A leadership program not to be missed

Opportunity for Limestone Coast based emerging leaders with proven training program

It is a program with a simple goal – developing the leaders of the future in the Limestone Coast.

Applications for Regional Development Australia Limestone Coast’s (RDALC) place-based Emerging Leaders Program open on January 16 for new and aspiring leaders across the region.

The Emerging Leaders Program, which is part of the Government of South Australia funded Limestone Coast Leaders program, will be delivered over eight months and is open to people from across the Limestone Coast who are ready to broaden their leadership skills through personal growth, selfempowerment, and relationship development.

Starting with a two-day retreat in late March, the program will predominantly be delivered faceto-face and will consist of monthly workshop sessions in locations around the region. RDALC chair Evan Flint said the program was a fantastic opportunity for the region and its people by developing future leaders.

“This program will build the leadership skills of a diverse range of community members and foster a culture of active citizenship, shared purpose, and community action,” Mr Flint said.

Building upon the success of the Limestone Coast Leadership Program, RDALC CEO David Wheaton said the Emerging Leaders Program was designed around the principle that leaders must understand themselves before trying to influence and inspire others.

“We are excited to have Leaders HP and Aurora Meliora onboard to deliver this new program,” Mr Wheaton said.

“The values of these organisations align with what we are striving to achieve—the development of capable leaders in regional South Australia.

“Places are limited, so I encourage anyone interested in developing their leadership skills and becoming more involved in their community to apply for this exciting opportunity.”

Previous participants also strongly encourage people to apply, vouching for the worth of the personal development program.

For Michael Millhouse (above), who took part in the program in 2019, the program filled a genuine need in upskilling his leadership portfolio.

“I work remotely in Mount Gambier for a company out of Adelaide and to be able to partake in any of their leadership training would’ve required relocation, which I wasn’t prepared to do,” Michael said.

“When I heard about a leadership program being run in region, I really wanted to be a part of it.

I was fortunate enough to be a successful applicant, and it was everything I had hoped for and more.”

For Michael, the program exceeded his expectations of just what he would take away.

“I thought I would turn up to a course, learn some new skills and be on my way but it is much deeper than that,” he said.

“You need to first understand yourself and develop a self awareness, before you can influence and lead others. And this course certainly does that and really has you learning outside of your comfort zone.

“I left the course with a want to give back to our community – I didn’t just want to walk in to the first available opportunity – rather wait it out until I found a good fit, that I could add value to with my skillset.

I was fortunate to gain a position on the board for Regional Development Australia, Limestone Coast – and ironically, 18 months after joining, they are now responsible for delivering the second leadership program in the region .

” The program was just as valuable to Frances Kirby (pictured below), who had returned to the region and a sending most of her working life away, and she completed the program in 2021.

“My current role is managerial and once I found out about the course, I thought it would be a good fit,” Frances said. “I’m working with Australian Migrant Resource Centre, is very community centred, exactly what the course was offering. I was fortunate to receive funding for most of my placement, which would have impacted going ahead or not.” And when I did go ahead, the experience was not at all what Frances anticipated.

“The course was different to what I had imagined,” she said. “I have studied a lot, and thought there would be more book learning, whereas there was much more internal reflection, and collaborative work with the team. “The course challenged me to work with people who are different to me, from different industries and backgrounds, share personal information, and tackle wicked problems with diverse and creative minds.

“I learnt to think in a different way, to better understand the people and perspectives which are different to mine, to try to overcome barriers.

These skills are often ignored and unresolved conflict within the workplace or between organisations can be toxic and have negative growth.”

Such was the impact of the course on both Michael and Frances that both are on the 2023 steering committee for the program and they can’t wait to wade through the applications from this year’s crop of emerging leader.

“To have this program offered in our region, is an opportunity that really needs to be embraced – to enhance your leadership skills, whether it be for a football or netball committee, or a position on a board, this course offers something for anyone who’s willing to put themselves out of their comfort zone with an appetite for personal growth,” Michael said, and Frances agrees wholeheartedly.

“I would encourage young leaders to be part of the program, primarily if already involved in the community in some respect.

It is important to have ambition of giving back to the community, rather than solely employee for this course.

“It’s important to attract the right kind of people, from a range of professional and industrial backgrounds, who can use newly formed skills to the table for the benefit of limestone coast.

We don’t all want to be in government, but there are levels of civil society that can benefit from the talents we have locally.” Applications open on Monday and need to be submitted by Sunday, February 5.

The application form will be available on our website rdalc.org.au/ leadership or via our Facebook page.

If you would prefer to receive a printed copy of the form or need assistance completing the application, please email jess@ rdalc.org.au