Better Boards Conference 2025
Master the Art of the Boardroom
25-26 July • Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Center
Presentation
Vertical and Horizontal Leadership - How this two-dimensional perspective paints a richer picture of what works and what doesn't
Bradley Hastings PhD BE (Hons)
Insights Associate, University of NSW
Brad’s passion is decoding leadership. His experience spans 25-years helping leaders positively transform their organisations.
Initially, he was a founding member of Stroud International consulting, where he led transformative client engagements with Akzo Nobel, Kimberly-Clark, Ford Motor Company, CVC Capital Partners, Associated British Foods, and Uncle Tobys. At Capita Plc, Brad led teams to design and implement radical advancements within government services.
Presently, Brad is both a researcher and leadership practitioner. At the University of New South Wales, his research focusses on the mindsets and processes that underpin successful transformations. He has published several times in academic, practitioner, and popular press.
As a practitioner, Brad works as a facilitator and coach for to help public, private and not-for-profit entities become more effective. Outside work, Brad is a keen sailor. He has competed in the Clipper Round-the-world and the Sydney to Hobart yacht races and on weekends, he is usually found on a boat somewhere on Sydney harbour.
What differentiates successful leaders from others? What is the best way to develop and mature aspiring talent? These questions are not new, but as leadership science evolves, what’s emerged is that scholars have been looking in the wrong place to answer them. Fixated on the individual qualities of leaders, 60 years of leadership research has struggled to distil the factors that differentiate successful leaders from failures.
However, all is not lost! What has unfurled from recent research is a broader perspective on leadership and leadership development that considers leaders as intertwined with the system and relationships that surround them. This two-dimensional perspective – horizontal and vertical leadership – provides clues on leadership effectiveness and how to develop aspiring talent, underpinned by solid evidence.
In this session Brad will unpack this spectrum view of leadership and tease out some of the insights this perspective provides.
Master the art of the boardroom
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