Taskforce on Positive Leadership

These ideas culminated during the 2021 GAP Summit on the New Normal,3 held during an evolving global pandemic. Participants reflected on the impact of COVID-19 on the workforce and the importance of fostering realistic and infectious optimism in organisational culture. The Summit recommended the creation of a taskforce on Positive Leadership to encourage more enlightened and optimistic leadership across business, education and government in the face of global change.

The World Economic Forum’s 2022 Global Risks Report warns that the "lack of optimism could create a vicious cycle of disillusionment and social unrest”.

In a recent speech, Singaporean Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam expressed his concerns at the loss of optimism: "We have entered an era without precedent, certainly not in living memory, and it has led to a loss of optimism almost across the world."

Research by the Australian Leadership Project suggests the domestic perception of Australian leadership is clouded by a 'fog of pessimism' despite being well-regarded abroad.

Building on these ideas, GAP is bringing together a high-powered group of senior representatives from business, government, academia and the not-for-profit sector to explore the key elements of positive leadership and ways in which governments and institutions can lead and inspire a more innovative, entrepreneurial, dynamic and optimistic society.

As the founder of GAP, Peter Fritz AO, recently said, "the task is what to do differently together."

GAP’s success with multidisciplinary ‘second track’ taskforces is demonstrated through the continuing growth of its 4,000+ global network of thought leaders as well as practical, on-the-ground projects. These include the establishment of the International Centre for Democratic Partnerships (ICDP), which works with established and emerging Pacific leaders to build stronger relationships between Australia and the Pacific, as well as the annual GAP Summit for the Pacific and Small Island Nations launched in 2021.

The Taskforce on Positive Leadership will be convened by GAP in collaboration with external stakeholders and will meet four-six times over a year under the Chatham House rule to develop its recommendations. It will operate under the principles of GAP’s Second Track process – an innovative process of group collaboration focusing on positive thinking, deep long-term engagement, and a strong personal interest in achieving practical results. Membership will be determined jointly by GAP and the Taskforce’s financial supporters.

The Centre for Optimism's Victor Perton is Chair,