Leading as a woman in the public sector

Summarising the Institute of Public Administration (IPAA) WA division’s Women in Public Sector Leadership conference, Michelle Bye, procurement, event, and project professional talks about the importance of self-regulation, building a support network, and much more. 

The theme of the 2022 #WIPSL Conference was ‘Reaching for Greater Heights’ and the Institute of Public Administration Australia WA (IPAA WA) certainly achieved this with a record-breaking 600+ attendees coming together at Optus Stadium to hear from 15+ inspirational women in leadership, across the public sectors and beyond.

Keynote speaker Diane Smith-Gander AO spoke about her career journey, the 32.1 per cent WA full-time gender pay gap, how to accept it’s not a level playing field, the four stages of feminism, the importance of self-regulation and shared some key takeaways which included:

• If you feel you are being discriminated against – find a different way up
• Women need to do the job impeccably to be noticed
• Pick the right job
• Who has the gold makes the rules
• Supporters will advocate for you, mentors will coach and challenge you. It’s important to have both
• Build your courage. There will be times in your career when you know it’s time to step up. Grab your moment
• Play to your strengths.

Diane’s advice to us all? Be prepared, show flexibility and learn to read the room.

Next up was the ‘Embracing Diversity in Leadership’ panel session which saw Dr Amber Arazi discuss the benefits of hybrid working environments to foster inclusivity and how keeping an open mind can give hiring managers a more holistic view.

Gail Beck OAM spoke about how diversity in leadership is ‘plain common sense’ and how we can hear, see and walk with our traditional landowners.

Christine Thompson spoke about the ‘cliff at level 6’ where women aren’t progressing into level 7+ leadership roles in the public sector and what the Public Sector Commission is doing to resolve this. Christine gave a call to action for us all to change how we recruit and how we value those ‘soft skills’, acknowledging the public service is ‘a large ship to turn’.

The ‘Trailblazers’ panel session focused on making change happen in male-dominated work. Professor Cheryl Praeger AC shared a story about how a guidance counsellor advised her against pursuing a career in mathematics because every woman who came before her failed and how she overcame this barrier so early in her life. Professor Praeger shared with us that the two biggest supporters in her paid career were men and that she was able to work flexibly because of a supportive CEO. Professor Praeger’s advice to us all was to join committees, meet a variety of people in your role, follow your passion, grasp opportunities and learn to say yes.

Alison Mirams noted her dad as one of her earliest supporters – he said ‘you can do anything’ so she believed she could. Alison also recognised that her career was built by an internal sponsor who was a man, acknowledging that men play a pivotal role in gender equity. Alison’s anecdote ‘my duty is to make these changes for the generations who will follow in my footsteps’ resonated with the other panelists.

Alison’s advice?

• Trust your heart if you believe it to be correct
• Keep going
• You need to have good people in your support network
• Find your tribe
• Only worry about what you can control
• Choose your attitude. If you can look on the bright side, choose that path.

Melanie Brown shared her experience of working in the energy sector and explained that in an executive role, you’re expected to lend your voice to all matters and described the difficulty in achieving that in a room filled with men. Melanie explained the importance of doing what you say you’re going to do, being reliable and trying to recognise when the barriers are your own.

MC Amanda Melia thanked the panelists, conveying the audience’s gratitude: “the work that you have done makes it easier for other women”.

Next up was the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries Director General Lanie Chopping who opened her presentation by speaking in Noongar language. Lanie’s energy was infectious, and she had the room captivated by her deeply personal life journey – showing us she walks the talk when it comes to authentic and vulnerable leadership. Lanie spoke about the importance of being able to read people and how you can turn this into a superpower, the unspoken leadership qualities that you need as a female DG and how the subtle microaggressions that happen every day can be undermining, but how to rise above this.

Conference MC Kaylene Gulich gave us a timely reminder saying, “we need to be kind to ourselves”, further embedding the supportive environment this conference provided.

The ‘Skills for Leadership’ panel focused on the decade ahead. Associate Professor Amy WEI TIAN spoke about her personal journey and shared that “without a clearly defined goal, you don’t know where you’re leading people to.”

Associate Professor Tian also shared her three skills to be a better leader:

1. Self-awareness – know yourself – know your weaknesses and strengths
2. Self-regulation – know how you lead and what’s important to you
3. Pay attention to what’s around you – toxic members in your circle will make you unsuccessful.

Sophie Paterson gave advice on finding a mentor saying “if you ever think ‘I really like how they make me feel, I want to be like that’ then approach this person to be your mentor.” Sophie explained her concept asking us all: “What are your minimums?” This included physical and mental aspects, things you need to do daily, weekly, monthly. Sophie then discussed how to identify your warning signs, how to notice when you’re starting to spiral down and the importance of learning to listen to your body.

Rebecca Fitzpatrick, GAICD explained how time is the most valuable currency we have and how we can use it to engage our teams, how clear communication is kind and unclear communication is unkind, how ‘no’ isn’t an answer, it’s an opportunity and how to reframe your thoughts. Rebecca reminded us to acknowledge failure but keep moving forward and encouraged us to engage in networking and professional development. Rebecca shared that we have to care for ourselves first, reminding us “don’t put yourself at the bottom” and that “to be good, you need to be selfish”.

The closing session was a panel session on the topic of ‘Leading with a Purpose Across the Sectors’. Sue Ash AO implored us, based on her experience, to:

• In your 20s – 30s build your leadership foundations
• In your 40s stretch yourself
• In your 50s you’ve got no capacity to stretch anymore – so work smarter
• In your 60s start making some tough choices, choose where you will make the best bang for your buck.

Emily Roper shared her journey about leading with purpose and how this keeps you from being distracted. Emily shared that she needs to know that what she’s doing is making an impact which resonated around the room. Emily described her drive and healthy sense of urgency which gives her focus and helps weed out distractions.

 The recurring themes across all the inspiring women who spoke were:

1. Gender equity is a people issue, not just a women’s issue
2. The importance of mentors and supporters in your career
3. The importance of relationships and networking for your career
4. Vulnerability is a strength and should be celebrated
5. If you work for a purpose, getting out of bed every day will be easy
6. How having a supportive home environment can enable success, but is not a prerequisite.

Almost all speakers expressed gratitude to those who came before them. We must be the trailblazers for the women who come after us.

In the words of keynote speaker Diane Smith-Gander AO, I know I ‘picked the right job’ because of the supportive, purpose-driven environment I am privileged to work in every day at the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries. A huge shout out to Liam Carren for being my supporter at DLGSC – allowing me to attend this Conference and Alison Petrie for being my mentor for the past 12 years.