Leaders Institute of South Australia

How do leaders balance empathy with accountability?

Most workplaces want to create cultures where people feel safe, respected and heard. But what happens when legitimate concerns become difficult conversations, competing perspectives, or questions of accountability?

Join us for The Victim / Power Trap – Navigating Justice, Victimhood and Accountability at Work, a thought-provoking workshop exploring one of the most complex leadership challenges facing organisations today.

Led by Paul Mayers and Dr Carly Osborn, this interactive session will use real-world scenarios to examine how leaders can foster fairness, strengthen accountability and navigate difficult workplace dynamics with confidence.

📅 Thursday 30 July
🕙 10:00am–12:00pm

Book now: https://events.humanitix.com/the-victim-power-trap

Know someone who would thrive in the Governor’s Leadership Foundation Program?

Many GLF alumni tell us they applied because someone encouraged them to take the leap. A colleague. A mentor. A friend who saw their potential before they did.

Applications for the 2027 Governor’s Leadership Foundation Program are now open, and we're inviting South Australians from all sectors to explore this transformational leadership experience.

Want to learn more? Join our online information session on Tuesday 30 June, 12:30pm–1:30pm, and hear directly from our team and alumni about the impact of the program.

One conversation can change a career. Who comes to mind?

Learn more, register for an information session, or apply today.
https://www.leadersinstitute.com.au/the-governors-leadership-foundation-program

Last night, we had the great pleasure of seeing Seshnie Taylor FGLF 2025 not only named in the InDaily 40 Under 40, but also taking out the Social Impact Award for her work with Vocare Speech. If you'd like to know more about Seshnie's story, check out pages 22-23 of the 2025 Leaders Institute Annual Review. https://uploads.prod01.sydney.platformos.com/instances/142/assets/documents/reports/Leaders+Institute+2025+Annual+Review.pdf?updated=1778118294644

Huge congratulations to Sesh and all the finalists!

"Now that you know, you can't unknow" - Senior Kaurna man, Michael OBrien FGLF 2014.

This time last week our 2026 GLFers spent time with some of our GLF Alumni; Seshnie Taylor, Craig Jones, Pamela Hewavasam, Jose Siliezar, Mina Powell, listening to their lived experience migration stories to Australia and opening up on what it means to belong in community.

We then unearthed and explored the deep history of our First Nations people and challenged, what is ours to do now to be an ally?

And on our final day we continued to work in the ambiguity of the adaptive space with Dr Josie McLean. A big month for our group.....

If you want to learn more about the GLF Program, check out our upcoming Information Session Tues 30 June 👉 https://www.leadersinstitute.com.au/the-governors-leadership-foundation-program

What a busy few weeks we've had... We almost forgot to tell you about our 2026 Youth Governor's Leadership Foundation program starting 🫣

It was an action packed weekend at Nunyara Conference Centre - Guided by the brilliant and our FGLF Alumni CAP Coaches

A packed house, leadership tools, community action projects and plenty of connection building! Let's see what our brilliant youth participants get up to this year 👀

Celebrating the start to Amplify 2026 👏

Last week we kicked off Amplify, bringing together a group of leaders with different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives.

Over the coming months, participants will challenge ideas, build connections across sectors, and explore leadership through practical frameworks and tools that are modelled from our GLF Program.

We’re excited to see where this cohort takes their learnings! Watch this space 👀

The Victim / Power Trap - navigating justice, victimhood and accountability at work

“The challenge for leaders… is to distinguish between safety and discomfort. Safety means people won’t be humiliated or punished for showing up authentically and in good faith. But discomfort? That’s often a sign that something important is happening; growth, challenge, clarity, honest dialogue.”

The Power Trap workshop emerged from interest around our InDaily “Leadership Lens” article by Paul Mayers. It’s designed for leaders and teams who want to understand how to navigate the tricky balance between justice, victimhood, and accountability in the workplace.

Join us to explore real-world scenarios, strengthen your governance approach, and leave equipped to create a fairer, more accountable workplace.

This session is led by Paul Mayers, Director, Mayers Consulting, and Dr Carly Osborn, in partnership with the Leaders Institute of South Australia.

Thursday 30 July 10-12pm – Adelaide University City West Campus

Book - https://lnkd.in/gMChpMBa

Applications are now open for the Marjorie Jackson-Nelson Centre for Women’s Sport Program.

Supporting women across EVERY sport 🏅 EVERY level 🎚️ EVERY woman 🙋‍♀️ the program helps participants build leadership skills, confidence and networks to grow their impact across sport and business.

If you know a woman involved in sport or looking to become more involved, encourage them to apply!

📈 8 in 10 graduates reported significant growth in their role through the program, with many progressing into senior leadership positions.

Applications close Tuesday 2 June 👉 Find out more and apply via the website: https://mjncentreforwomenssport.com.au/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

"Some of societies problems belong to all of us. We need to think with a longer term view and use our spheres of influence to talk about these wicked problems." - Jeremy Brown, Uniting Communities

This sentiment sat at the heart 💕 of the three days of the GLF program last week as we explored social justice, systems thinking, polarities and quadrants.

Through visits to the Adelaide Women's Prison and Hutt St Centre, and conversations around the housing crisis, child protection, domestic violence, and homelessness, we were challenged to think beyond quick fixes and simple answers.

Across every conversation was a common thread 🧵 These are deeply connected issues that require long-term thinking, collaboration and courageous advocacy within our communities.

A huge thank you 🤝 to all the speakers and organisations who shared their experiences, insights and honesty with our cohort last week.