Victoria’s Local Government Professionals Inc. staged its annual conference in Melbourne on 20 and 21 February. Former SOCOG Chief Executive Officer, Sandy Hollway, delivered the keynote address on the conference theme, ‘Leadership Through Innovation’.
Local Government leaders must motivate and drive their communities through consultation and empowerment – they must never rule with an iron fist, according to Sandy Hollway.
“I’ve known effective leaders who were introspective and quiet, who led with the strength and inspiration of their thoughts,” Sandy Hollway said. “I’ve known leaders who were confident and outgoing, who led with a style of contagious excitement. The only thing I have never seen work is leadership by fear. You might, in the short term, get people in an organisation to behave the way you want by compelling them, but in the end it is just tyranny and this type of leader will be abandoned and alone.”
Sandy Hollway is a former Australian diplomat, was chief of staff to former Prime Minister Bob Hawke, a Commonwealth Government Head of Department and CEO of the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games. He said local Councils were the most difficult level of Government in which to lead because “conflicts are often at their sharpest and the need to explain is at its highest”.
“On the up side, it is the level of Government that is closest to the delivery of services for our communities and therefore it is the most rewarding,” he said. “I know the very important role Local Government plays in volunteer networks. I have the highest regard for Local Government. Councils are leaders in their communities. We are blessed in Australia with extremely capable people in the public sector, including Local Government. They are as good as anywhere in the world.”
In summing up, Mr Hollway left his audience with one simple, enduring message: “Lead on – fly high and proud”. His leadership tips are as follows.
- You must have a team committed to planning – set your goals and track back; then you can walk forward with confidence that you will achieve the goals you set.
- Nourish the intellect – think and write clearly; articulate all the pros and cons.
- Have confidence, not arrogance – recognise your achievements but acknowledge where there is room for improvement.
- Apply resources effectively – always distinguish between the must-do’s and the nice-to-do’s. Early injection of adequate resources into a project can generate a momentum that saves you time and money later on.
- Recognise that time is a scarce resource – use the “80 per cent principle” – if you wait until you have perfect knowledge you will never move forward. You must move when you are 80 per cent certain and sweep up the rest as you go along.
- Delegate to the lowest level of decision-making – no management system allows people in top leadership positions to know exactly what is going on. Empower your team.
- Integrate – use the ‘day-in- the-life’ technique to put yourself in the minds of your constituents and stakeholders. Walk through a whole day in their shoes – how will your decisions/ actions affect them at each stage? Is your project relevant?
- Live and breathe egalitarianism – every job done to a standard of excellence in an organisation is as deserving of respect as any other job. The receptionist deserves the same level of respect as the CEO.
- Work with allies – we need alliances to pursue outcomes. Local Government should not and cannot be expected to do it all.
- Be governed by communication – nourish the organisation all the time with information about the bigger picture of what you are trying to achieve.
- Practice the what, why and how principles: What – Set goals then plan backwards, instead of ‘moving irrevocably forwards through the fog’. Never doubt the power of a vision when it takes hold. Why – Motivate your team to reach their goals. Never tell them it is something they must do. How – Throughout the process, keep in mind how you are going to reach your goal as a team.
