Better Practice Guide
for Emerging Leaders
in the ACT Disability Sector
1
Contents
The Emerging Leader in the ACT Disability Services Sector .................................................................. 4
A definition.......................................................................................................................................... 4
Impact ................................................................................................................................................. 4
In every organisation’s interest .......................................................................................................... 4
Opportunities for emerging leaders ................................................................................................... 4
The Emerging Leader Better Practice Guide ....................................................................................... 5
Structure of the Better Practice Guide ............................................................................................... 5
Information for the guide ................................................................................................................... 6
Part One: Leadership Foundations ........................................................................................................ 7
Foundational frameworks ....................................................................................................................... 8
Context of emerging leadership ......................................................................................................... 8
A model for emerging leaders .......................................................................................................... 10
Emerging Leader Needs .................................................................................................................... 12
Perspectives on developing emerging leaders ................................................................................. 12
Human capital perspective ............................................................................................................... 12
Social capital perspective .................................................................................................................. 12
Context of leadership development ................................................................................................. 13
Elements of leadership development ............................................................................................... 13
Better Practice Resources ................................................................................................................. 14
Part Two: Guide for the Organisation ................................................................................................. 15
Guide for the Organisation ................................................................................................................... 16
Building organisational strength ....................................................................................................... 17
Elements of workforce readiness ..................................................................................................... 17
Capacity to anticipate and respond .................................................................................................. 17
Agility ................................................................................................................................................ 18
Capability .......................................................................................................................................... 18
Bench strength .................................................................................................................................. 19
Attraction, recruitment and selection of emerging leaders ............................................................. 19
The emerging leader talent development pool ................................................................................ 19
Assessment of emerging leaders ...................................................................................................... 20
Developing emerging leaders ........................................................................................................... 23
2
Development for emerging leaders with disabilities ........................................................................ 23
Better practice principles for the design of leadership development .............................................. 24
Emerging leader development cycle:................................................................................................ 26
Methods of leadership development for emerging leaders ............................................................. 31
Organisational Capability Maturity ................................................................................................... 36
Organisational leadership development CMM assessment ............................................................. 37
How to use the leadership development CMM ................................................................................ 39
Better Practice Resources ................................................................................................................. 41
Part Three: Guidance for the Emerging Leader ................................................................................... 42
Guidance for the Emerging Leader ....................................................................................................... 43
Learning about leadership ................................................................................................................ 44
Professional memberships ................................................................................................................ 45
A cycle in developing emerging leadership ...................................................................................... 45
Emerging leader development cycle................................................................................................. 46
Overview of each stage of the cycle ................................................................................................. 47
Further resources organised by capability areas .............................................................................. 58
Bringing it all together ...................................................................................................................... 60
Framing Learning Objectives for your leadership development ...................................................... 65
Kinds of Objectives............................................................................................................................ 65
Tips for framing objectives................................................................................................................ 65
On the Job Learning Options............................................................................................................. 67
Appendix 1: Professional Learning Plan templates........................................................................... 70
3
The Emerging Leader in the ACT Disability
Services Sector
A definition
An emerging leader is someone who in the course of their day to day work and in their
professional interactions and relationships visibly demonstrates their commitment and
potential to take on leadership roles in organisations working within the ACT Disability
Services Sector.
Impact
Emerging leaders have an important role to play in the ACT Disability Services Sector. They
represent the next generation of leaders and potentially provide their organisations with
sources of renewed energy, different perspectives, new knowledge, innovation,
commitment and passion.
In every organisation’s interest
Emerging leaders represent underlying capacity. Where organisations nurture and support
their emerging leaders, they are better able to activate this capacity and to proactively plan
for the sustainability of their workforce. This serves to prepare a strong team of capable,
committed and talented people that can strategically progress the work of the organisation
into the future.
Emerging leaders also represent an important form of “social capital” for the ACT Disability
Services Sector. This form of “capital” when properly nurtured and deployed can provide
the sector with strong networked relationships among individuals and organisations which
enhance collaboration, fruitful exchange and the sharing of resources and knowledge. This
can potentially create innovations and new value for the sector and its many stakeholders
and to assist it with the challenges and opportunities of the future.
The development of emerging leaders is therefore in the interest of every organisation
within the sector and of the sector itself if we are to remain relevant and responsive to
clients, stakeholders and the Canberra community.
Opportunities for emerging leaders
Leading is not just about stepping into a formal leadership role and people who occupy
leadership roles are not necessarily leaders automatically. Leading begins with a way of
thinking and being and people lead in many different forms; in thought and ideas and in
practical deeds; through informal as well as formal roles. Stepping into formal or informal
4
leadership roles provides committed individuals with many opportunities to make a
difference to the sector, the organisation and the lives of people with disability. Leading can
also makes a difference to your own professional life.
In leading, you can:










learn about yourself and other people
work with different people on a common cause or shared interest
use your strengths for the benefit of others
influence views, attitudes and change
empower people you work with
help others to grow and develop
help solve complex problems
help make organisations in the sector more effective
make a difference to the lives of those you lead
leave a positive and enduring legacy
The Emerging Leader Better Practice Guide
This better practice guide is for emerging leaders and their organisations.
For emerging leaders, it provides guidance in developing greater self-awareness, knowledge
and effective performance as they step into more senior leadership roles.
For organisations, it provides guidance in supporting emerging leaders as they develop and
grow their abilities and work to realise their potential.
Structure of the Better Practice Guide
The guide comes in three parts:



Part 1: provides introductory frameworks and models relevant to emerging leaders
and their organisations
Part 2: provides approaches for organisations to support their emerging leaders
Part 3: provides better practices for emerging leaders to consider and apply
Each part of the guide also includes additional resources which provide further information,
ideas and research.
The guide is not definitive. Rather, it helps emerging leaders and their organisations to
consider the process of investing in and supporting the development and growth of people
who demonstrate commitment to the task of leading within the sector and the potential to
do so effectively. The guide is a work in progress and will be refreshed periodically.
5
Information for the guide
Much of the guide is informed by consultations with emerging leaders in the sector and by
consultations with training and leadership and development providers in industry. This
included information and feedback in relation to:





Context and its impact on organisations in the sector
The nature of leadership in the sector
Capabilities of emerging leaders
How emerging leaders prefer to learn about and engage with their development
Issues in the disability sector which impact leaders with disability.
6
Part One: Foundational Frameworks
7
Foundational frameworks
This part of the better practice guide provides some foundational frameworks which
emerging leaders and their organisations can use to develop a more considered
understanding of leadership development and to shape a practical and intentional approach
to developing emerging leadership.
It begins with a description of the broad disability services context in the ACT, provides a
holistic model of emerging leadership, describes the key capabilities for leaders in the
sector, suggests two key perspectives with which the development of leaders can be shaped
and ends with key elements of leadership development.
Context of emerging leadership
The ACT Disability Services Sector is complex and dynamic, bringing with it many
opportunities and challenges.
The sector is shaped by:









changing models of care and service;
evolving demographics in the ACT and nationally;
impending implementation of a National Disability Insurance Scheme;
complex legislative frameworks;
significant duty of care accountabilities;
a diverse range of organisations providing a wide range of care and services, many of
which are specialised and unique;
a very competitive and increasingly constrained funding environment;
a variety of perceptions which influence employment choices within the sector
within a competitive employment market; and
increasingly complex and changing needs of people with disabilities as they move
through different stages of their lives.
Such a context shapes opportunities for leadership and how leadership is practiced within
the sector and the attitudes, knowledge and performance required of effective leaders in
the sector.
Attributes which may be unique and critically important to leaders in the sector include a
deep personal concern and passion for the rights of people with disability and a strong
desire to work and lead with people with disability to effect change.
8
9
A model for emerging leaders
In the ACT Disability Services Sector, capabilities required of emerging leaders and their
subsequent development cover three main areas:
Attitude
Achieving meaningful
outcomes in an
appropriate and ethical
manner
Performance
An appropriate
philosophical stance
towards leading in the
sector
Knowledge
Appropriate working
knowledge of the
sector and of how to
lead in it
The attitude-knowledge-performance model represents a holistic approach to thinking about
and developing leadership in the sector. These three components are interrelated—the
knowledge people possess can shape attitude, which can influence performance. Beliefs or
attitudes towards ways of leading in the sector can influence performance, which can in turn
shape the knowledge that is acquired. Therefore, each component impacts on the others and
attention to all areas is important to becoming an effective leader in the sector.
10
Capabilities for the emerging leader in the ACT Disability Services Sector
Attitudes













