Sunday Nov 19, 2023
S5-Ep5: Revitalizing Leadership - Putting Theory & Practice into Context

Guest: Brad Jackson
Theory is one thing. Practice is another. That’s just as true of leadership coaches and their theories as with any science. Guest Brad Jackson understands that, and works to put leadership theory into real-world contexts so it can be truly useful.
That’s the focus of his book: Revitalising Leadership – Putting Theory and Practice into Context. It argues that the universal prescriptions favored by most leadership scholars ignore the reality that context always matters in leadership practice. He puts our attention on the key challenges for leadership in different organizational contexts. From developing a specific purpose for leadership to formulating the values, norms and domains of action, putting leadership in context is tremendously useful – shaping the role, responsibilities, rights, behaviors and attributes relevant to leaders and followers.
Produced in partnership with the International Leadership Association: https://ilaglobalnetwork.org.
Other episodes you'll enjoy:
- How Do Leadership & the Environment Connect? – with Rian Satterwhite & Kathleen Allen
- Workforce Education: A New Roadmap – with William Bonvillian & Sanjay Sarma
- The Essentials of Theory U with Otto Scharmer
For daily wisdom from our guests, be sure to follow us on LinkedIn. We’re on Instagram, Threads, and Twitter, too!
RESOURCES:
You can find Brad’s book on revitalizing leadership on Amazon at https://amzn.to/3SLJhT6. For a breezy read, check out his other book, A Very Short, Fairly Interesting and Reasonably Cheap Book about Studying Leadership.
Our host Maureen Metcalf posts a newsletter every week on LinkedIn. You can subscribe here.
Maureen’s latest book is Innovative Leadership & Followership in the Age of AI. You’ll find details about it at https://bit.ly/LeaderInAI. Her other 10 books are available on Amazon here.
Books we’re reading for fun or personal development right now include:
- Becoming Superman: My Journey from Poverty to Hollywood by J. Michael Straczynski
- Own the AI Revolution by Neil Sahota
- Time and Chance by Kim Campbell
- Three Rocks: The Story of Ernie Bushmiller, the Man Who Created Nancy by Bill Griffith
NOTE: As an Amazon partner, we may make a small commission from books you buy through these links.
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OUR PODCAST TEAM:
Host & Executive Producer: Maureen Metcalf
Editor & Producer: Dan Mushalko
Video & Graphics Editor: Devon Mushalko
Assistant Editor & Raconteur: Luigi Morelli
Our Great Revitalizers: Jenna Reik & Mike Morrow-Fox
CONNECT WITH US:
YouTube: @InnovatingLeadership
Threads: @innovativeleaders
Twitter: @IL_Institute
LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/ILI-LinkedIn2
Instagram: @innovativeleader
TikTok: @innovativeleadership
Website: InnovativeLeadershipInstitute.com
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About Our Guest:
As director of the Policy Innovation Hub and Professor of Social Innovation at Griffith Univeristy, Brad Jackson’s research explores the relationship between leadership and governance practices; cross-sectoral leadership processes; the role of communication in strategic leadership; and the application of aesthetic and geographic perspectives to leadership research, development and education. He has taught courses in leadership and ethics; leadership and change; organisational behaviour; cross-cultural management; management learning; leading social enterprise and qualitative research methods. Prior to re-joining Victoria University of Wellington, Brad was the Fletcher Building Education Trust Chair in Leadership and Co-Director of the New Zealand Leadership Institute at The University of Auckland Business School between 2006 and 2013. During his original term with Victoria between 1999 and 2006, he served as Head of School of Management and the Director for the Centre for the Study of Leadership among several appointments.