“The standard you walk past is the standard you accept” and “ethics is about courage” were statements/themes that were carried throughout the day, as well as the idea that our approach to ethical questions changes over time and is influenced by our life experience.

The enormous influence of organisational culture, how culture can influence our accepted norms, and our willingness to challenge practices which may be at odds with our core valves or sense of self, was also explored.

The ability to be able to criticise, and to accept criticism was discussed as a key contributor to achieving transparency in leadership and within teams, and the distinction between “fairness” versus “legality” was also explored. It was acknowledged that outcomes from within the justice system are not always necessarily fair or ‘right’.

“The Sunlight Test” (whereby participants were asked to think about how decisions might be viewed should they appear on the front page of tomorrow’s newspaper!) was used to illustrate one approach to assess difficult decisions which may be ethically conflicting.

The group also had the opportunity to develop their understanding of the role of the Victorian Ombudsman, as well as the functions and jurisdictions of the various organisations which make up the Victorian Regulatory Framework.

LGSC participants relished the opportunity to catch up again, and build upon the close relationships developed during the opening retreat. There were several reports of animated discussions in various car-pools on the way home, providing a great opportunity to de-brief and further exchange ideas and experiences within the context of ethics in leadership and the workplace.

LGSC would like to extend our gratitude to our Facilitator: Dr Greg Wood and our guest speakers, Simon Illingworth, Victoria Police Whistle-blower and Megan Philpot, Deputy Ombudsman