Passion for the sector
and its issues and
people
Inclusiveness
Self-awareness
Self-efficacy and selfdirectedness
Conviction
Courage
Openness to new ideas
and possibilities
Agility and adaptability
Empathy
Resilience
Stewardship
Collegiality
Service (not for profit
ethos)
Knowledge
The Business
The Sector





Funding
arrangements
and
accountabiliti
es
Management
reporting
Financial
management
Human
resource
management
Professional









Specific
disability
issues
Planning,
organising
and
implementati
on
Problem
solving
IT, writing and
reading
competence
Analysis and
synthesis
Presentational
Not for profit/






Legislative

framework
Advocacy
Representational
“Seeing beyond

the individual”
Stakeholder
management
Working with
government

Working with
other
organisations
People












Performance
Influencing
Listening and
feedback
Communication
Energising
people
Negotiation
Conflict
management
Working through
others
Leading change
Managing up
Inspiring others
Developing
others
Duty of care
Adds value to
the sector and
to people with
disability
Contributes to
strategic
direction of the
organisation
Achieves
meaningful
results
appropriately

Communicates
with influence

Cultivates
productive
working
relationships
Role models
commitment and
integrity
community
service craft
Continual
learning and
development
Critical
reflection
11
Emerging Leader Needs
Emerging leaders have a unique set of needs given their individual circumstance. This
includes the need for:









An appropriate level of awareness of their concept of self. That is, of strengths, areas
of weakness, styles, preferences, bias and one’s own view of what leadership means
and where this meaning has come from. In this regard, the successful selection of an
emerging leader for a leadership role is critical.
Adequate preparation in acquiring knowledge, relevant performance experience and
adopting an appropriate attitude is undertaken before leadership roles and tasks are
assumed.
Proper induction to expectations of the organisation and of people being led.
A peer support network.
A senior guide who can mentor the emerging leader.
Opportunities to actually lead on the job.
Opportunities to learn from positive and negative on the job experiences.
Adequate and fair remuneration.
Continual learning and professional development.
Perspectives on developing emerging leaders
There are many ways in which the development of emerging leaders can be viewed. Each
perspective shapes the way emerging leaders are selected and developed. In the context of
the ACT Disability Services Sector, two key perspectives can underpin the way individuals and
their organisations approach the development of emerging leaders. These two perspectives
are not mutually exclusive. In reality leadership development works best when both
perspectives are combined.
Human capital perspective
This perspective views the development of leadership generally as building individual skills,
capabilities, knowledge and techniques. Development which is framed by this perspective is
generally focused on providing opportunities for individuals to develop their own skill sets
and to grow as individual leaders to perform successfully in leadership roles. It is focused on
the quality of individual leaders. Such development may be generic, based on common
leadership skill sets or focused on skill sets for specific operating contexts. Examples include
tertiary study, executive education and training courses, public seminars, conferences, books
and other resources.
Social capital perspective
This perspective views development of leadership as one which is concerned with building a
range of networks and relationships among individuals and organisations that enhance
collaboration and the individual and collective capacity to respond to leadership challenges
12
and opportunities. It is focused on the quality created between leaders. This perspective is
particularly relevant to the ACT Disability Services Sector as the sector represents part of the
community’s social capital, that is, the community’s collective capacity to respond to the
needs of people with disability.
Development underpinned with a social capacity perspective is focused on cross
organisational or sector wide forms of development where the building of contacts, trusting
relationships and the creation of shared value is engendered. In the ACT context, this could
include inter-organisational projects, task forces, sector forums, and networking activities.
The combination of both perspectives is useful in the context of the ACT Disability Services
Sector which is characterised by its significant organisational diversity relative to the small
size of its client base. In such a context, the building of individual leadership skills must be
complemented by the building of skills which enable organisations in the sector to better
collaborate and to join together for better and more sustainable client and stakeholder
outcomes.
Context of leadership development
As part of the ACT community and the global professional field of disability services, the
sector’s unique leadership development environment offers individuals and their
organisations:




Interesting and challenging work across policy, program, service delivery and corporate
functions providing potential for a variety of leadership roles and a breadth as well as
depth of capabilities, knowledge, skills and experiences.
A mix of leadership opportunities in professional and technical areas and in more general
leadership and management areas.
Opportunities to learn from recognised subject matter experts, effective leaders and
experienced mentors within organisations and across the sector.
A sector that supports and encourages on the job, relationship based as well as more
formal forms of continual learning and development.
Elements of leadership development
For the purposes of this guide:
Learning refers to the cognitive, emotional and social processes that individuals and groups
engage in which results in new knowledge, skills, experiences, perspectives and attitudes
that are related to their roles and work in their organisation and in the sector as a leader.
Development refers to processes that individuals and groups engage in which results in
individual and professional growth that equips and positions them for more complex or
senior roles or tasks. Development is generally carried out in response to potential. It is
focused on the future.
Training refers to the acquisition of skills, generally technical in nature, which are necessary
for a leadership job, function, role or task.
13
Better Practice Resources
The Centre for Creative Leadership (2003) Handbook of Leadership Development. Jossey
Bass. San Francisco.
Nohria, Nitin, and Rakesh Khurana. Handbook of Leadership Theory and Practice. Harvard
Business School, 20
Rost, Jospeh C. Leadership for the 21st Century. New York: Praeg
14
Part Two: Guide for the Organisation
15
Guide for the Organisation
This part of the guide suggest better practices for organisations to consider putting in place
to build a culture that supports the development of emerging leaders for better business and
workforce outcomes. Without this culture the opportunities for professional growth are
limited.
It begins with the idea of building organisational strength through agile, ready and capable
workforces and leadership as ways for organisations to meet the challenges, opportunities
and uncertainties in the sector.
Better practices are suggested for the identification and assessment of emerging leaders and
for their actual development in tandem with a leadership development cycle. Better practice
design principles for leadership development are provided, as well as key better practice
methods for leadership development.
An organisational maturity assessment is provided to assist organisations gauge where they
might need to focus on to build a supportive culture and this part concludes with additional
resources for organisations to refer to.
16
Building organisational strength
The future operating environment of the ACT Disability Services Sector in a dynamic, fluid
and increasingly interdependent national and global market and public policy context is
difficult to predict. In this context, organisations working in the sector play a critical role in
providing direction, enabling coherence of effort and underpinning the capability of the
professional workforce in the sector with capable leadership. The ability of leaders and
workforces of organisations in the Sector to be responsive to the complex and unpredictable
strategic and operating environments is central to the sector’s growth. Organisations should
position themselves to respond to the opportunities in a dynamic, evolving environment.
Defining workforce readiness
Workforce readiness can be defined as the capacity and the capability of the organisation’s
leaders and its workforce to anticipate and effectively respond to changes, fluidity and
emerging priorities in its task environment in the context of its strategic aims.
Elements of workforce readiness
Capacity to an-ticipate and respond
Capacity is the extent of focus, time, space and resources that the organisation’s leadership
and workforce have available or can create, to anticipate, absorb and respond to emerging
strategic tasks and issues in a timely manner. This includes:



