These learning and development opportunities have been developed for anyone who manages people in NSW Government. Whether you’ve managed people for years or are new to being a manager, investing in your capability uplift will help to ensure you’re driving positive outcomes for your team.
By engaging with these learning opportunities, you’ll be equipped with the knowledge, skills and tools to be an effective people manager.
People Manager group mentoring program
Applications for the 2024 People Manager Group Mentoring Program closed on Wednesday 10 April, 2024.
This is a structured 6-month program offered by the PSC to enable people managers to develop the skills to optimise team performance.
The program is open to all NSW Government people managers. It focuses on uplifting the People Management capabilities outlined in the NSW Public Sector Capability Framework by pairing experienced people manager mentors with a group of people manager mentees who will learn from the mentors’ guidance, expertise, and insights.
Each group will consist of 1 mentor and 3 mentees. Mentees learn from each other and take turns leading group discussions. Mentors act as learning partners and facilitators for the group. Participants will have the opportunity to meet 1:1 with other group members and PSC will also facilitate mentor training and collaboration sessions.
Benefits of participating
The program will provide you with a supportive framework to enable:
- targeted people manager capability development
- group-based learning opportunities
- 1:1 catch ups within mentoring group to deepen connections
- mentor collaboration and training
- cross-sector networking opportunities.
Why group mentoring?
Group mentoring allows for a collaborative approach to learning, giving participants access to the collective wisdom of their mentor and peers. It provides a forum to share the diverse views of challenges and opportunities that people managers face. The group setting encourages a culture of shared learning, where participants will gain new perspectives through feedback and support from experienced mentors and peers with varied levels of experience.
A group mentoring program also provides mentees with networking opportunities and a peer supportive system that lasts beyond the mentoring program.
Who can apply?
To join as a mentee, you must:
- currently be a direct line manager of at least one employee
- be interested in growing your people management capabilities
- be willing and able to commit time and energy to the program
- be in a non-executive role up to clerk grade 11/12 (or equivalent).
To join as a mentor, you must:
- have been a people manager for 5 years or more
- be comfortable facilitating group discussion
- be experienced in managing group dynamics
- be willing to commit time and energy to support the development of people managers.
The program is free for participants and agencies. It is funded by the PSC.
Program timeline and activity
Timeline
Activity | Date |
|---|---|
Applications open | Thursday 21 March 2024 |
Applications close | Wednesday 10 April 2024 |
Successful applicants contacted | Monday 22 April 2024 |
Program launch – opening workshop | Tuesday 30 April 2024 |
Optional: Lunch & Learn Information Session | Wednesday 01 May 2024 |
Workshop for mentees 90-minute sessions x4 | May - Sep 2024 (Dates TBC) |
Workshop for mentors | May - Jun 2024 (Dates TBC) |
Program close event | Wednesday 30 October 2024 |
Activities
Activity | Time required |
|---|---|
Meeting preparation | 60 – 90 minutes for each group mentoring session |
Group mentoring sessions | 60 – 90 minutes per session |
Optional: 1:1 coffee catch-ups | Recommended 30 – 45 minutes per session |
Events and workshops | Up to 7 hours in total |
Program surveys | Approximately 1 hour total |
All participants will receive a Mentoring toolkit, including suggested session plans, a resource list for each of the suggested session topics and a mentoring journal to help them embed their learning.
Application and selection process
Apply now using the above online application form.
Successful applicants will be notified on Monday 22 April 2024.
Places are limited (75 mentees and 25 mentors) and will be allocated equitably across the sector.
Please note that the 2023 People Manager Group Mentoring Program is running and will end on 21 May.
Contact us
If you’re interested in finding out more about the program, please get in touch with us via our contact form.
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Masterclasses
The people manager masterclasses upskill and equip managers by addressing key issues relating to inspiring direction and purpose, managing and developing people, leading through change and planning and organising resources.
The sessions are an opportunity to explore evidence-based models and practical ideas to apply to your work as a people manager.
Anyone who manages people in NSW Government can access these online masterclasses.
2023 masterclasses
Driving accountability and managing performance requires leaders provide clarity, context and alignment when setting expectations. This masterclass offers a framework to help team members maximise their efforts.
Learning objectives:
- develop the art of setting clear, purposeful expectations, that inspire incremental effort
- adopt a framework that helps you analyse and communicate current performance, and plan future performance.
Contact the PSC Capability Design team to access the recording.
People managers today need to be mentors and coaches, supporting their team members to do their best work. This practical and experiential masterclass will focus on helping participants hone and extend their coaching skills to achieve this objective. We’ll explore your current coaching style via an audit.
Learning objectives:
- get clarity on behaviours that support and hinder you in empowering your team and audit your current coaching behaviours
- enhance coaching skills and question technique to foster higher levels of initiative, accountability and ownership among your team
- explore a coaching planning tool that helps people leaders enact break-through conversations with their team members.
Contact the PSC Capability Design team to access the recording.
People managers today are increasingly asking their team to do more with less resources. To avoid burnout and ensure optimal outcomes, establishing team and individual priorities is critical. In this masterclass, you’ll explore a matrix which helps you decide on what to prioritise based on what’s most important and urgent, and how to manage ever-increasing demands.
Learning objectives:
- Understand where your team’s energy is going and how to prioritise and focus the efforts of team members
- Learn how to clearly define roles and responsibilities and allocate resources for maximum impact
- Learn the art of saying “no” (without saying no).
Contact the PSC Capability Design team to access the recording.
Change is unavoidable. As a people manager, how do you support your team in adapting to successfully to change? This masterclass explores the emotions people go through during change, and a people manager’s role in bringing people on the journey.
Learning objectives:
- understand the different stages of change and how to manage the emotions of team members during change
- review tactics available to people managers to build buy-in to change projects which are initially unpopular
- learn the role of storytelling in leading change.
Contact the PSC Capability Design team to access the recording.
2022 masterclasses
Masterclasses delivered in 2022 were on the following topics. Contact the PSC Capability Design team to access the recordings.
In this session, we explore:
- why it’s important to get hybrid right
- common concerns of managing a hybrid team
- the elements of a successful hybrid approach.
In this session, we explore:
- what is de-escalation and why does it matter now?
- the science of de-escalation
- the habits of de-escalation.
In this session, we explore:
- how change is processed in the brain
- how to respect cognitive capacity
- how to plan, communicate and implement a change initiative as a people manager.
In this session, we explore:
- elements of quality conversations
- a science-based approach to performance conversations
- ideas to create the right environment for more challenging conversations.
Online training program
People Manager Fundamentals is an online training program designed to build foundational people manager capabilities for those new to people management or wanting a refresher.
The program covers the role and responsibilities of people managers and key attributes of effective managers as outlined in the People Manager Frame. There are 4 modules which each take 2-3 hours to complete in a self-paced format. Find out more by downloading the People Manager Fundamentals learning guide.
The learning modules were developed with extensive input from people managers and agencies across the NSW public sector to deliver an engaging and high-quality experience.
To access the eLearning through your agency’s platform, speak to your HR or learning and development team or contact the PSC Capability Design team.