This capability only applies where the role has real people-management responsibilities.
If you are not managing staff, do not force this into your application.
If you are, panels want more than “I led a team”. They want evidence that you set expectations, support performance, and develop capability in others. In practice, that means showing how your actions affected the performance and growth of other people, not just your own workload.
That is why this capability is usually strongest when answered through a STAR-style example. If you need a refresher, go back to our STAR Method Examples for NSW Government Applications.
What changes across the levels
- Foundational: clarifies work, gives feedback and supports team members
- Intermediate: develops people more deliberately and manages performance more actively
- Adept: builds capability, motivates staff and handles performance issues with stronger judgement
- Advanced: leads people through complexity and lifts team capability in a sustained way
- Highly Advanced: creates leadership depth and strong people-management culture across broader areas
How to build a stronger example
Good examples often show:
- setting clear expectations
- coaching or feedback
- recognising potential
- addressing underperformance properly
- developing others, not just directing them
Example paragraph: Foundational / Intermediate
In a supervisory role, I made sure team members understood what was expected of them and had the support they needed to do the work well. A common issue was that uncertainty about process or priority would affect consistency across the team. My task was to reduce that uncertainty and build confidence. I checked in regularly, gave practical feedback, and recognised good performance when I saw it. That helped build confidence and improved consistency across the team.
Example paragraph: Adept
While managing a small team, I identified that capability levels were uneven and that some staff needed more targeted support to perform consistently. My task was to strengthen the team overall, not just rely on the stronger performers. I set clearer expectations, provided regular feedback, and created opportunities for staff to build confidence in the parts of the role they were less secure in. That strengthened day-to-day performance and helped develop the team’s overall capability.
Example paragraph: Advanced
In a leadership role, I focused not only on immediate performance but on building longer-term capability across the team. The challenge was that some performance issues were affecting delivery, while other staff were ready for greater responsibility. My task was to manage both at the same time. I used performance conversations, stretch opportunities and targeted support to lift standards, while also dealing directly with issues that were affecting delivery. That created a stronger team environment and improved outcomes over time.
Final advice
People-management examples need to show that your impact went beyond your own work.
If you cannot show that, the example is probably not strong enough for this capability.