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As part of our monthly segment, Our Community Leaders - Great Australian Leaders in Focus
which features the thoughts of some of Australia's great leaders,
this month we feature Marcus Godinho.
Marcus Godinho
Marcus Godinho is the Chief Executive Officer of Fareshare,
a not-for-profit community organisation that provides free, tasty, nutritious
meals to the hungry and the homeless using donated food not needed by markets,
caterers, and retailers around Melbourne.
Marcus was previously Executive Director of Environment Victoria.
Previously Marcus spent seven years working for Mobil Oil and the National Australia Bank,
managing community, government and media relations.
He went on to work with the Australia Conservation Foundation
and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Victoria, and sat on the national board of the Wilderness Society.
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Our Community: Who do
you consider to be the three great leaders of our time?
Marcus Godinho:
- Peter Garrett - He used his profile from Midnight Oil to help
so many causes. Despite his success he remains incredibly personable,
down to earth and fun. He has amazing communication skills.
- Miles Davis - He never stood still or became comfortable with
his achievements. He kept taking jazz in different directions.
- Nelson Mandela - His sacrifice and commitment.
Our Community: What are the three attributes you would consider to be
essential to a leader?
Marcus Godinho:
- Visionary and strategic - to have strong sense of what the future
could look like and how to get there
- Rapport - to build strong relationships with people by taking
time to understand, support and lead them
- Dedication, commitment and persistence
Our Community: What are the three greatest
barriers to new leaders emerging in Australia?
Marcus Godinho:
- We are losing our sense of community, including the responsibility
we have to give back
- Marketing is increasingly encouraging us to indulge in ourselves;
making us more egocentric
- People feel as though there is nothing they can do about the "problems
with the world"
Our Community: What advice would you
give to a potential leader to take them to the next stage?
Marcus Godinho:
- Understand yourself - your strengths, your weaknesses, how you
impact others.
- Think deeply about what you want to achieve and make a commitment.
- Build a solid support network. It's not always going to be easy,
and you'll need friends, family, colleagues from time to time.
Our Community: Nature/nurture - are
leaders born or bred?
Marcus Godinho:
Both, but more the latter. You inherit skills that can
help be a leader, but it's far more about your upbringing, role models
and what you've been exposed to. Communication skills, a sense of responsibility
… these are things that you develop over time.
Our Community: What do you consider
to be the three top leadership issues facing the nation?
Marcus Godinho:
- We are one of the most unsustainable societies in the world. The
greenhouse pollution we produce per person is amongst the highest
in the world. Despite being the driest continent we have an incredible
thirst.
- We have one of the highest levels of economic literacy in the
world. Our politicians and the media are fixated by the economy.
Our obsession with economic growth has come at a terrible cost.
We value economic health too far above everything else.
- Our society - politicians, businesses - think in incredibly short
time horizons.
Our Community: What insights have you
gained personally on your leadership journey and how have they impacted
on your style of leadership?
Marcus Godinho:
- Understand your strengths and bat with them.
- Be aware of your weaknesses. Surround yourself with people who
complement, making up for your weaknesses.
- Never take the support of the people you rely on for granted.
Tune into their internal radio station.
Our Community: Who have been your own
leadership mentors and how did they assist in developing your own leadership
style?
Marcus Godinho:
- Ron Burke - My boss at Mobil and National Australia Bank. He instilled
in me a sense of responsibility to the community and the importance
of being well-rounded. A true renaissance man.
- Don Henry, Executive Director, Australian Conservation Foundation
- He has been an incredible coach in politics over the years and
a friend to enjoy some important timeout with.
- My mother - Her work ethic and inner strength has always been
an inspiration.
Published May 2006
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