Organisation: Australian Government – Indigenous Land Corporation
Job Title: Eastern Divisional Manager
Location: Brisbane
Throughout my career, I have consistently supported workplace objectives and recognise how my work contributes to the achievement of goals, while proactively contributing to organisational purpose. In my current role as State Operations Manager with the Sporting Shooters Association of Australia (SSAA), I have successfully demonstrated a high level of achievement to ensure operational tasks are aligned to strategic goals which, are to promote the shooting sports and protect firearm owners’ interests. I consistently seek opportunities to develop my skills, and contribute towards SSAA’s strategic direction. Every three months, I participate in reviews with the Executive Committee to identify opportunities and threats to the business and to ensure that the operational tasks of all branches are aligned to the strategic goals. As a result of the reviews I am able to:
• Analyse possible threats to the association, and make necessary changes to the business policies and growth plans as well as making alternative plans or contingency plans
• Employ a strategy to match the strengths and opportunities, and employ those strategies for converting the weaknesses and threats into strengths and opportunities
• Gain a clear view of the association’s strengths which allows me to build on them to meet the business objectives
• Clearly identify any weaknesses and implement a plan to reverse them
I practice sound judgement and decision making with an awareness of implications and contribute to future strategies and solutions. I harness information and opportunities when performing my day-to-day duties, working diligently to improve existing practices to improve efficiency. I have demonstrated my innovative approach to tasks by introducing new practices, including the recent development and upgrade of the training system that is used by the Registered Training Organisation (RTO), belonging to the SSAA. Upon commencing my role as State Operations Manager, the system that was in place, was very outdated and relied on a manual paper system which was generating an increasing amount of errors. In order to progress the RTO towards a modern system that meets strategic goals, I have been working on upgrading to a computer system and providing staff with training in this area. This will enable the association to easily capture information, generate reports and meet tax and legal reporting requirements.
As a self-motivated and results orientated professional, I take responsibility for achieving outcomes, meeting targets, mentoring and training staff, being accountable for advice, leading by example and devising ways to improve systems and procedures. An example of this, is my current implementation of SharePoint as an effective document management solution for the SSAA. The association has not had a formal document management system in place, and I found that content was often created and saved in an unmanaged and decentralized way. This has made it very hard for employees to find, share and collaborate effectively on content which in turn has made it difficult for the organisation to use the valuable business information and data in the content. By implementing SharePoint, I will enable the organisation to:
• Ensure consistent business processes for how documents are handled
• Help protect documents from unauthorised access or use
• Store, organise, and locate documents
• Ensure the consistency of documents
• Manage metadata for documents
Throughout my career in the New South Wales (NSW) Police Force, I achieved excellent results, including becoming the recipient of a NSW Police Service Medal for ethical and diligent service, a NSW State Medal for response to the Hunter Flood Emergency in 2007, and a NSW Premiers Award. As a Police Officer, we had stringent Customer Service guidelines set in place which I actively embraced, implemented and applied at all times to ensure that I delivered a quality service consistently and without exception. As a result, I was consistent with achieving positive commendations at individual performance reviews. I have a strong professional drive and hunger for success that can be demonstrated through these examples where my
commitment to action, proactive outlook, and ability to produce and follow through on clear and realistic plans while identifying and eliminating barriers to success has led to careers with outstanding results.
Demonstrating a high level of motivation, personal drive and integrity, I have successfully balanced work and study with the ability to multi-task and remain focused. Possessing a high level of self-awareness and a strong commitment to personal development, I have successfully completed various training, including a Cert IV in Frontline Management, Diploma in Security and Risk Management, Diploma in OH&S and a Bachelor of Policing – Team Leadership & Management. I have also recently commenced a Master’s in Business Management – Human Resources to further develop my skills and experience.
I take responsibility for my own training and development, making the necessary effort to attend regular meetings and keep up-to-date with new organisational procedures and employer objectives, with a proven track record as an efficient team member. When I identify areas that require improvement with processes or other staff members, I use my initiative and commit to making the necessary changes. This was demonstrated in my dealings with a new Manager of a regional branch with the SSAA. This Manager had no previous experience with business, and was struggling to understand the financial and task management aspects of running the regional office. In order to improve the situation, I took personal responsibility to mentor him and to provide him with an Accountant who now visits weekly to assist him with financials. By providing my services as a Mentor, I can assure that this Manager’s practices will align with the strategic direction of the SSAA and he will gain valuable insight into the successful running of a business.
