Synergy Group was honoured to bring together our community on Ngunnawal Country and host some of Australia's most influential First Nations leaders for an inspiring discussion at Floriade.
In the amazing Spiegeltent, amongst the beautiful scenery of Floriade, we were privileged to share this moment with clients, our Synergy Group team and a number of like-minded Reconciliation Action Plan Organisations.
As a step forward in our reconciliation journey, the event delved into the topic of Embracing Heart-Based Leadership: Bringing community together through connection and compassion.
Our distinguished panellists shared lived experiences and perspectives on leading with your heart to make change, influencing our next generation of future leaders and connecting with our community.
We began the evening with a warm and thought-provoking Welcome to Country from Ngunnawal leader Selina Walker, where she shared a powerful message, "If we change nothing, nothing will change."
Joining Selina on our distinguished panel was 2023 Senior Australian of the Year, Professor Tom Calma AO FAA FASSA, Aboriginal Elder from Kungarakan and Iwaidja tribal groups; Wiradjuri Yinaa - Commonwealth Government Senior Executive Sarah Burr; and Indigenous Marathon Foundation Founder, Rob De Castella AO MBE.
Facilitating a rigorous and passionate conversation, the event was hosted by Whadjuk Noongar television presenter and journalist, Narelda Jacobs OAM
Narelda kicked off the discussion by exploring the meaning of heart-based leadership.
When asked what heart-based leadership meant to them, while it was different for each panellist, they all spoke of personal experiences, family connections, and moments of pride.
Rob De Castella spoke of his first Indigenous Marathon Foundation participants. Each had undergone rigorous training to prepare for the New York Marathon, and despite being out of their depth, they were all dedicated to making their family proud.
As a Commonwealth government senior executive, Sarah discussed the immense sense of pride that comes with contributing to policy making, especially policies such as the Indigenous Procurement Policy that has a real and tangible impact on the lives of First Nations peoples and communities.
Salina shared insight from her grandmother, who taught her, "if we say nothing, we accept it."
These insights highlighted a clear theme of leading to influence and inspire others, rather than gain personal benefit. As reflected by Narelda, these insights highlighted a clear theme of leading to make a change, and influence others, rather than gain personal benefit.
Exploring whether 'good' leadership is inherently heart-based, the panel discussed the need for empathy, compassion, humility, and humour among our community leaders.
Leading with our hearts means leading for the future and putting others first. To do this as a broader Australian community, Selina shared insight into how we can look to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural protocols, such as Welcome to Country as an example. Understanding these protocols shows us that knowledge contributes to progress.
Across generations, heart-based leadership has existed at the core of First Nations communities, passing down knowledge and embracing collective intelligence rather than concealing it for personal gain.
The event then delved into the current climate of confusion in the context of the upcoming referendum, and how we as a community can stand above the noise. The room was captivated by the empathy, honesty, and raw emotion of our panel.
We learned the key lessons of engaging others by presenting information in a relatable and concise manner, advocating for what is right and being motivated by change.
We have a lot to learn from First Nations peoples and communities. The knowledge shared by the thousands of generations before us demonstrates the importance of sharing ideas, building relationships, and moving forward collectively.
To finish the evening, we were privileged to enjoy a special performance from local musician, Wallabindi, who shared her own personal stories through song and captivated the audience with her creativity and truth telling. It was a very special way to end a thought-provoking and meaningful evening.
Synergy Group was honoured to host this event and marks a significant moment in our reconciliation journey that we will hold close. We will continue to move forward with the important lessons learned from our panellists, front of mind and heart.
With the upcoming Voice referendum, it is so important to educate ourselves, our families, and our communities to make an informed decision. Now more than ever, heart-based leadership can help us all to make the right decision.
