In today’s contemporary public service, being aware of and connected to the many global issues that impact on our lives here in Australia is an important leadership capability.
Whether it’s coming to grips with China’s strategic intentions, keeping up to speed with advances in digital transformation in Singapore, appreciating India’s enormous emerging potential as an economic partner for Australia, or understanding the impact of climate change on our neighbours in the Pacific, our economic, social and political wellbeing is influenced and impacted on by what’s going on in other parts of the world.
We live in interesting times
The trade war between the US and China, Brexit, and nationalistic responses to the various refugee crisis around the world are global realities that allow many to argue that powerful countries seem to be trending towards economic and political nationalism and isolation.
But planetary climate change, the rise of artificial intelligence, digital transformation, deep machine learning and biotechnologies will mean that more and more people around the world will be connected by common drivers of massive change than ever before, whether we like it or not. It’s in our interest to engage with global issues in an informed way if we want to shape the way we live in our own country.
Nothing beats seeing governments dealing with change first-hand
That is no better way for senior executives in the public sector to be informed about external drivers of disruption, change, risk and opportunity than to travel to countries that are at the forefront. To be able to see for oneself, to hear from and engage with contemporaries who are grappling with and in some cases successfully navigating their way forward through global complexities is a powerful way for Australian senior executives to learn and develop.
Such forms of leadership development immerse the learner in the realities of the other. This revitalises the capacity for curiosity, helps clarify assumptions, anxieties and fears, develops empathy, cross-cultural competence and the ability to think strategically.
Go behind the scenes
Imagine being able to engage with public sector and business counterparts in Singapore for example, through closed-door briefings, field trips and candid discussions that provide privileged insight and learning into how leaders in that country are leading its transformation to becoming the world’s first digital city.
It is interesting to note that in a recent survey by Accenture, Australians are less satisfied with online citizen services than are people in the UK, Singapore and Germany. The PM’s call for the Australian Public Service to get better at delivering services to citizens through digital technologies reinforces this finding. Learning from colleagues in Singapore therefore is an excellent way to strengthen capabilities for leading digital transformation here in Australia.
Travelling to and engaging with business and government colleagues in India on the other hand, allows senior executives to break out of their usual frames of reference and worldviews which are constantly being reinforced and hardwired by relentless BAU pressures, to instead unlearn, to be exposed to entirely new ways of thinking as well as to have new things to think about and act on.
Travel helps leaders grow
Its hard not to come back a different kind of leader after visiting a country like India and engaging with its business, not for profit and public sector leaders.
Watching senior executives soak up, get challenged by and eventually make sense of and be inspired by their amazing learning experiences in international programs has been one of the pleasures and privileges of the work that we do. Deep, transformative leadership development is all about facilitating new ways of seeing and framing diverse realities and in appreciating one’s part in being able to shape, navigate and lead towards the fulfilment of our collective potential.
There are specially designed programs to get you started
This has been an enduring objective of our Global Leadership Practices (GLP) programs for over 10 years and its one that we continue to believe in and look forward to delivering on in our 2019 GLP programs.
Join senior executive colleagues from DHS, Jobs and Small Business, Home Affairs, the Churchill Trust and the Apis Group who have already signed up for our GLPs to Singapore or India and refresh and strengthen your ability to lead locally in a complex global world.
Go to: https://www.yellowedge.com.au/our-services/glp for more information or call 02 62730168 to have a chat about the programs. Applications close on the 25th of October and places are limited to 10 for each program.
