Our Stewardship in practice series highlights insights from the facilitators behind our IPAA Advantage program and the practical ideas they bring to the classroom across the key capability areas shaping today’s public sector. This time, we hear from leadership consultant Mariana Marcano Franco about the moments when it is no longer enough to be an excellent manager. 

Excellent managers are precise, reliable and accountable. They know how to deliver, follow process and keep work moving.  But as roles become more complex, many public servants are also asked to do something different: lead through uncertainty, influence without relying only on authority, and help teams navigate change with clarity and confidence. 

Mariana was drawn to leadership development after seeing technically capable people struggle when they moved into roles that required a different kind of capability. Across more than 16 years working with leaders through change, transformation and complex transitions, she has seen a common pattern: people are often expected to step into leadership without being given the tools, language or confidence to do it well. 

In the public sector, that shift can be especially challenging. Leaders are often balancing delivery, governance, risk, stakeholder expectations and team wellbeing while operating in environments where the complexity of the role can exceed their formal authority. 

For Mariana, the answer is not to choose between management and leadership. It is to understand when each is needed. 

The capability is in the switching 

“The APS needs people who can run a tight process on Monday and inspire a team through a restructure on Tuesday,” she says. “The capability is in the switching, not the choosing.” 

Management creates structure. It brings clarity, accountability, process and follow-through. Leadership creates direction. It builds trust, influence, confidence and momentum. 

In stable conditions, management may be enough. But in moments of uncertainty, resistance or change, leaders need to work with what Mariana calls the “human stuff”: identity, fear, loyalty, motivation and trust. 

This is where leadership becomes less about position and more about judgement. 

Mariana encourages participants to pause before reaching for a familiar management response and ask a different set of questions: What does this moment require? Does the team need clarity or confidence? Does the situation need a plan or a conversation? Does the leader need to step in or create space for others to act? 

When the project plan is not enough 

In Mariana’s sessions, participants work through scenarios that reflect the real complexity of public sector leadership.  

One example begins with a restructure. Two teams are merging, each with different cultures, different ways of working, and people on both sides who are unhappy about the change. The participant is the EL1 responsible for helping the new team move forward. 

The instinct, Mariana says, is often to start with the logistics: the new structure, reporting lines, project plan and deliverables. 

But that is not where she asks participants to begin. 

Instead, she asks them to map the adaptive challenges. What are people afraid of losing? Where are the loyalty tensions? What assumptions are sitting beneath the resistance? What does the team need to feel before it can move forward? 

“The room always gets interesting at that point,” Mariana says. “Because the instinct is to reach for a project plan. And that’s the exact moment we can talk about why that won’t be enough.” 

For Mariana, this is where leadership begins – when the process stops. Technical skill matters. Process matters. But in complex public sector environments, leaders also need to understand what is happening beneath the surface. 

Stewardship in practice 

For Mariana, leadership capability is central to stewardship because the decisions that matter most in government are not just technical, they involve values, competing interests, uncertainty and people. 

“A public servant who can only manage will protect what exists,” she says. “One who can only lead will generate ideas without follow-through. But someone who holds both, who can stabilise and challenge, comply and influence, that’s someone who makes institutions better over time.” 

For Mariana, that balance is where stewardship becomes practical: knowing when to protect stability, when to challenge assumptions, and when to help people move differently. 

That is what makes leadership development more than a personal capability exercise. Stewardship is not only about preserving what works. It is also about developing the judgement to know when something needs to shift. 

A question to use now 

For people looking for one immediate leadership tool, Mariana offers a simple question to ask before a difficult conversation: 

What does this person need to feel before they can hear what I am about to say? 

That question shifts the focus from information delivery to influence. It asks leaders to think about the conditions allowing the message to land. 

“It’s the difference between a manager move and a leader move,” Mariana says. “And it costs nothing to use.” 

What shapes Mariana’s approach 

 Mariana’s approach is shaped by ideas that focus on growth, trust and human behaviour. She recommends: 

• Hidden Potential by Adam Grant
  For leaders interested in how people and organisations create the conditions for growth, adaptability and long-term performance. 
• Dare to Lead by Brené Brown
  For leaders navigating trust, vulnerability, courage and difficult conversations. 
• The Curiosity Shop podcast
  For conversations about leadership, trust and human behaviour, including authenticity, disagreement, growth and relationships at work. 

Together, these resources reflect a theme that runs through Mariana’s work: leadership is not just about direction or delivery. It is about creating the conditions for people to adapt, contribute and move forward with confidence. 

Learn with Mariana 

Mariana is facilitating two IPAA ACT courses through IPAA Advantage: Manager vs leader and Adaptive leadership in action. 

Together, these courses explore how public servants can build confidence, clarity and adaptive capability in complex environments, with practical tools and real scenarios designed to help them understand when to manage, when to lead and how to move between the two. 

Explore Mariana’s upcoming IPAA Advantage courses.