“Following my appointment to the position of Chief Executive Officer of the Victorian State Emergency Services, it was incumbent upon me to manage the necessary changes required to meet increased service demand, to meetcommunity expectations, to enhance the overall performance of the organisation, as well as to raise the profile and image within the Government. My aim, as the CEO and “leader” of the organisation, was to challenge the existing leadershipparadigm within VicSES, particularly in the way things were done, and to invigorate the passion, energy and spirit of all the people through a “shared” vision. I engaged Brian Birley (Managing Director, P.A.C.E. Corporation Pty Ltd) tohelp me do this. Brian’s reputation as a specialist in Strategic Business Planning and implementation had preceded him. Through Brian’s team‑building exercises, we were able to identify what we stand for, what we are responsible for, and how we relate to our Stakeholders and to each other. This culminated in a wonderful “Values Statement” which we have all agreed to uphold organisationally.