12 months ago I cautiously applied to be part of the Future Shapers 2024 leadership program. At the time I referred to myself as an ‘accidental leader’ and felt fraudulent even using the term. My understanding of leadership was centred around the individual with the loudest voice, standing at the front of the room. 12 months ago I had no idea what the year ahead had in store for me.
One thing that became immediately clear was that my definition of leadership had been incorrect. Good leadership isn’t represented by a single person's success. It’s found in one's ability to support and encourage others to achieve a common goal. Good leadership is about giving others confidence and creating an environment where they can thrive and be the best versions of themselves. Good leadership builds resilience as you win and lose together. Good leadership requires attention and effort. Like all things that are good for you in life, it takes practice.
As we started to meet community leaders and public figures on our program days, a common thread became apparent. It was strong and surprising in its simplicity. It was ‘curiosity’. Being curious is a playful notion but it's extremely profound when attempting to tackle society's wicked problems. To be curious is to have a strong desire to know or learn something. Being curious stops us from slipping into solution mode before we’ve even checked if we’re asking the right questions to begin with.
As community leaders we must be willing and able to have curious conversations. We have to move past our bias and assumptions and ask real people, real questions. We have to be open minded and be willing to hear things that might challenge us. We have to be able to hold our truth lightly because we might learn something that will change our mind and that's ok. It is vital to have a growth mindset, there is no room for a fixed, un changing opinions.
The best leaders know what their strengths are so they can use them to their advantage. Completing the VIA Character Strengths Survey revealed that my strengths are honesty, gratitude, hope, curiosity and zest. While these come as no surprise, I was amazed how much stronger and useful they became once defined. They now help me rationalise the decisions I make. They act as a key to unlock meaningful doors that I may not have considered otherwise.
Understanding that our strengths are essential, effortless and energising (the 3 E’s) reveals how important it is to acknowledge them in the first place. Without this awareness how are we to work well with others? How can we build strong, productive teams if we can’t define the skills we bring and the skills we’re missing? Leaning into our strengths sets ourselves and others up for success. When we understand our weakness we can be kinder to ourselves and accept help from others with grace knowing that everyone brings something different to the table. It is this variety that makes us strong.
A good leader also takes the time for reflection to make sure that lessons and silver linings don’t get left behind. I’ve always been one for making sense of the world through weekly reflections but I never appreciated how beneficial it would be to have access to other people's reflections to the same events. It's easy to believe that everyone experiences the same event with the same lens but what affects us, what attracts our attention and what aspect we choose to take home with us are as individual as we are. I’ve learnt so much from my fellow Future Shapers through their generous reflections this year. Thank you.
As a community, it's empathy for one another that makes us stronger. My highlight this year has been the access that Future Shapers has given me to my own community. Access to stories from people outside of my normal networks. It's also proved to me how powerful stories can be. They can change a long held belief with a phrase. They can capture profound lessons in a paragraph. As a writer, this exposure to stories so unlike my own has humbled me. It has encouraged me to share more willingly the hard truths of life, not for sympathy but for connection.
When we share our stories, without fear of judgement, we offer the opportunity to connect. When we truly listen and don’t spend the time in our heads coming up with our own witty response, we can really hear people. We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak. We must listen to be curious and we must be curious to be good leaders.
The last 12 months have given me the confidence to become a great leader in my community. It seems strange now writing it, especially as someone who has Zest as one of their top five strengths, but this year I’ve tapped into a confidence I never knew I had. It has been dormant under layers of self doubt and uncertainty for years. Buried deep beneath the survival skills required to start multiple businesses while raising a young family. Squished to the corner by perfectionism and unrealistic expectations.
These last 12 months have shown me that what I have is something quite special. Our unique experience, our life, has gifted me a perspective and resilience that is quite unlike most peoples. This year has taught me that I have a bigger part to play in my community if I’m willing to confidently stand up and ask for it. It has also taught me that good leaders know when to call it. It took courage to close HUCX this year. I doubt we would’ve been able to do it with such grace without the insights gained this year.
I applied to become an Australian citizen last week after 20 years of fighting it. Not because I didn’t want to be part of this ginormous island that is either underwater or on fire for most of the year but because I’ve been unable to decide what I want to do with my life. Where do I fit best in the world? Where will I make the most impact?
I still don’t know that answer but for the first time I can see new paths open up before me. I’m excited about what opportunities will come my way as I walk these new paths with an open mind and open heart knowing that what I have to offer the world is special and worth sharing.
