A thirst for visionary leadership

“There is a thirst for visionary leadership,” claimed Peter Biggs, guest speaker at the third Just Leadership breakfast in Docklands on September 8.

It was that thirst that brought close to 200 people together on a chilly morning to hear Mr Biggs, CEO of Clemenger BBDO in Melbourne and Lisa Gray, group executive, NAB Personal Banking talk on the topic of imagining social leadership at work.

The room was full, yet barely a noise was heard from the attendees who gathered to hear two social leaders in the business sector speak about how it was possible to bring your personal values to work and imperative to do so in order to be a true leader.

Mr Biggs called for people to find their passion, follow it and maintain integrity in all that they did.

“Leadership is a full-time job, people are watching you all the time and that’s why integrity is important,” he said.

“We sometimes say, ‘I haven’t achieved anything today, I’ve just been seeing people’ – but that is your job as a leader. If you’re not spending 90 per cent of your time on people and culture, you’re not doing your job.”

Ms Gray spoke of the importance of knowing you can make a difference in your workplace and influence change but it takes courage and belief in your values to do so.

“You need two things when you embark on something new – courage and naivety.”

“It’s at times that you’re tested that you really know what your values are,” Ms Gray said.

The next Just Leadership Breakfast, and the last for the year, is on November 10.

For more information see http://www.justleadership.org.au