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Would you do it?
A train is travelling down a track heading straight for five people, you can pull the lever and divert the train to where there is only one person on the track. Would you do it? Would you pull the lever to divert the train, one life or five? This is ‘The Trolley Problem’ we faced as Cris Parker led us into the field of ethical leadership. When deciding if you would pull the lever, you are likely to use three frames:
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- What is the consequence going to be?
- What is my obligation in this situation?
- How will my decision make me/the organisation look?
Whatever your choice, the outcome is grim for at least one person. There is no right or wrong answer and no easy decision. The question is, what ought one do?
Every time we make a choice, we are ‘doing ethics’ and revealing our values. As Simon Illingworth, pointed out, when you are in the ‘arena’, your values are what you are going to need to draw on in your hardest of times. The decision or path that needs the most courage, will be the one to take. ‘Good People Own Courage’.
By the way, over 50% of people would pull the lever. As you ponder this, consider these statements, questions and thoughts:
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- It could be totally legal but not ethical.
- Ethics is not right and wrong: it is a choice between right and right or wrong and wrong.
- Loyalty without question leads to the demise of ethics.
- Do you have a price? What’s the carrot?
- Your line in the sand…has it moved? Check it!
- You need to show accountability to have integrity. Say what you stand for…and stand for it!
- Hypocrisy and unthinking practices is the death of ethics.
- It’s how it’s always been done. That feeling of disrespecting the past, may hinder the change needed to move forward – cut the anchor.
- A mistake made twice, is a decision!
No matter the choices we are faced with, there is certain to be varying perspectives on the path to take. Lead with courage.
If you are facing an ethical dilemma and need someone to talk it through with, you can access a free counselling session: Need Help? Ethi-call is a Free Decision-Making Helpline (ethics.org.au)
Thank you to all our speakers at our Strategy and Ethical Leadership program day; Jonathan Spear, Infrastructure Victoria, Seona Taylor, Regional Development Victoria, Lisa Dwyer, Chair Great South Coast Regional Partnership, Cris Parker, The Ethics Centre and Simon Illingworth, former VicPol.
Kate Roache – Executive Officer, Leadership Great South Coast
2022 Participants
Please join us in welcoming our 2022 Program participants:
Daniel Pearson, CFO, Southern Stay Disability Services Inc.
Claire Dagley, Regional Senior Manager Barwon South West, Western Victoria Primary Health Network
Leesa ClausenBrown, Co-owner, West Victoria Collective Pty Ltd & Ministry of Ombibulous Studies: Sponsor – Port Fairy Community Bank
Sarah Irving, South West Healthcare/Warrnambool Community Health, Registered Nurse: Paediatric Asthma Educator & Care Coordinator/COVID Remote Monitoring
Anna Sanderson, Community Connections Coordinator – Better Futures, Brophy Family & Youth Services: Sponsor – The Hugh Williamson Foundation
Justin Harzmeyer, Natural Environment Officer, Warrnambool City Council
Ali Kemp, Manager Recreation and Culture, Warrnambool City Council
Diana Dixon, Director, Personal Trainer and Nutrition Coach, Panoramic Health and Fitness: Sponsor – South West Community Foundation
Lachlan Farrington, Senior Wetland and Landscape Ecologist, Nature Glenelg Trust
Daniel Knight, ANZ Agribusiness Manager, ANZ South West Victoria
Matine Tondkar, Senior Project Manager of Non-Revenue Water and Metering, Wannon Water
Raymon Barker, Principal Environmental Health Officer, Corangamite Shire Council
Kaye McDowall, Clinical Trials Coordinator, South West Healthcare, Warrnambool
Jennifer Thomas, Regional Development Coordinator, Regional Development Victoria: Sponsor – Wannon Water
New leader for LGSC
The region’s peak leadership program has announced the appointment of a new Executive Officer.
Warrnambool’s Kate Roache will take the helm of Leadership Great South Coast Inc. in early January.
Ms Roache replaces long-standing Executive Officer Amanda Hennessy who has taken up the role of Warrnambool and District Foodshare Chief Executive.
Leadership Great South Coast Chair Karen Foster said Ms Roache, who was a graduate of the program, brought rich leadership experience to the role.
“Kate completed the Leadership Great South Coast program in 2019, which gives her excellent insight into the region and also our program,” Ms Foster said.
“She also brings indepth leadership and education experience generally, with her career thus far traversing roles that range from Deputy Principal and Curriculum Consultant to her most recent role as Executive Officer with Beyond the Bell.”
Ms Roache, who grew up in the region before pursuing her career in education and leadership throughout in Australia, said she was excited to be joining the LGSC team.
“I’m looking forward to the 2022 program, to meeting the participants and partners and exploring all things leadership across the region,” she said.
“Being an alumni, I feel I can bring that experience and insight as we pursue future opportunities for the program.”
Leadership Great South Coast enters its 10th year in 2022, with 155 alumni across the region.
Each year it delivers a year-long flagship leadership program for emerging and established leaders in the Great South Coast. Sixteen participants have been awarded places in the 2022 program.
The Truth about Traditional Owners
Sometimes the truth can be uncomfortable. The uncomfortable truth is most Australians do not have an in-depth idea of the history and culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Collectively, we also fail to recognise the overt and covert discrimination which is faced by the Indigenous population.
A general knowledge quiz was conducted to the group at Our Local Indigenous Culture Program Day. Two-thirds of the questions were related to white Australia and mainstream overseas whilst one-third of the questions related to Indigenous Australians (and more specifically the Gunditjmara and Djab Wurrrung areas). Quite predictably, if not shamefully, our knowledge of the Indigenous history, food, music and people is lacking.
An important observation which was raised at our Program Day, is the lack of education in our schools. I was only in school ten years ago and I was never taught anything about the Traditional Owners of these lands. I understand that Aboriginal history is being embedded into the curriculum but there is still more to do.
The history of the Traditional Owners needs to be told. Accepting the atrocities of the past can hopefully mean a more united and equal future. As citizens of this region and this country we all have a responsibility to listen and learn from the Traditional Owners of this Land. With a more profound understanding of the Indigenous history, hopefully we can strive for true and fair reconciliation. A great place to start is Deadly Questions – You ask. Aboriginal Victorians Answer.
On behalf of the group, I give a heartfelt thank you to our speakers, Kylie Moroney (2021 LGSC Program Participant) and Emily Falla (2020 LGSC Alumni) Manager Aboriginal Programs, South West Healthcare.
Jamie Pepper, 2021 Program Participant