This month we caught up with Jacki Done, Manager People & Culture at City of Charles Sturt about her role, why professional development is important and her role as Chair of our People and Culture Network.

What is your role and what does it involve?

I am the Manager People & Culture at the City of Charles Sturt.  Our team partners with our organisation, working to ensure we maintain a highly capable and motivated workforce.

You’re currently the chair of the People and Culture Network Committee, can you tell us about the role of this committee?

We started the year by changing our name from the HR Network to the People & Culture Network, the purpose of this change was to be more inclusive and attract all the amazing people who work within the People & Culture space.  Our committee is focused on connecting P&C practitioners across the sector and providing opportunities to collaborate and grow capability.

What is your favourite LG Professionals SA memory?

It is from earlier this year when the world turned upside down, and our network had to pivot and our focus shifted from providing our quarterly forums to wanting to provide support to our peers as we navigated all that COVID-19 threw at us.  In March we introduced fortnightly P&C Informal Zoom Catch Ups – there was no agenda, no guest speakers, we created a space for P&C practitioners across the sector to come together to ask for help, to share, to listen, to just be able to talk and seek reassurance from colleagues.

These have continued throughout the year and are now held monthly.

Why do you think it is important to make time for professional development?

No one should ever stop developing, the world is changing too quickly to think we know it all. I know time is a precious commodity for all of us, but making time for professional development means you are always bringing your best self to the work that you do.

What advice would you give to someone looking to take the next step in their career?

Believe in yourself, take a leap of faith and surround yourself with people you trust and that will provide you with constructive feedback along the way.

Lastly – what do you enjoy doing outside of local government?

This year I have become a bit of a KX Pilates junkie, it is my new thing and I absolutely love it. You can find me at the Glenelg Studio three or four times a week.