8th Qld Public Sector Women in Leadership Summit

Understanding Your Communication Style

- Explore and identify personal communication styles

- Importance of self-awareness in communication

- Understand the impact of communication styles on relationships and collaboration

- Learn strategies to enhance and leverage individual communication strengths

Recognising Diverse Communication Styles

- Increase awareness of diverse communication styles

- Understand the importance of reading verbal and nonverbal communication

- Develop skills to navigate and bridge communication gaps

- Analysing real-world examples of diverse communication styles

Adapting Communication Approaches

- Develop skills to adapt communication styles based on the situation

- Enhance flexibility in communication approaches

- Master the art of powerful questioning

-  Apply techniques to emphasise positive language and tone

Inclusive Communication Practice

- Explore best practices for inclusive leadership through communication

- Recognising and mitigating bias in communication

- Encouraging diverse perspectives and contributions

- Developing personalised action plans

Join Liquid Learning for this kick-off session as we prepare for two days of incredible speakers, senior leaders, expert deep-dives and unmissable panel discussions!

In the pursuit of career progression, it is vital to look beyond immediate tasks and consider the broader landscape. Success often lies in understanding the bigger picture, identifying trends, challenges, and opportunities, and taking a proactive approach by seeking ways to contribute beyond your current role. In this session, Belinda shares how embracing challenges serves as stepping stones, not obstacles, and that success is about more than just doing your job well, it's about strategically navigating your career path.

- Continuously assess and adapt

- Highlighting the value of taking initiative

- Ensuring career steps align with long-term goals

Leading public policy reform in complex areas and environments cannot be achieved without successful engagement with key stakeholders. In this session, Carmel shares insights and strategies from her career and key takeaways needed to drive impactful change.

- Engage stakeholders during policy development

- Identify key or non-key stakeholders

- Developing a communications strategy

Mix and mingle with your fellow leaders over a cup of coffee and light refreshments.

As Queensland's Minister for Women, the Hon. Shannon Fentiman is committed to achieving gender equality and improving the lives of all Queenlanders, actively championing women's health and mental well-being. In this session, Minister Fentiman reflects on her own career and leadership journey, discussing how she has navigated difficult decisions along the way. Minister Fentiman shares how she passionately promotes gender equality and strives to advance the rights of women and girls throughout Queensland.

- Bridging gaps for all Queenslanders

- Actively championing women

- Advocating for gender equality, advancing rights in Queensland

By putting people first, you lay the foundation for a resilient and motivated workforce that drives lasting success. Discover the art of leading with your team front of mind as Jennifer shares insights on creating a thriving work culture. Learn how to understand and prioritise individual needs, foster trust, and encourage innovation.

- Understanding and prioritising people

- Cultivating a supportive environment

- Empowers teams and drives long-term success

Enjoy a midday lunch break. A time to refresh, refuel, and prepare for a full afternoon of immersive learning and inspiration.

How do you define leadership? In this panel, QPS leaders share personal anecdotes, insights and inspiration, discussing challenges overcome and defining their unique leadership styles. The conversation delves into the pivotal role of mentorship, gender-specific obstacles and the significance of work-life integration. This exclusive panel will inspire you with practical insights, fostering a dialogue on leadership that transcends gender boundaries and empowers individuals to navigate their own leadership landscapes successfully.

- Highlight the diversity in leadership styles

- Recognise and leverage your individual strengths

- Understand the significance of guidance and support

The importance of health and well-being for executive women leaders cannot be overstated. As key decision-makers, your mental and physical vitality directly impacts organisational success. In this session, Robyn explores how prioritising self-care enhances resilience, fosters sound judgement, and promotes sustained productivity, contributing to a positive workplace culture and allows leaders to sustain long-term excellence.

- Critical role of health and well-being

- Adopting balanced lifestyles and prioritising self-care

- Sustain excellence over time

A quick break to refresh and continue building your network with fellow leaders. Enjoy a light refreshment before finishing your conference experience.

Effective leaders recognise the importance of cultivating a high-performing team, consistently aiming to surpass expectations, but this is often easier said than done. What incremental measures can you adopt to actually foster a culture of excellence and high performance? Join Deborah as she shares her small yet effective leadership actions that drive tangible and lasting cultural change in your team.

- Delve into bold truths and question the existing norms

- Acknowledge that substantial transformations often originate from minor actions

- Foster high-performance within your organisational framework

Join us for our end of day one networking. Enjoy canapés and drinks whilst getting to know your peers further, build ongoing relationships, and share your highlights of the day.

Welcome back for Day Two - there's a lot to digest from our amazing speakers and action modules so far!

Recap the key learnings and takeaways from Day One, and prep an action plan to maximise your event experience over our jam-packed second day!

Cultivating a mentorship culture fuels inspiration and solidifies support, elevating professional capabilities, which can help you navigate challenges more effectively with support and guidance on your journey. In this session Dr. Karen Hooper emphasises its significance, especially for women in male-dominated fields. Dr Hooper will share how nurturing a successful mentor-mentee relationship requires a delicate balance of guidance and open communication.

