Jawun chair and CEO on collaborative leadership

Shane Webster

CEO POV

There are two really clear goals for Jawun. The first is to stand at the shoulder of Indigenous partners. The language “at the shoulder” is intentional because there is a lot of goodwill in the First Nations sector, but often there’s awkward allyship. We frequently see new partners eager to help, who then inadvertently stand in front, taking up all the energy. Or they stand too far behind, becoming invisible when needed. Our goal is to be alongside Indigenous partners, strengthening their arm and resolve as they tackle some of the biggest challenges and opportunities in this country.

The second goal is to influence systemic change. There is much emphasis and investment in supporting and growing strong Indigenous leaders, and we have a remarkable relationship in that area, particularly around scholarships for First Nations leaders. Supporting the next generation of leaders is crucial, especially when driven by the communities themselves. However, we already have a strong cohort of Indigenous leaders driving change. What’s often missing is the corresponding investment in strong institutions for them to engage with.

A few years ago, we recognised First Nations CEOs face a world of crisis and disruption. Many challenges — such as educational and economic reforms — have no known solutions and require first-time changes, some needing legislative changes around land tenure. As a result, there are either too many choices or too few clear ones. At Jawun, we’re ensuring leaders within corporate, government and philanthropy understand these challenges and work to create appropriate gateways for business.

Servant leadership

My background is primarily in public service and politics. Over the past nine years with Jawun, two and a half as CEO, I’ve developed strong relationships with leaders in philanthropy, corporate Australia and government. I’ve noticed that effective leaders think about institutional integrity and inclusiveness, ensuring equity and collaboration. A key lesson is that purpose has power. Leadership begins with purpose, aligning every element of the organisation. Our board and staff see themselves as part of something bigger, which has a tremendous impact when done well. Purpose allows us to execute as one team.

Great leaders inspire by understanding the human experience, not just strategies. Some of the greatest leaders, like Ilana, are humble and understand that leadership is about serving others. When boards and management teams see themselves as custodians serving others, they align more towards purpose.

Greg Mackie OAM is CEO of the History Trust of South Australia. When I worked with him, he was the deputy chief executive of the Department of Premier and Cabinet in SA. He had a strong arts background and was responsible for cultural development, overseeing institutions like the art gallery, library, museum, festivals and think tanks like the Integrated Design Commission.

Greg’s approach was servant leadership. He understood that beyond the mission and strategy, the purpose was to make SA a place with a vibrant cultural fabric, where people wanted to live. The way arts and culture can elevate society was a fundamental part of that value proposition. He created a sense of purpose, bringing together many moving parts towards a shared vision. Greg made the vision and purpose clear to everyone. He invested in people, understanding it wasn’t just about the purpose, but also the people driving it.

A confident fellowship

I’m going to be a bit cheeky here. I believe Ilana and I are the strongest, most effective CEO-chair duo in the country. Relationships move at the speed of trust and we respect the governance role between a CEO and a chair. We push through and go as far as we can because there’s so much work to be done. A good CEO and chair should work as a team, leveraging each other’s strengths. Ilana has strong governance skills, extensive experience and an innate sense of when to apply pressure, step back, ask detailed questions or trust the process. She also has an uncanny ability to recognise valuable connections, people who can contribute significantly to our Indigenous partner network.

Our organisation is unique. While many businesses focus on strategy, we also value fellowship. Leadership drives direction, but fellowship fosters cohesion, care and social fabric. This resilience helps us unlock our full potential.

Reflecting on our relationship, we constantly balance leadership and fellowship, respecting each other’s expertise. A good chair supports the CEO and a good CEO supports the chair. The name Jawun, from the rainforest people of Cape York, means “friend” or “family”. We strive to honour this, maintaining institutional integrity and fostering a familial relationship.

Ilana brings her governance skills and intuition to ask critical questions about the partners we introduce — on the Indigenous partnership side and the corporate and philanthropic side. She helps determine if new partners are committed to standing shoulder to shoulder. There have been high-profile instances where we’ve had strong discussions about potential partners. While there’s a reputational risk to consider, it’s more important to stay true to the vision of long-term change.

Resilience against challenge

It’s about getting ahead of the issue before it becomes a problem. Having a trusted relationship allows us to discuss potential concerns early. We can say, “This is the organisation approaching us, and this is what they’re trying to achieve. What do you think?” As management, we can formalise recommendations, but it’s the preliminary conversation that helps us sense-check things.

Ilana and I both believe in the power of collaboration to solve complex problems. It’s part of our model, finding resources to solve challenges. But we also know that change requires more than just having a strategy. You have to listen — especially to those you disagree with — and sometimes be prepared to compromise. This is crucial when those you disagree with can contribute significantly to the partnership in the long term. You need allies in the system, even though it can be frustrating and slow. History shows that excluding people from the journey leads to decisions made for Indigenous people, not with them.

Being uncompromising on your values might make you feel good, but it won’t get you what you want. Effective change requires balancing organisational cultural values with practicality. A specific example involved a high-profile incident with an existing corporate and Indigenous partner. We had to question whether maintaining that partnership would lead to success, despite the setback. The answer lies in staying true to your cultural values while being effective. Understanding what the corporate or Indigenous partner is trying to achieve and staying with them on the journey, despite disagreements, is crucial for long-term reform and change.

Community forward

There’s a lot of reflection right now on what comes next after the Voice referendum, across all sectors of our partnership, but most importantly from our First Nations leaders. One emerging trend from community leaders is a focus on the political determinants of health. Social determinants of health include housing, justice and the economy. Political determinants are about who holds the power to make decisions.

First Nations leaders are really thinking about self-determination. This point is often made by one of our directors, Professor Daryle Rigney. I expect the next few years will involve rebalancing power between corporate, philanthropic, governmental and community partners. First Nations leaders are considering what they want and how they define their terms.

Historically, Jawun has aligned with the needs of all of its partners, anticipating where those needs are leading. The key ask from our Indigenous leaders is to truly understand what it means to be Indigenous-led. There’s still a balance to be found across the country in this regard.

In the next five years, Jawun will focus on encouraging closer relationships across distances and adopting a simple formula of listen, learn and lend — listening to First Nations voices, learning about our shared history and lending our resources and expertise to drive systemic, long-term change.

Corporate Australia is good at lending. Focusing on lending aligns strategy with what you’re good at and what you can share, leading to more productive and systemic change. Asking partners to do something new can be challenging, but if they focus on lending — what they already excel at — it creates more equity in the system. 

This article first appeared under the headline 'Come Together’ in the September 2024 issue of Company Director magazine.