EP#164: The relational leader with Jaala Hinchcliffe
Work with Purpose: A podcast about the Australian Public SectorShow Notes
On the penultimate episode of Work with Purpose, Jaala Hinchcliffe, Secretary of the Department of Parliamentary Services, shines a light on the important, yet often unseen work of DPS, and discusses why integrity is not simply something people have or lack, but rather a skill that must be practised.
When you make a mistake at work, what is your first impulse? Do you trust your leaders to work it through with you? On this episode, Jaala speaks with host David Pembroke, CEO of contentgroup, about how managing mistakes – your own and others’ – shapes integrity culture in organisations. She argues that good leadership means building culture deliberately, practising integrity, supporting people to admit and fix mistakes, and preparing institutions like DPS for the future while protecting their democratic purpose.
Jaala also explores how DPS supports parliament to function, and what it means to lead its highly diverse workforce, from art curation to research.
Key tips: 1. Practise integrity before you need it. Talk through tricky scenarios with colleagues, build the habit of doing the right thing, and create space to raise concerns early. 2. Own mistakes quickly and respond constructively. If something goes wrong, name it, fix it, and learn from it. For leaders, the integrity test is how they respond: “Thank you for telling me — let’s fix it” builds trust and prevents bigger problems. 3. Build relationships and treat people well. The public service can feel large, but careers often reconnect people over many years. Be generous, form genuine connections, leave roles well, and ask for advice when you need it.
Shownotes Secretary Series: Jaala Hinchcliffe, Secretary of the Department of Parliamentary Services | IPAA ACT Department of Parliamentary Services
Work with Purpose is created by contentgroup in association with IPAA ACT
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More from Work with Purpose: A podcast about the Australian Public Sector
After 164 episodes, we bid farewell to Work with Purpose. Marking this special occasion, IPAA ACT CEO Kate Driver turns the microphone around on host David Pembroke, CEO of contentgroup, and one of the podcast’s first guests, IPAA National President Andrew Metcalfe AO.
Governments generate endless information, but so much of it goes unseen. So, how do we turn it into content people actually care about?
What happens when senior leaders step out of meeting rooms and into frontline service environments?
In this episode of Work with Purpose, we discuss how a widening gap between external change and internal capability in the public sector is becoming a major threat to both public trust and effective government. As governments navigate social media distortion, geopolitical instability, cognitive warfare and rapid advances in AI, many public institutions are still operating in rigid, slow-moving ways better suited to an earlier era.
On this episode of Work with Purpose, the Hon Patrick Gorman, Assistant Minister for the Public Service, revisits performance, reform, and the future direction of the Australian Public Service.