GROW Capability program comes to leaf with first workshop

Staff from different service streams across the organisation came together for the very first Grow workshop last week, learning about Navigating the Tough Yarns in a dynamic and interactive way.

Thanks to grant funding from the Queensland Care Consortium this workshop provided participants with essential tools to navigate difficult conversations. The workshop is designed to empower leaders and also team members to tackle challenges head-on. Staff learn how to resolve conflicts, and to create a supportive environment where everyone feels heard and valued.

Learning and Development Advisor Maryam facilitated this first workshop and said it was an exciting and also rewarding experience.

“It felt incredible to see months of planning and preparation come to life. Ultimately, it felt empowering to create an environment where people could learn, reflect, and also explore new possibilities for their professional journeys.”

“It was even more fulfilling to witness the participants actively engaging and connecting with the content,” Maryam said. “There was a sense of pride in presenting something that could shape careers and inspire growth within the organisation.”

The workshop featured plenty of activities and, in the theme of growing, staff received plants as prizes.

Making paper aeroplanes took on a new meaning during the first activity. Everyone wrote their strengths in navigating the tough talks on one side of an A4 page and the challenges they face on the other. They then made paper planes, lining up and launching them through the air.

Facilitators collected and randomly redistributed these, with participants reading aloud from the paper planes in their hands. The activity highlighted how we all go through similar challenges in navigating tough conversations.

Family Support Specialist Jenny said the workshop was ‘engaging and well put together.’

“As someone who has difficulty with confidence approaching tough yarns, I was pleased to be able to complete the online part of the training ahead of the face-to-face training. It gave me a solid foundation for understanding the information to come,” Jenny said.

“The coaching around framing a tough yarn to be based on mutual goals and supporting a person to reach those goals allowed me to look at having these conversations in a new light.”

Jenny said she feels more confident in having difficult conversations now.

NDIS Support Coordinator Kylie said she enjoyed learning new skills to help her ‘be better’.

“My biggest takeaway from the GROW workshop about having the tough yarn was the Conversational Dashboard. And also knowing that sometimes you need to be in different spaces dependent on who you are speaking to and what you are speaking about.”

Learning and Development Manager Terri said her team plays a crucial role in enhancing the psychological safety of staff through thoughtfully designed learning initiatives.

“Recognising the importance of this responsibility, we made the GROW Capability program a top priority. We dedicated ourselves to crafting learning components that resonate with both our staff and the organisation’s values. Every module underwent thorough reviews to ensure the content was practical, engaging, and also relatable.”

“We’re proud to have successfully achieved this goal in our first workshop, and there’s more to look forward to!

See a photo gallery below from the first GROW workshop.