A Greater Intelligence Across the System with Dr. Tyson Yunkaporta and Dr. Toby Newstead

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Dr. Tyson Yunkaporta is an academic, arts critic, and researcher who is a member of the Apalech Clan in far north Queensland, Australia. He works as a senior lecturer in Indigenous Knowledges at Deakin University in Melbourne, where he also founded the Indigenous Knowledge Systems Lab.

He carves traditional tools and weapons alongside his academic work, and his writing process draws on this practice, often beginning with images and carvings rather than words. He is best known as the author of Sand Talk: How Indigenous Thinking Can Save the World (2019), which won the Small Publishers' Adult Book of the Year at the Australian Book Industry Awards and the Ansari Institute's Randa and Sherif Nasr Book Prize on Religion and the World. He followed it with Right Story, Wrong Story and has a third book, Snake Talk, rounding out what he describes as a trilogy.

His work applies Indigenous systems knowledge, not just Indigenous stories or artifacts, to questions of governance, economics, and organizational design. He also co-founded the Indigenous Systems Knowledge Collective, a nonprofit that supports Indigenous systems thinkers and helps organizations apply relational, complexity-based approaches to leadership and strategy. He lives in Melbourne.

Dr. Toby Newstead is a respected leadership scholar and practitioner at the University of Tasmania, located in lutruwita on the lands of the palawa and pakana people. With a background in corporate change, leadership development, and professional communications, she brings practical expertise to her academic, coaching, and consulting work.

An internationally recognized researcher, Dr. Newstead specializes in virtues-based leadership development, leadership ethics, and leadership in the volunteer sector. Her research appears in top journals. In 2023, she published a book titled Leadership and Virtues: Understanding and Practicing Good Leadership.

Dr. Newstead is an established executive leadership coach and deeply engaged with industry and community. She regularly delivers impactful workshops, keynotes, and facilitation sessions. Dr Newstead’s research, teaching, coaching and facilitation has local and international impact, shaping the leaders of today and tomorrow.

A Few Quotes From This Episode

• "We don't say, 'I think, therefore I am,' but we say, 'I am located, therefore I am.'"
• "Increase isn't about the quantitative growth of the system... Increase is about the growth of complexity and the growth of interconnectedness and interdependencies in the system."
• "Innovation doesn't come from a singular genius. It comes from the most diverse community possible that you can create, the most diverse networks."

Resources

• Book: Sand Talk
• Book: Right Story, Wrong Story
• Book: Snake Talk

About The International Leadership Association (ILA)

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• The views of my guests do not constitute "truth." Nor do they reflect my personal views in some instances. However, they are views to consider, and I hope they help you clarify your perspective. Nothing can replace your reflection, research, and exploration of the topic.

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