- Unlock strategies for unparalleled professional growth through effective mentorship.

- Mentorship goes beyond guidance, shaping individuals and communities.

- Learn to navigate the nuances of mentor identification

In the workplace power dynamics extend beyond conventional hierarchical structures, encompassing a variety of relationships that are equally crucial to understand. Recognising these dynamics within a given setting is essential for fostering relationships and impacting stakeholders positively. Deborah offers valuable insights and techniques for skillfully navigating power dynamics with emotional intelligence.

- Detect power dynamics operating within your work environment

- Appreciate the significance of cultivating relationships to enhance your influencing abilities

- Delve into effective strategies for navigating challenging conversations

Mix and mingle with your fellow leaders over a cup of coffee and light refreshments.

Exploring the power of a people-first leadership style during uncertain times. In this session, Sarah shares how to build an inclusive culture, understand individual motivations, and maintain positivity in the face of challenges. Sarah's approach emphasises the well-being and professional growth of her team, creating loyalty and enhancing overall productivity.

- Build an inclusive workplace culture

- Understand what drives and motivates people

- Remaining positive despite challenges

How can strength-based leadership enhance team dynamics and creative a positive work environment for you? By recognising and utilising strengths, leaders can create a collaborative and empowering environment, leading to increased productivity and job satisfaction. This approach encourages continuous development, as individuals are encouraged to build on their strengths, fostering a culture of growth and resilience. In this session, Jae promotes a positive and impactful leadership style that enhances both individual and collective success.

- Focusing on strengths to encourage continuous development

- Enhance both individual and collective success

- Embracing your intuition and evolving into a capable leader

Enjoy a midday lunch break. A time to refresh, refuel, and prepare for a full afternoon of immersive learning and inspiration.

The advancement of women’s leadership in the QPS is a comprehensive discussion, engaging with diverse perspectives from across the sector, and involving policies and initiatives with far-reaching impacts. This panel dives into the big topics, from the efficacy of affirmative-action policies, family-friendly workplace measures, and equal opportunity initiatives, and explores what you can do to lift as you lead, and co-create a brighter future for women leaders in the QPS.

- Creating opportunities for mentorship

- Acknowledging the value of diverse perspectives

- Creating equal opportunity measures

A quick break to refresh and continue building your network with fellow leaders. Enjoy a light refreshment before finishing your conference experience.

The ability to introspect is a formidable superpower, unlocking profound personal growth and resilience. Self-reflection serves as a tool for understanding one's motivations, fears, and aspirations. It acts as a compass, guiding individuals through life's complexities and empowering them to navigate challenges with clarity. In the session, Amy shares how this superpower cultivates emotional intelligence, fostering empathy and harmonious relationships. Harnessing self-reflection allows individuals to adapt, learn, and transform, turning adversity into an opportunity for career growth.

- Self-reflection enables individuals to adapt, learn, and transform 

- Unlocks personal growth and resilience

- Cultivates emotional intelligence

The essence of leadership is rooted in the commitment to removing barriers and embracing the unique qualities that make us who we are. As leaders, creating a safe space is pivotal, where you can recognise that each individual has their own journey and their own set of challenges. In this session, Kellie shares how setting clear expectations from the outset establishes a foundation for success, enabling everyone to understand their role and contribute meaningfully.

-Tackle the complexities of leading big teams

- Creating a culture that celebrates and embraces vulnerability

- Diversity is not just a checkbox

We wrap up our inspirational and jam packed two days with this interactive closing roundtable. This is your chance to table any topic or trend for a final group discussion. Reflecting on the inspiring stories that have been shared, discussing your key learnings with your peers, and creating your action plan for moving forward.

- Reflect on your key learnings from the Summit

- Identify opportunities for career progression and growth

- Create an action plan for your leadership journey

Develop self-awareness and authenticity

- Identify and evaluate your key strengths as a leader

- Explore the role authenticity plays in effectively leading a team

- Recognise the impact your leadership behaviour has on others

Embrace your leadership identity

- Identify how best to utilise your optimal leadership style within the context of your organisation

- Advocate for yourself and develop your leadership identity

- Cultivate a high performing mindset

The importance of resilience and confidence for leaders

- Build resilience to thrive under pressure

- Dealing with disappointment and setbacks throughout your career

- Identify stress triggers and how to avoid them

High-level communication, influencing skills

- Manage emotions for positive and assertive communication and relationships

- Develop influencing techniques and conversational intelligence

- Execute difficult conversations with confidence

Transformational leadership strategies to accelerate team performance

- Leverage team dynamics to enhance performance

- Challenge, support and empower others

- Manage uncooperative staff members

Drive change and innovation as a female leader

- Recognise and overcome hurdles to change

- Trust your intuition and step outside your comfort zone

- Embed a positive change culture in an organisation

Build resilience to remain productive in a crisis

- Learn tools to help you thrive under pressure

- Support your team and engage others to deliver

- Debrief after crisis - Provide and accept feedback

Strategically plan your career progression

- Develop a personalised approach: short and long-term

- Understand challenges

- Share approaches to move your career forward