Australian leadership: Thriving in a culture of mutual support
International lawyer Dr Annemarie Hofedank served as corporate Legal Counsel for a global acting chemicals company in Germany. Moving to Australia, she launched her own consultancy business. Annemarie talked to australianleadership.com about some of the unique qualities she has encountered working here.
In the course of transitioning from Germany to Australia four years ago and striving to build a new career, I was very impressed by the approachability and collaborative nature of Australian leaders. CEOs, General Counsel and leaders from government agencies took the time to meet with me and provide valuable support and advice.
It is an outstanding quality of Australian leaders to remain down-to-earth, natural and approachable. Also, they are open to reveal aspects of their personal lives, which is not the case in some other cultures.
This allows Australian leaders to easily build valued and trusting relationships with their teams as they are highly relatable.
Culture and Innovation
Innovation and the ability to form new perspectives are further qualities of Australian leadership. After several shutdowns of manufacturing companies in the Geelong area, leaders were and still are joining forces and pursuing a common goal of creating new opportunities and generating growth.
There is a culture of mutual support; leaders engage with leaders, leaders enable leaders, and leaders work on personal development and growth and that of their teams.
Australian leaders also have a strong entrepreneurial culture, which is also caused by the nature of Australia’s industry landscape in regions outside the metropolises. There is a strong collaboration between private companies, NGO’s and government institutions.
Finally, Australian leaders demonstrate a strong interest in global exchange and in building international relationships. They are keen to explore potential synergies with other countries and to establish international projects and collaborations.
To read the full interview click on this link. To participate in the Australian Leadership Project please fill in the survey on Australian Leadership.
