Leadership

Rethinking Leadership

Growing Capacity in the face of continuous and complex change There is so much talk about the need for “leadership”. Whenever things get difficult, up goes the call – “someone please help us get out of this mess” (at no cost to ourselves)! In an ever faster, more complex world, organisations face difficult change and uncertainty. Even new possibilities present complexity. Corporates have to navigate shifting markets and global competition: yesterday’s leading companies may be tomorrow’s basket cases.

The Power of People and Collaboration to Create Lasting Change

Whether they see themselves as leaders or not, those who have the drive and passion to create social change are the people we need to back. We need to invest time, energy and resources into creating opportunities for these individuals to connect and collaborate, so they can develop new approaches and new ways of thinking if we are to overcome the tough social issues facing Australians today. The social problems we face today are complex and far-reaching.

The Power of Your Stories

Often when I’m working with not-for-profit (NFP) organisations, I find myself sitting opposite a member of the Board. I look across the desk and see an accomplished, sincere and, let’s face it, very busy person and I’m always shaking my head and asking: ‘Why do they give their time? What moved them to put up their hand?’ I’m not sure many board members ask themselves these same questions though – except perhaps when facing frustrations or juggling competing priorities.

Developing the Next Generation of ‘Givers’

When I was young it was normal for our family and friends to spend time helping a friend build a shed, dig a garden for our elderly neighbours, share a feast of home grown fruit or vegetables, invite newcomers to a welcome bar-b-q and to visit others who had exciting and different foods to share – especially “exotic” Greek or Italian food. Our spare time activities revolved around community – winter and summer sports, community action and fundraising, local art groups, local theatre etc.

Felt Leadership

I spent my formative years growing up in the ‘60s with a very much older set of parents. Older by a decade than probably most others, older in their world views and values, and older in their behaviours too. They were my ‘leaders’. They mostly said, and occasionally did, the things that they wanted or expected of me and like many other kids of the ‘60s – I did the things that I wanted to do.

Leading Change That Sticks: The Board’s Role

Are you part of the problem? It’s January and with New Year’s Resolutions fresh, it’s a time to contemplate change. Few would dispute that we are facing a time of what seems like increasing change and complexity. Failure to convert intention to action is a major risk in planning and responding to the changing landscape. What if as a director, and as a board, your own unconscious motivators around change were part of the reason for change being unsustainable in your organisation?