SingularityU Sydney Summit - Exponential Leadership for a Positive Future

YouTube ignored warning they were letting toxic videos run rampant. Where are the ethics?

Kaila talked about the Brene Brown approach.

Brown talks about lack of courage

Tough conversations – we opt out of the hard conversations because we deem it ‘not in our nature to be mean to people’. But by opting out of the hard conversations we encourage ‘side conversations’, or gossiping that breeds politics and game-playing.

Fears and feelings – as leaders we have convinced ourselves that dealing with fears and feelings is ‘not’ the role of leaders. But Brown says we are kidding ourselves because ‘human beings have fears that need to be addressed’ and if we don’t address fears and feelings we will never get to the root of bad behaviour in individuals.

Stuck in setbacks – people can’t reset after failure or setback. Rather than address the issue at the heart of the setback we spend more time dealing with the setback but Brown says we need to address the issue to help the person affected reset. But we can’t teach people to reset effectively when they have already fallen. We need to help people learn the skills to get back up before they fall.

Problem solving/action bias – we often lack the vulnerability to stay in problem-solving mode after setbacks and instead jump into action bias. What action bias often generates, argues Brown, is a blame culture and not a genuine curiosity to find solutions to problems and setbacks

Inclusivity, Diversity and Equity – Brave leaders are not quiet about the hard things. Brown says that if you don’t have the courage to have the hard conversations about issues like inclusivity, diversity and equity, then you will not be leading in the next five years.

Shame and blame – Shame is a self-harm behaviour, which Brown says ‘corrodes the ability of an individual to believe they can do better’. When leaders use shame as a management tool people will disengage to self-protect.

“To opt out of hard conversations about diversity and inclusion because it makes you uncomfortable is the very definition of privilege,” Brown says.

From: https://executivecentral.com.au/blog/brene-brown-and-courageous-leadership/

And the four skill sets of courage

• Rumbling with vulnerability
• Living into values
• Braving trust
• Learning to rise

Kaila went on to talk about four things that are keeping her up at night:

1. Technological unemployment
2. Inequality of jobs and emotions
3. Increased cyber-risk
4. Algorithmic bias

Kaila went on to share the video below to highlight the need for us to be more critical than ever about what we see and hear.

Kaila recommended Future Crunch as a platform thatrepresented the positive potential of technology.

From the Future Crunch website:

We are a group of scientists, artists, researchers and entrepreneurs that believes that science and technology are creating a future that is more peaceful, connected and abundant. We’re determined to share that story. Our expertise ranges from political economy, biotechnology and data science, to music, art and philosophy. We use our diverse skills and knowledge to provide unexpected perspectives on the state of the world in 2019. We create dynamic, evidence-based, visually spectacular talks and presentations, designed to make people think differently. We also curate good news from every corner of the planet, and share it via our email newsletter and social media channels. Our mission is to foster intelligent, optimistic thinking about the future, and to empower people to contribute to a 21st century that works for everyone.

She then came back to the integral role of ethics.

Our first question should be “can we”, it should be “should we”?

It’s far easier to be brave on the battlefield, than it is to be in the boardroom.

My thought. What about in schools??

If courage is contagious. How can DisruptED make courage contagious in education??

What is the future you want to create? And do you have the courage to create it?