Western Downs Regional Council

ABOUT THE CLIENT:

Western Downs Regional Council serves a diverse Queensland region spanning approximately 38,000 square kilometres and encompasses several major towns including Dalby, Chinchilla, Miles, Tara, and Jandowae. The region is known for its strong agricultural sector, energy industry, and growing tourism sector.

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Challenges & Objectives

As a growing and evolving team working within the complexity of a changing community, the Community Activation & Events team carries a big responsibility to enhance the liveability of the region.

With this comes natural pressure, shifting expectations, and the challenge of balancing day-to-day delivery with connection and collaboration. The team was ready to invest in how they work together, with a focus on building shared understanding, clarity, and trust.

The key objective was to create alignment and a strong foundation so the team could move forward as a collaborative unit feeling confident in themselves and in each other.

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Our Solution & Approach

We delivered a purpose built, full-day, team development experience focused on strengthening team culture, trust, and accountability. This included:

• Pre-work survey and reflection: Helping individuals clarify what energises them, what gets in the way, and what they bring to the team.

• Morning Session: Exploring interdependence, healthy tension, appreciation, and shared ownership.

• Afternoon Session: Co-creating team “Rules of Engagement” and embedding a recognition mindset using The Well-Led Workplaces System and The Language of Appreciation frameworks.

• Ongoing Leadership Support: In the months following the session, we’ve provided continued support to the team leader to help embed the learnings from the day, translating insights into everyday practice and activating the team’s co-created actions in real time.

 

Results & Outcomes

What has shifted since the session (behaviours, communication, energy)?

• The team now has a clearer understanding of each other's communication styles.

• Our team meetings are running more smoothly with better structure and flow

Any examples of how the team has used the tools or language introduced?

• We've implemented tools to track projects and monitor progress

• A weekly team meeting has been established to strengthen communication and keep everyone aligned on events and priorities. These are chaired by the team.

• We've also refreshed our strategy, as well as updated our processes and procedures to improve efficiency.

Has there been an impact on how the team works together or shows up?

• The team's overall attitude has noticeably improved

• There is a conscious effort to communicate effectively and work collaboratively

• We now celebrate small wins together, creating positive momentum

• While the training provided a great starting point, we recognise there's still work ahead to embed these changes as part of our everyday practice.

 

Client Testimonial

“The workshop was an excellent catalyst for our team. Emma and Julie provided us with the tools we needed to improve on our communication and collaboration amongst the team and refresh our strategy, project tracking tools and processes. Since the session, there is a noticeable change in the team's attitude and we've seen a real shift in how we communicate and work together. The training set us on the right path, and while we know there is more to do, the progress so far has been really encouraging.”

Carmen Chessells
Community Activation & Events Coordinator