Experienced Fijian pharmaceutical leader and Australia Awards scholar Apolosi Vosanibola says participating in LeadershipConnect gave him the confidence to become a better leader and provided “practical measures on how I can implement ideas” when home in Fiji.
The former Chief Pharmacist of Fiji’s Ministry of Health and Medical Service reflected on how participating in the six-month LeadershipConnect program opened his eyes to the experiences and contributions of women leaders in the Pacific, helped to “refresh” his leadership knowledge, and inspired a new-found appreciation for self-care.
While Apolosi is a well-established leader in his career and community, he saw LeadershipConnect as an opportunity to “refresh knowledge on some aspects of leadership” and add to his Australia Awards experience.
Through the tailored virtual program of online leadership learning, networking, and support, Apolosi learned more about the important role women play in exercising leadership in the Pacific
While he was familiar with the Fijian Government’s policy directives in relation to gender and social inclusion, Apolosi reflected on the value of learning from and listening to women about their experiences in the Pacific context.
“I had some knowledge and understanding already, but when I joined the program and listened to the women, it increased my knowledge....” Apolosi added, “[Women] bring a different perspective to the discussions compared to that of men.”
He wants to continue to advocate for gender equality and its benefits to Fiji, in his workplace and community, and to lead by example, taking opportunities to support women into positions of leadership.
“It’s about opening people’s minds, seeing things from a woman’s perspective, and seeing how we can collaborate together,” Apolosi said.
Apolosi has already begun sharing and applying the “empowering and refreshing” ontological leadership knowledge and lessons learned about self-care through the program in his spheres of leadership in Fiji.
“It has given me the confidence to consider some of the changes I need to make to become a good leader,” said Apolosi.
This includes introducing new ways of thinking into his church, in which he is an influential leader.
“The whole self-care concept is like an epiphany for them,” he added, “so introducing new concepts can take a while for people to accept, but I continue to advocate…”
“We need to look after ourselves in order to perform well in all parts of our lives,” Apolosi said, “Sometimes it’s hard to verbally convince people, so I have to lead by example and show them in the physical context what I am doing and how it is beneficial.”
Putting more lessons into practice, as the Chair of a recent local church leaders’ meeting, Apolosi encouraged a female colleague to nominate herself for the position of church steward, which had traditionally been held only by men.
“Women can greatly contribute to society,” says Apolosi, “their contributions to the discussions are significant. They have many qualities that I as a man don’t have and bring a very different perspective…”
Apolosi believes that the woman's successful appointment represented a significant and historical moment. He reflected that she may have been the first female steward to take on the role in the Methodist Church of Fiji.
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Apolosi is an alumnus of the WLI LeadershipConnect program – a six-month online leadership, networking and support program for men and women Pacific Islands Australia Awards, bringing together the most popular content, guest speakers and activities from WLI’s prestigious Women's Developmental Leadership Program.
