Category: News

Twenty-four leaders from not-for-profit organisations across Queensland and the Northern Territory are set to drive their impact further by joining Australia’s most comprehensive executive education program for the social purpose sector, SILA.

The group, announced today, will form the fourth cohort in the Social Impact Leadership Australia (SILA) Program, designed specifically for CEOs of Australian NFP organisations, and delivered by the nation’s leader in social impact education – the Centre for Social Impact.

The $9.8 million SILA program – jointly funded by the Myer Foundation, the Sidney Myer Fund, the Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation, and the Paul Ramsay Foundation (PRF) – seeks to address the underinvestment in professional development and leadership training within the social purpose sector, providing each leader with an individual coach, a series of group learning retreats and a tailored three-month sabbatical.

The leaders selected in Queensland and the Northern Territory work across a diverse range of impact areas including women and children, social justice, the environment, First Nations and the arts, with 18 operating in regional, rural or remote areas. Now in the start of its fourth year, the 10-month course has already been successfully completed by over 70 social purpose CEOs across NSW, Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia, the ACT and Tasmania.

The Centre for Social Impact’s Acting CEO Dr Lyndsey McKee said the program will support exceptional leaders and their organisations in driving greater social impact for people, families and communities in Queensland, the Northern Territory and right across Australia.

“Investing in the capabilities, connections and wellbeing of our for-purpose leaders is essential, especially as we face increasingly complex social and environmental challenges,” she said. “This evidence-based program, delivered through a collaboration of four universities and four philanthropic partners, has been described as life-changing by many of our SILA alumni.

“By supporting CEOs and their organisations through this leading program, we aim not only to enhance knowledge, skills, and connections but also to unlock system-level shifts and achieve lasting social impact for people and communities.”

Dr Lyndsey McKee, Acting CEO, Centre for Social Impact

In an independent evaluation, SILA received a world-class Net Promoter Score of 86 out of 100, with 95% of participants saying what they learned in the program will support them to make a difference in their organisations and across the sector.

PRF CEO Professor Kristy Muir said SILA had been shown to have a profound impact on the CEOs, their organisations, and their contributions to the systems they work in.

“As established leaders in the for-purpose sector, SILA CEOs already achieve so much, and often with scarce resources,” she said.

“We know it can be difficult to maintain a connection to purpose when holding the reins of leadership. Through SILA, we have witnessed CEOs strengthening their commitment to purpose and deepening their understanding of how to drive systems change in an increasingly complex environment. SILA is truly transformative, and I’m excited to see the impact for these outstanding leaders from the NT and Queensland.”

Professor Kristy Muir, CEO of PRF

SILA Cohort Four Participant Julie McLellan, CEO of Healthy Land and Water in Queensland, welcomed this opportunity to extend her professional development to the benefit of her staff and organisation.

“As CEOs, we often overlook spending time and money on our own professional development, understandably focusing our limited resources on investing in others,” she said.

“While we should always pay attention to fostering our staff to be the best they can, taking time to do the same for ourselves may be just what is needed to elevate our organisations to the next level. I am really looking forward to being challenged in the SILA program, exploring opportunities and meeting new peers, with the dedicated time to focus on my attributes and how these can lead to greater personal and organisational success.”

Fiona Jose, CEO of Cape York Partnership, said she felt privileged to join her peers in the SILA program.

“Nothing in Australia matches this scholarship opportunity for how it invests in leaders themselves and is specific to the for-purpose sector,” she said. “I’m excited to develop networks with other for-purpose leaders from around the country and extend my skills further to help drive our impact for First Nations communities in northern Australia.”

Fiona Jose, CEO of Cape York Partnership

Annie Rily, CEO of Carpentaria in the Northern Territory, said she was excited by the potential impact of SILA for her and her organisation’s development.

“This is an invaluable opportunity to build our capability and strengthen our impact in the disability sector, particularly as we respond to the recommendations from the Disability Royal Commission and the NDIS Review,” she said. “I am very grateful for this unique opportunity to be part of the SILA Program.”

