Meet Shaun Deverson, a seasoned expert with over 25 years of experience in Civil and Environmental Engineering across domains such as Defence, Mining, Transportation, and Construction. Beyond his technical prowess, Shaun holds a Masters in Business and Technology, along with certificates in Project Management and Systems Engineering. With a background in the Royal Australian Navy and Australian Army Reserve, Shaun’s insights are uniquely fortified by his diverse journey.
Currently pursuing a Masters of Philosophy with Queensland University of Technology (QUT) School of Law, Shaun’s focus lies in applying complexity, scientific and natural principles to reshape aspects of law to be more ‘conscious’ to time and place. As the driving force behind Lighthouse Futures, Shaun is at the forefront of transformative consultancy.
In this interview, Shaun sheds light on his journey, his vision, and the boundless potential of regenerative practices.
Q. What inspired you to start ‘Lighthouse Futures,’ and how does it support organisations to become agents for a better world and future?
Shaun: Starting Lighthouse Futures was the culmination of, dare I say it, a 25-year journey from the time I joined the military as a bright-eyed, naive kid to an adult who started seeing stark injustices in the world and begged to know how and why this was happening.
By creating Lighthouse Futures, I took it upon myself to start asking those questions out loud and perhaps bring an equal level of consciousness to organisations, and ask them – is this just? Do they see that they can play an important role in turning that around and creating a positive legacy? That’s at the core of what we do.
Q. How do you think we can we can connect more with our spirituality, creativity, and consciousness? And why is it essential for our collective progress?
Shaun: From the moment Genesis 1:26 told us in the words of God: “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and the cattle, and all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth”, we lost our custodianship and symbiotic partnership with the planet and, moreover, with each other.
Essentially, we became lost, alone and disconnected. That short paragraph defines the problems we confront today, but it’s not too late to reconnect. If we’re brave enough to become uncomfortable and change our systems of economy, work and education, to name just a few, then we have a chance to get back to our humanity and feel again. I believe that if we do this together, there’s an opportunity to be exponentially more prosperous and happier through a more natural and balanced lens.
Q. This concept of deep transformation is often met with resistance. How do you convince your clients to see it as an opportunity rather than a threat?
Shaun: It all comes down to mindset. The disconnection I mentioned before and certain belief systems often result in fear and confusion. This has translated into behaviours that undermine change, such as groupthink, multipolar traps, myopic beliefs, self-defeating predictions, and more.
Humans don’t actually hate disruption or change; we naturally like to discover and experience new things, but because there’s this disconnection, disruptions and deep transformation initiatives can be perceived as forced upon us.
It’s an iterative, systemic issue, and it requires different thinking to address it properly. Current change and transformation approaches won’t wash into the future, with many of them not being appropriate in the first place.
Q. Your approach combines science, the arts, and indigenous wisdom. How does this unique blend help in transforming systems within organisations?
Shaun: None of the above in isolation will bring us to the solutions that will help us deal with complex problems. By blending them to suit the context, we can design better solutions that are holistic and fit the overall purpose much better. I’m reminded of Raphael’s painting ‘The School of Athens’, which brings together the great minds of art, science and philosophy.
If I could amend that vision slightly, I’d bring in indigenous wisdom and philosophy because it would do us well to embrace their models of thought and values to create a more prosperous future. The Amerindian ‘Conjunctive Decision Making’ framework and how the Australian Aboriginal engages in what’s called ‘the proper way’ are one of many that we leverage towards fit for purpose designs and solutions at Lighthouse Futures.
Q. What key principles does Lighthouse Futures advocate for when it comes to fostering superior leadership and decision-making?
Shaun: At Lighthouse Futures, we believe in 5 key principles, which we call “CHART”:
- Courage – making decisions with uncertainty being the dominant theme, and challenging old systems and beliefs or assumptions.
- Humility – being open-minded, accepting uncertainty and displaying reverence.
- Adaptability – the ability to endure and respond under pressure and/or changing circumstances.
- Resolute – being committed, purposeful and unwavering.
- Thoughtfulness – the ability and maturity to step outside your own needs.
Q. How can organisations practically incorporate ecological laws and indigenous wisdom into their operations and decision-making processes?
Shaun: It’s quite easy. Ecological laws are wide and varied but they exhibit 2 things: laws and patterns, and designs we should be imitating from a technological, organisational and system-based perspective, i.e. biomimicry and symbiosis. The properties of many natural and human systems follow certain laws, with infrastructure and populations exhibiting consistent scaling patterns.
These things combined reveal an underlying regularity and once you’ve cracked that, you can tap into a source of leverage and opportunity. On the other hand, indigenous wisdom demonstrates, among other things, that balance is the path to perpetual prosperity and that maintaining that balance requires connections, stories, ceremonies, adaptability, sacrifice and commitment.
Q. Can you tell us how ‘Lighthouse Futures’ helps organisations develop superior operating rhythms that promote networked intelligence, resilience, and agility within their teams?
Shaun: Well, it depends on the organisational and business context because the nature of the business and the ecosystem it exists in determine what rhythms would be considered appropriate. We use Ashby’s Law of Requisite Variety as a starting point and we go from there.
Networked or collective intelligence is something we’ve been working on for a while, centring on how the micro and macro factors within an environment work together to form broader intelligence and performance outcomes above and beyond that of the individual. This goes back to what we discussed earlier – that notion of consciousness supported by evidence, experience and systemic thinking.
Q. How do you bridge the gap between traditional practices and innovative, disruptive ideas when guiding organisations?
Shaun: We start by unpacking obsolete traditional practices piece by piece to expose the myths that undermine them in such a way that it almost leaves our clients no option but to take a more regenerative and sustainable path.
As Buckminster Fuller once said, “You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” That’s our guiding principle at Lighthouse Futures, ensuring we’re equally not engaging in flights of moral fantasy where it’s wholly appropriate to begin with nudges rather than nothing. No great or enduring idea was ever really conceived out of nothing.
Q. What message would you like to leave with our readers about the potential for transformation and rediscovering humanity’s purpose on this planet?
Shaun: The key message would be that as long as you’re alive, owe it to tomorrow’s version of you to be better than you are today. Transformation is not something to be afraid of, especially if it means the potential of discovering a better you, a better community and improving humanity in general. There’s only one of you and you only get one shot. And remember this quote from Marcus Aurelius: “Everything we do now, echoes in eternity.” The most powerful thing a human can do is grow a tree for future generations to enjoy the shade. So, stop following the paths of others and make your own.
Q. Based on your experience, what advice would you give to those who are just starting their journey and looking to achieve their version of success?
Shaun: I’ve certainly experienced a few bumps in the road and if there’s any advice I’d share, it would be: never be afraid to ask for help, especially in areas that aren’t your strong suit. Form collaborations, join networking groups and never be afraid to make those cold calls. Some will ignore you, but there are enough good people out there who’ll genuinely like what you’re saying. Also, do your research and play it smartly.
Q. Lastly, what legacy do you hope to leave behind?
Shaun: I hope to plant the trees that will provide not only shade, but also learning, protection, and play for future generations.
To keep up-to-date with Shaun Deverson’s journey, visit the Lighthouse Futures website or connect with them on LinkedIn or Facebook.
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