“The tools provided in the course were definitely beneficial to my growth.”
Arana is Team Leader at Nairnville Recreation Centre in Khandallah. He started as a part timer and has worked his way up. Now he manages about 15 Recreation Coordinators, including full and part-time employees. Initially, Arana was seconded into the Team Leader position, but he was very keen to make the move permanent. He believes that his transition into the role was helped a lot by completing the First Line Management course.
He says, “The course was really worthwhile. The tools that were provided were definitely beneficial for my growth. I was pushing to get the Team Leader position permanently and that course really helped. It was perfect timing. It gave me a lot of resources. It’s given me confidence to embrace my own leadership style. I’m not very outgoing, but now I understand that that’s okay. We all bring something different to the table. I also realised I had to take a step backwards and empower the staff to take on more and not try to do everything myself.”
When Arana started work at the Rec Centre, communication across the whole team was not always efficient or effective. It was often inconsistent and sometimes quite unsatisfactory. So, he focused his course project on improving workflow through better communication.
Arana explains how he improved workplace communication. “We implemented weekly meetings for full-time staff and monthly meetings for the whole team. Time for attending these meetings is paid, and so by enforcing attendance, we get an opportunity to discuss everything. What’s working? What’s not? These catch ups have been a huge step forward for us. It’s a time not just for me to talk, but also for the staff to relay any issues that they may have. You get a lot of stuff out that would otherwise build up. It’s been really positive.”