Foundations of Directorship

Recently I embarked on the Foundations of Directorship program at the Australian Institute of Company Directors which comprises three one-day courses:

• Governance for Directors
• Risk and Strategy for Directors
• Finance for Directors

As with many of the education options I seek out, it's mostly for my own confidence and to self-assess what I know, what I don't, and how it all fits together.

I joined the Board of a sporting association back in 2015 and I've sat on various committees and local school council so I had some background. Additionally, I run my own business but I'm not the director so it was useful to fill some gaps in my knowledge and build out that bigger picture.

Part of the program is the opportunity to get a completion certificate which I haven't had time to get to yet, but I have 3 months so hopefully I can get back to that in time!

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Masters of Business Administration (MBA)

Been contemplating this for ages and finally took the plunge 👍 

Happily, I was offered several class exemptions in the Leadership & Management area so this brings both the cost and time to complete down significantly.

First stop - Design Thinking for Business

Program details

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Bit of light reading ahead for the holidays! 😁

I’ve recently joined the Australian Institute of Company Directors and will undertake the Foundations of Directorship course in April.

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2022 Recap

Photo by Brooke Lark on Unsplash 

The first thing to note is - the New Challenge was (a) successful and (b) completed. 

At the start of this year I set out to test myself. I lacked some confidence and was overly focussed on my perceived "gaps" in knowledge and what I'd missed. It took a very short amount of time to work out those thoughts were misguided. Others knew this too and I was rapidly promoted, twice, in a matter of months. 

In the last couple of months I embarked on a full application process for the vacant Head of IT role, which included screening more than 100 people over several rounds. I made it to the final two but ultimately lost out to another candidate who is currently a CIO. Given my application was realistic and not overly aspirational as I've done similar roles previously and run a business, I've chosen to move on to find a role at the right level for me. 

I’ve recently joined the Australian Institute of Company Directors and will undertake the Foundations of Directorship course in April, and I’m also planning to start an MBA in 2023. While I’ve run a business and also bought/sold a startup and I have a lot of experience, this is an opportunity for me to formalise some of that experience.

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This quote...

This quote comes up in my memories every year. I wish I could remember it better the other 364 days... 

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NetThing 2022

This week I attended NetThing 2022, the Australian Internet Governance Forum, an event I've attended several times before and always get a lot out of.

From the About page:

NetThing is Australia’s Internet Governance Forum, an annual event for the discussion of public policy issues pertaining to the internet in Australia. It is a multidisciplinary community, forged by the common will to increase understanding of Internet related issues but, most importantly, increase understanding of a diverse range of stakeholders’ views on these issues.

NetThing aims to provide a diverse and inclusive platform for the exploration of Australian technology policy issues, to mobilise Australians to collaborate on solutions, and to connect Australia to the regional and global Internet Governance Forums.

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Women in the Workplace 2022 report

Via http://leanin.org/wiw

Women in the Workplace 2022: report shows leadership disparity.

Today, Lean In released the 8th annual #WomenInTheWorkplace report, the largest study of its kind, and a joint effort with McKinsey & Company. This year’s report makes it very clear: We’re in the midst of a “Great Breakup.”

Women are demanding more from work, and they’re leaving their companies in unprecedented numbers to get it. Women leaders are switching jobs at the highest rate we’ve ever seen—and at a higher rate than men in leadership. The reasons women leaders are switching jobs are telling.

There are three reasons driving #TheGreatBreakup2022:

1. Women leaders are ambitious, but they experience microaggressions that signal that it will be harder for them to advance.

2. Women leaders are overworked and under-recognized—they're doing more to support employees and foster inclusion, but this important work is going mostly unrewarded.

3. Women leaders want to work for companies that are committed to flexibility, employee well-being, and #DEI.

If companies don’t take action, they’re at risk of losing their women leaders—and this has serious implications. To learn more about what’s driving the Great Breakup: http://leanin.org/wiw #WomenInTheWorkplace2022

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Tech suffers from lack of humanities, says Mozilla head

This article comes up in my memories every year, and is as relevant today as it was 4 years ago, and also the last 20 years. It's the primary reason I decided to study a humanities degree, to add to my STEM skillset, a decision I've never regretted.  

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/oct/12/tech-humanities-misinformation-philosophy-psychology-graduates-mozilla-head-mitchell-baker

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