Audio transcript - Jenny Phillips

JENNY PHILLIPS INTERVIEW
RURAL LEADERSHIP PROGRAM

Interviewer (I): OK Jenny, can you just tell me a bit about what your current role is now and I guess what inspired you to take part in the Rural Leadership Program back in 2005?

Jenny Phillips (JP): I’m currently working as Communications and Media Project Officer with the SA Murray Darling Basin Natural Resource Management Board and I’ve been there for about 16 months following 12 years at TAFE. One of the reasons for doing the course back in 2005 was I was looking for some professional development training and I saw the Rural Leadership Program advertised and although I’m not from a farming background, I have lived in regional and rural communities for many years and worked in the education sector for many years. I’ve also been involved in community service, and I saw this program as an opportunity to build on some of the skills that I already had.

(I): What encouraged you to take part in the program in the first place? Had you heard about it from a colleague, or saw it advertised, what inspired you to get involved?

(JP): I think I got involved because as I said I wanted to do some professional development training and I’m pretty sure I saw it advertised in the local paper and so I thought that I would give it a go.

(I): If you remember back to your experiences during the program, what were some of the things you most enjoyed about it at the time.

(JP): I loved meeting the people in the course, and from there it’s broadened my network of friends, colleagues and acquaintances. We all came from many different backgrounds and areas of South Australia and being able to keep it touch with those people following the course and following their progress and sharing their successes has been very satisfying. So I really enjoyed that.

(I): So the program obviously covers a lot of leadership development topics, is there certain things that you’ve found you’ve been able to learn and put in to place in your current role?

(JP): I guess overall the leadership program has given me the confidence to tackle unexpected changes in my personal and professional life. For example, just a couple of years after doing the course, I lost my position with a government agency, but I was confident enough to be able to apply for other positions and handle interviews. It’s also helped me to understand how people learn things differently and in my line of work in communications we need to be open minded about how we convey message to the general public.

(I): Absolutely, and as an ex-participant, what would you say to other aspiring rural leaders who are considering taking part, what would you say to them, would you recommend it, and perhaps why?

(JP): I would certainly recommend the Leadership Program to aspiring rural leaders. It will broaden their knowledge about themselves and other people, it builds networks and encourages them to tackle challenges, the importance of teamwork and to be confident that there are other people to help them with the planning in whatever they do. It also, in my case, its also helped me to contribute to decision making. And I guess a lot of what I do I’ve learned from the course for my everyday life. The training we received has allowed me to build on the skills I already had, but probably didn’t recognise fully at the time. It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly what new knowledge I use, but I’m more open to other people’s opinions and value their input, I’m prepared to tackle new challenges and see new opportunities where I may not have seen them before. I’m also involved in Rotary Youth Exchange programs and that certainly has allowed me to take a leadership role in mentoring young people.

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