ABOUT THE LEONARDO INSTITUTE

The Leonardo Institute of Lifelong Learning is a Melbourne-based, commercial enterprise with the mission of increasing the productivity of knowledge work and knowledge workers. See Who we are.

Knowledge work is fundamentally about information inputs and outputs. But it’s the choices and decisions that are made between these inputs and outputs that are important because this is where the real value of knowledge work takes place.

A major focus of the Leonardo Institute is helping to develop “high-value-add” knowledge workers – also known as “informationists” – or what Robert Kelley describes as “gold-collar” workers. A gold-collar worker is defined as one whose most valuable assets are problem-solving abilities, creativity, talent, and intelligence; who performs non-repetitive and complex work that is difficult to evaluate; and who prefers self-management.

“For gold-collar workers, knowledge is not just having information; it is using information – to solve problems, to create solutions and strategies, to learn from experience.”
    — Michael E. Wonacott in Gold-Collar Workers

Another focus is in assisting those workers who must use their intuition to make decisions “on the fly” or where workers wish to tap into their “gut feel” regarding a pending decision.

Gary Klein, author of The Power of Intuition, describes intuition as “how you turn experience into action. It is the set of hunches, impulses, insights, gut feelings, anticipations, and judgments stemming from previous events in your life.”

Making good decisions or choices can be a challenge. In fact among the most common Google search terms used in relation to decision-making are “decision making model” and “decision making process”.

Jack Welsh, the legendary CEO of GE, has been quoted as saying, “An organization’s ability to learn, and translate that learning into action rapidly, is the ultimate competitive business advantage.”

Principled Decision Making™ is a simple, holistic approach to a decision-making model (and lifelong learning model) that is the core of a number of learning programs, seminars and briefings available from the Leonardo Institute.

Who we are

We have come together from three complementary, information-related specialties. Together these specialties cover the process used by knowledge workers to add value by discovering information, developing information and delivering information.

Discovering information - David Novak

David is Australia’s top internet search expert and one of the world's very best gurus on internet search theory.

David connects people to the world of public information. In practice this means David shows business people how to inform their decisions. He shows knowledge workers how to better co-opt the world's experience for their innovation and knowledge work. He shows everyone how to gather internet information twice as fast with twice the value. These are the skills that make internet information valuable.

Responsible for such pivotal works as the Spire Project and the Information Research FAQ, with articles in leading library periodicals, speaking to the best researchers and librarians, there is little doubt David’s ideas and techniques are at the forefront of the information revolution. Furthermore, David is a professional speaker.

Information is very important to an organization. Staff use it to inform their decisions, to innovate, to solve challenges. Gathering information is the first step in the process of knowing what to do. And starved of relevant quality information, we make ill-informed decisions, we re-invent existing knowledge and we don’t solve nearly as many challenges nearly as effectively.

This is why clients reach for David Novak to improve their information skills. David’s client list includes The State Libraries of Western Australia and South Australia, The Defence Science & Technology Organisation (DSTO - part of Australia's Department of Defence) and the Brisbane City Council.

In addition, hundreds of individuals from a range of organisations have attended David’s seminars in Australia and the USA. These attendees span business, government, librarians and professors — a who’s who list of knowledge workers. All enhance their information skills with David’s assistance.

Developing information - Adrian Farrell

Adrian specialises in competitive intelligence (CI) which is defined as a process — using legal and ethical means — for discovering, developing, and delivering timely, relevant external information needed by decision makers — especially for identifying threats and opportunities as part of the planning process. He is a member of the Australian Institute of Professional Intelligence Officers (AIPIO).

Adrian’s interests have also centred on information flows in decision-making and learning. From this research Adrian has developed the Delta Control Loop® information-knowledge-learning framework for linking information, knowledge and generic skills – including beliefs and commitments – required by today’s high-value-add knowledge workers.

Adrian is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management, having been closely involved in management development over a number of years. He is Past Chairman of the Management Development Group at AIM-Victoria and is Academic Coordinator for the “Managing with Information” unit of the Graduate Certificate in Business.

Adrian’s corporate experience includes working for two leading US corporations, Tektronix and Hewlett-Packard, in sales, marketing and management roles. He held the position of Market Development Manager – New Business with HP, prior to founding Woodlawn Marketing Services in 1991.

Delivering information - Geoff Kelly

Geoff Kelly is a widely respected expert in leadership influence. He works with clients who know their success depends on the extent to which they can earn the support and commitment of key staff, suppliers, customers and others.

Geoff also is an in-demand speaker, writer and executive coach on leadership influence, persuasion, and applying leadership communication to achieving business results. He runs a course on strategic communication for graduate students at RMIT University, is a frequent speaker at the Australian Institute of Management, other professional associations and the national conferences of various organisations. He is also an excellent executive writer, and regularly publishes articles in professional magazines and journals.

Geoff was Group Manager Corporate Communication at WMC from 1995 until 2001. Before joining WMC Geoff held strategic influence roles including Managing Director - Melbourne at international consultant Burson-Marsteller; Project Leader - Communication for the Office of State Owned Enterprises, Victorian Treasury and Group General Manager - Public Affairs for Myer and Grace Bros. He has also worked at Coles Myer, CRA and BHP in related roles.

Geoff has been Chairperson of the Uranium Information Centre, President of the Public Relations Institute of Australia (Victorian Branch) and Executive Council Member of the Victorian Chamber of Mines.

He became a Fellow of the Public Relations Institute of Australia in 2000, and is a member of the National Speakers Association of Australia, the Australian Institute of Management, the Public Relations Society of America, and the US based Society for the Advancement of Consulting.

“According to conventional thinking, a “genius” needs no schooling. But (Leonardo) . . . was well aware of the importance of constant practice, a method of learning that seems to have accompanied him to the very end of his life.”
— Johannes Nathan in Leonardo da Vinci: Sketches and drawings (2004).

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