How Glen Eira City Council negotiated a tricky period and changed their trajectory as a result

Working in local government, you’re bombarded by demands from every angle. One key difference between an effective Council and an ineffective Council is their approach to that barrage. Every Council can choose to be strategic or reactive, impacting the legacy they leave.

Sometimes, the way a Council works evolves over time. Other times, circumstances force a sudden shift from focusing on the day-to-day to big-picture thinking. In 2022, Glen Eira City Council, in south-east Melbourne, reached a tipping point.

Glen Eira City Council CEO Rebecca McKenzie explains, “We had new challenges around our financial sustainability. We had to make big decisions about what we do and don't do, what we invest in, and where we spend our time. We needed Councillors to step away from reacting to immediate issues and think about our priorities, and we needed frameworks to navigate that change. It’s a period of change and an opportunity to think differently.”

Glen Eira Mayor Anne-Marie Cade met Alicia that same year at the Australian Local Government Association’s National General Assembly. She recalls, “I attended one of Alicia’s workshops at the Assembly with colleagues. We were impressed by her strategies and her approach. Our Councillors needed that strategic lens, coupled with her practical approach, to improve our interactions and focus on our priorities.”

McKenzie was open to taking a fresh approach. She says, “I wanted someone who would stimulate our thinking in a different way. We could have hired a local facilitator to do the same stuff we'd always done, but we would've ended up with the same stuff we always had. This was a tipping point for us, and we really did need a different approach.”

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A new sense of purpose and identity

Learning to think long-term can feel counterintuitive to Councillors who believe they should be ultra-responsive to their local community.

Councillor Jim Magee has been a member of Glen Eira Council for 16 years and Mayor three times. He’s learned the value of a strategic lens for the many demands on elected members. He says, “Every day, Council pushes you out of your comfort zone. I'm still waiting for two days to be the same. You’re so busy, and you’re taking a beating from the moment you wake up. I’m a bit of a control freak. In my early days as Councillor, I felt like I had to have all the answers. That made me inefficient because I was chasing things that weren’t my responsibility and ignoring the stuff that’s important. But it’s hard to stop because the community keeps coming to me for help. So, the real trick to being a good Councillor is differentiating what's important and what's a good use of my time.”

Making that shift to becoming more strategic can be a personal challenge, especially when that causes tension in the local community. McKenzie points out, “You can't please all the people all the time. So, there will be winners and losers. That's sometimes difficult.”

Overcoming the day-to-day pressure to make bold strategic choices is extremely challenging, and such decisions are rarely universally popular. In addition, many Councillors have made public promises that they feel obliged to honour. Glen Eira’s Director of Customer and Corporate Affairs Kellie Vise says, “Running for Council is a political process, and this can sometimes mean navigating decisions carefully once you are elected. Say a Councillor is elected on a platform to get rid of paid parking. When they do their Council induction, they realise that their role has a broad range of considerations and some of their goals might be difficult to achieve in the short term. Our job is to help Councillors understand the potential risks and consequences of their decisions.”

Mayor Cade confirms the challenges elected members face. “Many of us come into this role very passionate about what we want to do, but giving someone a pulpit with no training is dangerous. Working in local government requires a unique skill set. I was convinced we could do better by looking at the big picture and working collaboratively.”

Every Council faces particular local challenges. However, the tension between elected members’ sense of obligation to the daily demands of their electorate and their need to carve out time to make important decisions for their community is universal. Getting out of the weeds and into the future is not easy. The Strategic Public Leaders programme aims to equip Councils with the tools to take a deliberate, future-focused approach.

When the penny drops, and the room starts to hum with potential

Councillors are busy people, and the programme can push elected members out of their comfort zones and challenge their personal sense of purpose and identity. At first, Councillors may be resistant.

Vise recalls the mood at Glen Eira before the programme kicked off. Councillors’ time is valuable. A lot of them work and Council is their second job. So, there is always a bit of uncertainty when we suggest workshops or extra development opportunities. Councillors wonder what’s this for, who is this person, and what are we going to be doing for a whole two days.”

