A grounded reflection on what truly shapes council CEOs and why leadership aptitude, development, and context all matter.
It’s one of the oldest questions in leadership: are great leaders born… or made?
In local government, where complexity, politics, public trust and community expectation meet, it’s not an academic debate. It directly shapes how councils appoint CEOs, and how senior executives assess their own readiness.
After supporting more than 90 CEO appointments across Australia, our view is clear:
Great council CEOs are developed — but not from just anyone, and not by training alone. They emerge where three forces align: baseline leadership aptitude, deliberate development and the right contextual fit.
1) The baseline matters: leadership aptitude isn’t evenly distributed
Some people have a stronger natural orientation to leadership: they gravitate to responsibility, think in systems, tolerate ambiguity, and feel compelled to set direction. Others prefer depth, certainty and functional excellence — and can be outstanding executives without wanting (or being suited to) the CEO seat.
This isn’t about charisma. In council environments, the “obvious” candidate is often the wrong one. But it is about an underlying capacity to form judgement, hold tension and carry consequences.
The practical point: councils should be careful about assuming that time served or technical competence equals CEO capability. They are necessary, but not everything.
2) Development is essential: even the capable are rarely “ready”
Even where baseline aptitude exists, great CEOs are not accidental.
They learn how to:
translate vision into a deliverable plan with trade-offs, sequencing, and accountability
operate credibly across councillors, community, regulators, unions and the executive team
stay calm and decisive under scrutiny and conflict
build followership without relying on positional authority
This kind of leadership is built through exposure, reflection, feedback, coaching and hard lessons — not through generic courses alone. Development works best when it is specific, experiential and reinforced over time.
3) Context decides the outcome: leadership is situational, not universal
We’ve all heard of leaders who thrive in one council struggling in another.
Some environments demand stabilisation and financial repair. Others demand growth, reform or deep cultural change. Some require high political dexterity; others require operational discipline and resilience through public scrutiny.
CEO success is not only about “how good” someone is in general. It’s about fit: the match between the leader’s strengths, the council’s needs and the system they must navigate.
What this means for senior executives
If you’re thinking about stepping into a CEO role, the question isn’t only “Am I ready?”
A better test is:
Do I feel a genuine pull to lead at whole-of-system level — not just manage?
Do I routinely turn ambiguity into direction and execution, not just analysis?
Do people follow my leadership because of clarity and judgement, not title?
Am I actively building the capabilities I’ll need — political acumen, strategic discipline, culture, and stakeholder trust?
If the orientation is there, development can be planned and accelerated. If it isn’t, forcing the step can be costly for the individual and the organisation.
What this means for councils choosing their next CEO
Councils often default to “safe hands”: prior CEOs with visible track records. Sometimes that is the right risk decision.
But the best appointment is not always the most polished CV. It’s the candidate who combines:
underlying leadership aptitude and maturity
evidence of deliberate growth
judgement under complexity
and a strong fit to the council’s specific context
Sometimes that leader is an internal executive. Sometimes it’s external. The discipline is the same: select for aptitude and fit, then support the leader’s development.
The real markers of CEO capability
Across successful appointments, the same signals repeat:
Judgement under pressure
Capacity to set direction and convert it into deliverable plans
Ability to create followership across diverse stakeholders
Self-awareness and learning discipline
Courage to make hard calls with care
Some of this is predisposition. Much of it is developed. All of it is tested by context.
Thinking about your own leadership move?
If you’re considering a CEO step, or if your council is weighing internal versus external options, the most valuable work is an honest assessment of aptitude, development needs and contextual fit.
Mark Ogston has direct, practical conversations with senior executives and councils about these decisions — what’s realistic, what’s risky and what needs to be built before the step.
📧 mark.ogston@leadingroles.com.au
📞 1800 088 000
Because great leaders aren’t simply born and they aren’t manufactured on demand.
They are identified carefully, developed deliberately and matched thoughtfully to the context they must lead.