The Women in Local Government Conference was developed to empower women in the local government context. The conference aims to consider the application of leadership to engage women in the sector, developing techniques for the 'every-day' leader and creating a workplace culture that values the contribution of women in all aspects and levels of the organisation.

It provides valuable insights and real-world examples with skilled facilitators who provide effective strategies to implement in the workplace, and plenty of opportunities to network, collaborate and share ideas with other attendees.

With all the varied interests we have in our lives, the demands on our time and the daily juggling that we do, for many women, the key to career success is the ability to bring the various threads together and weave them into a shape that works for us.  The 2021 Weaving Threads, Women in Local Government Conference considers how you can do that.  It examines how you might gather the different threads of your life and build a successful career and supporting networks in a post-pandemic world?

Join LGMA and local government officers from across the state in this online conference, celebrating success and providing tools to seek further achievement.

The next WILG Conference  is scheduled for Tuesday 23 March, Wednesday 24 March and Thursday 25 March, 2021 from 09.00-12.00.  This conference is an online event and the brochure is available here.

Schedule

Tuesday 23 March 2021

9.00-9.15             Welcome and introductions

9.15-10.15           Yvette Adams – Keynote Presentation

10.15-10.30         Break

10.30-10.45         Sponsor      

10.45-12.00         Confidence and being seen

Wednesday 24 March 2021

9.00-9.15              Welcome back

9.15-10.30            CEO Panel

10.30–10.45         Break

10.45-12.00          Connection

Thursday 25 March 2021

9.00-9.45              Time Management

9.45-10.30            Super Session

10.30-11.45          Break

10.45-11.45          Angela Lockwood – Keynote Presentation

11.45-12.00          Close

Programme

The balancing act: so much to do and so little time

Managing your life is not unlike the art of weaving threads together to make something beautiful.  You have to select exactly how much of each thread or colour you want to use and then weave it into exactly the right place.  Daily ‘busyness’ means that sometimes it is the threads that are closest to us or the most garish colours that get used first.  In this discussion, learn how to pick the right threads for the right time to give yourself space to fit in the things that are important to you in building a career and a satisfying life.

Confidence and how to be seen

Everyone of us has preferences for communication and our own ways of building connection.  For some, face-to-face is great, others like the anonymity of email and while your colleague shines in a video conference, you who are confident in person, disappear into the back of the gallery view on Zoom.  The new methods can make it more difficult to combat the dominance of those who speak the loudest or talk the most? 

In a world that now demands we connect across different mediums, how can you build confidence to be seen in all?  And how can you ensure that your confidence is recognised and your expertise shines through?

Connections

Successful people will almost always tell you that they could not have done it without support.  They seek out the people who can help them at different stages in their careers.  Perhaps they needed role models to encourage them, or they needed friends to support their choices, or they needed experienced heads to bounce ideas off or temper their enthusiasm.  In local government, we have the advantage of being able to also create networks to support our own skills and provide specific advice and tools.

Your busy life does not allow you to put what you think is the optimal time into building the networks needed.  The challenge is to identify what you need and who can support you in meeting those needs.  Where should your limited energy go in order to develop those connections that support your career?  How do you build the networks and connections that will assist you now and be ready for the future?  You might not get all the answers, but this session will give you many ideas and suggestions for how to take control of your networks and shape them into the pattern you need.

Getting your foundations in order

Failing to build the right foundations can inhibit choices and options during your career.  One critical inhibitor for women can been financial.  So, it is critical to ensure you have the right strategies in place to protect against disruptions and shocks to give you options to take risks or make changes.  Learn about what steps you can take to build the best financial foundation possible.