At a WOB workshop in Melbourne this week we were discussing leadership in the context of recent corporate sagas and scandals - namely Channel 7, the AFL and CBA. The comparison between the drawn out battle between Amber Harrison and her former employer Channel 7 over a relationship with CEO Tim Worner, was compared with AFL CEO, Gillon McLachlan's speedy dispatch of two executives who had affairs with younger women in the industry. Issue sorted. Game over.
The Melbourne WOB contingent said there had been quite a lot of talk-show and social media backlash against the AFL decision, which I publicly supported as an example of values based leadership. McLachlan had this to say about it - "The AFL that I want to lead is a professional organisation based on integrity. I expect my managers to be role models and set a standard for the rest of the organisation." Amen to that.
This week has also seen the Commonwealth Bank face huge public outcry following revelations the board failed to disclose a money laundering investigation for over two years, which triggered a $5.5 billion collapse in the bank's share price when the regulator launched its case. All this on the back of a near $10 Billion profit.
Watching CEO, Ian Narev, be grilled by Leigh Sales and others, I mused what it must be like for him to go home at night to his wife and three children and then get up at the crack of dawn to face it all over again. Is it really worth it for his $12 million paycheck?
Perhaps CBA and other old corporates in Australia might think about trying a new model for leadership. One in which the collective intelligence of the team is captured and shared, thereby improving communication and the likelihood that people will ask each other for help and take responsibility for decisions.
For the past two years, Women on Boards employees, myself included, have taken part in the PresenceAtWork Leadership Program developed over many years by two women - Jane Weber on the NSW Central Coast and her colleague Roelien Bokxem, in Amsterdam.
The Collective Leader Being Model is the foundation of the program and embeds three principles:
PresenceAtWork programs are for change agents, top talent and leaders who share the insight that a systems approach to leadership is the way to address the increasing complexity and global challenges impacting business and organisations.
- Focus on the "Being" as opposed to the "Doing" of Leadership
The emphasis is on exploring the core, authentic being that we are, versus the traditional focus on what leaders are supposed to be doing.
- Leading by Capitalising on Collective Intelligence
In a collective leadership model, professional growth demands increased awareness that one is part of a larger whole. From this awareness, leaders can lead the system forward.
- Leading from Sensing the Future as Opposed to Learning only from the Past
We address the power of being fully present and aware in order to be able to see with fresh eyes and discover the future that is emerging moment by moment.
The program is demanding and highly experiential, challenging the way you build skills to collaborate, co-create and co-lead. It enables you to innovate in new ways and transform effectively within and across organisational boundaries.
The next program commences in November 2017 on the Central Coast of NSW and is enrolling now. There are three retreats in total and there is flexibility.
Having attended the program I can highly recommend it to anyone who believes that a systems approach to leadership is the way to address the increasing complexity and global challenges impacting business and organisations.
If you would like to discuss the program call or email Jane Weber, on 0401 147 816 or
janeweber@presenceatwork.com.
You may like to read a case study entitled '
A New Model for Organisations' which is an inspiring story of how an insurance company reinvented itself in the wake of the global financial crisis, working with the PAW program.
Yours in leadership
Claire