‘Thrust straight into it’: Kirstin Ferguson on toxic cultures, modern leadership, and a high-stakes board saga

Leadership expert Kirstin Ferguson is no stranger to prestigious board roles, but when she suddenly became the acting chair of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation board at a controversial time, she found herself under an unfamiliar spotlight.

“It definitely was the curveball to end all curveballs, in terms of my public persona,” she says. “I found myself that very first day doing a 20-minute live interview on ABC News. I’d never been on television before. Talk about thrust straight into it.”

But Kirstin Ferguson knows a thing or two about determination forged in the toughest of circumstances. So how did Kirstin step up to this high-stakes career challenge? Here’s why this former military leader adapted her leadership style.

Don't pretend to be someone you're not

Kirstin went straight from high school to the Australian Defence Force Academy, honing her leadership skills in the cutthroat military culture of the 1990s.

“It was definitely a deeply masculine culture. We were outnumbered by men, everything around surviving at ADFA had a real masculine sense to it. That need to fit in became core to my ability to succeed there”.

At just 20 years old, she found herself in a position of authority over younger cadets – and learned what poor leadership looks like. “I remember at the beginning thinking, ‘Well, you yell and scream at people because that’s how you get it done’. That was encouraged, accepted. That was just how you did things,” she says.

She would later end up in a law firm, where she had to learn to adapt her leadership style to be more consultative and inclusive.

It took Kirstin a long time to feel proud of the fact that she is female. She spent most of her early career “hoping no-one noticed I was a woman”.?

But she found her voice. Kirstin is now an advocate for gender equality who is helping create a new ideal for women in charge. She is behind the viral Celebrating Women campaign, which highlighted the extraordinary lives of ordinary women around the world.?

“Every woman is a role model. I absolutely believe that,” Kirstin says.

When opportunity knocks, answer – even if you’re not 100% ready

Kirstin has been a CEO and served on numerous boards, including as deputy chair of the ABC. In 2018 she took the reins as the broadcaster’s acting chair after managing director Michelle Guthrie was sacked and, just days later, chairman Justin Milne resigned.

Before Kirstin even had a chance to tell her children, her name was all over the news. Being the public face of the organisation during such a turbulent time was tough. Kirstin looks back on it as “probably the most challenging six months I’ve ever had” – but she has no regrets about saying yes.

“Those opportunities don’t come along very often, to hold such an important position at an important time, and try and make a difference,” she says.

“It was really challenging, no doubt about it, but I did the best I could. And that’s all any leader can do.”

In the moments when imposter syndrome strikes, Kirstin finds it useful to seek advice from “a small number of trusted advisors” that she can really be herself with. “There’s definitely things that I regret. You do look back and think, ‘Oh, I wish I’d done that differently’. And it’s often around having courage. I think you do have to find a way to trust in yourself.”

The best leaders use both their head and their heart

Kirstin is challenging traditional notions of what makes a great leader. She says the modern leader values not only their head but their heart; skills like humility, empathy, and self-awareness are increasingly valuable.

“We no longer want these heroic leaders of the past, who are all-knowing and all-seeing and all-powerful. We actually want leaders who understand we are there to serve others and to bring out the best in others. And we see leadership as a privilege, not a right”.

“There’s going to be elements of the head and the heart that you’re going to need. The art of being a modern leader is knowing how much of each is needed,” says Kirstin, whose leadership book Head and Heart has just been released.?

She says whether we realise it or not, each and every one of us is already a leader.

“You don’t need a business card or a fancy title to be a leader. We are all impacting others around us. Whether it’s a single mum at home making decisions on how to best bring up her kids, or whether it’s someone who’s a supervisor of two people, or maybe you’re working on a checkout in a supermarket – you’re still impacting the lives of those you interact with,” she says.

Curveball is a production of podcast consultancy and production company Deadset Studios. Host Kellie Riordan is a leading podcast strategist.?