Menzies Leadership Forum

What happens when communities take the lead in shaping their future? Communities hold extraordinary power when leadership is shared and local voices are amplified. This episode highlights the principles of grassroots leadership—how empathy, listening, and action rooted in community priorities create lasting transformation. It considers the role of trust and collaboration in bringing people togethe...

How can resilience and courage turn obstacles into leadership opportunities? Barriers—whether systemic, cultural, or personal—can derail leadership or strengthen it. This episode explores how leaders emerge through adversity, reflecting on the determination it takes to persist when doors are closed or opportunities are denied. It examines the inner resources people draw on to persevere, how setbac...

How does serving others define leadership and strengthen communities? Leadership begins with service. This episode explores how acts of service, whether large or small, become the foundation of trust, connection, and resilience in communities. It considers the values that motivate people to dedicate themselves to others, the sacrifices such choices often require, and the transformative impact that...

What kind of leadership does the next chapter demand? In environments of heightened scrutiny and institutional fragility, leadership requires moral clarity and disciplined restraint. Through a Defence or national service lens, this episode explores how leaders remain anchored in purpose when obligations are formal, stakes are high and public legitimacy must be protected. The series concludes by ex...

How do institutions hold purpose across time, not just performance cycles? Some institutions are designed to steward capital, assets or public trust across generations. Their decisions shape not just quarterly performance, but long-term national resilience. This episode examines how leaders balance fiduciary discipline with broader responsibility — particularly when volatility and political pressu...

How do leaders of global organisations align performance, trust and long-term responsibility? Leadership at scale carries a particular gravity. Decisions made in boardrooms ripple through workforces, communities, capital markets and national systems. The larger the enterprise, the wider the consequence. This episode explores the tension between performance and responsibility in global organisation...

What kind of leadership does the next chapter demand? In environments of heightened scrutiny and institutional fragility, leadership requires moral clarity and disciplined restraint. Through a Defence or national service lens, this episode explores how leaders remain anchored in purpose when obligations are formal, stakes are high and public legitimacy must be protected. The series concludes by ex...

What guides leadership when compliance is not enough? Financial institutions operate within highly regulated environments — yet regulation cannot resolve every dilemma. This episode explores the limits of compliance-based governance. When risk models fail to capture social consequence, where does judgement reside? Leaders reflect on how moral clarity, disciplined reasoning and institutional cultur...

What does purpose demand when affordability and supply chains intersect? Retail and consumer-facing sectors operate at the frontline of cost-of-living pressures. Leaders must navigate supplier relationships, workforce expectations and consumer affordability simultaneously. This episode examines how fairness is interpreted across interconnected value chains. What responsibility does a leader hold u...

How do leaders balance fairness, sustainability and responsibility in essential services? Education and health systems operate at the centre of public trust. Leaders in these environments face deeply human dilemmas — balancing equity, funding pressures, regulatory requirements and workforce strain. This episode explores how purpose anchors judgement when no option is without cost. How do leaders p...

EPISODE ONE: PURPOSE AS an Operating System How does purpose move from statement to organisational discipline? Purpose often appears in strategy documents — but far fewer organisations successfully embed it into governance, incentives and daily behaviour. This episode explores how leaders translate purpose into operational systems. How are decisions filtered? How are trade-offs made visible? How i...

What does purpose look like in the next generation of leaders? As new forms of leadership emerge at the intersection of technology, behavioural insight, and social impact, how will purpose evolve? In this closing conversation, guests explore how data, economics, and human motivation can work together to drive a more inclusive and values-aligned future — one where purpose becomes an active force fo...

Purpose isn’t a solo act — how do we co-create meaning and impact together? This conversation examines how shared purpose builds momentum, trust, and collective action. Guests explore the beauty and friction of co-leadership and reflect on what it takes to align across difference in pursuit of the greater good. Key Themes & Talking Points: Aligning across difference The dynamics of co-leadersh...

Purpose isn’t a solo act — how do we co-create meaning and impact together? This conversation examines how shared purpose builds momentum, trust, and collective action. Guests explore the beauty and friction of co-leadership and reflect on what it takes to align across difference in pursuit of the greater good. Key Themes & Talking Points: Aligning across difference The dynamics of co-leadersh...

How does purpose show up in decisions, trade-offs, and action? Moving from reflection to action, this episode explores the realities of living one’s purpose in high-stakes, high-pressure environments. Guests share candid accounts of moments when values were tested, decisions were complex, and resilience became essential. Key Themes & Talking Points: Leadership in messy, uncertain spaces Holdin...

What catalyses clarity, conviction, and commitment? This episode explores the origins of purpose — those pivotal moments that ignite a leader’s sense of direction. Through personal stories and reflections, guests unpack how identity, experience, and values shape leadership journeys and help distinguish ambition from deeper purpose. Key Themes & Talking Points: Defining purpose on your own term...

Bonus Episode: Leadership as a Public Good — Developing Collective Capacity for a Complex World What kind of leadership is needed when no single person can hold the whole picture? In this Bonus Episode of The Future of Leadership Development, Dr Toby Newstead is joined by Professor David Day and Liz Gillies to explore a defining challenge of our time: the growing gap between the complexity of the...

What kind of leadership do we need to shape the future we want? The final episode looks ahead, asking what a national platform for leadership development should look like in order to meet critical transitions across health, education, climate, and productivity. Do these adaptive challenges demand a new way of leading? And if so, how do we build the individual and collective capabilities required t...

What happens when leadership is shared, not centralised? Impact at scale requires collaboration across governments, business, philanthropy, and communities. This episode explores real-world stories of distributed leadership, including Indigenous and citizen-led approaches that demonstrate how collective leadership can create more just and sustainable outcomes. Listeners will hear practical lessons...

What does it take to lead in an age defined by polycrisis? his episode examines the capabilities and mindsets leaders need to navigate unprecedented pressures—from climate disruption and geopolitical instability to social division and rapid technological change. We’ll discuss how leaders can not only survive but thrive by embracing emotional intelligence, systems thinking, and collaboration—and wh...

How do we know when leadership development actually makes a difference? Leadership development is often promoted as the answer to major social, organisational, and global challenges. But how can we tell if it is truly effective? This episode explores how researchers, practitioners, and communities define “evidence,” from measuring individual growth to evaluating broader systems change. Listeners w...

How do we build the courage to challenge tradition and embrace new ways of thinking? This episode explores why traditional 20th-century models of leadership are no longer fit for today’s realities. By examining the rise of adaptive, collaborative, and ethical approaches, we’ll consider how leadership development must evolve to serve a complex, interconnected world. Listeners will gain insight into...

As this eight-part series concludes, we reflect on the leadership Australia needs to meet this moment — bold, purpose-driven and future-focused. In the final episode of A Purposeful Edge: Leading in Uncertainty, Dr Peter Collins is joined by Rob Scott, CEO of Wesfarmers and former Olympian, to explore how courage, purpose and reform can shape Australia’s future. Listeners gain insights on leading...

Science is a powerful force for addressing the world’s most pressing challenges — but courageous leadership is needed to drive meaningful change. This episode will explore how leaders in science can play a transformative role in responding to complex global issues such as climate change, pandemics, and social inequality. Listeners will gain insights into the role of purpose in scientific inquiry,...

Business leaders are navigating an increasingly volatile world where financial instability, social unrest, and environmental concerns are reshaping corporate responsibility. This episode will explore how courageous leaders in the private sector are redefining success by blending commercial imperatives with social impact. Highlighting the importance of embedding purpose and adaptability into corpor...