The Aurora Recall, Auckland, February 2003

The Aurora Institutes: some history

Six Aurora Leadership Institutes have been held in Australia, five at Thredbo, NSW, and one in Canberra (2003) when Thredbo was closed because of bushfires. These were modelled on the Snowbird Leadership Institutes in the USA. Becky Schreiber and John Shannon of Schreiber Shannon Associates of the USA have led all Aurora and Snowbird Institutes. They are a principal opportunity for those in the Australian and New Zealand library profession and others from associated information sectors to explore leadership concepts and their own potential. Their mission is to assist future leaders to recognise and develop their leadership abilities. The Aurora Foundation seeks to position leaders as dynamic and effective voices in our sophisticated information environment.

Each Institute's mission is to assist future leaders in the library and associated cultural and information industry to maximise their leadership skills and potential. The objective is to position leaders to be proactive and effective voices in a dynamic and sophisticated information environment. This is done through a combination of experiential learning, group and individual exercises, and by working with a strong team of senior and experienced Australian and New Zealand mentors. The Institute programs include exploration of leadership concepts including vision, risk taking, creativity, communication, and styles of leadership. Each is a demanding, challenging and exciting experience.

The first Institute was held in 1995, and they were held biennially until 2001. Following the outstanding success of the 2002 Institute, the Aurora Foundation will now run them annually. It is a cardinal principle that participants come from both the Australian and New Zealand information communities. The first four Institutes were presented by AIMA Training and Consultancy Services Ltd. More than 190 participants and thirty-six mentors have been involved with the six Leadership Institutes, and some have also been involved with Snowbird in the United States.

Mentors

The mentors are a key part of each Institute. They act as facilitators, guides, sounding boards and role models, and work closely with the participants throughout, and share their professional and personal experiences on a voluntary basis which is an expression of their own professional commitment. The Foundation is deeply indebted to the willingness of these mentors to give their time and insights.

Participants

Participants are individuals with leadership potential and an ability to share with others their vision and enthusiasm. They will normally have been employed for a minimum of two years and a maximum of seven years following qualification. However, applicants outside these particular criteria are considered on their merits, and are encouraged to apply if they think the Institute a potential benefit and that their contribution would be substantial.

The recall

Feedback over the years had indicated the need for a Recall to allow participants to explore issues they have encountered since returning from Thredbo, and to develop new skills. The newly formed Foundation is also keen to establish itself with Aurorans, provide the opportunity for research on Aurora, and ensure an ongoing role for Aurora in the profession. It sought for participants at the Recall to be re-energised to use their talents and skills in the interests of their profession, organisations and themselves, and to join the Board in identifying longer-term needs and developing appropriate strategies to supplement the role of Leadership Institutes.

The Recall therefore had a twofold purpose. It was intended to re-ignite the interest and passion created at Thredbo, to enable participants to further explore the application of leadership issues and to progress the Aurora Foundation and participant networking. It was about promoting an active response from Aurorans. Attendance was open to all mentors and participants in the Aurora Leadership Institutes. Becky and John and Aurora Foundation Board members were also present.

Objectives were to:

determine the impact of Aurora participation on those attending the Recall;
provide a new level of knowledge and skills in leadership particularly applicable to current issues faced by participants;
establish a 'whole of Aurora' network, and
enthuse Aurorans to participate in and support the activities of the Aurora Foundation and ALIA.

Four Aurorans and the facilitators, Becky Schreiber and John Shannon, offered their insights, observations and impressions of the Recall; their reflections follow.

The real event in Auckland! The Aurora recall!

Brenda McConchie, Director, Aurora Foundation

There was great excitement and expectation amongst the gathering at Auckland Harbour on the last Saturday in February 2003! Alas, the fourth America's Cup yacht race was postponed for the day - not enough wind! The vast crowd dispersed leaving a few to ponder what might have been. Little did they know that the real event was just about to start on Pier 2 where the ferry leaves for Waiheke Island. Thirty Aurorans, alumni, mentors and of course, John Shannon and Becky Schreiber, the long-serving facilitators of the Aurora Leadership Institute met there, chatted eagerly, hugged old friends and met new ones. The event was of course the Aurora Foundation's first Recall and the beautifully located Waiheke Island was to be the venue.

The Recall was designed to explore the impact of Aurora on our work and personal lives, learn about more advanced leadership skills and provide the group with an opportunity to determine how the Foundation would progress in its governance and what it might do in the future. The program for the event was planned accordingly.

In true Aurora fashion there was both a familiarity of context and a challenge in what was about to unfold and the implications for a room full of leaders in the profession. The group came from all parts of New Zealand and all states and territories of Australia and represented all types of libraries and a wide range of ages and experiences in the profession.

The first gathering of the group on Saturday night gave us a chance to explore our expectations for the Recall and set the ground rules for how the next three days would proceed. The key challenge was to behave in such a way that would progress the whole group at any time. Leadership in action for most of us; and centred on the group as much as the individuals.

Day 2 allowed the group to discuss leadership experiences since Aurora and then to identify key learnings from the case studies put forward. It also provided an opportunity to see library leadership in perspective by articulating the issues affecting libraries over the last three decades and what had been achieved. The result was to expose what still needed to be done by leaders to make our libraries great and indispensable and to provide the impetus for commitment to some form of leadership action at the personal level by each member of the group.

Day 3 provided some new skills, especially in effective communication and a further opportunity to identify that special area of leadership focus for each of us using topics from Day 1 as the basis for this decision. It was a long day: the Recall Dinner, sponsored by Aurora's principal sponsor, EBSCO, was a mix of education about the vineyard at the restaurant, wonderful views and wonderful food and of course lots of singing and a deeply-felt rendition of 'Hey big Spencer' dedicated to Spencer Lilley, one of our New Zealand colleagues.

Day 4 focussed on the Aurora Foundation itself; governance seemed relatively easy to resolve with a robust discussion about the future activities of the Foundation occupying much of the time. The final session was to reconnect with what impact Aurora has had on each of us and what our leadership commitment would be back on the professional mainland.

From the perspective of the Aurora Foundation Board and that of the participants the Recall was a much-needed event that seemed to work extremely well. It was a risk to combine leadership context, content and Foundation business in one event. The group dispersed keen to have more skill development in future Recalls.

We achieved the overall goals of formalising the Aurora community, re-energising Aurorans and providing them with a framework to recommit themselves to strong leadership within the profession, if the buzz in the final session was any measure. The actions which follow will be the real proof of the success of such an event.

The return to Pier 2 and the farewells and usual promises to stay in touch and have coffee some time soon blended in to the throng of people still waiting to see that yet-to-be run fourth America's Cup race. If there was too much wind during the weekend of the Recall, maybe it was due to the energy emanating from Waiheke Island?

Recalling Aurora

Alison Sutherland, Bibliographic Services Librarian at Curtin University of Technology

The Aurora Leadership Institute experience is demanding, challenging and exciting (

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