Kris overcomes self-doubt on his leadership journey

Kris Kirk hadn’t studied in over 20 years, so when applications opened for the 2022 Indigenous Emerging Leaders Program (IELP) he initially thought it wasn’t for him.

Kris, a Mununjali man, had been working in Delivery his whole career and thought of himself as pretty set in his ways. Celebrating his 20-year Australia Post anniversary in June, he wasn’t convinced that there was anything to gain from this program. 

“I was content with what I was doing, I didn’t want to get into leadership or management. I would come in for my shift, finish work and do it all again tomorrow,” Kris said. 

After some encouragement, he put his application in and was successful. A few months later, he graduated from the program along with his cohort of teammates from across the business. 

“The program has a leadership side and a cultural side. It opened my eyes to the opportunities here at work and has really motivated me. It also made me dig deeper into my culture and connect with this part of my life even more,” he said.

“It’s given me a voice at work and now I’m a lot more confident to speak up.”

It wasn’t easy for Kris. He was out of his comfort zone and full of self-doubt as the only team member from Delivery in the program, and as someone who only had basic computer skills. 

He overcame these challenges with determination, support from the program and his family. Kris’ highlight of the program was the people he met along the way. 

“Everyone works together and no one gets left behind. You meet people you are going to know for the rest of your life, it felt like a family. We all still keep in contact and have that sense of belonging because we completed it together,” he said.

Since graduating from the program, Kris has been stepping into various roles and supporting others when team leaders are away. He aspires to become a full-time leader at Australia Post.

“I now see things from a different perspective and know how to handle different situations as a leader would. Sometimes these are basic skills that you don’t realise you can use outside of work too,” he said.

To those considering applying for the 2023 IELP, Kris’ advice is to invest in yourself and give it a go:

“You’ll regret it if you don’t. It was such a great experience and I now have these skills for life.”