About Leadership Discovery

As Australia’s University of Enterprise, UniSA is deeply committed to developing a diverse and high performing enterprising culture in which talented people thrive. We are offering this leadership program to assist our leaders to evolve their leadership practices in response to the challenges and opportunities that inevitably arise for leaders.

Leadership Discovery is a five month program co-designed with UniSA colleagues to provide a highly practical learning experience to strengthen leadership capability. Leadership Discovery includes impactful workshops, Hogan Assessment, external coaching, access to a broad range of leadership resources, an opportunity to work with colleagues across the University and to hear and learn from some of UniSA's outstanding leaders across the University. 

Who is Leadership Discovery for?

Leadership Discovery is open to:

• Academic Staff Level C/D
• Professional Staff HEO7-HE09
• Heads of Research Concentrations, Course Coordinators, Program Service Managers, and Executive Officers.
• Newly appointed HLP’s and other newly appointed established leaders may benefit and be considered for this program.

Ideally, staff will be considered to join our cohort in 2025 if they:

• Have a people leadership role or are directly responsible for people and resources at UniSA.
• Have two years of relevant and recent experience in a leadership role at UniSA.
• Are able to attend all learning activities and workshops with support from their line manager.

Nomination Process

Staff members can self-nominate or be nominated by their supervisor or other senior staff member. A supporting statement from the relevant senior line manager is a prerequisite for nomination.

Applications must be submitted by 9am Wednesday 26 March 2025.

SUBMIT NOMINATION HERE

Applicants are strongly advised to thoroughly read all of the following information prior to nominating. 

What you will gain

• A comprehensive knowledge of UniSA leadership expectations and how individual actions, behaviours, and language can impact leadership legacy, team performance, and collective leadership impact.
• Strong collaborative connections with peers from across the University to strengthen leadership insights and build effective networks.
• An understanding of how through shared learning and collaboration we can build a trusting, collaborative, and collegiate environment within and across the University and with our external partners.
• Enhanced emotional intelligence to expand personal effectiveness, political navigation, and leadership impact.
• How to navigate performance conversations to enhance the potential, contribution, and performance of others.
• How to make impactful decisions that balance multiple stakeholder perspectives, consider operational and sector context.

Dates & Commitment:

The program will occur over a five-month period (April to August), including five (5) workshops spread across five business days. In addition to these workshops, and to ensure participants gain the full experience, they will undertake a Hogan Assessment and attend a debrief with a Hogan-certified debriefer, and attend three (3) coaching sessions with a qualified coach from PBC Hogan. Participants are also required to build their networks by engaging in 'accountability buddy' catch-ups with fellow participants at least once before each in-person session (a minimum of three (3) times). There will also be a pre-course information session webinar for successful applicants.

It is important that potential participants can attend all required learning elements prior to application. Line managers will also need to support this commitment.  The in-person session dates for Leadership Discovery in 2025 are:

• 28 & 29 May (Wednesday & Thursday)
• 26 June (Thursday)
• 16 July (Wednesday)
• 13 August (Wednesday)

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Discovery Elements

Days 1 & 2: Leading Self

Leading Self consists of two consecutive days that defines leadership and builds participant self-awareness of their leadership impact. Day 1 sets the foundation of Leading Self while Day 2 builds on this to explore Self as Leader.

Topics include:

• EQ and self-awareness
• Emotional management
• Mastering the leadership mindset
• Leadership models for future
• Managing energy, priorities, and time
• Unconscious bias

Day 3: Leading Others

Day 3 enhances participants' ability to diagnose individual capability and motivation, and how a person’s leadership approach can deliver optimal performance. This module also explores how to navigate difficult conversations and provide feedback that builds individual motivation, capabilities, and a positive platform for change.

Topics include:

• Leadership Transitions
• Situational Leadership
• Enterprising Conversations

Day 4: Enterprising Teams

This module focuses on the strategies to enhance team performance and leverage the power of any team, regardless of location and size.

Topics include:

• Identifying strategies to leverage team power
• High performing teams
• Building and maintaining a culture of trust
• Creating psychological safety
• Leading hybrid teams
• Team lifecycle

Day 5: Part 1: Enterprising Relationships, Networks and Practice

This module has two specific focus areas: building strong, enterprising, trusted relationships and practicing agility. By exploring how to utilise and apply network maps, political navigation, critical thinking, and dynamic problem solving, participants will be enabled as enterprising future-focused role models. 

Topics include:

• Building strong professional relationships and networks
• Navigating internal and external politics
• Communicating direction during ambiguity
• Critical strategic thinking and dynamic problem solving

Day 5: Part 2: Discovery Enabled

The final element enables participants to share their personal reflections as a leader at UniSA during the program, personal discovery highlights, and opportunities for growth. These reflections will be shared with the immediate line manager and members of the Enterprise Leadership Team during a formal program close and celebration.

Topics include:

• Leadership Discovery Celebration
• Strategic Reflections
  
  

How will cohorts be established?

The selection criteria for program participants will be dependent on:

• The total number of applications received (senior leaders will prioritise individual applications for their business area).
• Cohort diversification: Collaboration across multiple functions is an important design principle. To ensure participants can optimise their learning experience, the diversity of each cohort will be taken into consideration.
• Ability to attend all learning activities and workshops: As each component of the program is deemed pivotal to the learning experience, a commitment from the participant and line manager would be required before program commencement.

Further Enquiries

For additional details regarding our Leadership Discovery program, we invite you to reach out to our team at staff.development@unisa.edu.au.

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