Episode 26: Fostering adaptability in teams with Deb Jenkins
What makes a team great? It may seem like a simple question, but the reality is that great teams don’t form and work well together by chance; there is a lot of investment required in making them high-performing. Deb Jenkins, Deputy Secretary of Corporate Enabling Services and Chief Operating Officer for the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, joins us in our latest episode to talk about fostering adaptability in teams.
What makes a team great? It may seem like a simple question, but the reality is that great teams don’t form and work well together by chance; there is a lot of investment required in making them high-performing. Deb Jenkins, Deputy Secretary of Corporate Enabling Services and Chief Operating Officer for the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, joins us in our latest episode to talk about fostering adaptability in teams.
Listen to episode twenty-six:
Also available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify:
This episode affirms that to create great teams, you have to work hard at it. Deb shares that the cornerstones of great teams are built on relationships, a clear and shared purpose, and a diverse makeup, and these factors will always be fundamental in leading high-performing teams now and in the future.
Deb also discusses the pivotal role that recruitment plays in ensuring you have the right fit for your team and how evolving your hiring approach to recruit talent can help you succeed in filling key skills gaps.
The traditional picture of a ‘team’ looks different today than it did a few years ago. While you may not be able to look around and see your direct team sitting next to you, the importance of having a clear direction of where you’re headed together and building connections and relationships with each other is still paramount. Deb reflects on this in our discussion, noting that building personal connections cannot be achieved through a ‘Teams’ call with 20 people. That’s why she makes opportunities to have in-person moments and carefully thinks about how those moments can be fit for purpose.
Deb also shares that understanding how you and the people around you operate can make a significant difference in knowing the tips to succeed in communicating with each other, as well as the importance of giving things time and seeing things from another person’s perspective.
We also speak about innovation and embracing technology, and how it’s important to encourage teams to try new things, have safeguards around experimenting, make failing a learning opportunity, and, as a leader, check yourself to ensure you respond appropriately when things don’t go the way you had hoped they would.
Deb leaves us with an appreciation for how the All Blacks inspire her in their stewardship, putting service before others, and how they embody the principle that no one is bigger than the team. Wise words to build and lead teams by.
Find out more about this Trailblazer:
Deborah Jenkins
Deputy Secretary, Corporate and Enabling Services
Chief Operating Officer
Department of Employment and Workplace Relations
Deborah is Deputy Secretary and Chief Operating Officer at the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR) in a broad ranging role supporting the enterprise covering everything from HR, legal, communications, parliamentary, data and finance through to IT and digital solutions.
Her career has spanned the public and private sector in Australia and overseas, including most recently senior APS leadership roles at the Australian Taxation Office and the Australian Charities and Not for Profits Commission. Prior to joining the APS, Deborah was a partner at KPMG where she held various domestic and international leadership positions with multinational experience in Australia, New Zealand, Asia Pacific and Europe. In Aotearoa/New Zealand she worked in both the public and private sectors, starting her career as a graduate with Inland Revenue before joining a law firm.
Deborah loves executing well designed client and staff experiences to achieve organisational outcomes. Passionate about communicating and connecting with people, she enjoys developing strong relationships and collaborating with stakeholders. She works hard to build inclusive teams that value diversity and takes being an active ally seriously. She inspires, leads and motivates those around her through her authentic and engaging leadership.
Her true passions outside of work (apart from her family) are rugby union, travelling and music. She particularly enjoys giving back to the community supporting grass roots rugby.
Tune in next week as we speak to a new trailblazer in another episode in our series on Thriving in Uncertainty.
Episode 25: Leading Through Shifts and Shocks with Steve Vamos
Our next Trailblazer has over forty years of experience in information technology and digital media in Australia, New Zealand, the USA, and Asia, leading companies such as IBM, Apple, Microsoft, ninemsn, and Xero, and as a result, has been on the frontline of every significant technological shift and economic shock since the 1980s. Steve Vamos, Global Executive, and former CEO, joins us in our latest episode to discuss this further as he reflects on his career and provides insights from his book, “Through Shifts and Shocks – Lessons from the Front Line of Technology and Change.”
Our next Trailblazer has over forty years of experience in information technology and digital media in Australia, New Zealand, the USA, and Asia, leading companies such as IBM, Apple, Microsoft, ninemsn, and Xero, and as a result, has been on the frontline of every significant technological shift and economic shock since the 1980s. Steve Vamos, Global Executive, and former CEO, joins us in our latest episode to discuss this further as he reflects on his career and provides insights from his book, “Through Shifts and Shocks – Lessons from the Front Line of Technology and Change.”