The SILA Program’s Cohort Four participants include:

Queensland:
• Aimee McVeigh, CEO QCOSS
• Amie Carrington, CEO Domestic Violence Action Centre
• Fiona Caniglia, CEO Q Shelter
• Fiona Jose, CEO Cape York Partnership
• Geoffrey Smith, CEO Australian Spatial Analytics
• Julie McLellan, CEO Healthy Land & Water
• Kate Eltham, Co-CEO BlakDance
• Liam Glover, Executive Director Australians Together
• Lisa Ward, CEO Ethnic Communities Council of Queensland
• Lucas Patchett, CEO Orange Sky
• Margaret O’Brien, CEO Young Change Agents
• Melissa Warner, CEO Queensland Positive People
• Patrick Nolan, CEO & Artistic Director Opera Queensland
• Rebecca Reynolds, CEO Queensland Council for LGBTI Health
• Tanya Stevenson, CEO Hervey Bay Neighbourhood Centre
• Zoe Black, CEO Happy Paws Happy Hearts
• Zoe Williams, CEO Gulf Savannah

The Northern Territory:
• Annie Rily, CEO Carpentaria
• James Gough, CEO Darwin Festival
• Kirsty Howey, CEO Environment Centre (NT)
• Philip Watkins, CEO Desart
• Rob McPhee, CEO Danila Dilba Health Service
• SezzaJai Sykes, Executive Director NT Writers Centre
• Zoe Scrogings, CEO Corrugated Iron Youth Arts

A new opportunity has arrived to support and enhance the capabilities of for-purpose organisations in Queensland and the Northern Territory, with applications now open for CEOs to join Australia’s most comprehensive leadership program for the for-purpose sector.

The Social Impact Leadership Australia (SILA) program is a world-class leadership and capacity-building program specifically designed for for-purpose organisations to increase their impact through specialised professional development for CEOs, coupled with support for their organisation.

For-purpose leaders from Queensland and the Northern Territory are now invited to join SILA for the first time. Delivered by the Centre for Social Impact, SILA is a $9.8 million collaboration between four of Australia’s major foundations: The Myer Foundation and Sidney Myer Fund, the Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation and the Paul Ramsay Foundation.

The fully-funded leadership program aims to empower for-purpose CEOs to create greater social impact across Australia. Over 10 months, 24 leaders from Queensland and Northern Territory will participate in a tailored program of executive education, including a funded sabbatical, one-on-one coaching and dedicated capacity-building for their organisation. 

An independent evaluation by Nous Group found the SILA program delivers high levels of impact for participating CEOs, their organisation and the broader social purpose ecosystem. In a post-program survey, 100% of participants agreed their organisations has, or is likely to experience, tangible improvements due to the SILA program. A further 95% said it has enhanced their organisation’s capability and culture.

The Centre for Social Impact is the leading provider of social impact education across Australia. Acting CEO Lyndsey McKee said leaders of for-purpose organisations need programs such as SILA now more than ever.

“In light of the significant challenges confronting not-for-profits and social purpose organisations in Queensland, the Northern Territory and nationwide – from surging service demands to dwindling volunteer participation and constrained funding landscapes – there’s a growing need to provide our leaders with the necessary support to drive enhanced outcomes for the individuals and communities they serve.  Helping leaders come together, to share and learn as a network, bolstered by the guidance of the country’s top facilitators and coaches, as well as capacity funding for their organisation, presents an incredible opportunity.”

Jenny Wheatley, CEO of the Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation, said SILA offered a top-level investment that was critical to ensuring long-term impact for for-purpose organisations.

“Too many for-purpose CEOs sacrifice investment in their professional development,” she said. “The SILA Program gives not-for-profit leaders the permission, and the funds, they need to grow both themselves and, in turn, their organisation’s impact. Perhaps even more important, each SILA cohort becomes a vital support network of leaders that can sustain one another throughout their leadership journeys.”

Enrolment in the course would normally cost more than $80,000 per delegate, including over $30,000 of untied capacity funding provided to each CEO to meet the needs of their organisation.

The SILA Program welcomes applicants from diverse backgrounds and is committed to ensuring all selected CEOs can fully participate in the program, with a dedicated fund to overcome potential barriers to participation including travel, experiencing disability or caring commitments.

Cohort Two participant James Hattam, CEO of the Tasmanian Land Conservancy, said SILA had helped him develop stronger leadership skills and build a broader culture of leadership within his organisation.

“SILA was a gamechanger for me. I benefited hugely from having a personal coach who was so invested in me and my development, and I came back from my sabbatical with a much deeper knowledge of conservation and a clearer vision of how to lead in such a vital space.”

