Welcome

The SLA online community is a place for connecting and networking with people who are engaged in creating a new culture of leadership in Australia. People interested in real leadership for real progress – whatever that might mean to us.

Originally a network of SLA program graduates, dating back to 1999, with the launch of this new website, the

SLA 'community' has now expanded to include anyone who is passionate about new approaches to leadership to create the change we want to see in the world.

Welcome.

The SLA Team

How To FAQ →

Membership

Once you become a member you can interact with colleagues by blogging, participate in online discussions, post news and events, advertise job opportunities, share resources and search for expertise amongst other members by area of interest.

Our aim has been to keep the site as simple and intuitive as possible. Having said that, we realise there may be some fine-tuning to do. And we encourage you to feedback if there’s anything you think we need to work on.

How this site works will be determined by the culture established by its users.

Okay, so where do I start?

Complete your profile

Click on "your profile" tab top right then select edit on your profile page.

A completed profile will enable others to connect with you, discover what you are doing, what you have done, your projects and interests. SLA receives many enquiries about connecting with individuals with leadership training and experience and about projects and initiatives that are underway or in development. An up to date profile will enable greater connections and increased opportunities.

Please let us know what you are working on, what your challenges are and how the SLA Community might be able to help. There is an abundance of knowledge and experience between us.

Run City2Surf for The Benevolent Society

Posted by Wendy Wilson

19th June 2013

Help The Benevolent Society raise funds to support disadvantaged children by running, jogging or walking for us as a Gold Charity participant in this year's City2Surf. As a Gold Charity participant you'll receive entry into the world's largest run, a start place in the Gold Zone which is just behind the elite and red start runners, a Benevolent Society team shirt and cap, a gold bib, fundraising support from a friendly team plus the knowledge that you are making positive change in children's lives.The race is on Sunday 11th August 2013.

We ask our charity runners to work to a $1,000 per person fundraising goal, which we can help and support you with. If you already registered to run you can still run and fundraise with us. For more information contact Wendy Wilson on wendy.wilson@benevolent.org.au , 02 82623563 or Anita Howell anita.howell@benevolent.org.au, 02 82623543. Ready to run, jog or walk? Find out how at www.benevolent.org.au/city2surf

Leadership Development: Mission Impossible?

Posted by Geoff Aigner

14th May 2013

Leadership capability is probably the single largest determinant of organisational success. But just how much impact are senior managers in HR, leadership and talent development really having in developing this capability?

Jane is a senior OD executive in a large business with responsibility for building leadership and change capability, but she faces a lack of recognition for the role she can play in aligning leadership development with the business strategy. (Some people like Jane do not even have a seat at the senior executive table.) Jane is largely straight-jacketed into the ‘hygiene’ functions of her role and not invited to participate in developing real culture change to drive organisational strategy/innovation. Her organisation favours external consultants when it comes to identifying strategies for cutting edge development for the organisation. She is challenged to influence senior business decision-makers from a position of informal authority.

Internally, Jane feels a disconnect with what drove her to do this work in the first place—a belief in people’s potential. She often feels a sense of isolation in working in a ‘different department’ to the rest of the organisation and a lack of collegiality. This creates uncertainty about how to leverage her authority and work politically to influence decision-making. MORE >

Difference makes the world more interesting

Posted by Peter Horsley

4th June 2013

Recent media is further proof that there is still so much to be done around intolerance and attitudes that divide rather than draw communities together. We still fear what we don't know. And all of us who have been through SLA know that many of the problems that don't go away often don't have simple solutions.

For the past 4.5 months we have been working on seeing ways that we could tackle social exclusion of young people with disabilities in high schools across NSW. We know that high school years are formative years that can make or break someone. As we've talked to young people and to teachers we've heard stories heard stories of exclusion that shouldn't happen in our modern culture. Schools who forget to invite the senior students with a disability to the school formal. Parents who pick up their kids at lunchtime so that they don't have to be bullied. Teachers who have no choice but to keep kids with disabilities in the "bottom level" class where there are the physical supports, when they should be topping the most advanced classes. MORE >

2014 Fulbright Scholarship in Non-Profit Leadership - applications open now

Posted by Lauren Heyligers

30th May 2013

Are you an emerging not-for-profit sector leader? Are you working to extend the reach of your organisation's work and broaden the impact of the NFP sector at large? Do you want to undertake a program of research and/or professional development in the United States?

The 2014 Fulbright Scholarship in Non-Profit Leadership, sponsored by the Origin Foundation and supported by the Australian Scholarship Foundation is now open for applications. The scholarship provides an opportunity for an emerging leader in the NFP space to undertake a 3-4 month professional development program or research in United States.

Valued at $36,000, the scholarship provides an exceptional opportunity for personal and professional development and broader impact through research, experiential learning or management training at an approved U.S. institution or charitable organisation. MORE >

Leaders everywhere - Management writer and academic Gary Hamel talks about sharing power and informal authority as the key to success

Posted by Diana Renner

23rd May 2013

http://www.mckinsey.com/Insights/Organization/Leaders_everywhere_A_conve...

Leaders everywhere: A conversation with Gary Hamel

The management writer and academic explains why he believes companies that empower and train people at all levels to lead can create competitive advantage.

The latest M-Prize challenge, co-sponsored by Gary Hamel’s Management Innovation eXchange (MIX), Harvard Business Review, and McKinsey, asks managers to submit examples of how their organizations are empowering and training individuals to lead even when they lack formal authority. In this video, Professor Hamel discusses why he believes it is vital for companies to “syndicate the work of leadership” across the organization, to redistribute power, and to change the role of the top team. This interview was conducted by McKinsey Publishing’s Simon London. What follows is an edited transcript of Hamel’s remarks. MORE >

Calendar

Opportunity to learn Action Learning Facilitation with the School for Social Entrepreneurs

Posted by Meredith Turnbull

12 June 2013 - 1:00pm

19 August 2013 - 9:00am - 21 October 2013 - 5:00pm
Sydney MORE >

Why do exceptional change agents succeed against the odds?

Posted by Alastair Rylatt

4 June 2013 - 2:26pm

17 June 2013 - 5:30pm - 7:30pm
University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Level 5, Building 10, Jones Street, Ultimo (cnr Thomas Street). Room 5.580 MORE >

Innovation: Dealing with the "heat"

Posted by Lauren Heyligers

30 May 2013 - 11:16am

26 June 2013 - 7:30am - 9:30am
The Smith Room, Wesley Conference Centre, 220 Pitt Street, Sydney MORE >

Jobs

Resources

SVA Consulting Quarterly June issue: Financing social change

Posted by Karen Prout

13 June 2013 - 5:52pm

www.svaconsultingquarterly.co... MORE >

SVA Consulting Quarterly February 2013: Solving the employment issue