The Leaders we need in the Climate Era

The cultural leaders we need in the Climate Era - Part 1

Leadership is on everyone's lips and seemingly in short supply.

According to the Australia Institute 75% of Australians are concerned about the ecological crisis. The Australian Government will soon unveil an ambitious new 2035 emmissions reduction target, when we are not effectively meeting the targets we already have.

This earth crisis calls for leaders with courage and enormous self reflection to face the degree to which our systems and structures are complicit with destructive and extractive processes and behaviours. Facing your investment in spiralling crises is a critical step towards change.

Many cultural leaders seem reluctant to step in and connect Climate crisis to a cultural crisis. Perhaps because the expertise required stretches beyond their experience.

Does this also explain why First Nations Elders and knowledge keepers, with the deepest understanding of how to live harmoniously with Country, continue to be sidelined and tokenised.

And too many sustainability managers in organisations are buried below senior management without budget, resources or agency to lead.

Another strange phenomena, even amongst those who acknowledge our broken systems, sees crisis as content on our stages, cultural centres and platforms, but not change in the way we do things.

I recently attended a truly wonderful initiative by Inner West Council. Creative Toolbox featured expert panelists consistently saying they are exhausted and done fighting broken systems. The workshops offered insights into how to operate effectivelty within these systems.

This seems to be where we are up to... talking problems, not tackling them.

I respect this is tricky. We have to start doing things we don't know how to do. 'Business as usual' simply won't work. It means connecting mass extinction, growing social division, racism, inequity, climate instability and acelerating disasters. These very big challenges can only be tackled place by place; one bite at a time, thinking systemically, acting specifically.

Imagination is essential to think outside the boxes and systems we are trapped in. Values led creative leaders, who are courageous, accustomed to working with intrepid ideas and high levels of uncertainty, definitely have the advantage here.

The combined effort of questioning your understanding of how the world doesn't work, sharing your privilege with those who have had fewer opportunities, and trusting people with greater expertise in matters you need to centre is not for the faint hearted.

Truth be told, those who have gained all of their power and privilege in the very systems that need to change, may not be the leaders we need now.

Our culture deserves imaginative self reflective champions prepared to screw their courage to the sticking place, embrace ambitious targets, experiment boldly, ask for help and contribute to solutions.

The BiDiNG TiME project is about rethinking how theatre is made and engaging lots of creative people in that process. Creativity is a key skill in adapting to cascading disasters in the Earth Crisis and reimagining our systems. This project is rehearsing a liveable future.