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Call a man “ambitious”, and you would think highly of him – someone who is impressive, well-respected, a leader.
Call a woman “ambitious”, and more often than not, much less favourable connotations arise.
Michelle Reynolds becomes more aware of this unconscious bias every day. As the CEO of City of Perth and an experienced executive leader in the public sector, she has found people’s expectations of women leaders is not the same as expectations of men.
Whenever Reynolds has come up against these expectations, she has proven them wrong. How? Through courage, perseverance, and resilience.
“No one wants to fail,” Reynolds told Women’s Agenda, “but through our greatest failures comes our greatest learning and growth.
“You’ve got to take risks. Do something outside your comfort zone. You’ll only grow from the experience.”
Career journey
Reynolds has had a long career in government. She began working in the Western Australian state government, working at different agencies including a 15-year stint in the Premier and Cabinet department.
“It was extremely valuable, because I got to see what actually occurs… up close and in a very broad way,” she said.
Following her time in state government, Reynolds, who was in her 30s at the time, took on her first role as CEO of WorkCover in 2008.
Looking back, she often wonders how she was able to take these opportunities so early on in her career.
“And it was really because I had always, always shown a predisposition to do things that were always a little bit more challenging, a little bit more risky,” she said.
Eight years later, Reynolds became the Executive Director at Rottnest Island Authority, and for the three years she was there – working on Wadjemup amongst the breathtaking landscape and the adorable quokkas – she didn’t think it could get any better than this.
But when she was offered the CEO role at City of Perth, Reynolds thought it was the perfect next step for her leadership journey.
“That’s what leadership is, isn’t it?” she said. “There is so much to be said for having those multitude of experiences and exposures… Every experience you have as a brand new CEO is amazing.”
Challenges
As a woman in a leadership role, Reynolds forms a minority. In fact, she is just one of seven female CEOs of the 38 local government areas in and around Perth’s metropolitan area.
“I would always balk at suggestions of being treated differently because I’m a woman,” Reynolds said.
“But now, being in more leadership roles, I can see there is absolutely unconscious bias – and that goes for all of us.
“I think being a female leader, it just sometimes feels that everyone judges you in a way that they would not judge others.”
It’s not the only challenge Reynolds has faced in taking on the role as CEO of City of Perth. In 2020, just a few weeks into her tenure, the final report on a two-and-a-half year inquiry into the City of Perth was handed down. The report included more than 300 “unfavourable” recommendations to the organisation.
She inherited an organisation that had been “battered” by a public inquiry, and an election six weeks later found her with a brand new mayor and eight new counsellors – half of whom had never worked in local government.
“That was, and still is, one of my biggest challenges… it really cut deep into the organisation,” Reynolds said. “It’s an ongoing process of rebuilding.”
Throughout that process, Reynolds has had to make some tough calls – ones that people haven’t always agreed with.
“I think that’s one of the greatest issues for a leader,” Reynolds said, “because you can never make a decision and never do anything hard, and nothing much will change. You’ll just stay the same.
“But the city couldn’t stay the same. So I think some decisions took courage and conviction… perseverance and resilience.”
‘Take the risk’
Reynolds is proud of her achievements since becoming CEO of City of Perth, including adding a third ferry operator to Wadjemup (Rottnest Island), rebuilding the city in the aftermath of COVID-19 and more.
It’s been a challenging, yet rewarding experience, with many more chapters of her leadership story left. And for young women wanting a similar path, Reynolds’ advice is to go for it.
“Take the risk – life’s really short,” she said.
“I really think that you can do anything, as long as you’ve got people that you can ask and draw upon – people love when they can help you.
“Take the risk and do it. Do something outside of your comfort zone. You’ll only grow from the experience.”