Being watchful for emerging issues, trends and developments that have potential to
impact the authorising and task environments of organisations and the sector.
Being connected to political realities, external institutional networks of
organisational and public sector stakeholders, think tanks, clearinghouses,
universities, social media and websites and other entities to be able to better
anticipate needs, understand perspectives and identify pressures which might
impact on their task environments.
Translating these factors and variables into what they might mean for the business
of the organisation, its specific tasks and is key strategic stakeholders.
At the workforce planning level, this capacity is built and strengthened through:
 Organisational scenario planning processes and tools to consider and test reactions
to possible and probable scenarios.
 Internally produced future focused watching briefs and research, forums and
seminars, conducted by internal subject matter experts and organisational assets to
build awareness and to disseminate information.
 Strategic relationships with other public sector agencies which have an interest in
fields related to the ACT Disability Services Sector to develop broader and shared
17
whole of sector perspectives, and to develop the propensity for more coordinated,
multi-organisational responses.
 The formation of cross functional study teams and discussion groups within and
across organisations around specific issues, challenges or themes to develop a
deeper understanding appreciation of, sensitivity to and the socialising of emerging
issues with the broader organisation.
 Organisational linkages to credible professional associations, think tanks, industry
and academia as sources of lead thinking, information and data.
Agility
Workforce readiness also entails a degree of workforce agility. Agility refers to the extent
that the workforce or parts of it can be rapidly shaped, re-configured, structured and
deployed to deal with strategic emerging or urgent requirements. At the workforce planning
level, this includes having:
 Broad understanding of workforce capability, sources of experience, emerging
leadership talent and subject matter expertise to enable rapid and appropriate
selection and deployment of staff for projects, taskforces or response teams.
 Organisational processes to enable the rapid establishment of flexible and
responsive task or project based work teams
 Familiarity with matrix management structures and processes to enable the
deployment and utilisation of subject matter experts and specialised capability,
whilst ensuring effective and consistent people management
 Workforce cultures that are accommodating and supportive of rapid and responsive
but properly managed staff movement
 Organisational processes to convert temporary project based work into business as
usual functions where required or vice versa
 Workforce culture that supports lessons learned, knowledge capture and
dissemination processes for the purposes of a more ready organisation
Capability
Workforce readiness also requires the building and strengthening of readiness related
leadership capability in the workforce. This includes:
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Futures thinking
Whole of sector thinking
Decision making capability
Cultivating and strengthening strategic institutional partnerships
Behavioural adaptability and mental agility
Individual resilience
Navigating the complexity of 21st century disability services
18
Bench strength
Workforce readiness also entails the development of adequate bench strength for key
leadership and other roles in the organisation. Bench strength relates to developing an
adequate number of people with the right capabilities to step into roles that the
organisation considers to be critical to its ability to achieve its outcomes. Bench strength is a
form of contingency and succession planning, by preparing and enabling individuals to be
positioned for roles at the next higher level. This includes exposing emerging leaders to:








New or ad hoc projects, tasks and assignments
Membership on taskforces, sector forums and internal committees
Higher duties
Secondments and attachments
Rotations
Formal and on the job learning and development activities
Being mentored for the future potential roles
Being coached for present responsibilities.
Identifying emerging leaders
Attraction, recruitment and selection of emerging leaders
An understanding of organisational leadership requirements will help to shape the nature,
timing and scale of its attraction, recruitment and selection processes. These can be
positioned as part of larger business as usual recruitment processes or conducted and
managed as a separate “talent” recruitment program. An understanding of
leadership/talent requirements will help to sharpen and better target attraction effort and
provide clear and additional criteria for selection processes to better ensure talent-roleorganisational fit.
Where separate talent attraction, recruitment and selection processes are adopted,
induction processes for incoming leaders must be designed and managed in a thoughtful
and professional manner so that incoming talent are integrated effectively into the
organisation. This is important in protecting the investment that the organisation has made
in attraction and recruitment activity. Effective induction and orientation will also help keep
leaders engaged in anticipation of formal leadership development or leadership roles to
commence.
The emerging leader talent development pool
Organisations with need, may consider establishing an emerging leader talent development
pool. Such a group is not the ultimate grouping of talent in the organisation. They do not
represent an exclusive, special or favoured group. Rather, the emerging talent development
19
group is merely a group that has been selected for leadership development to meet
organisational needs.
The group can be an annual determination of emerging level staff selected from the
organisation to participate in emerging leader development activities. The size and
composition of the group is determined annually in response to and anticipation of
organisational need and circumstance. The number should be kept to a manageable
quantity for the organisation to support successfully in the context of budget priorities and
many other leadership and workforce development initiatives and people related priorities.
The size and mix of the group can be adjusted annually to keep pace with organisational
need. Entry into the group can be based on a mixed formula consisting of selections and
open nominations against predetermined criteria.
Assessment of emerging leaders
While performance is a visible and important factor, the identification of emerging leaders
within organisations is primarily concerned with the identification of potential.
The 9 box matrix (below) is a better practice approach to assessing the potential of
emerging leaders against performance and potential criteria. Achieving a high potential
rating would suggest that the emerging leader concerned is ready, committed to and able to
participate in appropriate leadership development activities.
Indicative 9 box matrix
20
High
Middle
PERFORMANCE
Low
5. Solid Contributor
Consistently produces
exceptional results, but
shows very little potential
3. High Performer
Consistently produces
exceptional results;
demonstrates some potential
1. High Potential
Excellent, clearest example
of superior performance and
outstanding potential
6. Contributor
Consistently meets and
sometimes exceeds
expectations; shows very
little potential
4. Key Contributor
Consistently meets and
sometimes exceeds
expectations, demonstrates
some potential
2. Emerging Potential
Consistently meets and
sometimes exceeds
expectations and has
demonstrated a great deal of
potential
9. At Risk
Not delivering results as
expected; shows very little or
no potential
8. Uncertain
Not delivering results;
demonstrates some potential
7. Latent Potential
Not delivering results;
demonstrates a great deal of
potential
Low
Moderate
Requires active
performance
management
High
POTENTIAL
Suitable for Leadership
Development
Opportunities
Ready for Leadership
Development Program
Adapted from M.M Lombardo & R. W.
Eichnger
21
Questions for Reflection


How does my organisation currently identify and nurture leadership potential?
How can my organisation adapt and apply this approach to the way we identify
and select emerging leaders?
22
Developing emerging leaders
The effective development of emerging leaders and their maturing over time is
responsibility for every successful, serious and committed organisation in the sector.
Leadership development is a complex task requiring investment in time, attention, focus,
effort and money.
Leadership development does not have to be costly. Organisations which are open to
thinking and acting in a considered and creative way in developing their leaders will succeed
in designing and implementing leadership and workforce cultures that are agile, ready and
sustainable.
Development for emerging leaders with disabilities
It is reasonable to expect that there will be emerging leaders in the sector who will have a
disability themselves. Organisations will need to be aware of the nature these disabilities
and design development opportunities that take these needs into consideration including:

The timing and nature of development opportunities. Many people with disabilities
face difficulties with transport in the early mornings and late evenings for example,
which means participating in development or work related activities at such times
will be impeded.

Access to appropriate work and learning technologies to ensure that leaders have
the right equipment and can use these effectively for their learning and work.

An emphasis on and providing access to individual support such as coaching and
mentoring.

Group work or group based development activities which allow emerging leaders
with disability to participate as fully as their peers.

Access to appropriate assistance for emerging leaders with visual and hearing
impairments during development activities.

The use of materials which can be accessed by people with visual impairments.

Appropriate physical access for people with physical disability to venues and places
of learning and work.
23
Better practice principles for the design of leadership development
In thinking about developing your leaders, consider the capabilities that your organisation
needs now and will need in the medium to longer term. Refer to the capability table
provided in Part 1 of the guide for this.
Consider how these capabilities could be developed and acquired by the emerging leaders
in your organisation.
Consider how your organisation would go about designing the development required. In
doing so, here are some better practice principles to consider:









Development needs are based on relevant capabilities that are required by the
organisation as well as by the individual.
The development curriculum incorporates work on attitudes, knowledge and desired
leader performance.
Development experiences are an integrated blend of on the job, relationship based
and formal learning opportunities.
Development is supported and valued in a visible way by the organisational
executive.
Senior organisational leadership are involved in the actual imparting of knowledge
and attitudes.
Senior leaders are used as role models of desired performance.
Preferred learning styles of emerging leaders are appreciated and catered to, to the
extent practical, within the design.
Application of learning is designed to be part of the learning, not an activity left for
after.
Evaluations are taken seriously and measure and asses workplace impact.
24
Questions for Reflection


Reflect on and identify some examples of how these principles are applied in your
organisation.
What other opportunities can you identify in the future of how these principles
could be applied in your organisation?
25
What organisations can do for leaders at each stage of the leadership development cycle.
The model below capturing the stages of leadership development is a way for individual
leaders to think about where they might be in their leadership journey and what practices
to develop further leadership maturity at each stage.
Emerging leader development cycle:
The key features of the development cycle include:
Leadership Preparation
Leadership Transition
Applied Leadership Competence
Applied Leadership Expertise
Ap
pl
co ied
m lea
pe d
te er
nc sh
e ip
ge
xp
sta
er
ini
a
ng da tise
lea pt , re
de abi pu
rsh lity tat
ion
ip
pe
an
rfo
d
rm
an
ce
role
ship
ader
opes
he le
ing t ing the r on
Earn
ti
n
Lear ing trac
Gain
ip
sh
er ion
ad sit
Le ran
T
Emerging Leader
Development
Elements
ip
sh
er
ad
le ise
d rt
ie e
pl exp
Ap
Su
Bu
ild
in
Pr Le
ep ad
ar er
at
io
n
Organisational Context
E xp l
new
or
Beco leadersh ing
ip
ming
mor challeng
e sel
f aw es
are
1.
2.
3.
4.
y,
ilit , and
b
i
e
red g
, c wled
e
nc o
de s, kn ce
i
f
on de an
g c ttitu orm
n
i
ild p a perf
Bu rshi
de
lea
26
Organisations have a role to play a role in assisting their leaders develop at each stage of the
development cycle:
1. Better practices to assist individuals with learning and development for
the leadership preparation stage include:






