February often feels like the month when the year really begins. January passes before we have time to pronounce each syllable. Resolutions and grand professional plans are made, and lost, or perhaps placed to the wayside.
And suddenly, we’re in February, working out how we can finally take them on before careers stall, people quit, teams suffer and departments limp along.
When it comes to leading an effective team, it doesn’t happen organically. It takes action.
And as the daily grind in the lead up to the Budget intensifies, there are small investments you can make – now – in the professional development of your staff to set them up for the rest of 2023.
Now more than ever, the retention of capable, skilled and experienced people is key to the APS meeting the strategic challenges of the new era. As APS Policy expert Margaret Joseph explains, this often boils down to the answer to a very simple question “Do I feel valued here”?
Supporting women to connect, learn and lead works
Ensuring your staff answer that question in the affirmative requires creative and practical investments in workplace culture and leadership.
Future Women (FW) works with more than 20 federal government departments and agencies, state governments and with corporate Australia – to fast track women’s confidence, capabilities and connections, so they can take the next step on their leadership journey.
Smart organisations know that an ongoing commitment to women’s professional development improves productivity and performance, boosts retention and innovation, and reduces financial, legal and human risks.
“APS5-EL2 women are the forgotten powerhouse of the public service, and they continue to face barriers to progressing their careers when they return from caring roles.”, says Future Women’s Head of Government Relations Alexandra Grant.
This is the crucial time in which the gender gap grows, posing a significant risk for women who might otherwise go on to become SES.
This insight is what inspired FW to create and launch the Platinum+ Emerging Leaders program – a 12-month comprehensive leadership program that accelerates women’s professional journey by elevating their skills and career strategy while connecting them with a supportive network of more than 5,000 like-minded people across Australia.
Nearly two-thirds of professional women have never had a formal mentor, and when they do, this tends to focus on psychosocial support more than career-oriented advice.
FW’s program is aimed at the cohort of high performing early to mid-career women who have been identified as the ‘ones to watch’.
Unfortunately, these women are also the ones who are ‘doing it all’, seriously time poor, and more often missing out on professional development opportunities due to the intersecting challenges to inclusion, structural barriers and bias they face.
Tailored, evidence-based programs delivered by subject-matter experts
FW is not about ‘fixing’ these women or telling them to ‘lean in’. It’s about a deep understanding that each person’s needs are different, an understanding that’s integral to Future Women’s mission.
With this in mind, the Platinum+ Emerging Leaders program utilises an active learning methodology to deliver tailored content, reflective exercises and practical takeaways in each session that can be implemented the next day.
The program is fully virtual, interactive and high-touch which ensures it meets the cohort where they are at. It offers a selection of content that allows participants to pick and choose what’s most relevant to them and engage at a time that suits their schedule.
The program provides access to Future Women’s Advance Webinar series delivers three new expert-led webinars each quarter to educate, inform and up-skill participants who want to take the next step in their career but aren’t quite sure how or where to begin.
Last year, participants of the Platinum+ Emerging Leaders program reported an average capability uplift of between 20% and 30% across their ability to plan their next career steps
The program also features the Leadership Masterclass which runs over two half-days and builds each participant’s professional toolkit, confidence and sphere of influence, revolutionising the way participants think about leadership and strategic decision-making.
Future Women Leadership Summit 2023
The annual highlight of the Platinum+ Emerging Leaders program is a ticket to the FW Leadership Summit where participants join like-minded professionals for two days of inspiring keynote speeches, panel discussions and unrivalled networking opportunities.
This year’s Leadership Summit brings together an exceptional line up of expert leaders such as Annabel Crabb, Em Rusciano, Hugh van Cuylenburg, Anna Bligh, Helen Connolly, Prof Renee Leon, MAJGEN Susan Coyle, Lucy Turnbull and many more extraordinary thinkers and advocates under the one ceiling.
A leadership community with impact
The confidence, capabilities and connections women develop through mentoring is proven to have long-lasting benefits to their careers.
Yet, according to a global study nearly two-thirds of professional women have never had a formal mentor, and when they do, this tends to focus on psychosocial support more than career-oriented advice.
A key feature of the Platinum+ Emerging Leaders program is that it gives women year-round, on-demand access to Future Women’s highly engaged and supportive community. They can network, set career goals, workshop professional challenges and seek advice.
Small group mentoring empowers women to choose an expert mentor and join an advisory board of like-minded participants to solve each other’s professional challenges.
Helping the next generation of women reach positions of influence
FW doesn’t train and hope. On completion of the program, participants stay members of the FW community for life.
Appreciating that an organisation’s commitment to gender equality and the personal success of it’s staff also requires a financial commitment, Future Women offer comprehensive mid-year and final stakeholder reporting for organisation’s invested in the program.
What outcome can organisations expect by investing in the network program? As Future Women demonstrates, the results speak for themselves.
Last year, participants of the Platinum+ Emerging Leaders program reported an average capability uplift of between 20% and 30% across their ability to plan their next career steps, network and build connections, be effective in a leadership position, and communicate clearly with confidence.
Evidently, investing in your team is not just the right thing to do, it’s the smart thing to do.
To set your team up for success in 2023 and beyond, learn more about joining the FW movement today.
