Frontline leaders from our Anglo American integrated facilities management contract in Central Queensland recently undertook a two-day leadership training course, helping them develop key skills to lead their teams.

People & Culture Manager Sharlene Hopkin says around 30 operational leaders across three sites attended the training, which was structured specifically for this group.

"This is a great course, which will help us build leadership capability for our supervisors and managers," Sharlene says. "We will be sending more of our leaders to this training over time and reinforce what they've learned through monthly catch ups." 

Day one of the course encouraged these frontline leaders to consider their role as a leader and the impact they have on others, the factors that influence a leader's effectiveness, and how to maximise that effectiveness. 

Day two was about providing them with the tools for effective leadership, including how to have difficult conversations, coaching for poor performance, and problem solving approaches. 
 

Tips for empowering crews

One of the attendees was Nigel Jones, who was recently promoted to the role of Service Delivery Manager, and says he found the content really beneficial to him in his role.

There were several very useful tips we learned which I think will help me to empower my crews to take ownership of their tasks, as well as helping me ensure I am providing the support and training they need.

Nigel has been with Ventia for seven months and says his commitment and enthusiasm has helped him progress his career with us. 
 

Many ways of being a leader

Accommodation Supervisor in Middlemount, Michelle Goad, was another attendee and notes that despite the diversity of people in the training from a role and personality perspective, the trainer did a great job of making everyone feel comfortable. 

"There are many ways of being a leader," Michelle says. "This course shows you the different avenues, and gives you tools to achieve your goals." 

Michelle says the course also gave her a lot to think about in terms of what's next for her in her career path. 
 

Learning about situational awareness

Shawn Boyd is the Village Operations Manager in Middlemount and says that he's hoping to move into commercial bids in the future. He says this training will help him achieve that. 

"It was educational to meet with other teams and learn how other leaders deal with situations, things like how they identify concerns in the workplace," Shawn says. 

Shawn says one of the key lessons he learned was around situational awareness, and the importance of knowing your team and when they are not themselves, so you can support them accordingly. 
 

Putting theory to the test

Sharlene says that a key element of the training is giving everyone the opportunity to practice what they've learned, putting the theory to the test. 

"It allows them to discuss their approach to real life situations, learn from each other, and to do so in a supportive environment with trainers that can help them work through the process," she says.

It's about giving them the confidence that when they go back to their workplace, they can put in place all that they've learnt.

Ventia's learning and development program has been carefully designed to support our goal to deliver on our strategic priorities. Everyone's performance and development counts.