Making visible internal and external learning and development opportunities on
organisational intranets and team meeting ensuring staff have capacity and time to
attend.
Providing tool kits or resources on holding learning and development related
conversations for both individuals and supervisors.
Providing advice for staff in establishing mentoring relationships.
Providing access to self-awareness and diagnostic processes including 360 degree
feedback processes.
Providing access to professional coaching services through external coaching
providers.
Implementing a modest organisational graduate program for incoming graduates.
What else can your organisation do?
27
2. Better practices to assist individuals with development for the
leadership transition stage include:



Ensuring organisational induction processes for new incoming leaders are provided.
Providing regular and timely informal and formal feedback on progress.
Providing mentoring and coaching support service for individual leaders who are
new to role.
What else can your organisation do?
3. Better practices to assist individuals with learning and development for
applied leadership competence include:
 Providing performance related feedback and guidance for individuals from their
supervisors and managers through informal conversations as well as through formal
Individual Work Plan and Individual Learning Plan processes.
 Providing access to approved internal and external learning and development
activities.
 Providing access to workplace learning and development activities, relationships and
networks.
 Providing access to opportunities for Higher Duties, secondments, taskforces and
projects.
 Providing access to job relevant and appropriate professional, technical and
disability services related development opportunities.
28
 Encouraging memberships on inter-organisational and internal committees,
taskforces and project groups.
What else can your organisation do?
4. Better practices to assist individuals with applied leadership expertise
include:

Encouraging and supporting participation in relevant and appropriate national and
international professional conferences.
 Providing opportunities to mentor, coach or teach junior or less experienced staff.
 Encouraging membership on or leadership of senior inter-organisational and
internal/external committees, sector taskforces and sector project groups.
 Encourage access to internal senior management and leadership forums.
 Provide access to opportunities for Higher Duties and encourage external
secondments.
 Explore access to mobility (within and outside the sector) opportunities.
29
What else can your organisation do?
30
Methods of leadership development for emerging leaders
There are many methods that organisations can employ to assist their emerging leaders to
develop and grow. Here are some examples of key methods. The deployment of methods is
contingent on the objectives of the development, the nature of capabilities that are being
developed and individual and organisational circumstance.
Form
Selfawareness
exercises
Key features
Key deployment
considerations
These may consist of electronic based 360 degree 360 degree feedback is
feedback processes which provide information on developmental in
how an emerging leader is performing from
nature and is not used
different perspectives. Web based self-awareness for performance
instruments and reports which help emerging
purposes.
leaders to better understand their styles,
preference, personalities and the impact on their
Raters involved should
practice of leadership. All forms of self-awareness have the ability and
information should be debriefed with the
maturity to rate the
emerging leader by suitably qualified
leader fairly and
professionals to be fully effective.
constructively.
Digital
learning
The internet has a wide range of learning
resources many of which can be accessed for free.
This includes podcasts, webinars, apps, digital
books, videos, interviews, research databases,
electronic articles and newsletters, blogs and
internet radio programs Examples include: ITunes
U and Ted Talks www.Ted.com
On the job
Opportunities to take on higher duties on a
temporary basis or opportunities to lead at level
on an ongoing basis. On the job learning needs to
be approached and managed in a deliberate
manner if learning is to be effective to emerging
The team members of
leaders being rated,
should feel that they
have sufficient
anonymity in the 360
feedback process.
The huge range of
resources available
requires that some
selection and targeting
is required to assist
emerging leaders to
focus on the
appropriate resources
efficiently. Useful for
preparation, transition,
competence and
mastery stages.
Such experiences need
to be prepared for and
debriefed constructively
after if they are to be
fully effective
31
leaders.
development
experiences. Useful for
transition, competence
and mastery stages.
Communities Communities of practice are forums of people
This is especially useful
of practice
sharing similar professional roles or interest and
for the deepening of
meet regularly to share information and practices professional or
discuss common issues and provide shared
technical knowledge.
resources.
Useful for transition
and competence stages.
Mentoring
A senior guide within or external to the
Organisations can help
organisation/sector who can provide wisdom,
individuals to identify
advice, contacts and perspective. Mentoring
suitable mentors given
relationships need to be self-selected and selftheir relationships and
managed to be effective. Mentoring can also be
networks. This is
effective in helping emerging leaders clarify their
especially useful at the
career and leadership intentions in the sector.
transition and
competence stages.
Coaching
A professional who can assist the emerging leader This is especially useful
to discover ways of effective leading on a real
when individuals are
time basis. Providing access to a professional
new to a role or when
coach over a period of 6 months can be very
they are reflecting on
effective in assisting leaders gain traction in their
their careers and
new roles for example.
aspirations and require
assistance. Useful for
the preparation and
mastery stages.
Networking
Opportunities to broaden and deepen
This can help individuals
professional contacts. Networking can expose
to establish contacts
emerging leaders to other leaders and different
quickly and is especially
perspectives. Professional relationship formed
important at the
from networking can provide additional support
preparation and
and source of sector relevant information.
transition stages.
Peer support Colleagues at similar levels who can provide
Useful during the
encouragement and act as sounding boards. Peers transition stage, an
can also reassure emerging leaders that they are
informal buddy system
not alone in their challenges and difficulties.
can be put in place by
organisations quickly
and simply.
Secondment, Temporary opportunities to experience different
Organisations are
attachments organisational contexts within the sector including better placed to
and
government agencies and other sector based
organise and coordinate
placements
organisations to obtain different perspectives,
this within the sector.
new knowledge, and professional relationships
This is best used at
and to work on issues from different points of
competence and
interests.
mastery stages.
Job Swaps
Exchanging roles with other leaders at similar
Organisations are best
32
levels to enable a broadening of skills across the
organisation. Job swaps also encourage a deeper
appreciation of and sensitivity to different roles
and pressures in an organisation.
Stretch
assignments
Sector wide
project
teams
Sector
conferences,
forums and
meetings
On the job
feedback
Study leave
Tough or complex assignments which will stretch
the emerging leader intellectually, in their skills
and in their resilience are a powerful way to
develop leaders. Adequate support must be
provided to the emerging leader throughout the
assignment to ensure its effectiveness and that
the emerging leader is set up for success.
Opportunities to influence and learn from
important sector wide issues and to work with
diversity, alternative views and dynamic
relationships. Sector projects provide
opportunities to build collaborative, negotiation,
conflict management and relationship building
skills.
Opportunities to broaden and deepen sector
related knowledge and to anticipate change.
Attending leadership specific conferences can also
help emerging leaders to learn from other sectors,
fields and other leaders. Emerging leaders will
also benefit and grow if they present at
conferences and seminars
Precise feedback, advice and encouragement
provided in timely response to actual leadership
action (or lack of). Timely, constructive workplace
feedback is critical to the building of good
leadership habits amongst emerging leaders.
Time off to pursue relevant professional
qualifications
Scholarships
Sponsored formal professional development
opportunities
Formal
programs
Generic, public based programs or programs
designed specifically for organisations, these
opportunities assist in building specific leadership
skills, techniques and approaches.
placed to coordinate
this internally and are
best used at
competence and
mastery stages.
Organisations best
placed to coordinate
this internally and are
best used at
competence and
mastery stages.
Organisations are best
placed to organise and
coordinate this within
the sector. This is best
used at competence
and mastery stages.
Organisations are
better placed to
organise and coordinate
this within the sector.
This is best used at
competence and
mastery stages.
An ongoing activity
within all successful
organisations.
This is a major
investment for most
organisations and is
typically made if the
qualifications benefit
the organisation
directly.
An incentive or reward
based process which
can be used for
emerging leaders with
high potential.
The most common and
efficient form of
development, but not
necessarily the most
33
cost effective.
ACT based organisations which provide leadership
and development services relevant to the ACT
disabilities services sector:
 Australian Institute of Management
www.aim.com.au
 Australian Catholic University:
www.acu.edu.au
 Australian institute of Company Directors:
www.companydirectors.com.au
 Canberra Institute of Technology:
www.cit.edu.au
 McMillian Training www.mcmillan.net.au
 University of Canberra :
www.canberra.edu.au/
 Wizard Corporate Training
www.wct.com.au/
 Yellow Edge Performance Architects
www.yellowedge.com.au
Formal based programs
should be used as part
of a larger workplace
focused development
process or as a
temporary measure.
Formal programs can
also be useful in
formalising
development
experiences in the
workplace. They can
help give emerging
leaders a formal
leadership vocabulary
as well as more
common techniques
and approaches to use.
They can provide
emerging leaders with a
sense of confidence.
34
Questions for reflection