Councillor Magee doesn’t mind admitting that he had initial doubts. “At first, I thought, what a waste of time; why the hell am I here? Then, it started falling into place. We started applying Alicia’s strategic rationale to our job as Councillors. I thought, oh, she's right. You think you know everything and what’s important, but you just don't. Having a fresh approach and looking at it from a different perspective made me realise that being a Councillor is about responsible time management and owning your job.”

Mayor Cade saw that shift in mood play out. “People go to so many trainings and some of them thought that this would be another regular course. But very quickly, they realised Alicia had a very different approach. She’s hands-on, getting us to think big picture and do group exercises. That approach appealed. I could see enthusiasm building as the day went on. By the end of day two, we were all sharing what we’d learned and how we could apply it to our sticking points as Council.”

Clear roles, prioritised activities, and smarter decisions

The Strategic Public Leaders programme has had a marked impact on the way Glen Eira Council operates. Mayor Cade says, “The programme reinforced that elected members need to think big picture. Councillors can get caught in the weeds because the community constantly calls us. But we've limited time and resources. We need to prioritise. Alicia clarified that operational issues are for the Council administration to solve. Councillors need to direct those questions to them and keep thinking big picture.”

The programme gives Councils language to communicate the challenges they face. Councillor Magee recalls, “We talked about the importance of elected members standing on the mountain overseeing what's happening. We’re looking down at the valley, but we’re not part of what's happening there because that's not our job.” McKenzie agrees. “One thing that's been helpful is getting the Councillors to reflect on where they're spending their time and energy. We still get stuck talking about operational issues occasionally, but then somebody will say, ‘Hang on a minute, are we in the paddock or are we on the mountain?’ That resets the level of the conversation.”

Another tool from the programme Glen Eira Council found transformational is the decision-making framework. Vise says, “Asking if this is the right decision for the right reason, at the right time, with the right people, has been really impactful in allowing us to cut to the chase.” McKenzie explains, “We’ve applied the decision-making prioritisation framework from the programme to tricky decisions about what services we continue to offer. They're difficult ethical decisions for Council to make. By applying our new decision-making methodology, we could say, for example, that this is the right decision, but it's not the right time. We’ve set a schedule for the more difficult decisions, rather than thinking everything had to be done at once.”

It's all very well for Councils to know they’ll benefit from clarifying roles, prioritising activities, and making smarter decisions. Knowing how to do that is another thing. Strategic Public Leaders gives Councils a toolkit of practical frameworks to help organisations become noticeably more efficient and effective.

A transformed dynamic between Council and Councillors

The dynamic between elected members and Council staff can become dysfunctional. Councillors can get frustrated by what they perceive to be unnecessary roadblocks thrown up by Council administration, while staff can struggle with Councillors inserting themselves into operational concerns. This tension is exacerbated if roles are unclear and relationships between Councillors and Council executive aren’t strong.

The Strategic Public Leaders programme is designed to address both those sticking points. McKenzie explains its impact on Glen Eira: “Going through this process together, agreeing on our roles, working up a vision and a strategy, and adopting frameworks to navigate these difficult decisions sets the tone for a productive working relationship between elected Councillors and administration.”

Councillor Magee expands on the value of bringing different perspectives together. “We all bring different priorities to the table. Council officers bring a professional, analytical response. Councillors often bring a more emotional response. Alicia was able to bring all that together. So, it was good having all the Councillors and Directors together, able to bounce ideas off each other. We all work together now.”

Vise also appreciates the improved relationship between elected members and the administration. “We've seen different conversations around the Council table and a real appreciation for the challenges of each other's roles and how we can maximise what we do and get great outcomes. From an executive point of view, we've developed a better understanding of Councillors’ frustrations. By the end of the programme, we had committed to operating in a new way. That's been quite a significant shift.”

