The Power of Provocation

A note to young leaders.

Leadership isn’t about provoking offense – but it is about provoking discussion, especially about topics as important as freedom of religion and freedom of speech.

Following the publication of The Satanic Verses in 1988, the Ayatollah Khumeini issued a fatwa calling for the death of its author, Salman Rushdie.

For almost a decade, Rushdie lived a fugitive existence under guard, moving from one safe house to the next.

His handlers urged Rushdie to lie low and give up writing new novels – at least for the time being.

He refused. He kept writing. “If I do not write, they have already killed me. What is freedom of expression? Without the freedom to offend, it ceases to exist.”

In 1990 – barely a year after going into hiding – Rushdie published the children’s fable, Haroun And The Sea of Stories, written for his son and widely regarded as a defense of storytelling in the face of censorship.

My late mentor and friend, John Caldon – former Deputy MD of Macquarie Group – loved to raise controversial topics and entertain contrarian views.

What better way to honour his legacy than by inviting Salman Rushdie to deliver the John Caldon Provocation at the 2026 Festival of Dangerous Ideas?

John often reminded me: third rate minds discuss people; second rate minds discuss events; first rate minds discuss ideas.