This four-day hybrid leadership program blends online and in-person experiences to hear from globally renowned speakers and leadership experts. Rising Leaders Forum (RLF) equips rising talent with foundational modern leadership skills, encourages self-reflection and fosters the mindset shifts needed to take on significant people and change leadership roles.
DESIGNED FOR RISING LEADERS (7-15 YEARS' EXPERIENCE; CURRENTLY IN OR TAKING ON TEAM LEADERSHIP ROLES)
Leadership teams know that great leadership talent is scarce. It is great leaders at all levels of an organisation —more than rewards, job opportunities, and the company itself—that drive distinctive outcomes and engagement at scale.
Curated with insights from leading global theorists and experienced executive practitioners, RLF creates an immersive and impactful learning environment prompting deep personal reflection. This approach supports the development of unique, inspirational and supportive leaders across all layers of the organisation.
“The Rising Leaders Forum was one of the best leadership programs I have ever attended. The program was structured in a very engaging way whereby we had time to connect in the group, engage with speakers, lead the groups and most importantly connect with like-minded individuals. These group conversations were equally powerful and listening to participants’ stories was very inspirational. RLF was not just a leadership program that was four days for me, the takeaway from this program will continue to support me in the long run both personally and professionally. I highly recommend anyone in their leadership journey give this program a go.”
– Eshna Khadka, Operations Manager, NDIS, Past ELF Participant
Participants will join a cross-industry cohort for a blended, interactive program with online and in-person elements:
The virtual components of this program have been widely cited by participants as the best virtual experience they have encountered, turning on its head conventional wisdom about how to lead in hybrid settings.
“I have been at a major intersection in my leadership journey for some time. I found every component of the forum extremely relatable & valuable. I walk away with a very clear vision of the leader I will become. I needed this investment to see this.”
– Past RLF Participant
“I wasn’t sure what to expect with a virtual program; what I got blew me away. The program enabled me to meet a wider and more diverse array of leaders from across the country and have more intimate conversations than I would have in person.”
– Past RLF Participant
Guest faculty Manal al-Sharif—a celebrated Saudi women's rights activist—sharing her wisdom with the group.
The Rising Leaders Forum involves in-person events across capital cities, giving participants a chance to connect and share their breakthrough moments from the program.
Mini-boards of peers across sectors are intentionally designed to give participants a lasting cohort that continues to meet beyond the program. Above: Rising Leaders Forum alumni meet with their mini-board peers a month after the program.
In a post-COVID world, one of the biggest challenges of leadership is how to foster high performance, create psychological safety and drive organisational change while leading teams across hybrid and remote working environments.
The Rising Leaders Forum leans into this challenge - both explicitly addressing it through course content and role modelling how radical intimacy and deep connection can be created in hybrid environments.
Many RLF participants remark that the online forum is unlike any virtual experience they have had before - taking away both a new professional network of peers, and practical ideas and tools for how they can lead their own teams across locations and hybrid settings. In addition to an immersive, interactive virtual experience, the program also has an in-person element convening people across capital cities to connect with the cohort, Faculty and mini-boards.
“I was initially apprehensive about doing this virtually but the format in which it was executed was brilliant - really provided me with a safe space to share and be really open.”
– Past RLF Participant
The Rising Leaders Forum (RLF) is designed to benefit those who are:
“[The Rising Leaders Forum] was varied and dynamic. We had people of all industries, this provided different perspectives, different parts of peoples’ careers and different problem statements. I’m quite siloed in banking. I loved the interactivity.”
– Raymond Lam, Service Owner, Westpac
The Rising Leaders Forum is deliberately designed to take participants beyond their usual spheres - to give them the inspiration, space, and provocation to reflect on their own leadership journeys to date, and how they may need to evolve personally and professionally to meet the challenges of the future.
Topics that the program dives into include (but are not limited to):
Our Faculty reflects the program's focus on diverse and disruptive thinking—we expose participants to the best global and local leadership experts and experienced practitioners.
Celebrated Saudi women’s rights activist and leadership expert; named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People, Newsweek’s Top Ten Digital Revolutionaries and Foreign Policy 100 Global Thinkers who Shaped the World Conversation in 2011.
One of Australia’s most groundbreaking interviewers and storytellers. Co-creator and Director of the global smash hit ABC program You Can’t Ask That, a show that has been awarded the Rose d’Or, two AACTAs and a Walkley award and is the most successful format in ABC history, selling to 32 territories, and broadcast in nine different languages worldwide.
World-renowned author of The Medici Effect (HBS Press, 2004) - an international bestseller that shattered assumptions about how great ideas happen and is now available in 20 languages.
Pre-eminent expert in emotional intelligence and performance under stress; consulted to elite performance teams across the Australian Defence Force, Special Operations Command, Centre for Australian Army Leadership, Australian Olympic Swim Team, Australian Government Solicitors, and Australian Institute of Sport (amongst many others).
Rising Leaders Forum will take place 22-25 October 2024.
We ask that participants are nominated to attend this program by their executive leader.
For further information, or to reserve seats, reach out to academyprograms@mckinsey.com
First speak with your executive/ line manager to understand if they are open to supporting your application.
If they are, please get in touch with academyprograms@mckinsey.com along with your sponsoring contact.
We offer a number of scholarships for social sector leaders through the Australian Leadership Hub. See here for more information.
