Jessica

Our people

Life as a Team Leader

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Read her story

Interviewer: How are you encouraged to bring your whole self to work?

Jessica: "I am a big believer in “if you can’t see the light, be the light”. I am passionate about being the “light” in our tenants and staff’s lives. I thrive not just in making people smile but knowing that I have created a positive outcome for them. Even during tough conversations with people, I am dedicated to delivering a direct and thorough , yet positive service. Self care is a priority in my personal life and I think this shows in my ability to show up as my positive and bubbly self each day despite any negative interactions the day before."

Interviewer: What kind of opportunities have you had to make meaningful connection in your role to the community?

Jessica: "I have participated in many NAIDOC walks in the Port Augusta community (in a previous role). Homelessness and NAIDOC week activities both in Port Augusta and Whyalla.

I believe it is very important to have a large community presence in the work that we do so that our community and our customers can feel connected to us and the service we deliver. It’s a great way to be a “real person” to our customers and show that we are an organization that supports our community."

Interviewer: How do you feel your role impacts other people’s lives?

Jessica: "During my time as an Independent Housing Officer – my responsibility was all of our new tenancies. This was incredibly fulfilling to me as I was able to help shape their SA Housing Authority journey and set them up as best I could for a successful tenancy. Though this was not the case 100% of the time, I truly believe that implementing my support from the beginning of these tenancies assisted with their drive to better themselves and have a successful outcome – as we know successful housing can change someone’s life.

As a team leader I think the most impact my role can have is to improve the culture and experiences our staff have when they come to work each day. I think leading with passion and positivity can really shift someone’s day/week around and in return, our customers reap the benefits."

Interviewer: What are the benefits of your work — what motivates you?

Jessica: "Benefits of my work is the good work environment as well as the flexibility that many jobs don’t offer. I believe being a team leader is all about supporting our staff in understanding their role and their skills which overall creates a better service delivery; I am motivated by seeing staff achieve their goals and be passionate about the incredibly hard work they do.

A big motivator is being able to allocate people their homes, and seeing the excitement in their eyes and knowing they are now in a safe environment."