What methods is your organisation mainly using? What opportunities are there to
use other methods?
35
Organisational Capability Maturity
Capability maturity is a better practice concept that identifies and considers the levels of
maturity of various organisational capabilities. Organisational capabilities could include:
Human Resource Management; Strategy; Financial Management; Innovation; leadership
and others.
Every organisation evolves in different ways and each will naturally have different levels of
maturity in relation to their various capabilities including leadership.
Developed by Carnegie Mellon University, the Capability Maturity Model (CMM) is designed
to assist organisations to assess levels of maturity of various organisational capabilities
including leadership development. The maturity model enables organisations to appraise
their respective leadership practices on a maturity scale of 1 to 5. This provides the
organisation with a baseline understanding of its ability to support leadership development.
Having a baseline then enables the organisation to identify appropriate and incremental
maturity targets which can be achieved over time with concrete plans and focused
organisational action.
When used in this way, the maturity model engenders better practices in leadership
development and helps organisations to put in place actions to develop greater levels of
maturity in this capability if this is required.
A leadership development maturity model developed specifically for organisations in the
ACT disability services sector is provided below for organisations to use.
36
Organisational leadership development CMM assessment
Maturity Levels
Maturity Level 1
Maturity Level 2
Maturity Level 3
Maturity Level 4
Maturity Level 5
Maturity Definitions
Practices are
applied poorly or
inconsistently
unskilfully and have
a poor level of
acceptance
Practices are
performed and
managed with
some skill with a
focus on
compliance
Practices are
defined, familiar,
shared and skilfully
performed
Practices are
embedded and seen
as part of daily
work and as adding
real value to work
Practices are
continuously
improved and
leveraged for
organisational
outcomes
Leadership Development
Practices in the organisation
1. Leadership development is
based on an organisational
plan
2. Identification and
selection of emerging
leaders are based on
organisational need and
individual aspirations
3. Development needs are
based on relevant
capabilities required by
the organisation as well as
by the individual.
4. The development
curriculum incorporates
work on attitudes,
knowledge and desired
leader performance
5. Development experiences
are an integrated blend of
on the job, relationship
37
6.
7.
8.
9.
based and formal learning
opportunities.
Development is supported
in a visible way by the
organisational executive.
Development is inclusive
of and accessible to
emerging leaders with
disabilities
Application of learning
part of the learning, not an
activity left for after
Evaluations measure and
asses workplace impact
and contribution to
organsiational outcomes
38
How to use the leadership development CMM
1. Refer to the leadership practices column (in gold)
2. Make an assessment of the maturity of each of the 9 practices against the maturity
scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being the most immature and 5 being the most mature.
Evidence for your assessments can be obtained from observations, speaking with
staff, documentary analysis, analysis of your overall organisational performance etc.
3. Mark the level of assessed maturity in the appropriate box. This is your baseline.
4. Mark the level of maturity you would like the organisation to achieve over the next
12 months. This is your maturity target.
Remember that it’s not necessary to be fully mature in all practices and that becoming more
mature will require organisational commitment, resources and time.
Questions for Reflection

What maturity targets for leadership development can your organisation
reasonably set for the next 12 months?
39
What practical things will your organisation need do more of or less of to achieve its
maturity targets?
40
Better Practice Resources
Curtis, B. Hefley, W. E. Miller, S.A (2001)The People Capability Maturity Model®: Guidelines
for Improving the Workforce. Addison-Wesly. Boston.
Collins, J. (2005)Good to great and the social sectors. Harper Collins. New York.
Charan, R, Drotter, S. Noel, J. (2001) The leadership pipeline. Jossey Bass. San Francisco.
Rothwell, W.J. (2010) Effective succession planning. AMACOM. New York.
41
Part Three: Guidance for the Emerging Leader
42
Guidance for the Emerging Leader
This section provides some practical ideas and better practices for emerging leaders to
consider in their development.
It begins by recognising that the field of leadership is an established field of knowledge,
study and practice and suggests some key sources of leadership thought for emerging
leaders to refer to as they go about maturing as leaders.
The main section provides a framework which emerging leaders can use to think about their
growth and maturity as leaders over time and the better practices that can be implemented
at each stage. Throughout this section you will find questions for reflection that will prompt
you to reflection of each section within your current role and context.
The part ends with selected resources for leaders to make use of. These are categorised by
the broad leadership capabilities referred to in Part 1 of this guide. Collectively, these
resources provide leaders in the sector with a foundational set of references.
43
Learning about leadership
There is a rich, diverse and substantial body of knowledge on leadership. It is a recognised
field of research, study, qualification and practice. Leadership is a fundamental human
endeavour. There are many ways in which emerging leaders can learn about leadership.
Various methods have been tabled in Part 1 of this guide and firsthand experience is always
invaluable.
In addition to these methodologies which will provide concrete experiences and working
forms of knowledge about leadership, it is also important that emerging leaders make a
commitment to developing a deeper and broader understanding of the history, theory and
practice of leadership and to build your own body of knowledge to develop your own
professional philosophy that will guide your practice.
The selected seminal books below provide important perspectives, research and theories
about a variety of forms of leadership:










Badaracco, J.L (2002) Leading Quietly: An Unorthodox Guide to Doing the Right Thing.
Harvard Business School Press.
De Pree, M (1989) Leadership is an art. Dell Publishing.
Hofstede, G. Hofstede, G.J., Minkov, M (2010) Cultures and Organisations. McGraw
Hill.
Koestenbaum, P. and Block, P (2001) Freedom and Accountability at Work: Applying
Philosophic Insight to the Real World. Jossey Bass Pfeiffer.
Grint, K. (2005) Leadership: Limits and Possibilities. Palgrave MacMillan
Goleman, D., Boyatzis, R. & McKee, A. (2002) The New Leader: Transforming the Art
of Leadership to the Science of Success. Little Brown.
Goffee, R, and G Jones. Why Should Anyone Be Led by You?: What it Takes to be an
Authentic Leader. Cambridge: Harvard Business School Press, 2006.
McGregor Burns, J (1978) Leadership. Perennial.
Wheatly, M. (2006) Leadership and the new science. Berrett-Koehler Publishers. New
York.
Wheatley, M. (2005) Finding Our Way: Leadership for an Uncertain Time, BerrettKoehler.
We can also learn much about leadership by observing and reflecting on leaders in action
and observing the impact that they have on their people and the results they achieve.
Speaking to leaders about their experiences, their learnings and obtaining their views on
leadership challenges and opportunities is also an effective way to learn about leadership.
Discussing aspects of leadership with your loved ones, peers, colleagues, seniors, staff,
clients and stakeholders will also provide you with valuable insight and knowledge.
Being open to examples of leadership portrayed and expressed in other spheres of life will
also provide ideas and examples that you can adapt for use in your own context and
situation in the disability sector. Look for examples of leadership in the arts, film, music,
44
sport, business, entertainment, architecture, engineering, medicine, science, academic,
public service and other fields.
Professional memberships
Memberships of leadership related professional associations can also be a useful way of
keeping in touch with better practice, the latest research and with new ideas.




