To thrive in today’s fast-changing world, mastering the art of leadership is not just beneficial – it’s essential. By fostering a culture of trust, promoting integrity, embracing diversity, and integrating automation thoughtfully, Australian Public Service (APS) leaders can inspire their teams and drive transformative change in the public sector.
Here are six top leadership tips to help you stay ahead of the game:
- Empower your team
Empowering your team remains a key leadership skill that helps to foster a culture of trust and agility. By giving members of your team the ability to make decisions and align their efforts with the organisation’s mission and goals, leaders can create a more responsive and motivated workforce. The best ethical leaders, also balance encouraging people to bring their whole selves to work whilst upholding the values of the service.
- Practice accountability and integrity
The APS Integrity Taskforce report, Louder than Words: An APS Integrity Action Plan highlights the importance of promoting a pro-integrity culture where all staff feel confident to contribute ideas, provide frank and independent advice, and report mistakes. Taking an authentic leadership approach can help by expanding self-awareness, asking for and receiving feedback, and creating a culture of psychological safety.
- Nurture diversity of thought
For the APS, a diverse workforce is one way to remain strongly connected to the people of Australia and is a commitment under APS reform. Encouraging different viewpoints and experiences within teams through inclusive leadership practices can help improve decision making, innovation, and employee wellbeing. HR leaders have a further opportunity to model adaptive intelligence to help teams consider multiple perspectives, encourage creative collaboration, and devise novel solutions.
- Redesign work for flexibility
Following the shift to hybrid work, the use of technology and skills-based ways of working, present an opportunity to redesign work. Aligned with the APS Workforce Strategy 2025, this involves allocating tasks based on priorities and taking a strength based approach to mobilising people. Leaders can ensure that talent is used where it’s needed most, making teams more efficient, effective, and resilient.
- Focus on humanistic automation
As automation and artificial intelligence continue to reshape the workplace, leaders have an opportunity to integrate technology to enhance the human experience. Prioritising the wellbeing of your employees and using data and digital tools to augment their capabilities, can drive productivity while maintaining a positive work culture.
- Encourage continuous learning
In a rapidly changing world, continuous learning is essential for both leaders and their teams to ensure they remain adaptable and resilient. Creating an environment that supports lifelong learning includes providing access to development programs, supporting on-the-job knowledge transfer, and modelling a growth mindset. Consider enrolling in one of the APS Academy or HR Professional Stream programs tailored for APS/HR leaders.
By embracing these principles, HR professionals can drive positive change and create a more dynamic and responsive public sector workforce.