Leading Women Genevieve Bell AO, Director of the School of Cybernetics, Founding Director of 3A Institute and non-executive director on the three elements of leadership
Genevieve Bell AO, Director of the School of Cybernetics, Founding Director of 3A Institute and non-executive director on the three elements of leadership, daring to call out the bold truth and befriending our inner critic.
Key Insights
(01:46) How did Genevieve start her leadership journey?
It’s been a varied and meandering path for Genevieve, she’s found herself ironically back where she finished high school, in Canberra as the Director of the first new school at the Australian National University. Genevieve recalls her unexpected childhood where moved around a lot and found herself in a lot of conflict. However, one day her mother sat her down told her she needs to actively be a part of building a better future that’s different than the present. This has been her North Star ever since.
(17:59) What is the importance of knowing yourself for Genevieve?
For Genevieve, leadership is not only about knowing the theory and practice behind it, but it is also
about knowing who you are and what pushes your buttons. It’s learning how to manage those things about yourself a little more effectively in order to get to know how you respond or wouldn’t respond in face of a crisis.
(22:58) What tool can Genevieve share to the audience to add to their Leadership Toolbox?
Genevieve makes sure that she ‘catches up with herself’ regularly. At least once a year she gives herself a moment to reflect on what she’s achieved retrospectively and in their totality. This provides clarity and the ability to size them up so she can accumulate them and acknowledge she’s the person that did those great things and to feel proud about them. Practically, it’s also a good exercise to perform before updating your LinkedIn, resume or curriculum vitae.
Important Resources and Links
If you’d like to learn more about how CommBank is supporting the growth of women in business visit https://www.commbank.com.au/women-in-focus.html
Host of the Leading Women podcast, Shivani Gopal is a serial entrepreneur, speaker and advocate on a mission to create a more equal world. She’s recognised as a leading business thought leader helping professional women navigate their careers, businesses and financial success.
As the Founder and CEO of Elladex and Co-Founder of Upstreet, Shivani was recently awarded the 2022 NSW Excellence in Women's Leadership Award and the Top 50 Small Business Leaders award, As a dedicated advocate for gender equality and for closing the wealth gap for everyday Australians, Shivani launched “Equality 2050”; a campaign to achieve gender equality within our lifetimes. If you’re interested in learning more about Shivani visit her website:
The Leading Women podcast is proudly brought to you by Commonwealth Bank. The series is produced by Nicole Hatherly, recorded at RadioHub Studios with post production by Cooper Silk and Iain Wilson.
Things you should know: Guests featured in the podcast are speaking from their personal experiences only. As this podcast has been prepared without considering your objectives, financial situation or needs, you should, before acting on the content consider its appropriateness to your circumstances. CommBank does not necessarily endorse the views of a particular individual or guarantee the accuracy of the information provided.