Compassion is understanding how someone feels in a particular moment and being able to show support Compassion is not Thought with the Mind, but is Felt with the Heart Compassion is a self realization from within which ripples out into the relationships we share

How Compassionate are our Leaders? How compassionate do you believe your Leader/Manager/Director is? (1-10) 80.95% of the scores are 7+ Overall we have a high level of compassion amongst our Leaders

How do our Leaders show Compassion? How does your Leader/Manager/Director show compassion to you in your day- to-day work? Mentor/Mentee Relationship Guided Support Work/Life Balance

Compassion as a Pillar of Leadership Compassion is what brings us together and lifts us higher as a collective With compassion and understanding for all – we can create a sustainable future

Hope A feeling of expectation and desire for a particular thing to happen “There’s something inside that they can’t get to, that they can’t touch. It’s yours. Hope” Andy Dufresne, Shawshank Redemption But do we get a sense of hope from our leaders? 2017 Premiers

Hope Does your leader/manager/director make you feel enthusiastic about the future? (1-10) 76% of the scores are 7+ Good sign that in general there is a level of hope already in local government. But what are our Young IPWEA members looking for?

Hope What gives you hope and inspiration for the future of your company? Opportunity and openness new opportunities employer invested in my development An excellent team culture A plan for me to see what the future holds Growth and development of staff Working towards a common goal Loyal Customers Public works provide stability, good base for hope to start  Hope creates an aspirational factor among all the things that you're trying to do in your organization, and it gives people a reason to commit

Stability At the basic level, people need to know there is consistency in their jobs Its hard to get work done day-to-day if you are insecure about the future of your organisation So, how stable do we feel in our jobs?

Stability How much stability do you feel there is in your role? Over 70% answered 7+ Do you think there is likely to be more stability in your role in public works over the private sector? 85% said “yes”

Stability How leaders support/encourage/enhance our sense of stability Encourage professional development of employees Provide opportunities for growth Support experience in other parts of the organisation Stability and hope are linked; Balance of providing a stable foundation while giving followers hope and inspiration for the future When asked what gave them hope for the future of their company, a top response was stability in Local Government

Overall findings Largely our YIPWEA members appear to find trust, compassion, stability and hope from their leaders, with the majority of scores being over 7/10 Key summary points include: Trust isn’t built quickly, but typically founded on clear and honest communication Compassion and understanding is the glue that bonds us together There is a balance in providing a stable foundation while giving followers hope and inspiration for the future However the survey has shown that there is always room for improvement and we have identified a list of key attributes and actions that our members want from their leaders. But we also realise that both Young IPWEA and IPWEA should play a key supporting role in developing and supporting leaders (and followers)

What do we want from our leaders? The key recurring themes that came through included: Communication Clear and open communication One on one meetings ( a cup of coffee can go a long way) Direction Current role and future opportunities Help develop good career paths Professional Development Provide mentoring Promote attendance at external opportunities Help develop networking skills Challenge me

What do we want from our leaders? Team/business goals Be transparent and share them Trust us to help achieve them Positive workplace environment Social interactions Compassionate and understanding in tough situations Support and assist with high workloads Good work/life balance Recognition Acknowledgement of achievements Provides honest feedback but also positive reinforcement

What can we as YIPWEA do? There are a number of areas where YIPWEA and IPWEA can also help (and continue) to provide support: Professional development: provide events with a technical focus (as well as a social side!) in a cost effective manner Technical support and advice through systems like “ask your mates” Career paths: on-going interaction with senior IPWEA members for advice and guidance (formal and social) Networking: Provide opportunities for interaction with peers at all levels