Post by the wonderful Maddie McShane, one of our 2018 Leadership Competition winners.
Upon finishing school, I found I didn’t know what to do with myself. I had loved my last 13 years of schooling from start to finish and wasn’t entirely sure what label I was to wear if it wasn’t as a “schoolkid.” I knew that I wanted to move in the direction of university but didn’t know what approach to take in embarking on this new chapter in my life.
In my confused state, the Power Trip couldn’t have come at a better time. The trip was an unexpected opportunity to create friendships, make connections and have some time for self-reflection.
One of the highlights of the Power Trip was the leadership workshop we did in the early stages. It broke down each of our individual capabilities and helped us realise how they could be used for the best. The workshop showed me that there was no one clear definition of a ‘leader,’ but that we could all user our own unique traits to be leaders in our own way.
There was an abundance of opportunities for us to practise our public speaking skills on the trip, and one such opportunity was when I got to record an ABC radio interview with two other winners. Before the interview, I was nervous, but as soon as I was on air, I realised how natural it felt to be talking about something I really cared about. The interview helped build my confidence and let me practise my own brand of leadership on a small scale.
My favourite experience came on the last day, as we got to attend a networking night hosted by the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources. We listened to different speakers from the multitude of varied roles under this government department, and all of their different stories. Each of them had very practical and useful advice to offer about perseverance and making the most of your career. For me, seeing this diverse range of interesting careers inspired me to pursue a similar career pathway myself. Having the chance afterwards to have proper and wholesome conversations with all of the speakers and so many more people enabled me to share ideas with some very bright minds.
I made so many other great memories along the way but ultimately, assigning a few days of my life to this intensive program of self-development was exactly what I needed to help me gauge direction. Surrounded by supportive mentors and peers who are uplifting you and want your best, the trip helped me to realise my full potential.