Leading a service in the sexual assault, women’s health and wellbeing and domestic violence sector is complex.  The sector is driven by crisis, high demand, risk management and the expectations of funding providers and clients. Leaders report both the challenges and the benefits of leading strong teams of advocates, of keeping people well and of working within the confinements of organisational systems and structures.  And yet, our data tells us that leaders stay, driven by a high commitment to end domestic violence and keep women and children safe.

When WorkUP Queensland undertook workforce planning during 2019 we found that the sector has a highly experienced, long term pool of leaders.  We wondered what succession plans were in place to find and grow the leaders of the future and we learnt that many leaders are developed from within.  This transition from service delivery to leadership comes with a range of challenges including the juggle of the dual role that includes leading and service delivery and of leading a team of people who were previously peers.

In response to these challenges and opportunities WorkUP Queensland is offering a range of leadership programs throughout 2020.  These programs aim to provide professional development at a range of levels and through a mix of facilitated peer learning and skills development opportunities.

If you’re an emerging leader we invite you to join us for Growing in Leadership.  There is strength in deliberately choosing the leader that you want to be.  This flexible, bite sized program will enable emerging leaders to fine tune their own leadership style and learn more about managing teams in largely crisis focused organisations including the importance of workplace culture and taking care of themselves as leaders.

If you’re an existing leader we invite you to join us for Developing Advanced leadership.  This program has a focus on the development of advanced leadership skills, attributes and behaviours that support the complex nature of executive leadership.  Leaders will have the opportunity to come together with other experienced leaders to explore the complexities of leadership at this level and learn from each other in a facilitated environment.

We also look forward to offering several Leadership Masterclass skills development workshops later in 2020.  These include Conflict Intelligence, Difficult Conversations and Leading Mindfully.

We believe that emerging and existing leaders can grow in capability and that workforce leadership capacity can be enhanced by connecting emerging and existing leaders.  We look forward to working with the sector to develop a Leadership Mentoring Program in the next phase of our leadership offerings in 2021.

Lastly, we want to hear and share your stories.  We are soon to commence development of a series of leadership vignettes featuring emerging and existing leaders.

For more information about WorkUP Queensland leadership offerings please contact Christine at christine@healingfoundation.org.au or on 0400 999 184.