SLA in the Media

Learning the art of leadership

"True leadership is not management, entrepreneurialism or dictatorship," says Geoff Aigner in this piece for Fundraising & Philanthropy Australia. "It is the responsible use of power to make progress. And this progress means helping systems of people understand and solve their own problems."

"This kind of leadership is not confined to any sector, profession or level. Its result is leaving things better than we found them - more resilient communities, sustainable organisations and people who are willing to step up and take over when we are gone."

How do we develop leadership which is at once purposeful and skilled?

Read 'Learning the art of leadership' to find out more.

See more articles on our publications page.

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SLA alumnus in Top 40 Business Leaders list

Sydney Leadership graduate, Matthew Knight, who is one of six general managers making up the leadership team at Stocklands commercial property division, has been selected for In The Black magazine's inaugural Top 40 Young Business Leaders list published in April 2012.

The commercial property division has 500 employees and more than 100 shopping centres, industrial or office buildings across Australia, with an annual profit of $500m. Matthew also heads Stockland's $640m unlisted property funds.

Read the story on the In The Black website.

Leadership Beyond Good Intentions - Book Review

'What characteristics make you and others good leaders? Competence, passion, authenticity, good judgement? If you read Geoff Aigner's book on leadership you might need to rethink some of those,' says Kathryn Cole, CAHRI, HR Director, Australian Federal Government, in her review of Leadership Beyond Good Intentions - What It Takes To Really Make A Difference in the April 2012 editon of HR Monthly.

Cole says, 'Much of the value in this book for me was in the challenge to leaders to "get some skin in the game" - to be comfortable being incompetent and vulnerable, and thus better at collaboration; to accept that a leader will need to "betray" their supporters or themselves at time to practise neutrality; and to "let go of control and step into our responsibility" by trusting those we lead to solve problems."

Download a scan of the pages to read the review.

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The Edge of Incompetence

by Jo Scott, Strategy Consultant, Social Ventures Australia

"The thing about the edge of incompetence is it’s a boundary, something that constrains you. It holds you in your current way of doing things and inherently, it keeps you feeling safe. Everyone’s edge will be different, but there is no doubt in my mind we all have one. And as long as we stay inside that boundary, as long as we move away from our edge (as long as we wish for safety), we will have difficulty pursuing what really matters to us and our communities.

"The thing about an edge is when you find it, it opens up possibility."

Publisher Social Ventures Australia
Publication date 26 October 2011

Read The Edge of Incompetence

The PM is an authority figure, not a Big Brother contestant

SLA senior manager and teacher, Geoff Aigner considers what we should be looking for in our authority figures in this piece published on the ABC's online opinion site, The Drum on Tuesday 13 September 2011.