By Scott Mosen – Guide Dogs SA/NT
The Governor’s Leadership Foundation (GLF) Program is nothing less than an incredible experience.
Since 2004, Community Business Bureau has offered the Keith Fulton Memorial scholarship to community sector employees in South Australia who want to broaden, enhance and accelerate their leadership capability.
For me, it had an impact on many parts of my life and I would suggest that many other participants would tell you the same. It helped me to better understand and manage the grey areas that exist in our professional and personal lives on most days.
The Governor’s Leadership Foundation brings together leaders from community, business and the public service, a unique blend of people that bring different perspectives and experience, creating an environment where you cannot help but learn from others, and it will almost certainly challenge your own thinking.
During the ten-month program we were fortunate to experience many different facets of our community, from sessions on farms, in businesses, in a prison, in Parliament House, an Aboriginal community, homeless centres, Government House and more. We had the opportunity to learn about the complex issues that exist in our State and the interactions between economy, society and environment.
You could be forgiven for thinking the first few paragraphs sound like an advertisement for the program, but it’s not. I learnt more about myself than I could have imagined.
During the year, I was made redundant from a position that I was personally invested in, and while the decision was the result of organisational changes and centralisation, it still hurt a bit. But it got better. The program helped me understand that there are moments in time where you have little control, it is okay to press pause and take a breath, and that leadership is often about managing the ever-present ambiguity in our lives with care, courage and authenticity.
The guest speakers throughout the year, incredible leaders from across many sectors, were insightful and generous in sharing their successes and experience with our group; they all left an indelible impression on me.
Our facilitators across the year introduced to a host of topics, from polarities to shadow work, often gently tipping us upside down and shaking our preconceived ideas before carefully placing us back on our feet. The sessions and resources can be difficult to quantify or explain, as the sum of this program is greater than its parts. If you know someone that aspires to be a great leader, then perhaps you should send him or her the link to the scholarship.
I am grateful for the opportunity to participate in the Governor’s Leadership Foundation program and would like to show my heartfelt appreciation to the people that provided such a wonderful opportunity for me to learn and grow as a person and a leader.
Thank you to everyone who supported me including the other 41 GLF participants that will continue to do great things in South Australia and beyond.
