Menzies Leadership Forum Building the Evidence Base what does it take? || with Dr Toby Newstead + Professor Nathan Eva + Benny Callaghan
Oct 28, 2025
Join Dr. Toby Newstead as he chats with Professor Nathan Eva, a Fulbright scholar focusing on servant leadership, and Benny Callaghan, founder of Systems Collaboration Partners. They dive into what measures truly signify effective leadership development. Discover the nuances between corporate and community programs, the importance of objective data over perceptions, and how leadership can thrive even outside hierarchical structures. They emphasize the ethical responsibilities of educators and the need for ongoing growth beyond initial programs.
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Success Depends On Participant Readiness
- Leadership program success varies because participants start at different readiness levels and goals.
- Aggregate metrics hide individual transformative or minor shifts in participant growth.
Organisational Versus Community Cohorts
- Benny contrasted organisational programs teaching feedback and coaching with community programs focused on shared complex issues.
- Community cohorts often join to solve regional problems rather than to learn leadership per se.
Satisfaction Surveys Don't Prove Impact
- Organizations often measure attitudes and perceptions rather than objective outcomes like performance or turnover.
- Satisfaction surveys dominate despite limited insight into real organisational change.