Leadership & Management

Driving organisational productivity and performance through inspiration towards a common goal.

Contents

Effective leadership and management inspires a sense of purpose and drives high performance.

Leadership is demonstrated by action at all levels and enables others to achieve goals. APS leaders focus and continuously develop their skills in response to evolving challenges and complexity.

What is Leadership & Management within the APS?

It's not leadership and management that you might just pick up and read in a textbook or go to a course that multiple institutions in the private sector run. This is really about how you do leadership management in the public service, understanding the environment that we're in and the unique role that we have in supporting government and what that means.

How do Leadership and Management work together in the APS?

When you're talking about management, it's really about our role in terms of accountability. And so we're very conscious that whatever we do, we do for the community and for the Australian government. We use funding that is provided to us through taxpayers. So being accountable and also transparent on how we do that, I think, is part of that good management and really being very clear on what we're doing, how we deliver good project management, and I think that for me, that's management, whereas I think leadership is much more about how we inspire our staff, how we pull together the vision that we have for the work that we do, how you connect that to the vision of the government and for the country. It's much... I think the two exist together, but a good public servant, you need to be good at both really.

How can we all exercise leadership within the APS?

In the public service, I think people can exercise leadership at any level within the service. It just changes depending on which level you're at and what your role is in a particular position. But leadership is really around understanding the vision, setting the vision, inspiring your staff to do their best, to build their capability. And I think that for all public servants, it's pretty important that we all kind of understand that and exercise it at the different levels that we can to help to build capability and to be able to deliver for government and the community.

What skills will our future APS leaders need?

We also need people that have the learning agility or the ability to continually learn and pick up new skills and knowledge, so people that are inquisitive, and I think they're the two kind of focus areas that are really important for the future in terms of whether it's leadership or management, but we need to be very conscious that we also need people that have got that growth mindset and that have the ability to engage, to listen, to influence, and who can read a room, so that emotional intelligence, the ability to connect and understand what's happening around you, and to continually develop and to grow because the world is changing.

Effective leaders must:

  • Demonstrate ethical leadership, leading for wellbeing and valuing diversity and inclusion
  • Navigate complexity within a strategic and political context to achieve positive outcomes
  • Scan the horizon for emerging trends, identifying opportunities and challenges and inspiring a collective purpose
  • Skilfully influence stakeholders to ensure complex relationships are productive
  • Provide frank and fearless advice in order to create integrity and impact in services

Management is the use of formal authority and processes to ‘get things done’ in the right way. Effective management is critical to promoting high performance in the APS.

Resources

Guide to Performance Management in the Australian Public Service
Our ability to respond to changing demands, and leverage the opportunities available to us, is underpinned by performance management practices that translate societal and Government expectations into individualised performance expectations for APS employees.
Integrated Leadership System (ILS)
The ILS provides capability development guidance for individuals and agencies in the form of descriptions and behaviours for all levels in the Australian Public Service.
Leadership Capabilities
The Secretaries Talent Council, with the endorsement of the Secretaries Board have identified the leadership capabilities considered critical for success in the most senior roles in the APS.
OECD Recommendation of the Council on Public Service Leadership and Capability
This OECD Legal Instrument outlines how countries can ensure that their public services are fit-for-purpose for contemporary policy challenges, and capable of taking the public sector into the future.
Broaden and Build Theory
‘Broaden and Build’ theory explores how broadening our perspectives and actions, we tend to build important and lasting physical, intellectual, psychological and social resources.
Craft Conversations - Leadership and Management
This video was recorded in March 2022 at the APS Academy’s Craft Conversations event for the craft of Leadership and Management.
Craft Conversations – Digital and Data Professions
This video was recorded in May 2022 at the APS Academy’s Craft Conversations event for the Digital and Data Professions. In it, the Head of the Data Profession and the Head of the Digital Profession share their experiences of the APS.
Engaged Feedback Checklist
Brene Brown informs leaders how they can give constructive and honest feedback from a place of engagement, rather than judgment. She calls it ‘Sitting on the same side of the table,’ as someone.
Good Work Design
Comcare’s evidence-based Good Work Design resources can better support health, wellbeing, work participation and productivity, while creating psychologically safe teams.
Six Principles of Persuasion
Professor Robert Cialdini developed what he describes as ‘six universal principles of persuasion’. These fundamental human states allow leaders to increase the likelihood of influencing others.
The PERMA Model for Flourishing
Martin Seligman presents the ‘PERMA’ model which steps through five elements essential to human wellbeing and flourishing: positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning and achievement.
The Thinking Environment – The Ten Components
Nancy Kline’s ‘The Thinking Environment’ is a process that generates quality independent thinking. Kline highlights how ‘Thinking Environments’ arise when ten specific components are fostered.
WOOP Model
Gabriele Oettingen presents the ‘WOOP’ model which is a practical, accessible, evidence based mental strategy that people can use to find and fulfil their wishes and change their habits.
The Australian Government Leadership Network
The Australian Government Leadership Network (AGLN) provides events and conferences for leaders across all cohorts in the Australian Public Service.
3 Elements of Self-Compassion
Read Kristin Neff highlights three elements of self-compassion and stresses the importance of having compassion for oneself.
Brené Brown on empathy
In this video, Brené Brown (2013) explains how to create a genuine empathic connection through understanding ourselves and our own fragilities.
Discover-Defend Axis
Caroline Webb (2018) discusses the ‘discover-defend axis’ which is a model showing that the brain has two ‘modes’ which shape the way humans interact.
Embracing change
In this TED talk, Jason Clarke (2010) analyses the change process and how to support people to embrace change.
Fixed and Growth Mindsets
In her TED talk, ‘The power of believing that you can improve’ (2014), Carol Dweck discusses the ‘growth mindset’ which leaders can use to build their brain’s capacity to learn and solve problems.
FLOW Model
In this TED talk, ‘Flow, the secret to happiness’ (2004), Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi presents the ‘Flow’ model and the different elements involved in achieving flow.
How visionary leaders talk
What makes a leader sound compelling - even when delivering bad news? Speaker coach Noah Zandan analysed data on how visionary leaders talk. This TED talk looks at these key elements.
Seeing and overcoming the immunity to change
Lisa Lahey (2017) explores how leaders can transcend habitual patterns, and considers how to navigate change and complexity.
The nature of adaptive leadership
Key leadership thought-leader, Ronald Heifetz (2009) explains the concept of adaptive leadership and highlights the importance of knowing the difference between adaptive and technical challenges as a leader.