Supporting productive working relationships, I have demonstrated myself to be an active team member with a proven track history of cultivating relationships, and removing obstacles to build trust and enhance productivity while achieving improved workplace communication and team relationships. I have worked without direct supervision and organise my day and work tasks independently, while remaining flexible and adaptable. I work hard at building relationships with Managers and staff members, and promote an inclusive environment for all staff and the broader community that we engage with, which has been evident in my dealings with a long term members of the SSAA. This particular member has been with the association for approximately 30 years, and while I value his knowledge and input, he was not displaying caution with safety issues. In order to deal with this, I had to take a process of investigation and corrective action in order to ensure he was confirming with the relevant safety legislations. Utilising the principles of natural justice and procedural fairness, I involved the employee in the sharing of information, gave him a reasonable opportunity to express his views and took those views into account before making a decision on the health and safety matters. By explaining the consequences of unsafe practices, and drawing on the experience, knowledge and ideas of this member, we were able to put effective control measures in place.
In cases where a misunderstanding or another issue arises, I will always take steps to resolve the issue. Committed to equity and diversity in the workplace, I aim to create an environment which celebrates diversity and is free from all forms of discrimination and harassment which recognises, utilises and values the knowledge, abilities, skills and ideas of all people, irrespective of race, ethnicity or religion, gender or sexual orientation, education level, socio-economic background, age, disability or family responsibility. I facilitate cooperation and partnerships in the workplace which was recently demonstrated when I acted as mediator between a regional office and a Property Manager. Due to previous accidental property damage, the Property Manager did not want to allow some members from this regional office back on to the property. In order to facilitate cooperation, I visited the site and held a meeting with the two parties, giving each the time to be heard. I then explained the relevant legislations in regards to this matter and was able to come to an agreement and resolve the issue. By utilising my conflict resolution and negotiation skills, I was able to ensure that all participants were equally involved in generating options and developing a solution.
A confident and experienced communicator, I possess high level oral and written communication skills which can be demonstrated throughout my employment history where I have communicated with internal and external stakeholders both verbally and in writing on a daily basis, including executive board members, long term association members, industry liaison officers as well as members of the public and Government agencies.
My communication skills and abilities have been used and developed through verbal conversations, presentations and meetings. A recent example of this was in my current role as State Operations Manager with the SSAA, when I had to present a proposal to the Executive Board in regards to the purchase of new company vehicles. Using research that I had conducted and justifying the need of the purchase of the vehicles due to safety requirements, I presented my proposal to the Board. Due to my clear communication and confident negotiation skills I was successful in gaining approval for the purchase of the vehicles.
Through my university studies, I have prepared numerous written assignments on various topics and performed several oral presentations. In my current role as State Operations Manager, I have been responsible for the creation and implementation of new forms in order to meet compliance regulations. This involved meeting with the Head Instructions of SSAA’s RTO and discussing with them the Government requirements and the new forms that I intended to implement. A lot of the Instructors were not easily swayed to this decision, as it was not something they had been doing for a number of years and they felt it would increase their workload. I listened to their concerns and again stressed the importance of having the forms in place and the consequences of not having them in place. Due to my high level of influential communication skills, I was successful in gaining the trust of the Instructors and they agreed to go ahead with the forms. Utilising my written communication skills I advised other regional offices of the new policies and procedures in regards to the forms via company newsletters. This ensured that all relevant staff were up-to-date with current procedures.
Growing up as part of the Wadi/Wiradjuri people at Darlington Point in New South Wales, has given me a high capacity to communicate effectively with Indigenous people, and a knowledge and understanding of their cultures. I am recognised as an Aboriginal and I am well aware that engaging successfully with Indigenous communities requires:
• An appreciation of, and the cultural competency to respond to Indigenous history, cultures and contemporary social dynamics and to the diversity of Indigenous communities
• Clarity about the purpose and the relevant scale for engagement, which may call for multi-layered processes and engagement that relates to Indigenous concepts of wellbeing
• Long-term relationships of trust, respect and honesty as well as accessible, ongoing communication and information
• Appropriate time frames (including for deliberation and responsive funding, where applicable)
• Valuing the cultural skills and knowledge of community organisations and Indigenous people
My engagement with Indigenous people is undertaken with an understanding of the historical, cultural and social complexity of specific local or regional Indigenous contexts and with a genuine attempt to share power in relationships that foster mutual trust. I ensure that all parties have agreed clear outcomes they want to achieve, are clear about roles and responsibilities and steps to discharge them, and have jointly identified indicators of success and monitoring and evaluating processes that meet respective needs.
During my work with the New South Wales Police Force, I was regularly involved in marching for NAIDOC week, attending Indigenous cultural days where I represented the Police Force as well as regular attendance at a local Indigenous Cultural Centre where I assisted with breaking down barriers by facilitating informal talks with my police dog.
In my role as Case Manager with Queensland Corrective Services I was often required to engage with Indigenous offenders where I provided them with appropriate classification and supervision as well as programs, education and vocational training that would maximise their chance to reintegrate successfully into society when they were released. This involved taking the time to build rapport and trust, ensuring that I used active listening and being mindful of eye contact, personal space and remaining respectful at all times. This resulted in many positive outcomes in my dealings with Indigenous offenders.
