Inner Chief Podcast

In this episode we hear from John Lee Dumas, Founder of Entrepreneurs on Fire.  John is the founder and host of Entrepreneurs ON FIRE, an award winning Podcast where he interviews today’s most successful Entrepreneurs 7-days a week. JLD has grown EOFire.com into a 7-figure business with over 2000 interviews and 1.5 million monthly listens.  Some of the questions I ask John:  • What was the most important lesson you learnt from your time as a soldier in Iraq that shaped you the most?  • You spent time in law firms, real estate and a number of other industries early in your career. Eventually you took a different path to be start podcasts and be an entrepreneur. What were you really looking for that you found in podcasting and EOFire?  • What advice would you give to a middle / snr manager of a large organisation that is stuck in their career, fighting politics and can’t seem to find a way forward?  •  If someone, is thinking that they might like to start their own business. Can you explain what a side-hustle

Most of us at one time or another have had a boss who seems totally disinterested in our work. They’re the opposite of micro-managers, leaving us completely to our own devices and at times in more senior regional roles can go missing for weeks at a time. Here is what you can do.

In this episode we hear from Hetty Johnston, AM, Founder and Chair of Bravehearts. You can support Hetty’s work through Bravehearts at www.bravehearts.org.au CHANGE OF PLAN Normally I put a detailed set of show notes. In this case, I’m electing not to. This will make sense when you’ve heard this episode. Hetty is someone you have to listen to. She is one of the most influential leaders of modern Australia and summary notes just won’t do her justice. So find an hour to really focus on this session. Hetty tells the FULL story of her life and the horrific circumstances that led to the beginnings of Bravehearts after her daughter disclosed she was being assaulted. She also shares some of her techniques for negotiating with Prime Ministers, staying resilient and gives the ultimate career advice if you want to be a GREAT chief.   ABOUT HETTY JOHNSTON AM   Hetty is the Founder and Chair of Bravehearts & Australia’s leading child protection advocate. https://bravehearts.org.au/who-we-are/founder-chairman/   Fo

In this episode I talk about why you should run across a desert (and love it). Huh? What I really mean is why you should do something epic. In 2007/8 I conducted a personal growth experiment by tackling the Gobi March a 250km ultra marathon across the toughest terrain in the world. This is a bit of that story and what I discovered on…and didn’t expect.

In this episode we hear from Brad Gordon, former CEO of Acacia Mining Limited. We cover the importance of getting out from behind your desk, how to create a game that inspires your people and attracts the best talent.  ABOUT BRAD Until recently, Brad Gordon was the CEO of Acacia Mining Limited. Prior to that he has also been the CEO of Entrepid Mines Limited, Emperor Mines Limited and was Managing Director of Placer Dome, New Guinea. Key Questions I ask Brad Gordon: • What you do love about mining and being underground?  • Were there any setbacks along the way? • What is your secret sauce? The thing you can do better than almost anyone else?  • So what advice would you give to someone who's in that middle level of their career and all of a sudden they're stuck, they're not going up any further? • Do you have any moments when you doubt your abilities? What do you do in those moments to keep going?  • Did anyone give you any feedback to you personally that really rang true for you? That was important for the

In this episode we are going to cover How to get and keep a CEO mentor. Every CEO I’ve met has had a mentor of some sort in their career. Interestingly, in most cases, these were through a reporting structure and weren’t formal mentoring relationships. How to convince a CEO to mentor you CEOs are insanely busy people in very high demand. And yet, every one of them I have met finds time to mentor several of the next generation. The fact is they want to help and give back, but they don’t want to waste their time. It is unlikely that you can offer them much from spending time with you except for giving back. So that is the lever to pull. Here are a few steps that have worked time and again when I’m connecting with big chiefs.

