The test of a leader is often in times of crisis. What if you had to deal with disaster compounded by disaster? Three bushfires including the most devastating one of 2020, followed immediately by Covid19. This is exactly what Mayor Kristy McBain has faced since first being elected the youngest councillor in Bega Valley Shire at the age of 29, and then as the youngest Mayor in 2016. She shares her biggest leadership insights.

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Why you should listen:

• How to find opportunity after a crisis - so relevant to all businesses right now
• Why communication is still the biggest challenge even in the age of social media and the internet
• The secret of successful representation: ‘you can never lose points for listening’

We explore:

• Leadership doesn’t occur in a vacuum so we need to lose independence in favour of collaboration and sometimes compromise
• Bring goals to reality by writing them down
• Kristy’s obsession with Elvis.

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SHOWNOTES: www.zoerouth.com/podcast/kristymcbain

About Kristy:

Elected to Council in 2012, Cr Kristy McBain was the youngest person to ever be elected to the Chamber at 29.

Re-elected to Council in 2016 and elected as the Mayor by her fellow Councillors, Cr Kristy McBain is also the youngest person to hold the important leadership role of Mayor in our Shire. Cr McBain grew up in the community she now serves, attending Eden Marine High School before going on to study and work in Canberra. She holds a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Communication (Journalism).

Driven by a ‘can do’ approach, Cr McBain manages a successful plumbing business with her husband, works as a lawyer and has three children. Cr McBain is very much a woman of her age, connected to her demographic whilst being able to communicate in a fresh and responsive way across the generations.

As a dedicated contributor to all Council matters, Cr McBain uses her leadership to drive new thinking and ideas. This is evidenced by her award in March 2017 as winner of Elected Representative – Rural Regional category in the 2017 Ministers' Awards for Women in Local Government NSW presented by the Minister of Local Government and Minister for Women.

Cr McBain was an Executive Member of the Country Mayors Association of NSW between 2016 -2018 and Deputy Chair of the Canberra Regional Joint Organisation since 2017. She led her community through the Tathra and District Bushfires of 2018. Her work has been praised by the Office of Emergency Management, who worked closely with her to establish a standard community crisis response protocol for local government areas.

And most recently, she has continued to lead once again during the Bega Valley Black Summer Bushfires and the COVID-19 virus pandemic.

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Related Episodes:

E46 - There's More to Listening Than Hearing - A Marvellous Interview with Oscar Trimboli

E70 - Book Review of James Comey's A Higher Loyalty

E67 - Book Review and a Tip on Morning Routines: Hanzi Freinacht's The Listening Society

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About your podcast host, Zoë Routh:

Zoë Routh is one of Australia’s leading experts on people stuff - the stuff that gets in our way of producing results, and the stuff that lights us up. She works with the growers, makers, builders to make people stuff fun and practical.

Zoë is the author of four books: Composure - How centered leaders make the biggest impact,  Moments - Leadership when it matters most, Loyalty - Stop unwanted stuff turnover, boost engagement, and build lifelong advocates, and People Stuff - Beyond Personalities: An advanced handbook for leadership. People Stuff was awarded Book of the Year 2020 by the Smart WFM Australian Business Book Awards.

Zoë is also the producer of The Zoë Routh Leadership Podcast.

www.zoerouth.com