Overview
Professor John Gordon, Yale University
Because leadership development is a lifelong activity, the IWC Water Leadership Program builds the capacity of participants to continually develop as leaders over their careers.
Emerging water leaders: Three key roles
Click here to read an article by IWC Leadership Specialist, Dr Andre Taylor
Click here to read an article about the 2011-12 program participant experience.
Key elements of the program
Featuring a balance between academic and real-world approaches to learning and development, the IWC Water Leadership Program is delivered collaboratively between universities and practitioners.
It includes the following elements:
- mentoring and coaching activities involving three highly experienced executives from the water industry (Ms Jude Munro, Mr Rob Skinner, Professor John Langford, Mr Mark Pascoe)
- a sound research and theoretical basis, including conceptual models of effective water leaders, leadership processes and leadership development
- the use of ‘360-degree feedback tools’ to help identify key leadership strengths and weaknesses of participants, and build their self-awareness
- one-to-one coaching
- the use of individual leadership development plans, and challenging cross-boundary projects so that participants can practise new leadership behaviours and tactics
- peer review of the program’s design, content and evaluation by senior industry practitioners and leading academics to ensure the program meets the needs of the water sector.
Key dates
The program runs every year for 9 months.
Direct applications (full fee paying applicants) are currently open and close on 16 November 2012. The program begins in December 2012 and finishes in August 2013.
Scholarship applications open 1 April - 30 June 2012 - click here to read more.
Program format
Participants will:
- complete pre-training exercises and readings
- attend two intensive face-to-face training sessions in Brisbane. The first training session is mandatory and will take place from 11 to 15 February 2013. The second training session (15 July 2013) will be optional. Participants who can't travel to Brisbane will have access to recorded presentations online.
- engage in one-on-one coaching sessions and build mentoring relationships
- complete monthly activities (e.g webinars)
- attend a final one-on-one coaching session at the end of the program
Strengths of this design:
- The course content is based on rigorous research and international literature
- The course design and content is peer-reviewed by leading researchers and experienced industry practitioners from different parts of the water sector
- The design is a ‘feedback-intensive’ program which is thought to be the most effective combination of leadership development interventions
- The delivery involves significant input by several highly respected executives from the water industry, including former CEOs of leading water agencies.
