Waratah Program

Delivered by the Asian Leadership Foundation (ALF) in partnership with UTS Institute for Public Policy and Governance (IPPG)

Reimagine leadership in public life

The Waratah Program is ALF’s flagship leadership accelerator, designed to support aspiring leaders preparing to take on leadership roles across public life, including government, community service and public institutions. Delivered in NSW in partnership with UTS IPPG, the program strengthens leadership capability, strategic thinking and builds the confidence to navigate complex governance and civic environments.

Over four units, you will build an understanding of how public life works, clarify the purpose and identity you bring to leadership, learn to lead through change and uncertainty as well as turn your passion into practical action.

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Program dates

Course content

Unit 1: Understanding public life

• Government, society and democracy: how government, institutions and democratic processes shape society
• Leadership in public life: the role, responsibilities and expectations of public leaders

Unit 2: Leading with purpose and identity

• Finding your purpose: clarifying your values, motivations and leadership story
• Unlocking your leadership potential: building on your strengths, identity and lived experience

Unit 3: Leading in a changing world

• Global and local, today and tomorrow: the forces shaping communities now and, in the future
• Navigating change and uncertainty: leading and making decisions in complex environments

Unit 4: From passion to action

• Pathways into public leadership: ways to step into leadership roles in public life
• Mastering media and public speaking: communicating with confidence to the media and to audiences
• Leadership speech preparation workshop: developing and refining your leadership speech
• Own the stage, leadership speech showcase: delivering your speech to an audience

Learning outcomes

At the completion of this program, you will be able to:

• explain how government, public institutions and community organisations operate and how decisions are made
• articulate your leadership purpose and identity, learn to lead with confidence and authenticity
• apply strategic thinking to complex public issues, drawing on global and local perspectives
• lead and make decisions effectively in changing and uncertain environments
• communicate with confidence to the media and in public settings
• prepare and deliver a leadership speech
• identify pathways into public leadership and plan your next steps

Intended audience

This program is designed for aspiring leaders looking to develop their capabilities and take on leadership roles across public life, including government, community service and public institutions. It is ideal if you are an emerging leader who wants to strengthen your capability, broaden your understanding of how public decisions are made and build a network of peers and mentors.

Delivery style

The program combines face-to-face workshops at UTS on Saturdays with live online sessions on Zoom on Thursday evenings. Sessions are interactive, including group and individual activities, facilitated discussion, and practical application of learning. The program concludes with a graduation event at UTS on Saturday 1 May.