The international leadership association: www.ila-net.org/
The society for performance improvement: www.ispi.org/
The Australian Human Resources Institute: www.ahri.com.au
The Australian Institute of Company Directors : www.companydirectors.com.au
Learning about leadership is a continual endeavour. Becoming a fully effective leader is a
continual work in progress and continual learning is vital to such progress.
A cycle in developing emerging leadership
The learning and development lifecycle (depict on the following page) is a way of thinking
about the broad learning and development periods that individual leaders go through in their
careers. These periods are marked by leadership development related activities which when
carried out successfully, enable individuals to develop themselves in a thoughtful and
systematic manner. The lifecycle is a model to guide how emerging leaders in the sector
might think of their development and to manage their development experiences for greater
individual satisfaction, success and organisational benefit.
45
Emerging leader development cycle:
The Key features of the development cycle include:
Leadership Preparation
Leadership Transition
Applied leadership Competence
Applied leadership Expertise
Ap
pl
co ied
m lea
pe d
te er
nc sh
e ip
ge
Su
xp
sta
er
ini
a
ng da tise
lea pt , re
de abi pu
rsh lity tat
ion
ip
pe
an
rfo
d
rm
an
ce
role
ship
ader
opes
he le
ing t ing the r on
Earn
ti
n
Lear ing trac
Gain
ip
sh
er ion
ad sit
Le ran
T
Emerging Leader
Development
Elements
ip
sh
er
ad
le ise
d rt
ie e
pl exp
Ap
Bu
ild
in
Pr Le
ep ad
ar er
at
io
n
Organisational Context
E xp l
new
or
Beco leadersh ing
ip
ming
mor challeng
e sel
f aw es
are
1.
2.
3.
4.
,
lity and
i
b
di e,
cre ledg
,
e
nc know
e
d
fi
s, ce
on ude an
c
t
g ti
rm
din ip at erfo
l
i
p
Bu rsh
e
d
lea
46
Reflecting generally on your leadership development
Being an effective leader requires a commitment to continual learning. Referring to the
development cycle on the previous page, identify where you might be on it. This is to help
you to consider:
 The purpose of leadership development for yourself in relation to where you are in
your role/job and the organisational context.
 How leadership development would relate to your work/role or tasks as a leader i.e.
what would help you be better prepared or make a successful transition or develop
competency or lead to mastery.
Overview of each stage of the cycle
1. Leadership Preparation
The preparation period is characterised by:
Honest and open self-reflection and appreciation of strengths, relative weaknesses,
ambitions, likes, dislikes, constraints, opportunities and values. This kind of preparation
empowers individuals to make informed leadership development related choices.
In the sector, individuals are encouraged to also have constructive development related
conversations with their supervisors as part of their development planning process, as well
as with mentors, external coaches and others where appropriate, to ensure balanced,
targeted and realistic development preparations and that adequate support is available.
Better practices for leadership preparation:






Take steps to better understand your motivations, ambitions, values, likes and dislikes
in regards to the work that you do or wish to do.
Think about what motivates or inspires you in the work that you do. Are these things
to do with setting new directions, motivating people and teams and taking
responsibility? These are essential leadership aspects.
Observe other more senior leaders, speak to them and find out what their leadership
roles are like. What motivates them and what inspires them. This may provide clues
for you to discover these things about yourself.
Proactively look out for suitable leadership development related experiences as these
will give you some insight into leadership as well.
Prepare to negotiate or compete for desired development opportunities. Don’t wait
to be asked. It’s important that you share your leadership aspirations with the people
you work with so that they can help in appropriate ways.
Be prepared to work for development opportunities. Submit credible expressions of
interests, and applications and participate in selection processes where required.
47
The key activity at this stage is to find greater clarity about your career and life values and
where these overlap in the context of your emerging leadership. Our values reflect what is
most important to us in our lives as well as our careers. We can enhance our career
satisfaction by taking steps to better align our values with our work.
 Values tend to be at the centre of most career decisions
 Values are how you feel about work – this can be referred to as “emotional salary of
work”
 Different people define values differently
 Dissatisfaction with work is often embedded in finding little value in it
 Values can be assessed along four dimensions
o Material: How much will I gain from the job?
o Social: Do I like and respect the people I work with and will I like and be respected
by them?
o Emotional: Will I enjoy the work itself and the experience of doing it? Will I look
forward to being involved with the problems of the job?
o Worth: Will this work contribute to a greater good - is it worthwhile?
Provided below are descriptive lists of indicative core and career values. Think about the
definitions (or include your own) and, using the scale provided indicate the degree of
importance that you would assign to each
48
Core and career value reflection exercise
Ratings: 1 - Little importance 2 - Neutral 3 - Very Important Limit your rating of 3s (very
important) to a maximum of 10 items
Core Values
Adventure
Affection
Co-operation
Duty
Ethics
Excellence
Family
Health
Independence
Integrity
Leadership
Parenthood
Personal Growth
Personal meaning
Pleasure
Influence
Prestige
Recognition
Self Respect
Spirituality
Wealth
Description
New and challenging experiences
Having companionship, love and caring
Working well with others
Loyalty to what I dedicate myself to
Being consistent with my moral standards
Being the best I can be
Close and satisfying family relationships
Being physically healthy
Freedom of thought and action
Honesty, standing up for my beliefs
Having influence over issues, direction & others
Raising, nurturing and supporting family
Optimizing my personal potential
Living a meaningful life
Having fun and enjoying life
Having influence over issues, ideas and with people
Being famous and well-known
Respect from others as an authority
A sense of personal identity/pride
Being consistent with my spiritual beliefs
Having a great deal of money
Score
Career Values
Advancement
Description
Being able to get ahead rapidly, gaining
opportunities for growth and seniority from work
well done.
Having work duties that involve frequent risk-taking
and change.
Being surrounded by beauty; creating beauty.
Work in an environment that allows time for
personal and family interests in an organsiation that
encourages quality of life.
Work that involves problem solving and
troubleshooting.
Being known as an expert in the field.
Work that pits my abilities against those of others.
Work that involves control of the activities,
processes and people
Work that encourages originality and ideas.
Being part of a group or team, having
Score
Adventure
Aesthetics
Balance
Challenge
Competence
Competition
Control
Creativity
Friendship
49
Fast Pace
Fun
Growth
Health
Independence
Influence
Job Satisfaction
Leadership
Location
Career Value
Make Decisions
Mobility
Moral Fulfilment
Physical Challenge
Public Contact
Recognition and
Approval
Respect and
Achievement
Security
Service/Help
Society
Status
Time Freedom
Variety
Wealth
Work Alone
Work with Others
friendships/relationships in the workplace.
Work with prevalent time pressure and in situations
with little tolerance for error.
Work that is fun.
Work that allows me to grow.
Work that is in circumstances conducive to good
physical, mental and emotional health.
Being able to determine the nature of my work
without significant direction from others.
Being in a position to change attitudes or opinions of
others.
Having relevant work; making a difference.
Work that involves directing and influencing others.
Work that allows me to live in a place conducive to
my lifestyle.
Description
Having power to decide course of action, policies,
etc.
Opportunity to travel or to be out of the office;
outside work.
Feeling my work is contributing significantly to a set
of moral standards I feel are important.
Having work that is physically challenging.
Having a lot of day-to-day contact with people.
Having self and work known.
Score
Work that gives a feeling of accomplishment and is
recognized by self and others.
Being assured of keeping my job and a reasonable
financial reward.
Work which helps others in a direct way and
contributes to the betterment of the world we live
in.
Having worked in a prestigious name company.
Work responsibilities I can do according to my own
time schedule.
Having a variety of activities in my day.
Work that allows me to accumulate large amounts
of money or other material gain.
Work that allows me to do projects by myself
without significant contact with others.
Working as a team toward common goals.
50
Reflect on your selected life and career values and reduce each list from 10 to 6 items. Write
your top 6 life and career values in the table below. Are there any that compete against each
other? Can you identify ways these values have influenced your life, career to date, your
work and your desire to be a leader?
Top Six Core Values
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Top Six Career Values
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Questions for Reflection

What will this mean for you in the context of being an emerging leader? Is
leadership a core and career value to you?

