Team leader

Dominic Hudson

‘I empower my team and drive performance through coaching, mentoring and providing the right development opportunities.’

I recently supported a team member who was looking for ideas to lift his performance to match those of the high performers in the team. I knew that by working together and connecting him with others he would be able to achieve his goals.

I use regular one-on-one catch-ups with my team to complement the formal appraisal process. I find they’re a great way to touch base with my team and understand how they’re travelling and we talk openly and honestly about all sorts of things. During one of these catch-ups my team member Aaron confided in me that he wanted to push himself more at work. He was inspired by some of the other members in the team and wanted to be seen as a high performer.

I was excited about Aaron’s shift in attitude. I’d worked with Aaron for about two years and was aware of his level of capability and his different skills. I knew that once he’d made a conscious decision to push himself, with a little support he would excel.

I remembered a previous conversation I’d had with Aaron where he felt comfortable telling me about a mistake that he had made. I knew this would provide the perfect opportunity for him to grow and to expose him to some of the thought processes of the high performers in the team.

Since my team is spread across a few states, I suggested that Aaron virtually connect with some of the high performers so that he could tap into their knowledge and experience and establish his networks at the same time.

I asked the high performers to review the issue, identify any lessons and see whether we could improve our processes in the future. Good communication and a better understanding of each other’s environments brought a fresh perspective to our work and my team was able to implement a more efficient way of working together.

At our next conversation, Aaron explained that he felt more confident to tackle more challenging work. I agreed and showing my trust in him, I updated his skills profile to ensure that more complex work would be pushed to him to test his new found confidence.

Aaron has been doing really well with his new tasks. He’s been connecting with the team more and has shown greater confidence and enthusiasm at work. For me, the true test of my performance is gauged by the success of my team and the growth of the individuals within it.

How the ATO behaves

• We use our collective talent to achieve the right outcomes.
• Have confidence and trust each other.
• Acknowledge mistakes, learn from them and move forward without blame.

What the ATO does

• We set the strategic direction for the organisation and set clear expectations of Dominic and all leaders.
• We provide tools that support Dominic to effectively collaborate across virtual teams and dynamic workspaces.
• We push work to staff based on corporate priorities and staff capability.
• Dominic has opportunities to seek feedback on all aspects of his performance.
• Dominic has real time access to staff performance measures. We actively monitor and mentor performance.
• Dominic devotes time to coach and build team capability and trust.

How the ATO supports clients

• High performing leaders at all levels drive better outcomes for the ATO and the community.
• Dominic empowers his staff to make decisions and supports and mentors them.
• Dominic communicates consistently and in a timely manner.