Leadership Lens: Building trust in the public sector

Building an innovative public sector starts with leaders who invest in their people and unlock the full potential of the workforce to shape South Australia’s future, writes the Commissioner for Public Sector Employment, Erma Ranieri.

Leadership in the public sector is underpinned by integrity and accountability, where public value and delivering services to the community are the primary goals.

Leadership is not left to chance or reserved for a selected few but is actively cultivated as a core element of public sector culture. It’s not just about vision – it is about stewardship. It’s not just about influence – but about accountability. It’s not just about outcomes – but about how those outcomes are achieved. 

The South Australian Leadership Academy (SALA), led by my office, aims to deliver value to the South Australian community through the development of purposeful, responsive and inspiring public sector leaders. SALA also strives to advance strategic thinking and decision-making, drive uplift in leadership capability across the sector, and assist in leading change and navigating reform. 

As well as upholding the public sector values of service, professionalism, trust, respect, collaboration & engagement, honesty & integrity, courage & tenacity, and sustainability, public sector leaders must adopt a “we” mindset, fostering shared decision-making and inclusion and a “people-first” approach. 

The real test of leadership, however, is not whether these values are articulated – it is whether they are upheld under pressure, in complex and evolving environments that can be shaped by political cycles, community expectations, and competing stakeholder demands. 

It is in these moments when real leadership........

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