Monday, January 05, 2015

Luke Foley: A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd

"It seems that every political generation needs to learn the dangers of allowing 'the faceless men' to dictate to elected parliamentarians."
~ Michael Egan December 2014

It is simply impossible to become a great leader without being a great communicator. I hope you noticed the previous sentence didn’t refer to being a great talker – big difference.

"The challenge of leadership is to be strong but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not a bully; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant; have humor, but without folly."
~Jim Rohn
Ten Commandments of Great Leaders

Luke Foley, praised as intelligent, hard working and independent, has been elected unopposed as NSW Labor leader. He is pictured with deputy party leader Linda Burney. Luke Foley, praised as intelligent, hard working and independent, has been elected unopposed as NSW Labor leader. He is pictured with deputy party leader Linda Burney. Photo: Nic Walker

“I cannot give you the formula for success, but I can give you the formula for failure, which is: Try to please everybody.” 
– Herbert Swope 

Foley will also take the infrastructure portfolio in an otherwise little-changed NSW opposition frontbench. He assumes the top job less than three months before the March 28 state election, which he insists Labor can win despite overwhelming odds.
With just three months to go until the next state election, the newly anointed New South Wales Opposition Leader Luke Foley believes his party can stage an upset and win government.
Speaking after being elected unopposed at a special Labor caucus meeting this morning, Mr Foley said he could make a dent in the Premier Mike Baird's popularity.
"I can do a lot. Watch this space. I am in this to win it," Mr Foley said.
"I'm a big sports fan and I've seen some upsets in my time. What I say is come along for the ride. Winning 


Luke Foley has moved to reset NSW Labor before the March election, placing his personal stamp on the leadership by declaring he is "not an ideologue" on asset privatisation and that he will "relish the battle of ideas" with Premier Mike Baird.  Foley is a man of many qualities. As a protege of the inscrutable former Labor Senator John Faulkner, he is refreshingly honest. Foley played an important role at the ICAC hearings into Macdonald in 2013 when he blew the whistle on the corrupt Australian Manufacturing Workers Union preselection process that protected Macdonald's spot in parliament.
In Depth Stories on New Leader

“A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd.”
– Max Lucado

Former NSW Treasurer Michael Egan has accused Labor party bosses of intimidating MPs into supporting their favoured candidate in next week's leadership ballot.

As the French Napoleon noted "A leader is a dealer in hope."
 
In an email to Labor MPs on Tuesday – two hours before Luke Foley's sole remaining rival Michael Daley withdrew from the contest – Mr Egan says he is "appalled at the current behaviour of the machine men (and they are all men) in Sussex Street."
Fearless Michael Egan 

"Leadership is not about titles, positions, or flow charts. It is about one life influencing another." John C. Maxwell

Devoted Catholic Foley

"Victory has a hundred fathers and defeat is an orphan. John F. Kennedy