Regional and rural leaders must navigate ongoing challenges that require resilience, creativity, and a strong sense of community. Indeed, the mere nature of living in the bush requires a timeless set of qualities which require constant practice and application. It seems many of these qualities are being lost or diminished with our next generation of city-based leaders.

Country towns are more than just dots on a map –
they are the beating heart of Australia.
Tim Fischer, former Deputy PM

Take for instance the good old-fashioned quality of grit. The determination to see something through no matter the obstacles or challenges. It seems the first hint of a challenge or set back, city leaders give up, quit, apportion blame onto others, require counselling, or deflect responsibility. In the bush, there is no time or place for this. Rural leaders must soldier on with a “If not you – who? If not now – when?” mindset.

The bushman and his mateship, his hospitality and his hardships
– these are the qualities that make Australia.
Henry Lawson

Here are six leadership qualities that I believe separate regional and rural leaders from city leaders:

#1: Deep generational knowledge

To know where you have come from is to know who you are. Leaders in regional areas carry a deep understanding of their history, localised cultural and environmental wisdom, and sense of community which has been passed down from one generation to the next. This provides a rich perspective of the land, community, and local traditions, which fuels a stronger connection to community and identity – who they are.

Women leaders and influencers in the bush are the quiet heroes, holding families and communities together.
Isabel Ross (pioneer and community leader)

#2: Community centred leadership

Regional leaders are more likely to lead through relationship building and connection. This helps foster familiarity and trust amongst people. Community connection is formed through conversations and relationships. This connection generates a greater propensity to collaborate, innovate, and problem solve together as a community, thus fostering a sense of belonging and support.

There is a spirit in the country that you won’t find in the city – one of grit, generosity and quiet determination.
Banjo Paterson (poet and writer)

#3: Resilience and adaptability in adversity

Facing challenges such as drought, bushfires, floods, isolation, economic hardship, and a lack of local resources forces Regional leaders to adapt to the changing circumstances, adopt rapid and innovative contingency plans, marshal local resources, and solve problems through co-design. Often there is no time to cry poor or ask a government for a bailout or conduct another bureaucratic review. Governments have never solved a problem. Communities do. Practical problem solving requires local leadership and action that most city leaders may not be required to do.

There is a toughness and resilience in regional Australia not found anywhere else. Especially not in the city.
Dawn Fraser (Olympic legend)

#4: Value volunteering and civic engagement

Rural leaders are acutely aware of the impact volunteering and civic engagement has on the local community. Often the survival of local communities depends on volunteers. Looking out for your mates and checking in on neighbours in times of crisis is what regional leaders do. Living in the city can be particularly impersonal and lonely, hence the importance of community connection is not deemed as important or relevant to city leaders. Rural leaders have ingrained into their DNA the need to volunteer and be active in the local community.

Community is everything
– Wherever you come from, it shapes who you are
Adam Goodes (AFL legend – Indigenous leader)

#5 Respect for the environment

Living close to nature fosters a much deeper respect for sustainability. Managing water supplies, sustainable farming, looking after the local flora and fauna, and ensuring developments are in-tune with the local environment all form part of a rural leaders mindset and their decision making. The environment is not an afterthought, but a deeply ingrained value that regional leaders adopt. This is far more apparent and obvious in rural communities over cities.

Some of our greatest stories, the most powerful leadership voices, and the truest Australian spirit come from the bush.
Cate Blanchett (actor and activist)

#6 Importance of “whole of community” thinking

Rural leaders are far less prone to “silo thinking” and only focusing on their own needs. They are far less selfish. They are more attuned to ensuring they integrate health, education, business and community well-being into their decision making and influence. They do not just focus on what is of benefit to them. Cities throughout Australia are littered with the impact of the greed and selfishness of city leaders and their endless quest for personal wealth.

Country and community are inseparable
– when we care for the land it cares for us.
Eddie Mabo (Aboriginal land rights campaigner)

Finally

Australia has been well served by the wisdom and legacy of generations of regional and rural leaders who have role modelled the characteristics of resilience, adaptability, humility, resourcefulness, collaboration, innovation, creativity, and connection. These skills are acquired through practice and application, not taught in a classroom. Our city leaders could well do with spending some time in the bush and learning some of these qualities from rural leaders.

Leadership Lesson

Leadership in rural Australia is a way of life.
It does not have a set of specific skills or competencies, but rather timeless qualities that have formed over time and been passed on from one generation to the next. Character is how someone is described.
Character forms the basis of leadership
– something rural leaders have in abundance.  

Facta Non-Verba – Deeds Not Words