A new evaluation of the Social Impact Leadership Australia (SILA) program, created by the Centre for Social Impact, shows that CEOs are continuing to experience significant benefits from the world-class professional development program specially tailored for our not-for-profit leaders.

The independent evaluator, Nous Group, found the SILA program continues to deliver impactful results across the spectrum including for participating CEOs, at the organisational level and within the broader social purpose ecosystem.

Labelled Australia’s most comprehensive program for for-purpose leaders, the $9.8 million SILA program aims to strengthen the social purpose sector over a five-year period by enhancing the wellbeing and effectiveness of leaders, advancing organisational capability and building a network of system thinkers.

Over the first five years of the program it will offer 120 CEOs from for-purpose organisations a rare, fully-funded opportunity for tailored learning and professional development. It is jointly funded by four of Australia’s major foundations: The Myer Foundation, the Sidney Myer Fund, the Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation, and the Paul Ramsay Foundation.

The most recent group to complete the program was comprised of 24 CEOs based in Victoria and Tasmania.

In their overall assessment of the program, three-quarters of CEOs who responded to a post-program survey rated their SILA experience as 10 out of 10. The evaluation also found participants gave SILA an exceptional net promoter score (NPS) of 85 out of 100. An NPS score above 80 is considered a world-class result. This score is consistent with earlier feedback from the first cohort of CEOs based in NSW and ACT.

Through courses such as SILA, as well as our undergraduate and postgraduate programs, the Centre for Social Impact works to builds capacity in the for-purpose sector, educating current and future for-purpose leaders, with the ultimate goal of igniting positive social change.

Centre for Social Impact acting CEO Lyndsey McKee said the evaluation results were further confirmation of SILA’s vital role in driving the sector forward.

“This is a wonderful endorsement of the value that high quality professional development can bring not just to leaders but to organisations and systems working to drive lasting social impact” she said.

“For-purpose leaders confront a myriad of challenges in today’s landscape, including rising demand for their vital services against a climate of diminished funding. Tackling these obstacles requires new ways of thinking and system transformation, and that’s what the SILA program delivers.

“We’re only at the halfway point of our initial five years of funding, but it is clear that SILA will have an impact for many years to come.”

SILA participants have also shared their thoughts, with 95% of CEOs from Victoria and Tasmania (Cohort 2) saying they can make a difference in their organisation and sector using the skills they learned. The independent survey also revealed 100% of CEOs agreed that their organisation has or is likely to enhance its capability and culture due to their participation in SILA.

“SILA has been a transformational experience for myself and our organisation,” said one of the Cohort 2 CEOs who was interviewed for the evaluation.

“I’m loving the program. [It’s been] life changing for me and can’t wait to see where it continues to take me. Thank you for the opportunity. It is indeed a gift,” explained another CEO.

The next group to benefit is for-purpose CEOs from Queensland and the Northern Territory, with expressions of interest in the SILA program due to open later this month.

24 for-purpose CEOs across two states have been announced today as participants in the third cohort of Social Impact Leadership Australia (SILA) Program, Australia’s world-class course for social purpose leaders.

Delivered by the Centre for Social Impact and designed specifically for CEOs of Australian for-purpose organisations, the fully funded professional development program is valued at over $80,000 per delegate and gives leaders exclusive access to executive coaching, group learning retreats, and a tailored three-month sabbatical.

Now in its third year the ground-breaking 10-month course is being delivered to leaders in South Australia and Western Australia, following overwhelming success across NSW, the ACT, Victoria and Tasmania, where the course has been completed by almost 50 social purpose CEOs over two years.

Jointly funded by four of Australia’s major foundations – the Myer Foundation, the Sidney Myer Fund, the Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation, and the Paul Ramsay Foundation – the $9.8 million SILA program aims to strengthen the for-purpose sector by enhancing the wellbeing and effectiveness of CEOs, advancing organisational capability, and building a network of systems leaders.

“The deep understanding these leaders have of the local context, coupled with their impressive track records as CEOs, positions them as powerful agents of change within their communities,”

Leonard Vary, CEO of The Myer Foundation and Sidney Myer Fund. 

“We look forward to supporting a third cohort on their leadership journey as they tackle the unique challenges and opportunities in the Western and South Australian regions.”

SILA – which offers accredited executive education to 24 for-purpose CEOs at no cost every year for five years – was established in 2020 through a collective desire to address the chronic underinvestment in professional development and leadership training in the for-purpose sector.

