The first 20 years... a reflection.

(Cue Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band) It was 20 years ago today that I started my first real job as a graduate accountant at the City of Whittlesea. If I could tell that 21-year-old painfully shy, ridiculously quiet, socially awkward dude what was to come, I’m sure he wouldn’t believe me.? I could imagine his shock at finding out that:

1. he would become a manager,
2. discover he is actually a people person,
3. he would meet new people who would become the most important people in his life, and
4. he would find out that he is comfortable with public speaking - often winging presentations with no notes.? ?

I feel incredibly privileged to work in the local government sector. The idea of working in a billable hours environment or focusing on ‘profit’ never appealed to me. I ‘fell' into the sector. It was not a conscious choice, but it could not have been a better fit. I truly believe that what is meant for you will find you. ?

Local government is the closest level of government to the people – working in an internally focused role, it would be easy to forget this.? For me, the stories behind the numbers are what gives me connection to the community.? It is amazing how much exceptional work for the community is completed every single day. We should celebrate this more! ?

So, what are my thoughts and biggest takeaways after the first 20 years? ?

People – it’s all about people.? Mentoring and empowering staff is what I enjoy the most. The old version of me would be surprised to learn that this comes naturally to me. Building trust, rapport and connection, genuinely caring (asking staff how they’re going), treating staff as adults, identifying their natural styles and work preferences, and adapting to them (i.e. not expecting them to adapt to you) - it's not rocket science. Create a safe and supportive environment and the rest works itself out. Where some may view a 10 minute chat about the weekend's sports results or a extended group chat full of banter and laughter as 'unproductive', for me these are the signs of a good culture and lead to an increase in descretionary effort. ?

I’ve spent the last 4 years managing remotely (yes, it is possible). It's been amazing to see how these same principles work - connections can be established. Yes, it's not exactly the same and I acknowledge it does not work for all people or roles. We all project our own preferences! There will always be pros and cons. For me, I've found it fun being part of the new wave of remote managers, carving a new path. ?

Authenticity – being yourself.? People can tell when you’re not being authentic, which compromises trust. I really like the term ‘confident vulnerability’.? We are human, not robots. We are going to have bad days and make mistakes.? Being honest, owning mistakes and growing from them is vital. I view the world through an empathic len.?I'm not ashamed to wear my heart on my sleeve.

I'm passionate about mental health as I have people in my life who I have seen really struggle with this. I too have had my own experiences, particularly with anxiety. So I'm not afraid to tell the team or my boss if I'm having an off day or not feeling great. It's exhausting to wear a mask and pretend you're ok. Normalising these conversations is really important. We are stronger together.

Celebrating our differences - we are all unique! My weaknesses are someone else's strengths - understanding this and working together leads to better outcomes and awesome learning opportunities.

And how boring would it be if we were all the same?! These days you’ll see me with a beard and a man bun – an image that you would not normally associate with accountants! But this is me! The result of a silver lining from the pandemic - with so much time for self-reflection, my inner self come to the surface.? I get a kick out of confusing people – a CPA who is both an Iron Maiden and Taylor Swift fan,?and who on occasions wears purple or bright pink Doc Martens. I like to joke that I look more like a youth services worker. I can honestly say I have never been more happy than I am right now. My suit and tie days are long over!

Self-awarness - stopping to ask yourself why you are triggered by something, challenging where your opinions came from, or going deep to work out why you reacted to something the way you did, can be a confronting exercise. If everyone did this level of self-reflection, there would be more love, peace and understanding in the world. (Yes, I'm in my hippie era!).

Finally, large metro councils could learn a lot from smaller rural councils. Having worked in both environments I have to say the smaller councils do many things better and punch well above their weight. There is an attitude of just getting stuff done as quickly and efficiently as possible - often because there is no other choice. They run lean by default - no need for a 10 week series of workshops to attempt to integrate lean methodologies into business as usual activities. There is less internal politics and red tape. It's rather refreshing.

I'm not someone who plans ahead - if I did, there is no way my career would have played out the way it has to date. I didn't chase my opportunities. They found me at perfect time.

So I don't know how the next 5, 10, 20 years will play out. All I do know is that I'm really looking forward to continuing to learn and grow, while hopefully having a positive impact on everyone I come in contact with.