Listen to episode twenty-five:
About this episode:
Steve’s experience on the frontline of uncertainty has provided him with a unique ability to get straight to the point of what leaders must do today: establish great teams, maximise the potential of individuals in their workforce, effectively achieve alignment of aspirations at every layer of the organisation, and approach challenges with the right mindset.
This episode is a must-listen for leaders today who face increasing uncertainty and volatility.
Having experienced every technology shift and every economic shock in the past five decades certainly has given Steve clarity across key areas, including leadership, culture, and creating great teams. As he explains in our discussion, each of these waves and issues he has experienced represents a change issue, and it’s only human to find change hard. Through his experience, Steve knows too well that meaningful change comes from great teamwork and collaboration. Still, many teams today aren’t working to their collective and even individual potential.
Steve also recognises that creating better teams needs to come from the top, the leadership team. To establish great teams, people leaders need to enable individuals within their teams to speak up and improve how they work together every day, as little changes each day can lead to the creation of a whole new environment.
Steve touches on many other critical parts of his book, “Through Shifts and Shocks – Lessons from the Front Line of Technology and Change,” including the three lenses that he feels from his experience and lessons learned as a global leader that leaders today need to have in approaching change, how essential alignment is in effective communication through every layer of an organisation, and how we need to shift how we manage our workforce going forward from beyond the task level to managing to their individual potential.
He leaves us with key advice for leaders on remaining relevant and for those who may fear change or extinction: keep learning from experiences, failures, and others and be a ‘learn-it-all,’ not a ‘know-it-all.’
Find out more about this Trailblazer:
Steve Vamos
Author, Global Executive,
and former CEO
Steve Vamos is a former CEO and Global Executive with more than 40 years’ experience in information technology and digital media. Steve served as CEO of Xero from 2018 to 2023.
Steve has lived and worked in Australia, New Zealand, the USA and Asia at the frontline of every significant technology shift and economic shock since the 1980s with companies such as IBM, Apple, Microsoft, and ninemsn.
Steve has also been a non-executive director of ASX listed companies such as Telstra, Fletcher Building and David Jones and several start-ups and emerging businesses.
Steve also founded and ran a not for profit called the Society for Knowledge Economics (SKE) from 2005 to 2014. The SKE was a cross industry collaboration aimed at improving the quality of workplace leadership in Australia.
In his newly released book, Through Shifts and Shocks: Lessons from the Front Line of Technology and Change, Steve shares eight Must-Do actions that represent the most important lessons he has learnt about how leaders need to think and act in the face of uncertainty and change.
Tune in next week as we speak to a new trailblazer in another episode in our series on Thriving in Uncertainty.
Thriving in Uncertainty – Episode Eleven with Tess Bishop
An open-minded approach to leadership and working with others is a highly desirable attribute that staff look for in a leader. After all, if you have a new idea or want to give feedback on a change or a project, knowing that you can approach these leaders, have a constructive dialogue, and work together to solve it is helpful.
Tess Bishop, Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Secretary of Strategy, Enterprise, and Engagement at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Forestry (DAFF), is one of these leaders. She joins us in our latest episode to discuss a growth mindset approach to change.
You can’t help but feel the passion and energy that Tess brings to her team at DAFF as she shares her experiences leading a very large transformation agenda with multiple aspects in response to their capability review in 2024. Tess provides her perspectives on how success can only be achieved through an open-minded approach, engaging in open dialogue with others, and adapting and supporting staff along the way.
As a leader, she acknowledges that you are only as good as your team and the importance of learning every day and passing that learning on to others. Tess also shares how she is passionate about getting out to meet her team and how seeing how things work firsthand can really bring policy to life, enabling her to receive direct feedback firsthand.
Tess is a passionate and energetic leader with an open-minded approach to leading others. We hope that you will feel as uplifted as we did after listening to our conversation.
Listen to episode eleven:
Also available through Apple Podcasts and Spotify:
Find out more about this Trailblazer:
Tess Bishop
Chief Operating Officer
Deputy Secretary of Strategy, Enterprise, and Engagement
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
Tess has over 20 years' experience across the public, private and not for profit sectors in Australia and the United Kingdom. Since January 2017, she has held Deputy Secretary roles at both the state and federal level, achieving major outcomes with lasting positive impact. This includes leading priority projects such as founding the Office for Rural and Regional Queensland, establishing the Priority and Delivery Unit for the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and delivering the Transformation Action Plan for the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.
Tess is currently the Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Secretary of the Strategy, Enterprise, and Engagement Group in the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. It is a pivotal role overseeing the full suite of corporate and assurance services, as well as navigating high risk, complex and varied policy and enterprise strategy.
An experienced Non-Executive Director, Tess has recently been appointed to the Council of the Institute of Public Administration Australia ACT. She previously served on the Board of Screen Queensland, the Queensland Chapter of the Australian Institute of International Affairs, the Board of the Townsville Port Authority, and the Pathways to Resilience Trust.
