Episode 35: Leading through change with Emma Connell

As a people and culture leader, Emma Connell has seen and experienced both sides of organisational change, including when it’s managed well and when it’s not. Emma is the Executive Director of People and Culture at the Aged Care Quality Safety Commission. She joins us in our latest episode to share her experiences and offer her advice in leading and supporting people through change, whether it be internal changes within an organisation’s control, or external changes in response to changes to acts, standards, and regulations.

Listen to episode thirty-five:

Also available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify:

About this episode:

This episode offers practical advice on managing organisational change well through putting your people first, sharing the ‘why’ early, and providing ways for engaging your workforce from the get-go in contributing to what the change may look like to them. It also provides the difference between communication done well and when it isn’t, and emphasises the importance of everyone having leadership skills, regardless of their role, in how they support, collaborate, and learn from what others are doing around them.

Emma shares her experiences based on what’s been happening at the commission over the past few years, specifically in response to capability reviews and significant legislative changes, and while the type of change may alter how you respond, how you support people through it remains very similar. Emma takes us through the similarities including how leaders need to be very clear on explaining the “why” and how essential it is for people to be at the forefront of decision-making with leaders needing to put themselves in the shoes of the people who the change will impact, and the importance of people being involved in contributing to what a job might look like as a result of the change.

Emma also stresses how crucial it is to keep your workforce engaged early and informed throughout the process, and how communication done well is when information is intentional, genuine, meaningful in that it’s hitting the things people want to hear about, and delivered through a mix of channels that people respond well to. Leaders also need to be true to their word, meaning if they said they would communicate every fortnight, they must stick to that commitment, even if all they communicate is that there is nothing new to report.

Emma also shares how adaptability, agility, innovation, creativity, curiosity, and digital literacy are essential skills that today’s workforce needs to possess in order to deal with change and uncertainty, and how specific leadership traits, such as empathy and authenticity, have inspired her throughout her career. 

Find out more about this Trailblazer:

Emma Connell

Executive Director of People and Culture

Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission

Emma Connell is the Executive Director of People and Culture at the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission. She joined the Commission in December 2024. Prior to joining the Commission Emma was the Assistant Secretary People, Strategy and Safety Branch at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. 

Emma has led and delivered complex and multi-faceted HR reform projects to improve and enhance workforce capability related to culture, workforce planning, data insights, organisation re-design, corporate learning and development and recruitment. Emma is a people focused leader who values the importance of good change management practices while building a well-supported, highly capable, diverse workforce that works together to fulfill the Commission’s vision.

Emma holds a Master of Business Administration (Human Resource Management) and is a Certified Practitioner Human Resources (CPHR) with AHRI. 

Tune in next time as we speak to a new trailblazer in another episode in our series on Thriving in Uncertainty.

Episode 34: A future-oriented approach to change with Rachel Balmanno

A lot has changed over the past ten years, and the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing is no exception! From the 2016 capability review, the COVID pandemic, the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, and the second capability review in late 2022, the department stands at a critical point in its history, having evolved considerably in how it approaches change and prepares itself for the future. Rachel Balmanno, First Assistant Secretary of the People, Communication, and Parliamentary Division, at the department, joins us to discuss a future-oriented approach to change in our latest episode.

Listen to episode thirty-four:

Also available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify:

About this episode:

This episode is a masterclass in change management and future-proofing your workforce, emphasising how crucial it is to bring your people along with you to help shape and drive the narrative forward. It’s an episode that’s also packed with excellent advice from leader to leader on being self-aware in terms of your risk appetite, the factors that drive your response behaviours, and how you can plan to react differently, enabling you to lead more authentically and with empathy.

Rachel discusses the importance of everyone knowing their department's story and having the opportunity to be involved in shaping it and driving change. While the department’s story may seem simplistic, it has been intentionally crafted that way through a consultative process that distilled their story down into three key things that their organisation thinks will make a difference now and in the future.

“Any investment in change management is better than no investment in change management.”

A similar sentiment applies to approaching change management, with Rachel sharing her advice on the importance of doing the work upfront, as it is more effective and efficient than doing what you think is right and ending up with workarounds that compromise the overall objective.

Rachel also explains how she defines systems thinking and how, at its core, it involves stepping back and looking at the issue more broadly, ensuring that context is taken into account when moving forward. Rachel acknowledges that, like most skills, it has to be exercised and used regularly. However, for many in the public service, capacity issues and the general busyness of the ‘must-dos’ in their workday can often get in the way and narrow their focus.

Another key topic in our conversation was the department’s positive, no-blame culture, which has contributed to higher-than-average engagement and overall positive scores in the APS census, with further improvements this year in innovation and wellbeing.

Rachel shares how it started during COVID times, when the department’s priority was to act, and that their people needed the confidence to do so and try new things. To create this, they needed to provide a high level of psychological safety and an inclusive environment where people felt they could be themselves, try new things, raise issues, and make and learn from mistakes. This has resulted in additional benefits, including increased innovation, creativity, engagement, productivity, and loyalty.

Rachel leaves us with four key lessons that leaders throughout her career have taught her and inspired her to lead with, which are relevant to every public servant, in how to approach change, lead and work with others, be more self-aware, and take a future-oriented approach in everything you do, every day.

Find out more about this Trailblazer:

Rachel Balmanno

First Assistant Secretary - People, Communication, and  Parliamentary Division

Department of Health, Disability, and Ageing

After over 20 years working on health and aged policies and programs, Rachel decided to make a change and moved to her current role leading the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing’s people, communication, change management, parliamentary support and property functions. In recent years Rachel has had a keen focus on supporting the department to adapt to changing workforce expectations and responding to the department's 2023 Capability Review.

Tune in next time as we speak to a new trailblazer in another episode in our series on Thriving in Uncertainty.