In an independent evaluation of SILA, the program received a world-class Net Promoter Score of 86 out of 100, with 95% of participants saying they could draw upon what they learnt in the program to make a difference in their organisations and across the sector.

“The 50 CEOs who have been through the program have already had an incredible ripple effect across their organisations, networks and sectors.”

Arminé Nalbandian, CEO of Centre for Social Impact.

 “As Australia’s leader in social impact education, the Centre for Social Impact is proud to be delivering this flagship for-purpose executive leadership program to CEOs in SA and WA,” Arminé said.

The non-profit sector plays a significant economic role in both South Australia and Western Australia, employing more than 200,000 people. Furthermore, research shows that education and training in the for-purpose sector delivers strong cost-benefits and social benefits which flow on to the community. For each dollar spent on capacity building, an average positive return of about six dollars can be attributed to the training and the resulting behaviours, decisions and flow on effects.

Professor Paul Flatau, Director of the Centre for Social Impact at The University of Western Australia, congratulated the WA CEOs selected for the program.

“These leaders represent a broad cross-section of the not-for-profit work conducted by more than 4,000 organisations in Western Australia,” he said. “Taking their skills to the next level and growing the impact of their organisations will have monumental flow-on effects across the state.”

Professor Paul Flatau, Director, Centre for Social Impact UWA

Professor Ian Goodwin-Smith, Director of the Centre for Social Impact at Flinders University, also commended the selected South Australian CEOs.

“The for-purpose sector is crucial to communities, working on the frontline across multiple areas of need,” he said. “I’m delighted to see how the SILA Program can elevate the skills and impact of these exceptional leaders to help them address challenges facing South Australians.”

Professor Goodwin-Smith, Director, Centre for Social Impact, Flinders University.

On being selected as a SILA Cohort Three participant, Andrea Creado, CEO of Ishar Multicultural Women’s Health Services in WA, applauds the program for its network-based and tailored approach to leadership development.

“Having started at Ishar as a volunteer over 20 years ago, I understand the impact strong leadership has through an entire organisation. Yet the tight resource constraints felt across our business means, as leaders, we rarely get an opportunity to step away and develop those capabilities, which are unique in our sector,” she said.

“SILA offers that extraordinary chance to pause and develop our voice as leaders, while establishing a strong network across the state we operate in, which undoubtedly will lead to greater impact for the communities we serve.”

Andrea Creado, CEO of Ishar Multicultural Women’s Health Services in WA

The SILA Program will be offered to for-purpose CEOs in Queensland and the Northern Territory in 2024, and we are exploring ways to boost First Nations participation, with many First Nations leaders citing their focus on Voice as taking precedence this year.

Congratulations to the SILA Cohort Three participants, including:

South Australia

• Carolyn Curtis, CEO, The Australian Centre for Social Innovation
• Claire Ralfs, CEO, Relationships Australia South Australia
• Kelly-Ann Tansley, CEO, Zahra Foundation Australia
• Kiri Hagenus, CEO, Children’s University /University of Adelaide
• Natasha Davis, CEO, Trees For Life
• Negaya Chorley, CEO, Results International (Australia)
• Ross Womersley, CEO, South Australian Council of Social Service
• Shane Maddocks, CEO, Anglican Community Care
• Tamara Stewart-Jones, CEO, Multicultural Youth of South Australia

 Western Australia

• Andrea Creado, CEO, Ishar Multicultural Women’s Health Services
• Andrew Hall, CEO, Perth Inner City Youth Service
• Colin Jorgenson, CEO, Business Station
• Dana Henderson, CEO, Spinnaker Health Research Foundation
• Jennie Gray, CEO, Women’s Legal Service WA
• Kate Fulton, CEO, Avivo
• Louise Giolitto, CEO, West Australian Council of Social Service
• Mark Fitzpatrick, CEO, Telethon Speech & Hearing Ltd
• Melanie Every, CEO, Financial Counsellors’ Association of Western Australia
• Paul Mugambwa, CEO, Stephen Michael Foundation
• Sharon Gough, CEO, Indigo Junction
• Christina Davidson, CEO, Arnhem, Northern and Kimberley Artists (ANKA) Aboriginal Corporation
• Jess Beckerling, CEO, Western Australian Forest Alliance Inc (WAFA)
• Sylvia Winkler, CEO, The Nintirri Centre
• Vicki Stephens, CEO, Youth Involvement Council

Australia’s most comprehensive program for the for-purpose sector is making an impact, helping fill a historic chasm between the corporate sector and not-for-profits by providing world-class professional development to take these crucial organisations further.