Tess holds a Master of International Relations, a Graduate Certificate in Business Management and a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Political Science and Public Policy. She has also completed the Australia New Zealand School of Government Executive Fellows Program and is a graduate of the AICD Company Board of Directors program.
Professional memberships include the Institute of Public Administration Australia and IAP2 Australasia.
Tune in next week as we speak to a new trailblazer in another episode in our series on Thriving in Uncertainty.
Series three – Solving the Capability Gap – episode two
In today’s episode, we dive deep into the current skills landscape, outlining the skills that are becoming increasingly important and discussing proven strategies that can help organisations become more skills-based in how they attract, develop, nurture, and retain their workforce.
Welcome back to the second episode of our new podcast series on Solving the Capability Gap.
In today’s episode, we dive deep into the current skills landscape, outlining the skills that are becoming increasingly important and discussing proven strategies that can help organisations become more skills-based in how they attract, develop, nurture, and retain their workforce.
Across the world, organisations are grappling with skills shortages. According to LinkedIn data, on an individual level, the skills needed for a given position are shifting and are expected to double by 2027, leaving a high number of employees who require training and capability development.
However, the potential of untapped latent or adjacent skills within the workforce is intriguing, presenting organisational leaders with an excellent opportunity to identify, develop, and nurture these skills to create an engaged workforce capable of driving their organisation forward.
Listen in as Julie Tickle, Chief People Officer at TAFE NSW, joins Andy to share her extensive experience in how organisations can become more skills-based in their talent strategy. Listen in as Julie answers compelling questions covering important topics such as skills versus qualifications, human skills versus technical skills, how TAFE uses skills-based approaches in its talent strategy, and how to measure skills initiatives.
Listen to episode two:
Also available through Apple Podcasts and Spotify:
Download the full transcript of episode two:
Find out more about this Trailblazer:
Julie Tickle is a respected educational leader, with over two decades of experience in the VET sector as teacher, mentor and executive. In her role as Chief People Officer for TAFE NSW Julie oversees the attraction, development and retention of a capable, engaged, and adaptable workforce of over 15,000.
She is responsible for ensuring TAFE NSW operates in a safe, diverse, and inclusive work environment, and her team ensures TAFE NSW has the capability to deliver the best outcomes through effective people and safety processes, policies, and programs.
With TAFE NSW since 2002, Julie was initially a part-time casual teacher of Business based out of the Taree campus and remains dedicated to regional employment and educational outcomes throughout NSW. She has held a wide range of positions including Head Teacher of both online and on-campus faculty teams, Business Development Consultant, Manager Curriculum Development, Faculty Director, Leader Organisational Workforce Development and Head of Organisational Development and Talent Management.
Remaining dedicated to supporting individuals to reach their potential, Julie holds a Masters in Adult Education and Training, Bachelor of Arts (Psychology), Graduate Diploma of Education, Leadership and Sustainability and the current Cert IV Training and Assessment qualification in order to remain connected to teachers. She is an Alumni of the NSW Public Sector Leadership Academy and a keen mentor of emerging leaders in the sector.
Julie is a member of the DEWR VET Workforce Blueprint Steering Committee, TAFE Director’s Australia Workforce Network and the National VET Educator Development Network. Her team designed and implemented the successful Paid to Learn teacher attraction and retention program to support an ongoing commitment to solving the VET teacher shortage in NSW, which has become the benchmark for innovative attraction strategies across the sector.
Julie is passionate about Diversity and Inclusion and is a member of the NSW Public Service Disability Steering Committee, Co-chair of the TAFE NSW Diversity & Inclusion Council and executive sponsor of the Aboriginal Strategic Leadership Group and Aboriginal Employment Strategy. She has strategic oversight of the inaugural TAFE NSW Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Plan which launched in 2023 as well as TAFE Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan, Disability and Inclusion Action Plan and Multicultural Action Plan.
Please tune in next week as we talk with Sandra Lerch, Executive Director of Strategic Workforce Futures at the Public Sector Commission for the Queensland Government, as she joins us to provide insights on workforce agility and the agile enterprise in our third episode of this series on Solving the Capability Gap.
Missed an episode?
Embracing organisational change – episode two
We hope that you’ve been enjoying our series on embracing organisational change.
In this week’s episode, we are tackling a pivotal change facing organisations today in their quest to gain more efficiency, specifically, how an operating model approach can help achieve operational efficiency and drive better service delivery outcomes to customers.
Grab a coffee and settle in for this tremendous 20min chat!
