Leadership and Relationship Building

Leadership can be displayed in lots of different ways. A true leader is someone who can gather people around a shared vision and purpose. We know that when we work together, we can achieve great things.  Leadership is like a promise you undertake, and you must deliver.

The following are essential ingredients for good leadership.

Respect – listen well and respect that everyone has a voice; everyone has an opinion. Treat people how you would like to be treated.

Communication – you must be clear with your message, yet be willing to change your communication style to suit your audience.

Passion - needs to flow through in everything we do. You want people to connect with you and share that passion.

Reputation – always act with integrity. In my role, having a good reputation is paramount and ensures I have a strong voice for the people of this region.

Unconscious or personal bias – once you are aware of your bias, you can learn how to manage it.  Too often bias is allowed to dominate conversations at the expense of the outcome.

Fear and self-doubt – don’t let the noise in your head limit your ability to perform at your best or stop you from taking opportunities.

Honesty and integrity – it’s so easy to slip below the line, particularly in this day and age of social media.  It takes a lot of tenacity not to play in that keyboard coward space and help others rise above that as well.

Trust – Trust is built overtime. Always being honest, say it how it is, respect others and others will come to trust and respect you.

Building relationships- Good relationships enable opportunities to come your way. Solid relationships give meaning and richness to our work and to our lives.

Opportunities- It is important that when opportunities do come, we are ready to take them on. If you don’t back yourself, how can you expect others to back you?  

I would like to finish with a few messages:

● to have a friend, you need to be a friend

● on this journey of life, we must make sure we look after ourselves and others around us

● ensure that you recognise and be courageous enough to accept the opportunities that come your way

● take time to celebrate your successes

● most importantly, wake up every day and be the best possible version of yourself.

Cr Karen May

Deputy Mayor

Mackay Regional Council

‍