Bonus Episode: Leadership as a Public Good — Developing Collective Capacity for a Complex World

What kind of leadership is needed when no single person can hold the whole picture?

In this Bonus Episode of The Future of Leadership Development, Dr Toby Newstead is joined by Professor David Day and Liz Gillies to explore a defining challenge of our time: the growing gap between the complexity of the world and the way we develop leadership.

As global challenges intensify — from climate disruption and political polarisation to declining trust and the rise of generative AI — leaders are increasingly expected to navigate overlapping crises that no individual can solve alone. This Bonus Episode examines why traditional, individual-focused models of leadership development are no longer fit for purpose and explores the shift toward collective leadership capacity grounded in purpose, ethics, and shared responsibility.

Listeners are invited to rethink leadership not as a scarce commodity or positional role, but as a public good — essential to navigating complexity and shaping a more resilient, humane future.

Key Themes & Talking Points

Why “hero leadership” models are breaking down
Leader development vs leadership development
Collective leadership as a response to complexity
Purpose and ethics as anchors in uncertainty
Leadership as a public good

With Toby P. Newstead from University of Tasmania, Professor David Day from Claremont McKenna College and Liz Gillies, CEO Menzies Leadership Foundation