Marlene Elliott sat down with David Spear, Director VUCA Trusted Advisors to chat about First Nations Governance.
David shares a significant moment, whilst facilitating a strategy day for an Indigenous organisation, which has impacted him personally and professionally.
You have been working with Indigenous organisations for over 20 years in capital cities and regional areas across the country.
What type of advice and support have you provided to these organisations?
Mostly my advice has been on governance. Of course this can take many different forms. I have served as an Independent Director on two Aboriginal Boards, but mostly my expertise has come in Board Performance and CEO Performance reviews, Board Policies, Director and general governance training as well as CEO Recruitment.
Throughout your experience working with Indigenous organisations, what has been the biggest need?
The biggest need without question has been the need to balance governance between what I would call traditional, Aboriginal family governance against what current regulators want from a compliance and contemporary governance perspective. There is a big difference between the two, but both are equally important in terms of requirements for Aboriginal organisations to provide. Training Boards in terms of Directors Duties and Responsibilities is critical to their success, not just from a compliance perspective but also from a strategic and decision-making perspective.
Governance is a word that is used all the time, related to listed, private, public and NFP.
Is governance the same for Indigenous organisations?
It is, but the requirement here is about the definition of the word culture. To most Aboriginal organisations culture has significant meaning, but it is about translating that to enhance both organisation and board performance. I have found that decision making by Aboriginal boards can be very good, but at times it can get clouded especially by conflict of interest and that in turn can make it difficult in the board room and impact board culture. This leads back to the issue of ‘family’ in Aboriginal governance and the innate need to get the balance right.
You have spent significant time working with Indigenous organisations across Australia, are they all the same?
No they can vary greatly. When I was General Manager (SA) AICD I wrote the first feasibility study into Aboriginal Governance. What we found were 3 distinctive levels of governance. I note here this can be the same for non-Indigenous Directors as well, but it was far clearer in Aboriginal organisations. The first level showed some Aboriginal Directors where literacy and numeracy were limited, even English was a 2nd or 3rd language. This was not a large segment but still critically important as it often held the voices and opinions of elders. It also required a very targeted specific training program. The second segment was large. This held the biggest number of Directors, where the biggest impact on training could make the biggest difference. Literacy and numeracy were good, english was good, but again training was needed. The third segment was again smaller but by in large these Directors were well trained and educated and could adapt to say the Company Directors Course without any problem.
How have you gained your position as a trusted advisor with Indigenous organisations?
That’s a good question, I guess experience and trust are the key factors. Having an understanding of the issues and being able to relate is critically important. Plus I have a passion for the sector and I really love working with these groups and seeing the growth in governance in their organisations as well.
Working with Indigenous organisations, what has been your approach to improve their governance practices?
It takes time. You can’t rush it, you have to build the relationship and deliver on what you are asked to provide, that’s important. Plus I always follow up with clients to see how it is playing out down the track which is why VUCA probably gets a lot of repeat clients.
What have you learnt from working with Indigenous organisations?
Oh wow I have learnt a lot. I have learnt a lot about culture and understanding of it and what it means to different people. I remember a couple of years back, just a few weeks after my father had passed away, I was in Townsville working with Indigenous organisations around their strategy. The Chair picked up that I wasn’t my normal self. When I told him that I had been struggling he called the meeting to a halt and we all went outside, across the road to a park. Here we took off our shoes and socks and got back to nature. We sat and talked about what life means, what we cherish, what is important to us as individuals etc. It was an unbelievable experience to feel compassion and the empathy from people I didn’t know all that well. To this day I remember how impactful that 20 mins was. I could never, ever, get that from a traditional corporate board.
How have you applied this to your Board roles, as Chair and Non-Executive Director.
I hope it has made me a better Director, perhaps a better listener, and probably a more empathetic Chair in particular.
Reflecting on the advice and support you have provided to Indigenous organisations for over 20 years, what has been the biggest impact you have seen.
I think when organisations take on the advice, implement it well and get a great outcome. It might be around an AGM, a new CEO recruitment, or even acting on the training we have conducted, that is what makes this job so enjoyable.
Looking ahead, what type of conversation is required to continue supporting Indigenous organisations to be sustainable and succeed in their communities.
I think it’s a two-way street. If an Aboriginal board is having issues, like any corporate board, they should seek help and advice. There is no shame in that, all boards do it when they need legal or accounting type advice. They should never have the feeling that they are alone with a problem. Secondly, more needs to be done to bridge the gap between Aboriginal governance and ‘white man’s’ compliance governance. If we can do these two things well, we can have far greater outcomes in all aspects of Aboriginal organisations.
Please contact David Spear david.spear@vuca.com.au if you would like to discuss this article further.