Why We Need to Learn to Work Politically - Upcoming Masterclass
10 October 2013 at 10:54 am
A new masterclass on learning to work politically (23-25 October 2013) will be led by Liz Skelton, Principal Consultant, Social Leadership Australia and co-author, The Australian Leadership Paradox.
Social Leadership Australia has developed a new three-day ‘Working Politically’ masterclass to help remedy an important skills gap for people working in business, in government and in the Not for Profit sector. The skill to work politically—with a small ‘p’ and a capital ‘P’— is essential for anyone leading change or trying to influence policy, yet it is not only poorly understood but rarely taught.
Julia Gillard hit the nail on the head in her conversation with Ann Summers at the Sydney Opera House last week when she was asked about what was needed for our leaders to make progress and real change in Australia. The old ‘command and control’ style of leadership is long gone, she said. ‘Skills of collaboration and delegation are needed for governing and mobilising—these are the skills of the future.’”
This is what Social Leadership Australia means by ‘working politically’. Leadership is not about changing values, it’s about working across values—collaborating with diverse others. The challenges and opportunities we face in Australia today require us to embrace diversity. We can no longer do business with ourselves or just with people who think like us. For our communities and organisations to truly innovate we need to find ways to harness the value that lies in difference and in conflict. The ability to do this with purpose and passion is what will allow us to make progress.
There is skill and awareness required to work politically—to work out what are the human dynamics taking place beneath the words, to speak to the value each party brings (or their fear of loss), to show we are willing to give something up ourselves. Yes, it's often about individual loss but with a sense of what’s to be gained for us all.
In the wake of the recent election, we could be forgiven for wanting to run away from anything with political connotations, but if you work in any organisational or community setting, large or small, then you are already working politically whether you like it or not. But are you being effective? If you want to make progress on behalf of something you care about, this is something you cannot afford to overlook.
Social Leadership Australia’s ‘Working Politically’ Masterclass is a unique opportunity to develop your skills in this area, including two days on working politically with a small ‘p’ and one day on working Politically with a capital ‘P’.
Spend two days with Social Leadership Australia’s Principal Consultant, Liz Skelton, who will guide you through how to work with ‘friends’ and ‘enemies’ in your own organisation and community. Explore how to exercise leadership when working across different agendas, values and approaches to achieve meaningful outcomes.
Day three will put these skills into practice in the Capital ‘P’, political context. Sharing her expertise in navigating government, Allison Henry will focus on the technical skills required to work with Government and navigate the Australian Political system.
Places in the masterclass are limited to 30 and applications close 17 October 2013. Visit the Social Leadership Australia website for more information and to apply.