Around $3.6 billion is spent by commercial corporations on employee training and development in Australia each year, while the domestic not-for-profit sector suffers from a profound absence of professional development.

The Social Impact Leadership Australia (SILA) program, created by the Centre for Social Impact, has stepped into this gap by offering 120 CEOs from not-for-profit organisations a rare, fully-funded opportunity for tailored learning and professional development. The program is jointly funded by four of Australia’s major foundations: the Myer Foundation, the Sidney Myer Fund, the Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation, and the Paul Ramsay Foundation.

The program aims to strengthen the entire for-purpose sector by enhancing the wellbeing and effectiveness of leaders, advancing organisational capability and building a network of system thinkers. NFP leaders from South Australia and Western Australia will have their first chance to apply for the program from March 20th.

Offering each CEO one-on-one coaching, peer-to-peer learning and leadership diagnostics, as well as a first-of-its-kind sabbatical, enrolment in the course would normally cost more than $80,000 per delegate. This includes over $30,000 of untied capacity funding provided to each CEO to meet the needs of their organisation.

Evaluation of the $9.6 million program, which has been completed by almost 50 NFP CEOs so far, shows it is achieving strong results, with all participants agreeing their organisation has or is likely to experience tangible improvements due to their participation. The program received a strong net promoter score of 86 out of 100, which is a world class result.[3]

The independent evaluation by the Nous Group also found that 95% of participants said they could draw upon what they learnt in the program to make a difference in their organisations and across the sector, and that CEOs now intended to invest in their teams’ leadership and professional development.

The Centre for Social Impact CEO, Arminé Nalbandian, said the program was taking leadership to the next level, ultimately delivering greater social impact across the non-profit sector. 

“We can’t tackle Australia’s complex social problems in siloes,” she said. “This program unites social impact leaders, arming them with the tools to deliver meaningful social change beyond the parameters of their own organisation.”  

Women’s Community Shelters CEO Annabelle Daniel, who recently graduated from the SILA program, said the experience had broadened her leadership skills but was also more than ‘just a development program’, as she stayed in touch with fellow CEOs and received ongoing coaching.

“Now I have new ways of thinking and skills to deploy in supporting some of the 56,000 Australian women who are currently experiencing homelessness every single night,” Ms Daniel said. “Everything was highly relevant to our work and challenges.

“SILA fills a really unique space. This program is a rare chance for leaders in our sector to learn new skills so we can help our organisations achieve more and have greater impact across Australia. Building a strong network of peers and having that ongoing ‘brains trust’ to tap into is so valuable, as we all face similar challenges.”

Delivered by the Centre for Social Impact, a national collaboration of four of Australia’s leading universities, the SILA program is fully supported by major philanthropic foundations. Their generous contributions mean every year for five years, 24 for-purpose CEOs from around Australia will be selected for an accredited 10-month executive education course at no cost.

Ms Nalbandian said the comprehensive development program is also a shining example of how Australia’s unique social impact landscape was best supported by locally-based education providers.

“As a homegrown professional development program, but at a world-class level, this work is building an important legacy. The impact of this program will be felt for years as we foster an environment where like-minded, local leaders can lean on each other and benefit from peer-to-peer learning that ultimately enriches and benefits the entire system.”

Applications for leaders based in WA and SA open on March 20, 2023.  

Media enquiries:
Pia Akerman 0412346746

Each CEO participant will undertake a 3-month sabbatical. During this sabbatical period, CEOs are asked to completely disengage from their organisations and take a period of leave.

The organisation will commit to the CEO continuing to be paid during their period of leave, on top of their usual annual leave entitlements, and the identified Step-Up Leader from the organisation will step-up into the CEO role.

The organisational capacity funding may be put towards some of these costs, such as additional duties pay for the Step-Up Leader or backfilling a position.

SILA’s 3-month sabbatical will provide CEOs with dedicated time and space away from their organisation, enabling them to deeply reflect on, discuss and apply learnings from the SILA Program, and to also focus on personal and professional issues of importance to them.

