Canberra has played host to the Navy Emerging Leaders Forum (NELF) and the inaugural Navy Leaders Forum (NLF), providing an opportunity for personal development and the enhancement of leadership and cultural awareness.
Held from June 26-27, the forums had a combined attendance of more than 200 Navy personnel. They were delivered by a team from the Directorate of Navy Culture, together with a number of Navy senior leaders, external keynote presenters and other speakers.
When asked why the NELF was important, Leading Seaman Jorde Lenoy, of HMAS Creswell, said it equipped leaders with the skill sets to improve high-functioning teams.
“This helps develop our skills to be the best we can be for the task at hand,” Leading Seaman Lenoy said.
Keynote speaker at the NELF, Lieutenant Commander Liz Quinn, has worked with many elite sporting teams and individuals, and spoke with passion about finding the purpose in what we do.
She challenged participants to take what they have learned and create change in the workplace.
“Showing up to a forum like this is not enough,” Lieutenant Commander Quinn said.
“You have to take what you’ve learned and apply it in the workplace in order to make people better. But you need to know your purpose – when you know your ‘why’, your ‘what’ becomes more impactful.”
While at the NLF, Warrant Officer Shannon Purcell expressed clear passion for the personal development of Navy’s sailors.
“Investing in the sailors, coming together for a day that helps them build their networks and offers them opportunities to invest in their social/maritime mastery and professional development, which they can take back to their units and take action to implement, this is their culture action plan,” she said.
Moving forward, the Directorate of Navy Culture is preparing further NELFs and NLFs across the country, with engagements in Nowra, Melbourne, Darwin and Sydney now in planning.
These forums present an opportunity for individuals to build and strengthen their commitment to a positive Navy culture in their workplace, both at sea and ashore.