In the context of your core and career values what kind of leader do you wish to be
or become?
51
2. Leadership Transition
The leadership transition period generally takes place within a new job, project, role or
experience and entails establishing oneself in the new leadership experience effectively.
Better practices for leadership transition
Stepping up into a leadership role can be daunting and exhilarating at the same time. New
leadership roles often entail a move of some description. This can be a move to a new job,
new team or a new organisation. Creating a successful transition for yourself is an important
factor in ensuring that you establish yourself in your new leadership role quickly and
effectively.
Consider:
Notes
Have you accessed the full range of
induction activities if these are offered by
your organisation?
If these activities are not provided or are
insufficient, who can you obtain
information about your new role quickly?
Is the job the same as it’s described in the
position description? If not, what is
different? How will you manage this with
your manager and your team?
What are your manager’s priorities? Are
there any red flags?
What is urgent about your role and what is
actually important?
Who do you need to keep in the loop and
who will you need to be kept in the loop?
Who are the best people in the team to
help you get across the role quickly?
Is there someone in the organisation or
external to it that you can use as a mentor?
Are there any immediate information
needs that you need to address to get a
better understanding of your role? Where
can you get this from?
How does the team operate; what are the
responsibilities of your immediate team
members?
Are there routine meetings that you need
to attend; what preparation is required for
these; how formal are they?
Are they key reporting requirements and
accountabilities associated with your new
52
role? If so, what are these and what are
their timelines
Do you know how the team fits into the
organisation? What’s the one-sentence
description of your team’s responsibilities?
Do you know the team/organisation ‘story’;
key successes, key stakeholders etc.?
What support can you obtain from your
manager to help you to get traction in your
role quickly?
What work routines can you put in place to
provide you and your team with a sense of
order and control over your work?
How will you convey your expectations of
your team to the team?
Transitioning successfully requires emerging leaders to understand what your supervisor and
your organisation expects of you from attitude, knowledge and performance perspectives.
This requires you to arrange and conduct a constructive discussion with your supervisor to
establish:






A shared understanding of the context and bigger picture
a shared understanding of mutual expectations
Goals, targets and accountabilities
Awareness of each other’s work styles and preferences
Agreed protocols and procedures to keep each other the loop and how to escalate
issues
Regular catch ups
Gaining traction in your new role entails:









An ability to listen, to watch and to understand the context before deciding to take
action
Making decisions in a collaborative manner whenever possible, but alone when
necessary
Managing risk appropriately
Delivering on outputs and outcomes in an appropriate manner
Bringing the team along with you by providing clarity of purpose, meaning and
context
Acknowledging the effort and results of your team in a timely manner
Achieving results through your people, not just through your own talents and abilities
Being aware of your own strengths and limitations and that of your team and working
to your strengths whilst managing your limitations
Being open to learning the ropes.
53
Questions for Reflection

What do you need from your organisation and/or manager to successfully
transition to a leadership role?
54
3. Applied leadership Competence
The competence period is generally the longest period within a job or role and entails
performing primary tasks and responsibilities and relating to people and stakeholders in a
manner that builds credibility and trust, capability and capacity within the organisation, with
its stakeholders and clients and within the sector.
Becoming competent requires a continuous cycle of planning, doing, reflecting and doing
better. Becoming competent is not just a consequence of time or experience. Rather it is
dependent on your ability to reflect on and learn from your experiences, so that you build on
your experiences and become more competent. Competence is also dependent on context
and competency in one context may not always be readily transferred to other contexts.
Purposeful reflection is central to becoming competent as purposeful reflection on practical
experiences results in deeper understanding, new insight and new practical knowledge.
Better practices to develop applied leadership competence includes:








Build in routine reflection periods in your week, to consider and reflect on what you
could have done better, what you have learned and how you might apply your
learning.
Identify a mentor with whom you can discuss your experiences. This more verbal
form of reflection can be helpful to people who prefer to talk things through.
Keep a journal to record your insights, learnings and observations. This is not a diary,
but a way of capturing your reflections. Include in your journal, sketches, pictures,
quotations and other forms of prompts to make your journal interesting to you. It can
become a handy personal reference.
Learn from other disciplines and fields. Each professional field and discipline has its
own body of knowledge and perspectives, which can shed new light on your own
field. Learn about leadership from the fields of business, the arts, sport, architecture,
environmental sciences and so on.
Be exposed to different ways of thinking which may challenge your own assumptions
and prevent you from becoming dogmatic or stale in your thinking about leadership.
While you may not agree with alternative views, being open to them and seeking
them out will provide you with intellectual challenge and learning.
Seek feedback on your leadership performance from the people you work with, from
informal chats, performance management discussions, through to more formal 360
degree feedback processes. Soliciting and considering feedback of this nature can
help you to see your “blind spots” and help you to better understand the expectation
of you by people working with and for you.
Put your hand up for higher duties, challenging projects or difficult tasks. These
provide ample opportunity to stretch your leadership abilities.
Learn continually, through formal courses and programs, as well as by reading widely,
tapping into web based material and travelling as an observant traveller.
55
Questions for Reflection


What else could you do?
How do you currently reflect on your practice? It may be helpful to develop some
questions that help you to critically engage with your work.



What questions do I have about my work? What challenges my values and practice?
What theories, frameworks and research assist me and shape my work?
Who is advantaged when I work this way/ Who is disadvantaged?
Eg.
56
4. Applied leadership expertise
The leadership expertise period is associated with building depth of capability and
experience and is characterised by strong professional reputation, adaptability of acquired
expertise to changing context and circumstance, individual performance that is consistently
high and where organisational capacity for that particular area of mastery is sustainable.
Research has shown that it generally takes around 10,000 hours of practice to become
masterly at something.
Better practices for applied leadership expertise:




View leadership as a practice, and practice, practice, practice.
Mentor, coach or teach more junior or less experienced leaders in your organisation or in
other organisations in the sector.
Put your hand up to chair or lead major projects, inter-organisational committees and
sector forums.
Contribute to the sector. Write, talk about and share your leadership experiences with
professional groups, networks and in guest speaker roles. The process of preparing for
these activities provides the opportunity for reflection, consolidation and sense making
of your experiences and will uncover new learning and insights about yourself and your
practice of leadership. The practice of sharing these with others helps to build social
capital within the sector.
Questions for Reflection



What else could you do?
What opportunities to do have to engage in these activities in your current role?
What opportunities are in you organisation or in the community that you can you
create or access that would develop your leadership expertise?
57
Further resources organised by capability areas
Attitudes
Bennis, Warren. On
Becoming a Leader. Reading.
Massachusetts: Perseus
Books, 1989
Greenleaf, R. (2002) Servant
leadership. Paulist Press.
New Jersey.
Goleman, D. (1995)
Emotional Intelligence.
Bloomsbury. London.
Joiner, W, B. Joseph, S.A.
(2006) Leadership agility.
Jossey Bass. San Francisco.
International Leadership
Association
www.ila-net.org
London, M. (2009)
Leadership Development:
Paths To Self-insight and
Professional Growth.
Psychology Press. New
Jersey.
Sykes, H. Frydenberg, E.
(2006) The Australian
leadership reader. Australian
Academic Press. Melbourne.
Schön, D. (1983) The
Reflective Practitioner, New
York: Basic Books
Self-Awareness Tools:
Myers-Briggs Personality
Type Instrument
Knowledge
The Business
The Sector
Drucker, P (2006)
Managing the
non-profit
organisation.
Harper Collins
Business. New
York.
Collins, J. (2005) Good to
great and the social
sector. Harper Collins.
New York.
Australian Charities and
Not for Profits
Commission.
www.notforprofit.gov.a
u
Linden, R.M
(2010) Leading
across
boundaries:
Disability Advocacy
creating
Network Australia.
collaborative
www.dana.org.au
agencies in a
networked world.
Jossey Bass. San
Francisco.
Professional
People
Disability Services Kotter, J.P. (1996)
Australia
Leading change. HBS
www.dsa.org.au
Press. Boston
Performance
Poister, T.H.
(2003)
Managing
performance
in public and
non-profit
organisations.
Jossey Bass.
San Francisco.
International
Society of
Performance
Improvement
.
www.ispi.org
Meadows,
D.H. (2008)
Thinking in
systems.
Chelsea
Green.
Vermont.
National
Kotter, J.P. Cohen, D.S
Disability Services (2002) The heart of
www.nds.org.au
change. HBS Press.
Boston.
Australian
Institute of
Kotter, J.P. Rathgeber, H.
Health and
(2006) Our ice berg is
Welfare
melting. St Martin’s
www.aihw.gov.a Press. New York.
u
Porter, C (2005) The
National
gentle art of persuasion.
Disability
Random House. Sydney.
Insurance
Scheme.
Pocket mentor series
www.ndis.gov.au (2006) Leading people.
58
www.myersbriggs.org
Whole Brain Thinking
www.herrmannsolutions.asi
a
Harvard Business School
Press. Boston.
Tharp, T. (2009) The
collaborative habit.
Simon Schuster. New
York.
59
Bringing it all together
Now you have worked through and considered the preceding sections of this guide, spend a
bit of time working through the following questions. They will help you to have a more
robust and realistic view of yourself as leader.
In the section following this, you will find templates which you can use to plan for some
targeted learning and development action. Remember that learning and development can be
formal and informal in nature.
Questions for Reflection
Consider previous reflections in each stage.
 What is my core leadership purpose? Or why do I really want to be a leader in the
sector?
What kind of leader do I want to be?
60
What strengths, experiences, values and potential do I bring to roles of leadership in my
organisation?
What are my;
Strengths
Values:
Experience and accomplishments:
Potential:
61
What are the qualities, skills and knowledge I have that would make me a good leader?
62
Leadership development diagnostic
What is the leadership learning need that I am trying to address? Is the need to do with
knowledge, skills or attitudes?
How can this need be addressed through learning and development?
If not, can this need be addressed by other means?
63
If yes, are there experts or experienced people in my organisation or elsewhere who can
provide on the job learning assistance and guidance in relation to my knowledge, skills
and attitude needs?
Who might these people be and how could they help?
Name /expertise
How he/she can help
What would I need to do to set up an on the job learning process for myself?
64
Framing Learning Objectives for your leadership development
Kinds of Objectives



