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From Doing to Leading: The real shift when you step into SES
We often find ourselves chatting with people in our network about their career journeys – the highs, the lows, and everything in between. As former EL2s, we know firsthand that being a great EL1 doesn’t automatically make you a great EL2. And the same applies when moving from EL to SES. Too often, it’s seen as simply more of the same — when in reality, it’s a very different kind of job. When we run our “Influencing” and “Building strategic partnerships” sessions as part of the Future Ready program for IPAA, we regularly meet EL2s who are thinking about that next big step. They’re curious about what it really takes…
- Australian Government, Blog post, Business information, Communications professional, Leadership, Professional development
Lessons from Japan: Patiently getting better outcomes
Last week, I travelled to Japan to meet with the Japanese government and stakeholders for a project I am working on. I haven’t worked in Japan before, but I know the business culture is very different from the laid-back and…
The Prebunking Playbook for Communicators
Every communications professional knows the sinking feeling. You’ve spent weeks crafting clear, evidence-based messaging about a new policy or initiative, only to watch it get twisted into something unrecognisable on social media. By the time you’ve prepared a response, the…
Writing should be a team sport
Everyone in a decision-making role knows the feeling. You open your inbox to find dozens of briefs, emails, and reports competing for your attention. Some are crystal clear, while others are impenetrable walls of text that make you wonder what…
- Australian Government, Communication, Communications professional, Leadership, Professional development
Why do we say yes when we want to say no?
– “Can you just put together a factsheet quickly?” *Internal voice: No. Factsheets are a terrible idea. They’re hard to search, often inaccessible, and no one wants to download anything these days.* “Sure.” ————————————– “We just need a quick 5–10…
Seven lessons in seven years
In 2018, I left the public service. I needed a change—a new challenge, a different rhythm, new scenery. “Start a small business,” they said. “It’ll be easy. You’ll have so much flexibility.” In seven years, running Elm has been anything…
How can we hold our work lightly?
When working in communications, we often put a little piece of ourselves into our work. Your blood, sweat and a few tears into a communication strategy, hours spent on carefully crafted messages, or that presentation that you worked on until…
100 Hours Later: What I Learned from My Internship at Elm Communications
As I near the end of my internship with Elm Communications, I found myself revisiting the very first blog post I wrote at the start of this journey. In that post, I reflected on why I chose to study communications…
- Australian Government, Communication, Communications professional, Professional development, Social media
We unapologetically use AI (and you should too)
There’s been a lot of talk lately—especially in government—about the risks of artificial intelligence (AI) and its impact on the way we work. Questions about privacy, security, and job displacement are valid and important. But amidst all the noise, I…
What’s the difference between a communications strategy and a communications plan?
People often use communications strategy and communications plan interchangeably. I was recently asked to explain the difference, and while it’s a hot topic in communication circles, here’s my take. They serve distinct purposes and play different roles. Understanding the difference…
From a spark to a fire: igniting an innovative culture in government
Every year, the APS census results come out, and every year, the same questions arise: Why are innovation metrics low? What can we do about it? Why is it so hard? As someone who has run countless workshops on this…
