This month we spoke with Daniel Griffin, Manager Financial Services, Yorke Peninsula Council, about how completing the Executive Leaders Program has influenced his leadership two years on, why learning about the inner workings of units across council is important to him, and we learn about some work Daniel’s been a part of recently that he’s especially proud of.

What is your role and how long have you been in local government?

I am the Manager of Financial Services for Yorke Peninsula Council. I have worked in local government since May 2015, except for an 18-month sojourn working in the education sector.

Two years ago, you completed the Executive Leaders Program. How has the learning from the program influenced your leadership since?

The Executive Leadership Program has influenced my leadership in several ways. Firstly, it encouraged me to become more observant about what is happening around me (and at times inside me) before I make sense of what is going on and decide on a course of action. Secondly, it has helped me better consider the type of problem or issue I am encountering and what might be required to make progress in this area. Thirdly, I’ve been introduced to some practical tools, which I have made use of in my role and with my team to help approach the more complex issues confronting us in the workplace.

You’ve also expanded your professional development education into Human Resources. Why is it important to you to learn more about how other areas of local government operate?

The financial services function of council is not an end in itself. My team not only play a role in supporting decision making around the strategic plans of council, but also serve the many and varied operations of council. Without a good understanding of who everyone is and what everyone does for the community, our assistance is going to be limited. Better decision support, improved communication and collaboration come from knowing the people, what they do and helping them achieve their goals through the expertise your team has to assist them in the process.

What’s a piece of work you have completed recently in your job that you’re most proud of?

Much of the work of a financial services team is cyclical. We have long-term financial plans, annual business plans and budgets, budget reviews, miscellaneous reports, returns and acquittal, and once you get to the end, you start over again. In some sense, it’s hard to choose one budget over another, if you know what I mean. The larger tasks outside of these processes are probably the ones I’m most proud of, and they all rely on a team effort. Our council undertook an independent review of the basis of its rating, which, though undertaken by a consultant, involved significant input from our team behind the scenes and in the public arena through presentations at Information and Briefing Sessions and Council meetings. The other project, which I’m proud of, though not yet complete, is the transition of council’s Enterprise Resource Planning System (ERP). This project will touch most, if not all the work council undertakes in one way or another. I’m proud that we have taken on this much-needed task and that people from across the organisation are pulling together to make it happen. We’re not done yet, but I look forward to the changes it will bring about to our operations. The project is complex, it involves change. We are in the middle of a transition, what better place to continue to grow as a leader?

What do you do with yourself in your spare time?

When I get a decent break, I like to get away camping with my family and experience the vast and beautiful country we call home. In my regular spare time, I love watching my kids play sports, walking the dog on the beach, reading a good book and playing a few tunes on my guitar.