The Young, The Bald & The Leadership

The Leader's Beacon should be the pocket reference book for anyone who works as a leader or aspires to lead. I found useful ideas on every page and I know that some of Geoff’s catchy phrases will become part of my regular conversations with the young leaders I work with!Georgia van Cuylenburg, Owner I Am Spartacus Entertainment

It’s hard to know where to start when talking about Georgia. She has been through so much and achieved so many goals for herself and others.

And she’s still a 20 something!

I was keen to get views from younger people about The Leader’s Beacon and Georgia was one of the first people to come to mind. Georgia was a student at RMIT University in Melbourne during my time as an academic.

The PR degree at RMIT University is a little different. We hand-picked our students based on their leadership qualities and their passion. Eventually we re-developed the degree so that it had a values base rather than just a skills base. As a result, we had a lot of first-class young people in the degree, many of whom have already excelled in their chosen paths.

Even by those high standards, Georgia is exceptional. While at University, Georgia worked as a children’s entertainer, achieving remarkable results in both fields. At the same time, she also wrote and produced a play highlighting young people’s experiences of depression and anorexia for which she received a number of community and University awards, as well as attracting international interest.

Then she left Melbourne to go to LA. She had her degree to provide her safety net and she wanted an acting career.

While in LA (where she is still based) she fell in love with stand-up comedy and performs on the circuit. This didn’t stop her continuing her work with children, including conducting acting workshops.

There were many trials and tribulations along the way, but Georgia has this philosophy that sits well with her constant smile. She believes that everything happens so you can do something good with it.

There aren’t a lot of aspiring female actors with hair loss, so when Georgia started suffering from Alopecia, it would have been understandable if she headed home to Melbourne and gave up her career aspirations, especially given her degree and her talent in other fields.

Instead, she set about making a documentary (recently released) called Baby, Let Your Hair Hang Down and started working with children who suffer from alopecia. She researched the identity and image problems children suffer as a result of the disease, which can lead to bullying and trauma. This is all on top of continuing her usual work.

Georgia is one of those leaders whose actions and words are totally aligned. In The Leader’s Beacon, I write:

Being excited and positive is easier than you think There are those who get annoyed at people who are always upbeat and positive, always looking on the bright side.

Prepare to become annoying! Being excited and positive begins to come naturally when you start focusing on a real and achievable vision and on the people who are working with you. The barriers around your day-to-day activities begin to look like mosquito bites instead of immovable objects.

It’s okay, you’re not going to turn into a saccharine monster spreading sugar and light without substance, because what you are achieving is real - even touchable - as a result of developing your framework.

Georgia Van Cuylenburg is a wonderful example of a leader, and of the reality that leadership can occur at all levels and in all situations. I will enjoy following her achievements for many years to come.

The Leader's Beacon: The 55-minute guide to Leadership Communication can now be ordered on Amazon. It is published by Verb Publishing (UK).