Leadership

Leadership is a journey of self-discovery and self-development that never ends.

Developing a strong foundation in leadership needs to be an essential focus for every student & graduate, whether you have clear career aspirations to become an industry leader or you just want to be a more decisive, impactful professional.

Understanding & engaging with the principles of leadership can enrich and empower your professional development, and help you to develop the traits, characteristics and skills to lead wherever you go and in whatever you do.

Learn from others

There is no one way to be a leader.

Though leadership can take many forms and be expressed in many ways, truly authentic leadership should be a unique reflection of your own values, experiences and personality.

In learning to be a leader, it is very useful to observe and listen to others with strong leadership qualities and determine how and why they do what they do so well.

To get you started, we interviewed 10 different leaders and asked them to share their insights, inspirations and valuable learnings.

Listen to their stories and ask yourself – ‘What can this teach me in my own leadership journey?’

Geordie Brookman

CEO & Director, State Theatre Company

Kate Rush

Head of Disability & Mental Health, AnglicareSA

Gabrielle Canny

Director, Legal Services Commission

Olivia Samardzic

Group Leader, DST

Emilio De Stefano

Director & Principal, De Stefano & Co

Adrian Skull

CEO, City of Marion

Rick Persse

Chief Executive, Department for Education

Professor Colin Stirling

Vice Chancellor, Flinders University

Discover your leadership

What does it mean to be a leader?

Genuine leadership can be practiced in a wide variety of ways. Many of the people we regard as great leaders will approach leadership from very different perspectives and through distinct choices and behaviours.

Some will lead by understanding every aspect and detail of their business, others may concentrate on relationships and partnerships, whilst still others will focus on inspiring the people around them.

Situational elements may impact what might be required of leaders in different scenarios, but ultimately, what it takes to become an effective leader is a question only you can really answer.

Exploring and understanding which approach works best for you will enable you to develop and adapt a leadership style that is authentically yours.