The Adaptive Practice Director Liz Skelton has co-authored 2 books on leadership and has published and been quoted in many articles in Australia and internationally. Liz is also a regular conference keynote speaker and media commentator.
BOOKS
Australians bemoan the quality of our leaders. We blame those in power for not showing leadership, only to turn on them when they start tackling the hard issues they are expected to fix. No wonder, then, that even the most passionate and talented among us hesitate to take up this important role.
The Australian Leadership Paradox offers a circuit breaker for this impasse, providing new insights into Australia's distinct leadership culture and a new way forward. It exposes the inherent tensions in Australians' historical relationship with authority, interrogates our culture of mateship and egalitarianism, and challenges the narrative of a nation of Aussies leading in adversity when we are actually living in 'the lucky country'. These tensions are the four key paradoxes of Australian leadership.
Drawing on their extensive experience, Geoff Aigner and Liz Skelton ask the deep questions on what it means to lead well. Working with hundreds of leaders from government, business and community organisations, they have identified how we can develop more purposeful leadership. They show how it's possible for leadership to be inspiring, sustainable and effective in bringing positive economic and social change. Incisive and practical, this unique book shows how we can participate in creating the change we want to see in the world.
LISTEN
ABC Radio National Launch of 'The Australian Leadership Paradox: What it takes to Lead in the Lucky Country" published by Allen & Unwin 2013. Authors: Liz Skelton and Geoff Aigner
The Lost Conversations: Finding new ways for black and white Australians to lead together (2014)
Authors Launch of The Lost Conversations. November 2014
The Lost Conversations is the result of 2 years work by 9 authors — 5 Aboriginal and 4 non-Indigenous who have first-hand experience of what happens when black and white Australians come together to try and create change. The book acknowledges that while there is no lack of goodwill, motivation or commitment to change, there is a glaring lack of skills — skills that are new, undeveloped and largely untested — skills that have to do with how we relate.
Lost Conversations is for black and white change agents who know that we don’t need another program, initiative or money thrown at the “Aboriginal problem”. It aims to kick-start new dialogue and move away from trying to ‘fix’ things towards looking at how we actually work together.
The book raises issues and experiences that normally go unspoken. It is a provocative response to the Australian problem that offers you a deeper learning that you can take in to your own workplace.
INTERVIEWS, WEBINARS & PRESENTATIONS
Rethinking leadership for whole community outcomes. Presentation CDAT conference 2016
Leadership Revolution 2016 ABC's Senior Business Correspondent interviews Liz Skelton, a renowned Australian author, and expert on Leadership.
Adaptive Leadership Webinar. Tamarack Institute. Liz Skelton, Collaboration for Impact, Australia and Liz Weaver, Tamarack Institute explore the dynamic role of leadership in community change efforts. This introductory webinar set the ground work for the Adaptive Leadership Masterclasses which took place across Canada in May 2018.
Working with authority and power presentation. ACFID La Trobe University 2018. Liz Skelton unpacks key concepts for diagnosing and working with power, and changing our organisations' relationship with power.
Working with collaboration and conflict. ACFID La Trobe University 2018 Liz Skelton explores the spectrum of collaboration and partnership, from competition and co-existence, to communication, cooperation and coordination, through to collaboration, integration and collective impact.
Creating holding environments for adaptive change ACFID. La Trobe University 2018
Collaboration in Changing Times May 2020
Collaboration in Changing Times July 2020
Experience: Our Ally at work. Podcast of Interview by Rebekah O’Rourke with Liz Skelton
ARTICLES
ProBono: Collective impact - revolutionising social change
ProBono: Collaboration: What are the real factors for success?
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