What does LEAD involve?

Why be a LEADer?

The LEAD program gives students the opportunity to develop skills outside their studies that are essential in driving your career and leadership journey and can set you apart from your competition. Employers look favourably upon applicants that can demonstrate capabilities beyond classroom learning. In addition, the program also helps students understand where their strengths and weaknesses lie so they can take steps to continuously improve.

The program concentrates on the following core leadership capabilities.

1. Communication, Presence, Influence
2. Emotional Intelligence
3. Cultural Responsiveness
4. Strategic Thinking
5. Future Focus

Regardless of whether you want to join to learn new skills, make friends or challenge yourself you will find the program to be a unique and valuable experience. For example, 90% of our LEADers reported an increase in confidence and positive changes in their thoughts about leadership. Some have even attributed landing their job to participating in LEAD.

Benefits

Along with the experience, the LEAD program has a wide range of benefits, including:

• Access to professionals within and outside of the University during the conference and workshops
• The opportunity to participate in and engage with others on topical themes
• Networking with like-minded people and building your professional contacts
• Building your confidence, enhancing your employability skills and learning from the best
• An invitation to a  ceremony upon completion to acknowledge your hard work and LEADing efforts

What does the LEAD Program Involve?

The LEAD program will provide students with training that will help them build their leadership capacities, self-awareness, communication, and intercultural understanding. Participants will self-select their learning experiences from a pool of activities which will include:

• A full day off-campus leadership conference
• Interactive face-to-face workshops covering a range of topics
• Online Learning Modules
• Networking evening
• Other business conferences, networking events, mentoring opportunities or activities that the LEAD team deem valuable

LEAD is run on a flexible point-based system providing you with the autonomy to choose learning experiences that are valuable to your individual situation and hence better enabling the effective management of competing demands such as study, work and extra-curricular activities. You will need to complete 100 points out of more then 200 possible points, so it's up to you how much you do.

What is expected of a LEADer?

To successfully complete the LEAD program and receive a certificate of completion, you will need to:

1. Be an active participant in group activities
2. Provide comprehensive intra-program and end of program evaluations and reflections
3. Complete 100 points of the available 200+ points by attending a selection of activities

Being part of the LEAD program is a valuable and unique opportunity. We expect that students recognise that and commit to completing all necessary requirements of the program. LEADers will also have demonstrated a consistently positive approach to the University and their learning.

Who is eligible?

To be eligible to become a LEADer, you must:

1. Be a current student of Western Sydney University: this can be Undergraduate, Masters or PHD
2. Be able to travel to multiple campuses  for workshops that interest you including Parramatta, Kingswood and Liverpool
3. Demonstrate your willingness to learn in the application