Twain quote continues to inspire Rowse today

City of Kwinana governance and strategic services director Sharon Rowse tells BRIAN OLIVER about juggling the demands of work and family.

Q: What does leadership mean to you?

A: To truly be able to lead people you need to be inspired by what you do and help those who you lead to share in this belief.

Q: How has your leadership style changed over time?

A: I believe my leadership style has remained reasonably unchanged over the 15-plus years that I have been in a management role. If I had to choose one area, it would be gaining greater understanding of the difficulties of juggling the work-life balance.

Q: Which business leader do you most admire?

A: I admire any leader that is prepared to continually strive to improve their organisation and someone that leads by example and earns the respect of their staff.

Q: What’s the best advice you were ever given?

A: I was once told the following quote and it’s one that I often re-read to give me inspiration. “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” — Mark Twain

Q: What do you wish someone had told you when you first started out?

A: Get a university qualification, although I think my dad told this many, many times! I left school at 18 because I was keen to get into the workforce and earn enough money to go and see the world.

Q: Tell me the biggest business challenge you’ve ever faced.

A: I believe my biggest business challenge may be just about to occur. There is still a great deal of uncertainly about the potential amalgamation of the City of Kwinana with one of its neighbours, but if this does occur, it will be a massive undertaking for everyone involved. The merging of two major organisations, even if the result is potentially a more robust and sustainable local government, will be a huge task.

Q: What’s the most important moment in your career so far?

A: Taking a role in local government. I had previously worked for major private organisations in the UK including PolyGram Records and Disney. When I emigrated to Australia I wanted to move into an industry that had a more grassroots role, especially as my background has been in communications. After working for two other local councils I finally got a role at the Town of Kwinana, my own local government, and have never looked back.

Q: What do you hope Kwinana will be like in five years’ time?

A: A place that has maintained its family orientation, but with progressively better services and facilities. A phenomenal amount has been achieved in recent years and I am extremely proud of what we have here in the city.

Q: What would you do to improve Kwinana or WA?

A: Like most other residents, the mindless vandalism by a small minority frustrates me, especially because so much of my time is spent on helping to improve Kwinana. One of my major goals though is to help rid Kwinana of the unwarranted stigma that it has outside of the area. People that live in this area love it. People that visit Kwinana cannot believe how beautiful it is.