A leadership reflection on values, visibility and navigating complexity from Compass Women in Leadership alumna Adele Rohde.
A few days before stepping onto the keynote stage at the Women Unlimited Conference in Melbourne, we sat down with Adele Rohde to reflect, not on the presentation itself, but on the leadership thinking that sits underneath moments like these.
Adele, Executive Manager of Customer and Employee Experience at Grampians Wimmera Mallee Water and a Compass alumna, had been invited to deliver a keynote on leading with vision, purpose and values in a rapidly changing environment. What struck us most in conversation was not just the opportunity itself, but the depth of reflection beneath it. A lived leadership practice shaped by real choice, vulnerability and a commitment to making space for others.
For Adele, the invitation carried both excitement and a sense of stretch.
“When I first got the offer, I was thinking maybe a panel spot or something similar,” she said. “They offered me a keynote, and I thought, wow, what a great opportunity this would be.”
Then the full program landed.
“I’m the last speaker on the last day,” she laughed. “So, it’s thinking about what I could possibly say that will add value after two days of hearing incredible conversations that’s making me nervous.”
That mix of excitement, nerves and responsibility is familiar to many leaders who find themselves stepping into bigger conversations. What stood out wasn’t just Adele’s willingness to say yes, but the clarity she brings to how leadership is lived day to day. A clarity that has been shaped over time through experience, reflection, and intentional development.
Leading with values when it matters most
Adele’s leadership journey hasn’t been shaped by a single defining moment, but by a series of deliberate choices about how she wants to show up, particularly as a woman navigating senior leadership alongside family life.
“When I applied for my current role as an executive, I was about nine weeks pregnant and knew I was going to take parental leave,” she shared. “I wanted to take a year, and I wasn’t willing to compromise on that.”
“I was inspired by hearing Michelle Obama talk about being upfront about her life,” Adele said. And being upfront wasn’t just a personal decision. It was values-based and about what that visibility makes possible for others.
“What that does for all the other women who work locally in the community and within my own business is they can see that it is doable. You can succeed in a role. You can have a family. Yes, it’s nuts. It’s chaotic. They see me come into the office with bags under my eyes at times and toddler muck all over my clothes.”
This kind of leadership, grounded in purpose rather than performance, sits at the heart of what Adele is now being invited to speak about. Not because it is theoretical, but because it is lived.
Through programs like Compass, leaders are invited to pause and examine how their values, assumptions and patterns shape the way they lead. For Adele, that reflective work has translated into greater confidence in standing by what matters, even when the context is complex or demanding.
Rethinking what leadership asks of us
A strong theme in Adele’s reflections is a desire to move away from leadership models that equate impact with endurance.
“I don’t want people to think that leadership means more hours,” she said. “I’ve been used and abused in jobs in the past where you work a ridiculous amount of hours, you’re probably getting paid peanuts, and the thanks isn’t even really there. That’s not why we elevate people into leadership roles, just to add more hours to their work week.”
Instead, Adele speaks about leadership as something that requires discernment, boundaries and self-awareness. Skills that become increasingly important in rapidly changing environments, where pressure is high, and expectations are constant.
By role modelling a different way of leading, she hopes others might begin to see leadership as something they can step into, not something that costs them everything else.
“I hope that through sharing some of my stories and through role modelling that in my own organisation, some of the other women in this business might actually see themselves as prospects for leadership roles that do pop up.”
Making space for humanity
One of the most honest moments in our conversation came when Adele spoke about emotion at work.
“I’m a crier. If I’m really put under pressure, I’ll burst into tears,” she admitted. “For a long time, I’ve hated that about myself.”
She described the frustration of feeling like emotion made it harder to communicate clearly, and the internal judgement that often comes with that.
“But I think in terms of people being able to see that I’m just a person, there’s nothing special about me necessarily. I have my bad days. I have days where I just think I do not want to be here.”
What has shifted over time is her relationship with that reality and her willingness to let it be seen.
“We’re moving away from a leadership model that assumes people have the kind of personal circumstances that allow them to work 80 hours a week,” she reflected.
This capacity to stay grounded, human, and connected, even when things feel messy, is part of what gives Adele’s leadership credibility. It is also what makes her voice resonate beyond her organisation and into broader leadership conversations.
From inner clarity to outer impact
When we asked whether she feels a responsibility to widen the path for others, Adele didn’t hesitate.
“I definitely think so, being a woman in particular.”
Her hope is simple. That by being visible in her leadership, others might imagine themselves there too. Not because they’ve become someone else, but because they’ve learned to lead as themselves.
Moments like a keynote don’t appear in isolation. They are often the result of quieter work. The work of reflecting on values, rethinking old models, and choosing to lead with intention.
That is the kind of leadership Compass alumni continue to practise long after the program ends. And it is why their voices are increasingly shaping conversations well beyond the organisations they work in.
Want to explore this further?
Adele’s reflections speak to a reality many leaders recognise. Leadership asks us to navigate pressure, emotion, and responsibility, often all at once.
If this conversation resonated, you may find value in one of Dattner Group’s free resources or the Compass Women in Leadership Program:
