What is Leadership? Indigenous Business Month @ UNSW Business School
This year the theme of Indigenous Business Month is Leadership Earlier this year in a session led by Dr Dan Caprar, he invited participants on the Aboriginal Career and Leadership Development Program * to write their responses to leadership specifically: What is Leadership? What would my leadership model be called? Everyday I’m inspired and learn from so many Indigenous Leaders many of whom are also my friends, colleagues, students, and neighbours. I’m equally humbled by the incredible courage, warmth and generosity I witness from so many Indigenous people and value the deep acceptance of me, including the loving challenges I receive from my closest friends, including some charismatic and formidable Aunties, to help me get back on track.
As an advocate of actioning my own self-reflection to anchor and deepen my purpose of engagement, I also responded to Dan’s challenge with Paradigm Shifts Paradigm Shifts: Reflections on Leadership Leadership steps up in times of uncertainty, provides comfort and sanctity. Leadership builds opportunities for others, recognising others’ strengths and capabilities. Leadership is not afraid to be vulnerable, to sit still within complexities, harnesses deep listening to reflect and review. Leadership can be unseen and be highly effective, allowing other voices to soar. Leadership can follow and understand the paradoxes of living across different paradigms. Leadership can be still, courageous and timely. Leadership is interconnected and deeply relational, with foresight to seize the moment, harness and broker gateways, to optimise outcomes. Leadership recognises intergenerational shifts, through deep listening, reconnecting and observance. Leadership harnesses possibilities and new directions across many landscapes fostering champions to emerge. Leadership is fluid and responsive as it navigates challenging waters, skirting on ice, swimming through rivers, surfing in seas, providing life boats for self and others to revive. It renews and consolidates our next steps before plunging back in to navigate our own and shared journeys. Leadership recognises complexity, our uncertainties and fragilities as it nurtures and strengthens our humanity tapping into a deeper heartbeat that resonates amongst all our collectedness of existence. Leadership embraces the opportunities of being.
There are so many reasons I’m inspired by Indigenous Business Month not least witnessing the great array of incredibly diverse, resilient Indigenous Business leaders who with their fortitude traverse so many challenges, daily, often from the margins, whom are bringing incredible and critical social changes through their leadership and praxis of business. Since 2012, here at UNSW Business School, we have hosted an Indigenous Community Business forum, a gathering where our Indigenous business students and alumni, industry partners and guests, alongside academic and professional staff have the opportunity to gather and learn from Indigenous Business Leaders and each other. This year was no exception with over sixty people in attendance. Our 2016 forum provided a gateway to learn first- hand from six Aboriginal business leaders: three women: Mayrah Sonter 33 Creative http://www.33creative.com.au/ ; Carol Vale Murawin http://www.murawin.com.au/ Kristal Kinsela, Kristal Kinsela Consulting http://www.kristalkinsela.com/ and three men: Liam Harte, http://www.integrityhs.com.au/ ; Owen Walsh http://owenwalsh.com.au/ and George Brown, Wreck Bay Aboriginal Community Council All of whom are at different stages of their careers, all mobilising incredible changes across the landscape with integrity and purpose. Their dynamic talks illuminated many insights including the drivers and goals of Indigenous Business Month; how Indigenous business is driving change; the global opportunities from supplier diversity; the importance of your story to your clients; the role of Aboriginality in Business Education and the importance of Community in Business. This was followed by Q&A and a World CafÊ where smaller groups could gather over Goanna Hut’s native teas and cakes in yarning circles to engage further.
To learn more from these great Indigenous Business Leaders delve into this podcast here: - https://soundcloud.com/unswbusiness/indigenous-business-month-2016 Rebecca Harcourt, Program Manager Indigenous Business Education UNSW Business School. UNSW Business School is committed to fostering an environment where we can learn from and add real value and support to the growing trend of Indigenous people embracing and navigating the currencies of business knowledge and practice to strengthen, improve and determine their lives, the lives of their families and their communities. To learn more about our Indigenous business programs and pathways at UNSW: https://www.business.unsw.edu.au/students/indigenous *In 2014 AGSM (through Executive Education) and the NSW Public Service Commission formed a partnership to support the development and career progression of Aboriginal leaders in the Public Service. This collaboration has led to the roll-out of the ‘Aboriginal Career and Leadership Development program ACLDP), a key initiative of NSW Public Sector Aboriginal Employment Strategy 2014-17