Courses

APS Leadership Edge
APS Leadership Edge is a cohort-based social learning program which will enable EL 2's to develop their leadership and management skills through a range of courses and activities. Four learning sprints will be delivered within the program based on current APS needs and areas of interest
Building and Leading High Performing Teams
Understand how to create and maintain high-performing teams where work is aligned with government priorities. Learn how to analyse and describe high-performing teams, identify the enablers and barriers, and explain the management practices required.
Coaching and Developing Others
The course introduces participants to coaching conversations and the manager-as-coach model.
Coaching and Developing Others eLearning Module
This course is designed to improve the way APS employees coach and manage others so they can deliver improved outcomes, ultimately resulting in higher APS productivity.
Conflict Resolution
This course teaches the skills to respond to workplace and organisational conflict. This practical skills-based program explores the causes of workplace conflict, ways to identify and address the early signs, tools to reduce anxiety and talk skilfully about difficult issues and behaviours in a professional and resilient manner.
Conflict Resolution for Managers
This program teaches the skills to respond to workplace and organisational conflict as a manager, including the tools to coach and support others.
EL 2 Data Leadership
This course is designed for EL 2's to enhance data leadership knowledge and capability, focusing on the role data plays in the work of the public service and critical issues that impact on the availability, integrity and use of data.
EL2 Leadership Program
The EL2 Leadership Program supports leaders to move beyond their technical expertise and develop essential management and leadership capabilities.
Empowering Conversations
The Empowering Conversations program is designed to build on existing leadership capabilities to support EL 2 staff conversations across a range of relevant contexts.
Management in Action
This program will increase the confidence of managers in using formal authority to achieve business outcomes. It includes a series of workplace simulations and role plays.
Performance Management eLearning Module
This eLearning module explores the APS model of Performance management.
Planning and Managing Change
What is the role of management and leadership in times of change? Explore personality types, identify and adopt models of change management and understand its application in the workplace.
SES Band 1 Leadership Development Program
The program strengthens the leadership capability of experienced senior executives to effectively deliver their key accountabilities.
SES Band 2 Leadership Development Program
This course strengthens the leadership capability of senior executives to effectively perform the expected range of high-level responsibilities.
SES Orientation Program
Designed for newly promoted or long term acting SES from within the APS, and newly recruited SES from outside the APS.
Strategic Leadership
Take an in-depth look at shaping strategy with a sense of purpose and direction, using information and opportunities, showing judgement and common sense. Use environmental scanning and best practice models and tools to help anticipate the consequences and trade-offs of actions.
The Senior Executive Stewardship Program
The Senior Executive Stewardship program supports leaders to work together to drive stewardship and initiatives in a complex, challenging and dynamic public service environment, experiencing advances in technology, societal and geopolitical volatility and the changing expectations of our citizens.
Transitioning to Remote Work
More organisations are turning to remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, few are prepared for the transition.
Working in Teams
Team development and the value of teams in the workplace are explored in-depth. Examine how specific team roles add to team effectiveness and examine your team role preferences.

Programs, Scholarships and Secondments

The APS Academy offers unique leadership opportunities to experience thought leadership and deep connectivity with colleagues who share your context across Australia. Together we will navigate the complexity of the public sector and grow collective capability and stewardship across the whole system.

*Please note pricing is subject to change. Please see APSLearn for more pricing and payment information.

Establishing the essential skills, partnerships and networks required for effective SES leadership.

Building the leadership capabilities of SES Band 1s through connection and collaboration across the system.

Strengthens the leadership capability of SES Band 2s in working within and across organisational boundaries.

The Jawun APS Secondment Program is a strategic partnership to support Indigenous leaders to achieve their own development goals and develop APS leadership capabilities.

The Public Sector Management Program is a post-graduate coursework opportunity managed and delivered by the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) on behalf of the Australian Public Service. It is available to APS 6 and Executive Level 1 and 2 employees.

The Sir Roland Wilson Foundation PhD Scholarship program is open to Executive Level APS employees to study for a PhD full-time at the Australian National University on issues of national significance.

Do you know of other APS resources which could be shared through toolkits to help build APS Craft awareness and capability?

Please contact the APS Academy via the Contact Us webform.

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