Secrets to career evolution and leadership

Why harmony and success are key – whatever your industry.

By Harriet Edmund

The future world for the banking and finance industry looks very different and embracing it will take a lot of effort – and extraordinary leadership, says Dennis Gentilin, a director in Deloitte’s Governance, Regulation and Conduct practice.

Mr Gentilin will join the inaugural panel session at this year’s University of Melbourne Professional Staff Conference on Thursday 19 September.

He believes there are five fundamentals that leaders in his industry – and others – need, particularly when it comes to achieving harmony and success.

  1. A compelling purpose, vision and mission.
  2. Inspiring leadership which embodies the purpose, vision and mission.
  3. Systems and processes that don’t act as roadblocks but rather act as catalysts.
  4. An environment where people feel they are contributing to something bigger than themselves.
  5. An environment where people feel stretched and challenged but supported and rewarded at the same time.

The award-winning author and adjunct fellow at Macquarie University says career evolution requires you to “reflect deeply on your values and how you want to contribute. Then figure out a way of expressing these in your professional life”.

The panel session, beginning at 9.25am, will be moderated by Dr Shane Huntington, Deputy Director – Strategy and Partnerships, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences.

Other guests include Professor Sandra Eades, Associate Dean (Indigenous), Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences,Dr Victor Sojo Monzon Lecturer (Leadership), Research Fellow at Centre for Workplace Leaderships, Department of Management & Marketing, Faculty of Business and Economics, and Sarah Fortuna, Operations Lead, Atlantic Fellows For Social Equity, University of Melbourne.

Dr Huntington, who is also a Founder and Director of The Innovation Group Pty Ltd, adds for harmony and success to be achieved staff must feel respected, trusted and valued.

“This all comes from the top,” he says. “People do their best work when they have reasonable hours, have clarity of purpose and have open and respectful dialogue with supervisors. Workplaces need to demonstrate good values, not just put them on posters.”

With hindsight he would give himself this important advice: “If you find you are working with unethical people, don’t change your career, change your place of employment”.

Delegates attending the conference are sure to be inspired and challenged as the panel unpacks the themes of career evolution and leadership.

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