Listen to episode two:
Also available through Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Podcasts:
Dan Bowes, Executive Director of Taxes and Grants Products at Revenue NSW, joins Andy to explain how his team ensures they deliver for their customers. Listen in to hear from Dan how his team overcame challenges during COVID through successful collaboration, the entire team's role in improving customer process outcomes, and his top three tips on how other leaders can deliver efficiently and effectively for their customers.
Download the full transcript of episode two:
Find out more about this Trailblazer:
Dan is Revenue NSW's Executive Director of Taxes & Grants Products, leading the team of 700 people working in Business Taxes, property taxes and duties.
Dan and his teams raise over $35bn of revenue annually and distribute vital grants to support communities and businesses. Dan has a background in banking and process improvement and has previously held business development and strategy roles at Revenue NSW.
Please tune in next week as we talk with Julie Etchells, Chief Human Resources Officer for the Department of Child Safety, Seniors, and Disability Services for the Queensland Government, for our third episode in this series on realising diversity, equity, and inclusion aspirations.
Missed episode one?
Series two - Embracing organisational change – episode one
Thanks for joining us, and welcome back to our exciting second series of Trailblazing with CorbettPrice!
Our new series spans five stimulating and thought-provoking episodes, discussing key transformational changes that leaders must embrace to succeed now and into the future.
Listen to episode one:
Also available through Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Podcasts:
Steve Brady, Managing Director of TAFE NSW, joins Andy in this episode to discuss the important change of shifting mindsets and leading to empower employees. Listen in as Steve shares his invaluable insights and perspectives on how TAFE NSW continues to embrace change and adapt to their customer's evolving needs and how Steve maintains a positive mindset and stays adaptable in the face of change.
Download the full transcript of episode one:
Find out more about this Trailblazer:
Steve has more than 20 years of experience in executive leadership in private and public sectors and across a diverse range of NSW government agencies, including NSW Treasury, Department of Premier and Cabinet, Revenue NSW, and NSW Department of Customer Service.
Steve is focussed on driving public sector innovation through a focus on customer and community, working with industry to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes, enhancing the economic contribution of agencies, and delivering strong financial stewardship.
In his current role, Steve is responsible for ensuring TAFE NSW is the leading provider of vocational training supporting the evolving needs of industry and learners in a rapidly changing economy.
Tune in next week as we talk with Dan Bowes, Executive Director of Taxes and Grants Products, Revenue NSW for our second episode in this series on optimising service delivery for customers.
Check out our full listing of episodes and trailblazers:
Trailblazing with CorbettPrice Podcast - Episode 4
We hope that you are enjoying our Trailblazing with CorbettPrice podcast series on organisational health and the seven dimensions of wellness. In episode four, we dive deep into the fourth dimension which is occupational health and the employee experience. COVID pushed many organisations into different ways of thinking about how and where we work. With employee attrition being a key challenge that many organisations are facing worldwide; this may be the most fundamental component of organisational health in our series.
Listen to episode four:
Also available through Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Podcasts:
To help explain what design thinking is and how it can be used to design a good employee experience that engages and empowers an organisation's workforce, Rodger Watson joins us.
Rodger is the founding course director of the Master of Creative Intelligence and Strategic Innovation at the University of Technology in Sydney.
If you have always wanted to understand design thinking and hear an example of how it has been used to solve a key societal challenge, then you won’t want to miss this!
Download the full transcript of episode four (with references):
Find out more about this Trailblazer:
Rodger is an innovator for public good and has worked as a public servant, a strategic human centred design consultant, a bartender, a pizza kitchen-hand and deliverer, an emu farmhand, and the leader of a multi-award-winning academic research centre.
Rodger is the Founding Course Director of Creative Intelligence and Strategic Innovation at the UTS TD School and co-author of Creative Reboot; catalysing creative intelligence and Designing for the common good.
Rodger has an academic and practice background in Psychology, Criminology, and with his colleagues at the Designing Out Crime Research Centre pioneered the Designing for the Common Good approach to multi-stakeholder collaboration (2010-2018).
This body of work received many industry awards (including multiple Good Design Australia awards) and academic awards (UTS Vice Chancellor’s award for excellence in research collaboration). The work was assessed by the Australian Research Council as highly impactful.
In recent years Rodger has contributed to government strategy and policy across topics ranging from domestic and family violence, mental health, built environment, counter terrorism, night-time economy, waste & circular economy, environmental protection, cybercrime, transport innovation, and digital transformation.
Rodger’s UTS work is underpinned by a methodology developed under industry conditions, community engagement, and academic rigour since 2010. This body of work includes product, service and policy innovations that are experienced by millions of people each day in communities across the world.
Web: www.uts.edu.au/study/transdisciplinary-innovation/creative-intelligence-and-innovation
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/rodger-watson/
Bispublishers: Creative Reboot; catalysing creative intelligence and