Ms Reita Holmes

Delivering Great Policy (DGP) ‘Servant leadership speaks to me, and stewardship is a key element of it. Personally, the term “stewardship” is a way of approaching work that also reflects my own values of empathy, understanding, empowerment and putting others first.’

Joining the Australian Public Service

Why did you decide to join the APS, and what was your first role?

Joining the APS was not my deliberate plan. However, I found work that looked interesting and allowed me to use my diverse experiences and skills in one place.

In my first role at the Australian Sports Commission (ASC), I coordinated the Active After-school Communities program at a regional level. The program was delivered through a cluster of local primary schools, Out of School Hours Care Services and local community organisations.

The day-to-day duties of the role included grant management, coach education and community outreach. Stakeholder engagement was a key component, and I established and maintained relationships with federal parliamentarians, local government bodies, state and local sporting bodies, community organisations, and local media.

At what stage of your career journey were you?

Technically, I was mid-career and had recently returned from the United States, where alongside completing my Masters I worked in the university’s Collegiate Athletics field hockey program.

I had worked in a number of positions across the education and sport sectors (as a teacher, university lecturer and in sport development), and I had taught for 3 years at an independent school before moving to the United States.

Stewardship

What does stewardship mean to you?

I support a systems approach to stewardship, in particular for public policy outcomes. This involves information sharing and cooperation across multiple levels and jurisdictions to achieve desired outcomes.

Servant leadership speaks to me, and stewardship is a key element of it. Personally, the term ‘stewardship’ is a way of approaching work that also reflects my values of empathy, understanding, empowerment and putting others first.

Stewardship also means sustainability and it is as important as viability, where our purpose is focused on continuous improvement so we leave things better, or better placed, than we found them.

Why do you feel stewardship is important?

Stewardship is not just a role or position of responsibility for an individual. It is also a collective call to action which involves going beyond the status quo and building on what is already happening.

Stewardship seems more meaningful when I see collaborative work being done across the APS, sectors and systems. This work is collectively building growth, removing barriers by empowering others, and developing sustainable solutions.

I think it is important to have stewardship front of mind in the public service, as we provide the safety net so others can take a leap forward and make things happen that improve the lives of Australians.

Describe how you ‘act as a steward’ in your current role.

I try to act as a steward through my behaviours and approach to work. I do this by engaging in frank and fearless discussion, collaborating to reach solutions, sharing lessons learned, exchanging innovative ideas, and creating avenues for emergence.

I support APS Craft by taking a proactive role in building capabilities to achieve better outcomes through policy development and program delivery.

This includes respectfully challenging the status quo and placing a strategic lens around who we are designing programs and policies for, and the outcomes they hope to achieve.

What professional experiences or achievements are you most proud of?

During my time with the ASC, I had an amazing opportunity to participate as part of the Pacific Junior Sport Program in Fiji.

I facilitated workshops for teachers and teacher’s aides from special schools across Fiji, based on the Play for Life kit from the Active After-school Communities program. I also mentored local and in-country development staff from the Fijian Paralympic Committee (FPC).

As a result of our work, the FPC and special schools in Fiji adopted the Play for Life kit as their curriculum for delivering sport and physical education in special schools. This contributed to the inclusion of students and special schools in mainstream school activities, and broader acceptance in the wider community.

It was also meaningful on a personal level because it was a way of connecting with my Pacific Islander heritage and learning more about Pasifika cultures.

What is a legacy you hope to leave in your current role?

I hope that my legacy is based on the values I demonstrate through my ways of working. When we aim to bring our best selves to each day, we also bring out the best in others.

All contributions, big or small, can lead to positive change and impact. This could be for one person, process or place, or at a program level. It helps to leave things better than how you found them.

What professional advice would you give your younger self?

I would tell my younger self to take advantage of every opportunity that is offered to you and seek out opportunities to do work you are passionate about.

APS Academy program participation

Which program have you participated in?

As a Policy Master, I present or guest speak at the APS Academy DGP training courses. The training relies heavily on the practitioner or policy experts (Policy Masters) sharing their policy stories and real-world examples to frame the training.

Due to my experience and skills in design and implementation, I often deliver the course modules aligned with design thinking, systems thinking and business analysis, including many of the concepts and tools I frequently use in my work.

While Policy Masters typically present at training courses for their home agency, I have found it invaluable to attend courses for other agencies or those delivered in a multi-agency format. Each time I’ve had the opportunity to present for other APS agencies, I’ve learned something new about the public service and the important stewardship role we play.

What were the reasons you chose to contribute to the program?

Initially, I chose to contribute because the program aligned so closely with my role in policy design and program development, our team values and what we were delivering at the time.

After completing the Policy Master training, I discovered the value of the program in building capacity across the APS in person-centred, outcomes-focused and systems-oriented design in the early stages of policy or program development.

Describe your program experience and how it has contributed to your professional development.

I have really enjoyed the opportunities that DGP has given me to learn about the work and individual approaches other APS agencies take in delivering policy advice, program development and implementation.

My Policy Master experience has been symbiotic of my APS roles, with each contributing to the policy stories and examples I share with course participants.

One of the biggest challenges highlighted through the DGP courses is balancing time pressures with prioritising space to think through and document how something is supposed to work, why it will work and who will benefit from it. It is important to determine the conditions required for success before providing advice or starting implementation. Many of my stories as a Policy Master share this common experience and aim to help other APS staff develop skills and ‘hacks’ to navigate these challenges.

DGP is a now a core element of foundational learning for the APS and provides a framework that helps address the specific pressures and challenges of working in the sector. It provides guidance on ways of working, collaboration and engagement.

I would like to acknowledge and thank my managers and colleagues for supporting my involvement in DGP as a Policy Master and helping to build staff capability within the APS.