Immediate benefit to the Glen Eira community thanks to collaboration and consistency

A rewarding aspect of running the Strategic Public Leaders programme is hearing from local government members about how it has enhanced their quality of life.

Councillor Magee went from being a sceptic to an enthusiastic advocate for the programme. He says, “Being a Councillor is so much easier now I know I don’t have to be an expert in stormwater management or the legalities of parking. That's the Councillor I used to be, but not anymore. I rationalise what's important better now. I ask myself, is this something I should be involved in? Is this a good use of my time and my expertise?”

“Delegating has become a lot more natural and less stressful because I'm not responsible for getting back to residents and delivering all the answers. I'm very clear that my role is to oversee what we are doing, not to get out there and do it. I'm more relaxed because I’m not owning all the little things. I'm taking ownership of what's important instead. And I've more time to focus on those important things because I’m not running around worrying about fruit dropping off a street tree onto the footpath. Before, I would've gotten my broom and cleaned that fruit up.”

Mayor Cade says the programme has made a big difference to her. “Doing the programme has given me so much confidence. I constantly go back to the notes I made in the workshop. And I try to make sure that I focus on thinking big picture and making wise decisions because it's very easy as a Councillor to get drawn into things that aren’t your role.”

The benefits Glen Eira is enjoying from the programme are bigger than the changes it has made to individual Councillors. McKenzie says, “The community are seeing a greater level of consistency and integration in our strategies. And they benefit from seeing their elected Councillors working together collaboratively towards a shared vision. Council’s job is too difficult if you're dealing with internal strife.”

Consistency and collaboration are important because they help Councils gain momentum. Vise says, “The community are keen to get things done, to see action, change and improvement. If Council is able to navigate decisions more quickly and see opportunities, while being cognisant of risk, then our community's going to see benefits earlier.”

Changing Glen Eira’s trajectory as a Council

One signature of the Strategic Public Leaders programme is how it brings elected members and Council staff together to solve challenges. Councillors often spend time with their executives, but getting together with Council managers and staff is far less common. This collaboration is critical, and it can also benefit from facilitation.

Vise notes, “Where you've got a management level and a governance level of decision making, as you do in local government, sometimes you need an external person who can create a safe place for each group to share their perspective and have it valued.”

McKenzie says, “Alicia is straight down the line. She's not afraid to say it straight. At the same time, she's really respectful of the Council and the work we’ve done to get to this point. She’s about helping us identify what's important to us and our community.” Vise agrees. “Alicia calls it as she sees it. She cuts through that local government formality. Her ability to get to what's really going on and identify what needs to happen is beyond anything I've seen before. It’s outstanding. And she gets what we're dealing with because she has so much experience in local government.”

Mayor Cade says, “The Strategic Public Leaders programme is very different to other training. Alicia breaks down barriers instantly, encouraging people to share their thoughts, concerns, and frustrations. People don’t feel nervous to ask questions. She creates a safe space to have important discussions and enables that process. Her practical focus is very important, she knows local government and provides a lot of resources to refer to. I consider her an expert and recommend her highly.”

Councillor Magee knows Councils can be sceptical about outside experts but reassures them of the value of the Strategic Public Leaders programme. “Alicia has given me a lot of really good tools to work with. I've found the benefit of listening to her. I walked out thinking, I'll get something from this. And since then, I'm getting more and more from it. Also, Alicia’s an absolute cracker. She's smart. She's funny. She has good life experience.”

Vise has the last word. “Don’t wait until there's a problem to get Alicia in. Set your Council up to succeed from the start by being intentional about how you work together to have conversations and make decisions. The language and techniques we’ve learned have made a huge difference and the programme has amplified our trajectory as a Council.”

Learning together as a Council can be truly transformational

Strategic Public Leaders has transformed relationships, decision quality, and strategic implementation for Australia and New Zealand Councils. Your local Council could be next. Find out more.