We recently spoke with Noni Williams from City of Adelaide about her role as Associate Director City Operations.

Hi Noni, your role has oversight of quite a few areas of council. What are they and their focuses?

The City Operations program is responsible for the presentation and maintenance of our city, ensuring it is well-presented and maintained. All of its 250 staff take great pride in creating the best possible experience of our city for residents, workers and visitors from interstate and overseas. Most are based at the City of Adelaide’s London Road Depot in Mile End or at various locations across the Adelaide Park Lands.

As the Associate Director of City Operations, I oversee City Maintenance including Infrastructure Maintenance and Trades, Workshop & Facilities, City Presentation including Horticulture and Waste and Cleansing Services and Operations Support.

For many years I was responsible for overseeing the activation of the Adelaide CBD, North Adelaide and Adelaide Park Lands through the many events staged or supported by the City of Adelaide. This gave me a deep knowledge of the potential for our capital city to develop and be displayed as one of the world’s most attractive places to live, visit and work.

When I started in my new role 11 months almost a year ago, one of my first priorities was to gain an in-depth understanding of the large City Operations team from their perspective.

This included gaining knowledge of the various services which they deliver, which range from cleaning city facilities such as toilets, footpaths and streets to caring for our beautiful Park Lands. I also wanted to understand the opportunities and challenges they face each day as they go about their work, which are substantial.

I believe this approach has enabled me to build a foundation of trust within City Operations and gain a clear understanding of short- and long-term opportunities which it faces. I am working hard to lift the profile of City Operations to ensure an equitable approach to delivering the strategic outcomes of the city – and greater appreciation of the hard work and effort all of its staff put in each day to make our city so attractive.

Over 20 years of your career has been in local government. What’s been the driving force of your time in our industry?

At my core I want to deliver exceptional services and experiences for our community – whether they be residents, businesses, visitor or property owners. It has been a privilege to spend most of my working life in Local Government and to now have the opportunity to continue to shape the city of the future from a very practical and effective viewpoint.

Working in Local Government in a leadership role I have been able to guide and support our people to understand the roles they play every day, in shaping the experiences of the city and how their work aligns with the City of Adelaide Strategic Plan.

To achieve this, I actively promote work cultures that are inclusive, collaborative and inspiring whilst encouraging the development of individual strengths while optimising team cohesion and performance.

I like to build teams that are consistent and evolving and empowered to establish an ethos that is high performing, bold and innovative. That will continue to be my focus in my role as Associate Director of City Operations.

You’ve spent quite a portion of your career activating Adelaide. What are the key areas of professional development that has guided you to your Associate Director role

Learning and understanding the political environment and the importance of the relationship between the community and Council is one component that has guided me to my current role. It is important to develop skills in stakeholder management, especially in complex environments when you are working with stakeholders with competing interests.

I maintain a people-centred approach which involves building a strong foundation of trust with my team. You must develop a clear understanding of short term and long-term goals and relate those goals to the strategic outcomes of the organisation.

It’s also about having the ability to adapt and reflect on your own leadership style, depending on which team you are leading or the circumstances you find yourself in.

You need know how to modify your approach so you can navigate conversations with all the people you deal with – from other members of the Executive Team and elected members right through to field staff. Accept that major decisions cannot be made in isolation.

You need to ensure you are working across the organisation and seeking advice and support from all facets. There must be a willingness to see situations more fully and recognise the interdependencies of how everything is interrelated.

Everyone is part of a team regardless of their roles or seniority and, by working together, teams deliver results beneficial for everyone. Always give credit when credit is due.

The workforce has changed significantly over the last few decades. What advice would you give to women in local government who are as passionate as you are?

It is a privilege to work in Local Government and it offers opportunities and experiences that other organisations cannot provide. Do not take on an opportunity or challenge because you doubt your own ability. Just back yourself in and go for it! I have had a wonderful journey through Local Government by always accepting any opportunity which has presented itself. It has been an interesting, challenging and invigorating experience serving the community.

Local Government provides a platform to test your skills, and knowledge when you aren’t necessarily a subject matter expert. It gives you the chance to learn from others and everything you learn from working within Local Government are skills that you can put in your toolbox for your next professional opportunity.

I strongly suggest continually connecting across your organisation to build strong, sustainable relationship with people at all levels, regardless of their roles.

Be curious and ask questions. I always approach things with curiosity, clarity, compassion and courage. As the first female to be appointed Associate Director City Operations in the long history of the City of Adelaide, I offer that advice to other women.

Not every day is easy at work. How do you invest in your wellbeing to bring your best to the role?

I ensure that I have time to connect with people and take the time to understand how they are tracking. It fills my cup and helps me connect the work that I do to our people, and this brings me gratitude and pleasure. We always make time to have a laugh and reflect on the positives. I enjoy attending events, theatre, catch up with friends and family and drinking bubbles. One of my particular pleasures is arranging flowers.