Kim Vella guides APS leaders to see beyond the outdated ways of thinking that can be holding them back from reaching their potential. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
Legendary American football coach Vince Lombardi once said, “Leaders aren’t born, they are made” – a sentiment Canberra’s Kim Vella not only agrees with but routinely demonstrates in her line of work.
If there’s one thing she knows after 30 years in leadership and leadership development, it’s that the qualities to make a good leader are not only definable, they’re obtainable – if we can move past the common misconceptions holding us back.
“There’s an outdated leadership idea that if you keep your head down more, put in a harder slog, work longer hours, you’ll be rewarded,” she says.
“In reality if working harder is your only strategy, you’re prioritising effort over impact, and you and your team are at risk of burnout. I’m not saying it’s not important to manage time – time is finite, it runs out, there are expectations and deadlines but as a leader you need to start thinking about managing energy.
“This whole ‘Do more with less’ idea combines with the outdated notion that leaders have to know everything. When in fact, strong leadership is about knowing how to draw on the right expertise at the right time to make sound, strategic decisions.
One of the most common pitfalls Kim’s clients butt up against is the “Confidence Trap”, which often presents in old adages such as “Fake it ’til you make it”.
Kim says while this kind of thinking has its place, it’s not sustainable.
“It makes leadership performative and prioritises confidence over substance,” she says.
“People stuck in a confidence trap might decline opportunities because they fear not having ‘the confidence’ to brief a room full of more senior people. And truthfully they’re probably right. But you don’t suddenly materialise the goods to be a leader – it takes effort.”
While many aspire to be the most confident person in the room, believing that will win them a seat at the table, Kim says. But the greatest leadership differentiator is in fact a confident-adjacent quality: gravitas.
“Despite popular perception, gravitas is not limited to ‘more important, more senior’ people. It’s not an age thing, or a wealth thing, or for people of a certain career type,” she says.
“It’s about turning our focus instead to being adaptable, insightful and emotionally intelligent – qualities that allow leaders to navigate complexity and engage others effectively.”
A combination of these outdated notions can be problematic not just for individual leaders but for the future of the public service.
“When you can move beyond them, you suddenly have actual choices you can make that align with your values,” Kim says. “That’s when you can start inspiring others, which is a big part of leadership in the APS.”
That’s the purpose behind Kim’s Leadership Strategies Series.
Gravitas is not limited to a person of a certain age, career or wealth – it’s for every leader to cultivate. Photo: miniseries.
Ideal for public sector leaders, the workshops help participants adopt the more adaptive, collaborative and systems-oriented leadership style needed in an increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) world.
This comprehensive pathway to better leadership is delivered in two progressive levels: Essentials and Enhanced.
Over two days, the Essentials level builds the foundations focussing on a participant’s personal growth. It covers the “Explorer Mindset” and “Emotional Intelligence” (EQ), and introduces new frameworks and tools critical for today’s public sector leaders as they learn to navigate VUCA environments with adaptability.
The following two days for Enhanced participants build on those foundations, covering “Wellbeing and Performance” and “Collaboration” to help leaders achieve broader, more systemic impacts.
This level includes opportunities for facilitated peer mentoring sessions.
Participants completing the Enhanced level can expect to develop skills to foster psychological safety and build stronger relationships within their teams.
EQ can give leaders the courage to have difficult conversations, including two-way feedback with staff, negotiation from a point of disagreement with stakeholders, and discussions around what is and is not possible with political masters.
But EQ is a trait often misunderstood in leadership, despite its critical role in effective decision-making and team dynamics.
“Emotional intelligence is not a single skill – it’s made up of a bunch of skills and capabilities. No leader is utterly devoid of it. When people say ‘They have no EQ’, they’re usually experiencing deficits in some of these areas,” Kim says.
“EQ in the workplace isn’t a ‘nice to have’ – there’s a real business imperative for cultivating it. The old school playbook of leadership is not effective for solving the complex problems of today. No one person, one team, one form of expertise or profession can solve them.
“That’s why collaboration is important to bring all of it together. And for that we need leaders who can orchestrate their talents.
“Armed with the right tools, skills and ways of thinking, public sector leaders can start to shift behaviours and influence outcomes without having to be the ‘loudest in the room’.”
Book your spot in a Kim Vella Leadership workshop today.
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