Sabbatical periods have been proven to have several benefits for organisations and their CEOs. Research has shown that there are many demonstrated individual benefits of participating in a sabbatical, including rejuvenation and personal renewal, reduced burnout and stress, improved wellbeing, increased capacity, creativity and innovation, and gains in knowledge from personal and professional development.

Sabbaticals also offer important benefits for organisations too, and research indicates they help to: improve productivity, morale, governance, recruitment and retention, reduce costs and promote leadership distribution, and create enduring positive changes in infrastructure and systems – which are put in place to manage the CEOs planned absence – leading to greater time and capacity on an ongoing basis for addressing strategic issues.

SILA’s 3-month sabbatical will provide CEOs with dedicated time and space away from their organisation, enabling them to deeply reflect on, discuss and apply learnings from the SILA Program, and to also focus on personal and professional issues of importance to them.

The sabbatical is tailored to the needs of each CEO through the leadership and wellbeing assessments alongside the executive coaching program, and may incorporate, for example, self-directed learning, work on a small personal or strategic project, a period of travel, and focus on their own health and wellbeing.

The sabbatical period will also allow the Step-Up Leader to access personalised support and acquire new skills that will enhance their leadership capabilities, and build greater resilience within the organisation.

Mark Yettica-Paulson is the Indigenous Lead for the SILA Program. He is also the Deep Collaboration Lead for Collaboration for Impact and CEO of Super Native Unlimited.

Mark Yettica-Paulson is an experienced intercultural leadership and collaboration specialist, and an Australian Indigenous leader from the Birrah, Gamilaroi and Bundjalung peoples, from South East Queensland and North East NSW regions.

As the Indigenous Lead for the SILA Program he provides a rich perspective of First Nations leadership development and collaboration from his 20+ years of experience working in the field, facilitating the  exchange of intercultural leadership knowledge and providing expert advice for engaging with Aboriginal communities across Australia in locations where the SILA Program is held.

A First Nations leadership lens

“First Nations leadership development applies a cultural lens to governance and empowerment within Indigenous communities,” Mark explains.

“It harnesses a “dual-pronged approach”, to support Indigenous leaders to fulfil their own leadership desires within their community, and to develop skills to lead other people, from non-Indigenous, and multicultural backgrounds in Australia.”

The First Nations lens also looks at how leaders from diverse social and cultural backgrounds can develop the necessary strengths, awareness and practices “to lead together” with Indigeous people, to achieve better outcomes for all.

“The concept of cultural governance is central to the First Nations leadership model, which considers and establishes culturally appropriate ways of working with Indigenous communities. For organisations to blossom, they must determine who holds authority, and where decision making rests, within different contexts.

“We need to think about the kind of governance structures we need, and who the top layer of authority should be. This is important to ensure that organisations fit the cultural makeup and cultural comfort zone of key stakeholders,” Mark says.

For First Nations communities, “our highest level of authority is invested in our senior people, our elders, who are the custodians of our traditions and customs. They are the ones who hold governance and are ultimately the ones who we would want to represent us as we move forward,” he adds.

Adaptive strategies for strong leadership

The SILA Program encourages leaders to dive deep, have hard conversations with themselves, their coaches, their teams, and others, to establish authentic connections and achieve enduring positive impact.

“We are facing some big issues in Australia and the world, and new ways of thinking and operating are required to shift the dial on key issues, such as equality and climate change,” says Mark.

SILA explores adaptive leadership models to investigate challenge and complexity and Mark believes we have to be “adaptive enough to let go of the things that we once thought of as the pillars of our society, and the ways of doing and being that no longer serve us.”

Doing so requires tough conversations and courageous action, grounded in authenticity.

“We’re going to need different ways of knowing, being and doing, in order for us to save the planet, be better leaders, and carve out an identity that really feels like ours,” says Mark.

“That takes bravery and commitment, and summoning the strength is just like the moment before you step out on stage. You’ve got to conjure up self-belief, and know that you’ve got this and that change is truly possible.”

By Melissa Abu-Gazaleh | Managing Director, Top Blokes Foundation

This article was originally published in Philanthropy Weekly, the digital newsletter of Philanthropy Australia.

“One of the main indicators of a successful organisation is whether the CEO continues to grow and learn.” This sentence, said by Australia’s most significant and well-respected funders at the inaugural Social Impact Leadership Program launch event stopped me in my tracks.