Knowledge objectives relate to: facts, concepts, principles, theory, background
information etc.
Skill objectives relate to: how to…, procedures, tasks, techniques, specific behaviours
to be displayed etc.
Attitude objectives relate to: role expectations, self-image, traits, motivations,
values, perceptions, assumptions and opinions.
Tips for framing objectives




Keep objectives simply phrased
Frame less rather than more objectives
Objectives can be measurable and non measurable.
As you work through the templates, ask yourself “is this doable”?
What are the knowledge objectives that I will need to achieve?
65
What are the skill objectives that I will need to achieve?
What are the attitude objectives, that I will need to achieve?
66
On the Job Learning Options
There are many methods of on the job learning. Some methods are more suited to
particular kinds of learning objectives than others, and some methods are suitable for
knowledge, skill and attitude objectives. The table provides a range of methods for
consideration.
67
Form
Key features
Shadowing
For skill objectives
The learner shadows an expert for period of time or during a critical
period to watch and observe how the expert deals with an issue or
situation. Shadowing can take place over a period of time or during
selected events. A debrief discussion between the learner and the
expert needs to take place to assist the learner to make sense of what
was observed.
The learner prepares a set of questions based on their needs and asks
an expert (or several) for their views and experiences. Interviews are
typically informal discussions.
Interview an
expert
For knowledge and
attitude objectives
Expert tutoring
For knowledge and
skill objectives
Self-awareness
exercises
For attitude and
skill objectives
Digital learning
For knowledge
objectives
In role learning
For attitude,
knowledge and
skill objectives
Communities of
practice
For knowledge and
skill objectives
Mentoring
For attitude,
knowledge skill
and attitude
objectives
Coaching
For attitude and
skill objectives
Networking
For knowledge
objectives
The learner is tutored or coached by an expert on how to do certain
things. The learner is provided the opportunity to practice and is given
on the spot feedback by the expert.
Web based self-awareness instruments and reports which help
emerging leaders to better understand their styles, preference,
personalities and the impact on their practice of leadership. All forms
of self-awareness information should be debriefed with individuals by
suitably qualified professionals to be fully effective.
The internet has a wide range of learning resources many of which can
be accessed for free. This includes podcasts, webinars, apps, digital
books, videos, interviews, research databases, electronic articles and
newsletters, blogs and internet radio programs Examples include:
ITunes U and www.Ted.com
Opportunities to take on higher duties on a temporary basis or
Opportunities to lead at level on an ongoing basis. In role learning
needs to be approached and managed in a deliberate manner if
learning is to be effective for individuals.
Communities of practice are forums of people sharing similar
professional roles or interest and meet regularly to share information
and practices discuss common issues and provide shared resources.
A senior guide within or external to the organisation/sector who can
provide wisdom, advice, contacts and perspective. Mentoring
relationships need to be self-selected and self-managed to be
effective. Mentoring can also be effective in helping individuals clarify
their career and leadership intentions.
A professional who can assist the individual to discover ways of
effective leading on a real time basis. Providing access to a
professional coach over a period of 6 months can be very effective in
assisting individuals gain traction in their new roles for example.
Opportunities to broaden and deepen professional contacts.
Networking can expose individuals to other experts with different
perspectives. Professional relationships formed from networking can
provide additional support and source of relevant information.
68
Peer support
For attitude
objectives
Secondment,
attachments and
placements
For knowledge,
attitude and skill
objectives
Colleagues at similar levels who can provide encouragement and act as
sounding boards. Peers can also reassure individuals that they are not
alone in their challenges and difficulties.
Temporary opportunities to experience different organisational
contexts including other not for profits, government agencies or even
the private sector to obtain different perspectives, new knowledge,
professional relationships and to work on issues from different points
of interests.
Job Swaps
For knowledge,
attitude and skill
objectives
Stretch
assignments
For knowledge,
skill and attitude
objectives
Sector wide
project teams
For knowledge skill
and attitude
objectives
Sector
conferences,
forums and
meetings
For knowledge,
attitude and skill
objectives
Exchanging roles with other individuals at similar levels to enable a
broadening of skills across the organisation. Job swaps also encourage
a deeper appreciation of and sensitivity to different roles and
pressures in an organisation.
Tough or complex assignments which will stretch individuals
intellectually, in their skills and in their resilience are a powerful way to
develop people. Adequate support must be provided to the individual
throughout the assignment to ensure its effectiveness and that the
individual is set up for success.
Opportunities to influence and learn from important sector wide
issues and to work with diversity, alternative views and dynamic
relationships. Sector projects provide opportunities to build
collaborative, negotiation, conflict management and relationship
building skills.
Opportunities to broaden and deepen Sector related knowledge and
to anticipate change. Attending leadership specific conferences can
also help individuals to learn from other agencies, fields and other
experts. Individuals will also benefit and grow if they present at
conferences and seminars
On the job
feedback
For knowledge,
skill and attitude
objectives
Precise feedback, advice and encouragement provided in timely
response to actual performance (or lack of). Timely, constructive
workplace feedback is critical to the building of good professional
habits amongst individuals.
69
Appendix 1: Professional Learning Plan templates
1. Professional Development Plan
Name:
Date:
Review date:
Discussed with mentor or colleague?
Discussed with manager?
Goals
Timeframe
My personal goals are
My professional goals are
Next 12
months
Next 2 years
70
Strengths and areas for development
Strengths
Consider:
 Your views
 Recent appraisals
 Feedback from others
Areas for development:
Consider:
 Gaps in skills and knowledge
 Changes to current systems
 What will help you progress in your role?
71
Priorities for Professional Development
Identified Gap
By when?
Potential
learning
available
professional
events
1
2
3
72
Learning opportunities
Name of activity
1
Details
Objectives
Date
Cost
2
3
4
Record of Professional Development Experiences
Name of activity
Date
Key learning outcomes &
knowledge shared with team
73
74
ACTION PLAN
Session Title
Date
Area of work
Strategy for
improvement
Details
Implementation date
Evaluation
75
76
2. Individual Leadership Learning Plan *adapted from Knowles, M (1986) Using learning contracts
Based on your thinking and input from the preceding sections, complete this learning plan for yourself. If appropriate, share this with your
manager and get his/her support.
What are you going to
learn?
(Objectives)
How are you going to learn
this?
(Methods)
Target
How are you going to
date for
know that you learned it
completion (Evidence)
How are you going to prove that
you learned it?
(Verification)
1
2
3
Prepared by: (learner)
Supported by: (manager, if relevant)
77
Examples
Kinds of objectives
Evidence of learning
Verification means
Knowledge
objectives
Skill Objectives
Reports; oral presentations; Executive summaries
Positive feedback on reports, presentations and summaries
Display of behaviours or performance of skill; 360
degree feedback
Attitude Objectives
Attitudinal rating scales; 360 degree feedback
Error rates
Productivity measures
Client/stakeholder satisfaction rates
Staff surveys
Positive feedback from peers, team members and supervisors
Staff surveys
78