Transformational Leadership

This is a new leadership development program supporting senior leaders delivering the University’s strategic aspirations. Targeting Heads of School/Discipline, Deputy Deans, Associate Deans at Academic level E and Directors at SPSD level, the program is experiential and interactive combining five workshop days with coaching, peer support groups and a Hogan 360 feedback tool.

The program focuses on:

  • Leading in Sydney’s strategic context
  • Collaborating and partnering across the University to achieve Sydney 2032 strategic aspirations
  • Creating the conditions for belonging, trust and accountability
  • Exploring enabling factors that support leaders to have an impact across the broader system
  • Igniting leaders own potential to adapt, learn, and experiment through individual and collective leadership
  • Supporting leaders to thrive in the complex environment of Sydney

The program includes five workshop days over three months, completion of a Hogan 360 feedback instrument, coaching and peer support groups. The following program overview provides more detail.

Advancing Leaders

The Advancing Leaders Program supports managers with responsibility for larger teams to build advanced leadership capabilities that are relevant to our University of Sydney context and values.

The program is run each year for academics at Level C–E and professional staff at HEO 9–10, SPS A-C and includes a mix of participants from across the University’s faculties, schools and central portfolios. The program combines four workshops, group activities, one-on-one and peer coaching and is facilitated by senior academics drawn from across the University and external facilitators. The focus is on:

  • Leading with purpose to achieve University goals
  • Coaching larger teams and leading other leaders
  • Thinking strategically and applying a broader University perspective
  • Managing difficult conversations
  • Leveraging diversity
  • Relating to stakeholders from across the University and the wider community to attain common goals
  • Impact and influence as a leader
  • Strategic financial management
Pre-ProgramWorkshop 1 Workshop 2Workshop 3Workshop 4Coaching Phase
Program Overview session on Zoom

1:1 Hogan assessment debrief with coach  
Finding your Leadership Purpose 
Prof Kevin Lowe
Strategy and Strategic Thinking 
Assoc
Prof Massimo Garbuio
Leveraging Diversity
Prof Betina Szkudlarek 
Strategic Financial Management Prof Guy Ford Second coaching session   Peer Coaching Circle meetings (online) 
Leader as Coach 
Ian Lees
Working Through Others 
Assoc Prof Amanda Tattersall
Having Difficult Conversations
Dr Greg Cook 
Presence and Impact  Jo O’Reilly

Leading Teams

The Leading Teams program supports our team leaders to build leadership capabilities that are relevant to our University of Sydney context.

The program is run each year for professional team leaders up to HEO8 and academics Level A and B and includes a mix of participants from across the University’s faculties, schools and central portfolios.

The program focuses on:

  • Adaptive leadership
  • Creative problem-solving
  • Managing teams & projects
  • Feedback & having hard conversations
  • Quality coaching conversations
  • Leveraging Diversity
  • Leading Change

Pre-Workshop Workshop 1 Workshop 2 Workshop 3 Workshop 4 Coaching Phase 
Program Overview session on Zoom

1:1 Hogan assessment debriefs with coaches  
Introduction to Adaptive Leadership 
Prof Kevin Lowe 
Building & Managing Effective Teams 
Prof Anya Johnson and Prof Helena Nguyen 
Managing & Implementing Projects 
Dr. Louis Taborda 
Leading and Managing Change 
Colleen Durant 
Peer Coaching Circle meetings (online) 
Creative Problem Solving 
Prof Guy Ford 
Managing Feedback & Hard Conversations 
Prof Anya Johnson and Prof Helena Nguyen 
Quality Coaching Conversations
Ingrid Studholme 
Leveraging Diversity 
Prof Betina Szkudlarek