Having established the Top Blokes Foundation, a leading boy’s mental health organisation that helps young males build the skills to lead healthy and safe lives, I was no stranger to learning. Learning how to reduce the rates of male suicide, incidences of mental ill-health and all forms of violence. That skill of learning means we’re always delving into the hard, difficult and messy issues that young males face.

I knew as CEO, I had more learning to do which is why I applied to be part of Australia’s ground-breaking leadership program for the social sector, SILA, a collaboration between the Myer Foundation, the Sidney Myer Fund, the Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation and the Paul Ramsay Foundation and delivered by the Centre for Social Impact.

What I didn’t realise was how the program would have me asking some of the most critical questions that all for purpose CEO’s should be asking themselves.

From undertaking a series of activities including an organisational diagnostics assessment, wellbeing assessments, 360 reviews, coaching sessions, learning circles, three retreats and a three-month sabbatical, I have come to learn that as leaders in our field it is actually our responsibility and obligation to ask ourselves the hard questions, both in our work and of ourselves and to continually sit in the discomfort of those learnings.

At the end of the program, here are examples of the challenging questions I believe all for purpose CEO’s should ask themselves:

1. Do I actually understand my leadership shadow and is it driving cultural change?

Every leader casts a shadow. Our intentions, behaviours and language influences how we build our internal culture. But when was the last time we asked our teams how they experience our display of power, authority and influence?

How do we become more conscious and deliberate in the leadership culture we’re building to ensure it will drive positive cultural change within our organisations and within the communities we serve.

2. To what level am I helping our leadership team to instill a culture of curiosity and exploration throughout all levels of the organisation?

I just completed SILA’s three-month sabbatical, where I stepped away from the day-to-day of the Top Blokes Foundation and used the time to reflect, examine and explore the complexities of the social issues we’re working so hard to address.

I used the time to challenge my own assumptions, to understand the levers of change and to sit in the unknown. I learned that this sense of reflection, clarity and energy can be a source of innovation.

And in that time, I couldn’t tell you how many people would say that a sabbatical is a wonderful once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

My question is, why just once in a lifetime? Why can’t we embed a culture of reflection and clarification and instill it as a core value?

What if giving employees paid time away to explore and examine could lead to our sector’s most interesting innovations? I came to the realisation that one of my core priorities as CEO should be to create a culture of innovation by embedding curiosity and exploration as key values.

3. Can operating in fight or flight mode helps us achieve our organisation’s mission?

When meeting other for purpose CEOs, I’m never surprised by how quickly the conversation moves to the fast-pace nature of our work, the feelings of exhaustion and the sense of being overwhelmed. I’ve yet to meet a for-purpose CEO who doesn’t wake up at 2am with a panic thought about a detail they may have missed.

We often feel like our busy minds lead us to constantly operate in a fight or flight mode and we’re constantly fed messages how this isn’t healthy. Instead, we’re encouraged to achieve balance and calm (what even is that?!) in our roles.

So, I’ve been questioning, how would our relationship with stress and exhaustion change if rather than trying to move away from the tension we instead welcomed the benefits of functioning in fight or flight? Could it help us thrive even further and amplify our effectiveness as leaders? If we continued the pursuit to stop operating in this state, what are the impacts on our work and the people we’re ultimately trying to help?

4. Am I stepping into my authority and how do I better understand my growth edge?

Why do so many for purpose CEO’s battle imposter syndrome? Are our own sense of fears and limitations impacting how we step up and into our authority, the very authority we’ve worked so hard to earn? Are we struggling because we’re actually trying to find the line between confidence, skill and humility? What if we better understood our own vulnerabilities and used these as leadership strengths. Could we become better leaders?

The CEO role can be incredibly lonely at times. SILA has helped me find my tribe. The very people who simply understand the deep commitment and resilience needed to pursue long term social change.

We’re sharing our passions, our struggles and our personal and sometimes incredibly deep grief. We sit with each other and know how tiring yet exhilarating our leadership roles are. We sit with each other knowing that we do this work because it’s hard and we’re built for hard. We’re reigniting each other’s spark and we’re becoming stronger than we were the day before. And true to that funder’s observation, we are all seeking every opportunity to grow and learn.

SILA has already been transformational for our organisation, in more ways than I can currently acknowledge. If you’re a VIC or TAS CEO and you’d like to strengthen your leadership capabilities, I strongly encourage you to apply for the upcoming SILA Program.