Young Strategic Leaders' Forum
CANBERRA seminar

Roger Powell, AM

Chairman, Executive Leadership Australia

In an era where issues require whole-of-governmental approaches and interagency cooperation is essential to achieving departmental and governmental goals, professional relationship building and collaborative leadership are vital skills for success. Communication and professional relationship building are achieved through effective conversations; a skill which is critical to becoming an effective leader in any chosen field. Yet it is one which is rarely given development focus.
 
The evening will begin with an interactive dialogue between Roger, Dan and John (two of the YSL Committee) to set the scene and expand the audiences' depth of understanding as to why one challenging discussion may succeed where others fail. Audience participation will be highly encouraged throughout as the session will draw upon the personal experiences of all participants. In particular, the discussion will focus on dysfunctional teams from personal, collective and organisational perspectives. It will examine how professional relationships are built through effective conversations, and the skills necessary for influencing one's peers, especially where there are complex disagreements and vested interests. The session will aim to demonstrate how important it is to improve self-awareness if individual contributions to enhancing collaborative leadership are to be successful.

Throughout Roger’s very successful career, he has provided first class leadership and management to governments and businesses throughout the world. In particular, Roger has played key roles for the Australian
Government in operational, educational and training environments. His leadership and his extensive experience have been publicly recognised by being made a Member of the Order of Australia in 1996 and a Florida State University Outstanding Alumnus in 2001 for his work in the fields of education and training. Roger offers his clients executive leadership coaching and mentoring; with a focus on conscious reflection, executive team building, business strategy, and innovative problem-solving.

In 2001 Roger was a chief Australian executive, who played an integral role in the ongoing United Nations peace keeping efforts in East Timor, contributing in a significant way to nation building and national security at the strategic political level. He provided acclaimed advice to politicians and senior officials on the critical elements of national security. Earlier, from October 1998 to March 1999, Roger led a successful multi-national peace stabilisation and nation building initiative in PNG. The operation was complex and uncertain, involving reconciliation and confidence building following intrastate conflict. He is credited with having had a major positive influence in facilitating negotiations and conflict resolution between disaffected key parties to the conflict.

The Young Strategic Leaders’ Forum is proudly sponsored
by Noetic Solutions Pty Ltd