First Peoples Leading

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

FIRST PEOPLES
LEADING

Empowering First Peoples with Leadership, Confidence and Capability

The First Peoples Leading program is partnership of Executive Central and Thirriwirri.

The team delivering this program includes First Nations people with real and extensive senior leadership experience who will share their unique insights and tips for overcoming the assumptions, attitudes and biases that too often create barriers to First Peoples’ succeeding in senior leadership roles.

The program is specifically tailored to deliver improved leadership and management skills and foster:

Sound theoretical understanding, combined with practical advice on how to survive and thrive in leadership roles
Greater level of self-awareness and understanding of the impact of emotional intelligence
High-level facilitation, negotiation and influencing capacity
High-level skills in leading teams and building a culture of high performance
Learning from peers’ experiences and approaches to common leadership issues
Pragmatic implementation of learning skills into the workplace

DOWNLOAD: PROGRAM BROCHURE

DATES AND REGISTRATION

2022 Cohort, 2.00-4.00pm (AEST)

Orientation: 2 February
Workshop 1 : 9 February
Workshop 2 : 23 February
Workshop 3 : 9 March
Workshop 4 : 23 March
Workshop 5 : 6 April
Workshop 6 : 20 April
Workshop 7 : 4 May

PROGRAM FORMAT

INDIVIDUAL STRENGTHS
ASSESSMENT

Participants undertake an online leadership survey using the Gallup StrengthsFinder to identify individual strengths. Each participant also undertakes a self-assessment with their manager/supervisor to identify specific learning goals.

SEVEN ONLINE
WORKSHOPS

The Journey To Leadership – Theory, Concepts and Frameworks; Self Awareness and Management; Power, Influencing & Leading People; Communication and Networking; Leading and Managing Change and Reform; Career Management and Resilience.

SELF DIRECTED LEARNING

Participants undertake self-directed learning – which covers watching short videos, reading articles and undertaking some self-reflection.

ONE-ON-ONE COACHING

Participants have access to First Nations Executive and Leadership Coaches for 3 x 1-hour sessions. Coaches have extensive senior executive experience.

THIRRIWIRRI AND EXECUTIVE CENTRAL

Developing the confidence, capabilities and connections to successfully transition and thrive in leadership roles is critical to achieving tangible, long-term improvements in the social and economic outcomes experienced by First Peoples, their families and communities.

Often motivated more by aspiration than ambition, many First People possess the hallmarks of good leadership – purpose, resilience and humility. Yet First People are likely to face a number of unique challenges that must be anticipated, managed and ultimately leveraged in order to realise the purpose that drives their leadership aspiration.These include:

Being expected to maintain the trust and confidence of, and advocate for, their community, while representing Government/Board policy decisions – often in a complex and contentious environment.
Understanding the difference between formal and informal authority, and how and when to move between them.
Being promoted through their careers to a range of specialist First People service/program roles, without the opportunities to broaden and mainstream their management, or leadership experience.

WHAT TO EXPECT

The program is delivered in a safe digital environment that encourages expression of thoughts and ideas. The program also provides a platform for First People leaders and managers to discuss and resolve the unique range of issues that they face.

In between group workshops, participants will be expected to complete their individual learning actions and self-directed learning through an electronic magazine. Participants are also expected to meet with a coach on Zoom for three coaching sessions.

PARTICIPANT BENEFITS & OUTCOMES

New skills that are sustainable due to the extended format and emphasis on practical implementation
Participants do not miss extended periods of work and learn ‘on the job’
Develop a common leadership language that enables better communication and support
Experience many simple but effective leadership techniques that can be applied immediately
Put learning into practice immediately and measure the impact
Continued learning and peer support with a lasting network

Thirriwirri is a 100% Aboriginal owned and operated organisation formed for the purpose of supporting First People communities and others to build the confidence, capabilities and connections to work together differently to achieve improved outcomes. The Directors of Thirriwirri have a combined 40 years senior executive experience, leading multi-disciplinary teams, strategy and reform across a range of complex policy areas.

Thirriwirri is Supply Nation Registered and NSW Indigenous Chamber of Commerce Assured.

Executive Central’s objective is to assist leaders, managers and their organisations to achieve excellence in leadership. The Executive Central team comes from a strong background in senior leadership roles across a broad range of sectors, and has extensive experience working with senior Aboriginal leaders in both group leadership workshops and 1:1 leadership coaching.