What is Leadership ConneXion all about?
After three years of undisputed success - there had been one Leadership Lounge every second Tuesday of any one month for 50 months - many members and contributors to the Leadership Lounge realised that a sizeable number of people would attend, contribute for a while and then stay away. After many months of soul searching and two forums that focused on the future of the Leadership Lounge a picture began to emerge:
There were members that needed to connect, especially those that have come from specific learning groups. They had soaked up the essence of leadership and - being back at their day-to-day jobs - cannot understand why people around them are so hard to change. Networking helps to keep the momentum going - and the Leadership Lounge is one of the greatest networking forums in Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
There were members that needed a resource lounge, one that could - and would - provide the materials that various presenters and groups had worked through to help themselves in their day-to-day efforts to get their work done.
There were members that aimed for 'the next level', one that would look at leadership in the wider context: What happens in the industry? What does this mean to various ethnic groups that think differently? How do we connect into those and feed the learning back? Where does my path lead me from here? How does the politicization of the Public Service fit with leadership?
In a time when PPP became a way of cooperation with and in the Public Service, and the lines between Public Service and the operation of statutory organizations became blurred it did not seem right any longer for the Leadership Lounge to remain a close shop: Public Service only! What about my colleague from last week, who's organization has become privatized. Is he any less interest in Leadership? Has he be come any less human?
Leadership means different things to different people. Having spoken to 11 corporate executives all over Australia about what they wanted from a leadership forum I had yet another rethink about leadership altogether. I believe that we had simply forgotten that there is also leadership in arenas that are not people centered: Leadership in Politics, Leadership in Academia, Leadership in Technology and Manufacturing. Whilst Boeing's Knowledge Management Division is to a great extend about leadership and people, it holds an equal share in leadership and technology; indeed it prides itself on providing process leadership that is acknowledged worldwide.
Whilst Leadership ConneXion is first and foremost about people, it is acknowledged that leadership needs to be extended to other areas that desire a learning forum for the benefit of their discipline. It is for this course that Leadership ConneXion came into being. In its first phase it aims to provide much needed support for the subscribers of the Leadership Lounge, in the form of communication, electronic media, collaboration support and the formation of a Knowledge Centre for Leadership Development.
Rudolf P Muller, March 2005
Leadership Connexions for me is an extension of the Leadership Lounge. It is an instrument where those interested can publish their thoughts whilst the Leadership Lounge is an instrument where those interested can do their own thing to share their particular passion for a leadership theme, or just take a step into the unknown with others.
When Barry introduced me to the concept of permission marketing and how it could be used in the leadership context, I was excited. Here was someone who shared my passion for delivering the leadership impetus to public servants and had a mechanism for distribution of leadership material across a wide audience.
My passion is making a difference in effective leadership in the Queensland Public Sector. Through the involvement of a wide variety of people in both the public and private sectors, I believe that we can forge links that would enable the best of both sectors to come to the surface. It would also provide an acknowledgement that individuals are not alone. Their little bits of difference can be magnified through the Leadership Connexions subscription list.
Bringing Rudolf into the picture, personified the difference that three individuals can make. Rudolf had the technical know-how and the incredible drive to make it happen. Each of us on his own would have never made it work, but the combination of the three did it. Maybe there will be more threesomes, twosomes or other combinations that come together through Leadership ConneXions.
Leadership ConneXions is about sharing with others in the hope that sometimes it may make a difference. It is about leveraging your effectiveness through words to many in the belief that those words may make meanings for some and nudge them into actions that might otherwise not have happened. It is about bringing together like-minded individuals so that their togetherness will amplify their personal energy.
I am proud and privileged to be part of this initiative and look forward to whereever it takes us from now.
Bob de Verteul, March 2005
For over thirty years I have worked in large Government agencies. Over time and probably also due to my changing role, I have seen the emphases of organisations change. These changes have included:
Frequently over that time I have been frustrated and disappointed by organisational cultures that failed to recognise the diversity, knowledge and experience of many of the people involved. While often espoused, a focus on people and achieving great things through people was frequently not the "theory in practice".
My own studies and values have lead me to believe in leadership through building and maintaining good relationships in the work place, to improving the quality of our conversations and other communications. Perhaps my own weaknesses in this area can explain my passion in this area - I saw a need for self improvement. In any case, my beliefs have frequently put me at odds with many of my managers and peers. This lead to me describing myself as a "square peg in a round hole".
Creating Leadership ConneXions with Rudolf and Bob provided me with an opportunity to connect with others that value the role of people in true leadership. It helps me share and gain knowledge, build skills and even practice what I preach. Through Leadership ConneXions, I am continuing my own leadership journey as I influence others and in turn, am influenced by them. In short, it is helping me to create more square pegs and more square holes and perhaps rounding off a few of my edges.
Barry Lawson
Barry Lawson, March 2005