I was honoured to be asked to be on a panel for the Loddon Mallee Community Leadership Program (LMCLP) this year
along side inspiring changemakers Luke Owens of Bendigo for Homeless Youth
and Ken Marchingo from Haven Home Safe.
Leadership can show
up in many ways and the LMCLP participants will be exposed to many
examples of this in their region as they journey through the program.
During the panel session, I reflected on four different types of
leadership I see evolving for the future:
Communities Doing it Ourselves
More
and more, people are coming together in their own neighborhoods to create solutions to the
challenges they see. eg Community houses like The Old Church on the Hill and
Salt Works Eaglehawk address social isolation through the spaces they create and the community events they
run.
Social Entrepreneurship
Individuals
looking to solve community challenges whilst seeking to earn a living
or create a viable business through the solutions they come up with. There are so many examples out there – but here are a few of our favorites:
Community Renewable Energy
Many individuals in regions across Australia are coming together to create innovative solutions to generate locally sourced renewable energy. The Bendigo Sustainability Group is an example of a community group working in partnership with a local council to generate
electricity through solar.
Collaboration Across Shires
Councils
in the regions have smaller populations than the cities and larger
areas to service. Collaboration across shires is a way to be smarter
when it comes to developing large scale solutions to complex and costly problems. This takes leadership within the Councils. One example is Lighting the Regions Program. This program brought 16 Councils together for a massive street lighting replacement program to reduce electricity costs.
There are many ways to be a leader such as in your neighbourhood, as an individual in business, as part of a community group addressing a particular issue or in your role within a Council. It’s really about stepping up and taking action when you see something that needs addressing.
Share with us your thoughts on leadership in the future.
