6th APS 5-6 HIGH PERFORMANCE AND LEADERSHIP SUMMIT

Join Liquid Learning and your chair, Liz Van Vliet, for this opening kick-off session, and start to unpack our conference theme, 'Succeed to Lead', outline your desired learning outcomes and prepare for two days of incredible speakers, senior leaders, expert deep-dives and unmissable panel discussions!

When working in the public sector, change is unexpected and uncontrollable. While there’s often little you can do about the nature of change, you can make sure you have the processes in place to deal with it - and that’s where leadership is crucial. Kate reflects on the recent spate of change her department has faced, how they’ve managed their response, and what you can do to prepare for transformation in your organisation. 

- Master communication in high-pressure situations 

- Learn how you can make an impact, regardless of your position 

- Strengthen your resilience towards change 

This interactive mini-session meets you where you are, helps you identify areas for improvement, and celebrate what's working well.

When transitioning from APS6 to EL1, you evolve from a technical specialist to a strategic leader. You will take on a diplomatic role while being responsible for the leadership and mentorship of junior staff. In this panel discussion, hear from public sector professionals who have made the transition and learn how they took the next step. 

- The expectations of an EL 1 leader

- Gain access to professional success stories and explore the transition from APS to EL

- Position yourself for promotion and take the next step

Ever felt like you're not good enough? That you don't deserve or aren't ready for that promotion? You're not alone. 70% of women and over 50% of men have experienced imposter syndrome, a persistent nagging sense of self-doubt and insecurity affecting your personal and professional life. In this interactive mini-workshop session, Garry will help you identify imposter syndrome, share strategies for overcoming self-doubt and discuss the power of positive self-talk. 

- Develop strategies to defeat self-doubt

- Learn to see fear as a motivator for your success

- Master positive self-talk to build confidence in your abilities 

We all want to succeed in our jobs, so it hurts when things don’t go according to plan. Rejection can leave you wondering what went wrong - why was someone else chosen over you? The truth is you can learn as much from your setbacks as you can from your successes (if not more!). Sometimes missing one opportunity can be the key to landing the next. So how do you shake off a knockback and turn a roadblock into a rallying point? Sophia reflects on her career journey to EL1 and the mindset that helped her steer the course.

- Develop and leverage your unique strengths

- Dare to demand feedback when you don’t make the cut

- Master resilience by mimicking the behaviours of others

This interactive mini-session provides time for reflection, focusing on lessons learned from the first day of the summit, re-evaluating your career goals, vision, and how to approach day 2 for maximum impact. 

Most of us are programmed to apply and seek senior positions as we progress throughout our careers, but what if there are other strategies to put yourself forward? In this session, you gain tips and tricks for progressing your career in the APS and how you can put yourself forward for your dream role.

- Consider horizontal and lateral career progression

- Embrace professional networking with aspirational role models

- Maximise opportunities through preparation

In an environment of financial constraints, limited resources, increasing strategic demands and skills shortages, building critical leadership skills for public sector leadership has become paramount to success. You may have your sights set on a management role, but it’s not until you see yourself as a leader that you’ll be able to realise your potential.

- Unpack fundamental leadership skills for successful management 

- Explore and discover your unique leadership style 

- Learn to influence up to gain positive career outcomes

This interactive mini-session will build on the knowledge you’ve gained in day 1 of the summit. You will define career goals and establish your vision for the future.

Do you ever stop to question if you’re on the right career path? Moving up the ranks in the public sector can feel like a narrow one-way street, but taking a step back can be as frightening as a step forward. You'll need to muster the courage to realise when you’re heading in the wrong direction or making a choice for the wrong reasons. Alex will share insights from her career journey, and how she dared to say no to a promotion when the timing was off.

- Leverage mentors to navigate your progression

- Build confidence and dare to say no

- Learn to prioritise what’s essential for you and your success

Moving into a leadership position can be daunting and overwhelming. On top of balancing your workload and responsibilities, you must now assist your team with theirs. Prioritisation is an exemplary quality of leadership, though tricky to master. In this interactive panel discussion, you will hear from leaders at different levels of the APS on how they balance their workload and structure their days to best support their team. 

- Set clear expectations for yourself and your team 

- Embrace the power of asking for help when you need it and instil this in others

- Develop strategies for prioritisation

In the public sector, change is part of everyday life, and often out of your control. So how do you prepare yourself for monumental shifts? How do you help your team navigate stormy waters? With 210 million people expected to change occupations by 2030, versatile talents are the solution to finding calm among the chaos. This interactive session will explore strategies for developing resilience through continual upskilling and reskilling.

- Develop a plan (and a backup plan) through career mapping 

- Maximise employer-supported internal and external study 

- Stay up-to-date by joining an industry or professional association

We are navigating our way through unprecedented times. Uncertainty and change have become the norm and departmental restructures continue to shape your role in the APS. Are you prepared for the road ahead? Your ability to cope with pressure, adversity and uncertainty will be determined by proactive behaviours, thoughts and actions. Our panel will share strategies for dealing with change in the workplace and how they’ve managed to remain resilient through the process. 

- Embrace change head-on and develop strategies for remaining positive

- Understand the value of self-care in remaining resilient at home and work

- Establish and leverage social support structures within your team

Many high performing managers, leaders and executives find themselves faced with leading a challenging transformation program - but only a few know how to prepare. Lloyd will speak about his leadership journey from a junior sailor in the navy to Deputy Program Director in the Department of Defence, as well as best practice leadership skills for leading transformation in your organisation.

- Maximise engagement and minimise obstacles during transformation

- Learn from your mistakes

- Create a sense of urgency and then maintain it for the long haul

In this interactive closing session, you will use your building blocks to consolidate key takeaways from the past two days, identify areas for professional development, and build an action plan for your leadership future.  

- Reflect on key learnings from the summit

- Identify areas for professional development

- Use your strengths to develop an action plan

Personal leadership values

- The capabilities, attributes and skills of an effective leader

- Identify your core values and goals as a leader

- Leadership styles and how they impact you 

- Shape your leadership brand

Emotional Intelligence (EQ)

- Evaluate your EQ level and identify opportunities for growth

- Understand individual strengths and how to optimise EQ in teams 

- Leverage your EQ in the workplace

- Embrace qualities of empathy to become a better leader 

Lead and manage productive teams

- Maintain team cohesion and build productive relationships 

- Understand the shift between technical management and people leadership

- Leverage your leadership skills to motivate and engage your team

- Build team capacity through coaching and performance feedback

Effective and practical decision making

- Strategies to build team decision-making capabilities 

- Make autonomous and independent decisions 

- Draw on your experience, knowledge and judgement to make better decisions

- Deal with complex issues - making the ‘right’ decision

Successful change and strategic management

- Set achievable, manageable and measurable goals 

- Problem identification and problem-solving strategies 

- Support and influence stakeholders through change 

- Leadership styles that drive effective transformation and change 

Develop resilience to thrive in times of change

- Effectively manage change and uncertainty in the workplace

- Identify and monitor changes that impact your work environment

- Support your team, organisation and stakeholders through change

- Implement policies and procedures that reflect and embrace change

Stakeholder engagement and management

- Manage stakeholder relationships to achieve agency goals

- Identify and meet stakeholder needs and expectations

- Develop effective relationships with stakeholders

- Maintain strong internal and external networks

Key approaches for APS leaders to implement personal strategies back in the workplace

- Be an authentic leader and communicator

- Trust your initiative and judgement

- Embrace resilience and flexibility as key leadership skills

- Plan and commit to actions that will lead to success