**This article is written by: Bryanne Gilkinson Director, CX Design and Digital Product._ This article is one of the finalists in Apolitical’s 2020 women in government writing competition.**_

Leading transformational change in Government can be a lonely road for anyone who attempts such a journey. Leading that kind of wholesale change as a woman in Government has an added layer of isolation.

All of the research on how to be just the right amount of assertive can suddenly feel like your daily obstacle course.

You’re not just a female leader navigating how to assert yourself in the right tone so that others will listen to what you’re saying.  You’re also a female leader who is actively challenging the status quo – both current state processes as well as organisational structures and culture.

You want to go faster, but your peers are career public servants who don’t always share your sense of urgency.

You want to delegate decision-making downwards to those who know the subject matter best, but your colleagues want layers of governing bodies to shield against auditors, external critique and the media.

The way forward in any given situation isn’t always clear when you’re undergoing a transformation

You want to put the people you serve at the centre of the transformation, but many of the people you’re working with have climbed the ladder by taking an inside-out approach.

It is hard enough to challenge the status quo as it is. Doing so while worrying about whether your tone is sufficiently non-confrontational yet confident enough to sell the vision? Well, that’s where things can start to get really hard and self-doubt can creep in.

So how do you deal with all of this?  How do you find your unique voice in the crashing waves of uncertainty and other people’s opinions?

Always start with the work

The path will be a difficult one. There are potholes and trip wires, and sometimes it will feel like you’re navigating through a fog. Occasionally you will be in complete darkness. Not everyone will be rooting for you. A couple here and there might actively work against you. Most will spectate. Likely all will have some level of scepticism. By focusing on the work and anchoring to the impact that it will have on the people you serve, you will begin to gain the trust of the colleagues you need alongside you in order to succeed. If delivering good work that helps people is your only agenda, it will be easier for you to find allies. And that’s important, because you’ll need them when you accidentally and inevitably mis-step.

Be upfront about any interest, bias, or the agenda you hold

To build transparency and to help others empathise with you, be clear and direct about what you care about and why, and how that drives your perspective on a particular topic. This provides people with the right context when listening to your comments or questions, and it helps frame their interpretation of what you are about to say. It also helps cut through the muddy waters of trying to identify the common interest that underlies disparate positions, and often leads to a resolution more quickly. Though this might sound intuitive, this approach is often counter to the culture of Government, which can be far more political and Machiavellian by nature.

Bring a point of view to every meeting

Come to meetings prepared and with a point of view. The person who brings a point of view to a meeting is the person that sets the tone, path, context, and content for the discussion. A person with a point of view forces everyone to respond to them. They become the stage manager, choosing what to shine the spotlight on.

Ask for your thoughts, ideas, and perspectives to be challenged

The way forward in any given situation isn’t always clear when you’re undergoing a transformation. Decisions need to be made without full information. As a leader of the change, you need to form a perspective, but you also need to have the humility, openness and curiosity to seek out evidence and feedback that might change that perspective. You are going to be wrong, and that’s okay. But you can lower the frequency and impact of those errors by continuously asking for your opinions to be challenged by those around you. Look for opportunities to say “Here’s my perspective, what am I missing?” or just simply “Please challenge me on this.”

Elevate others

Sometimes the best thing you can do to strengthen your own voice is to elevate the voices of others. As a female leader, knowing when to hold power and when to shift power isn’t always easy, particularly in the moment.  But when you use your position and influence to shift power to someone else who isn’t in the spotlight, you emanate strength and confidence. It doesn’t matter whether or not the person you choose to elevate agrees with you. Either way, you and others around you will learn something from what they say, and along the way you will build champions, community, trust, and allies up, down, and across the organisation.

Leading transformational change within Government requires a strong voice. Finding and strengthening that voice as a woman traversing a maze of gender biases in the workplace takes added care and attention. Take control by focusing on impact, building trust, having a point of view, embracing feedback, and shifting power when the voices of others need to be heard.

It may be a long road, but you can make it a whole lot less less lonely. — Bryanne Gilkinson

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