In this episode I cover one my personal mottos “Ownership Precedes Victory” and how to use it to really take control of your career and become a great Chief Life in the chaos of the modern business world can be crushingly difficult. The rapid pace of change in technology, as well as new customer and employee expectations is now amplified by a hyper-competitive global landscape. Executive teams now have to navigate their companies through transformational change just to survive. For those reporting to the executive team, and leading the operational charge towards big targets and new cultures, it can be incredibly complex and difficult to stay in front of the game. They work hard all day, every day, on an endless list of tasks at work and home. The politics, red tape and antiquated systems suck their energy and many begin to wonder if there is more to life than this. It feels like the world is happening to them, rather than they’re happening to the world. After spending the last decade with some of the best in

In this episode we hear from Geoff Lloyd, CEO and MD of Perpetual Limited. SUPPORT GEOFF IN THE CEO COOK OFF FOR OZ HARVEST HERE ABOUT GEOFF Geoff joined Perpetual in August 2010 as Group Executive of Perpetual Private and led the development and implementation of the growth strategy for this business. He took on the additional responsibility of Head of Retail Distribution in September 2011 and was appointed Managing Director and CEO in February 2012. Geoff was previously General Manager of Advice and Private Banking at BT Financial Group following the Westpac Group merger with St.George Bank. Before the merger, he led St.George’s wealth management portfolio. He held many senior positions at BT Financial Group, including Chief Legal Counsel and Head of the Customer and Business Services Division. Geoff is the Chairman of the Financial Services Council, an Advisory board member of The Big Issue and the Patron of the Financial Industry Community Aid Program.   He is a Patron of Emerge Foundation and is also Cha

In this episode I want to talk about a deep mindset shift that can lead to meteoric improvement in performance. And that is different between viewing yourself as a Professional or an Amateur. In general terms, an Amateur is someone who turns up and has a crack. They go through spurts of increased interest and their performance spikes and troughs. They don’t take the pursuit as as an artform they are looking to master. And that is where the big line is drawn. Mastery. Being a professional executive means learning to love the fact that this is YOUR artform and you want to build yourself over a lifetime into the sharpest professional you possibly can be. They want to be the best as leading an organisation or whatever their ‘profession’ is. This isn’t something they start doing once their in a big role. No, they do this from the outset. Before they earn the big bucks and have the big job because in essence that is why they end up getting the big job over others. Full summary can be found at www.chiefmaker.com.au

Why leaders micromanage and how you can adjust your approach to improve the working relationship so that it is a. more effective and b. less soul destroying.   Before you dive in and start trash talking your overbearing boss - it is wise to seek some understanding as to why they might be micromanaging you. Take a few minutes to think deeply and through their eyes about what might be causing them to dip down. Full summary can be found at www.chiefmaker.com.au/podcast

Our CEO this week is Angela Buglass, who has recently returned from 15 years in the UK where she held the role of VP Marketing for LF Beauty, part of the global sourcing giant Li & Fung. Her experience includes roles with leading players Procter & Gamble, L'Oreal and Estée Lauder (working on the AVEDA brand). Angela is now the CEO of Trilogy International Limited which you may know through beauty products like Trilogy, Ecoya, Goodness and CS&Co. Her work has taken her from NZ all around the world and back again and her stories are inspirational, insightful and so wonderfully down to earth. Full summary can be found at www.chiefmaker.com.au/podcast  

Kung Fu the most difficult situations with SARS (Smart Automated Response Systems) Have you ever found yourself in a situation and not known what to do? Ever tried to stop a certain scenario at work from happening but it always seems to repeat itself? Ever lose confidence at key moments? In this episode we will be talking a technique that emerged through my work in elite sport and an in particular in martial arts and how you can translate this to the business world. Full summary can be found at www.chiefmaker.com.au/podcast

In this episode you’ll hear from Greg Steele, CEO Arcadis Asia Pacific.   He is also the Chairman of Engineering Aid Australia and on the board of Roads Australia. He was the Managing Director of Hyder Consulting before the Arcadis takeover. I came across this special man at a mindfulness conference where his authenticity and honesty about the challenge of keeping balance in the corporate world blew the audience away. I couldn’t wait to get him on the show. We cover the importance of making sense of things, making choices and making things happen. And how to drive change, using diversity as a strength and mindfulness to keep you focused.   Subscribe on iTunes here: https://itun.es/au/87Pqkb.c Subscribe on Android: http://tunein.com/radio/The-Inner-Chief-p1004701/ http://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=141429   Key Points: Greg’s top quotes from this episode include: 1) Back yourself but be prepared and don't be afraid to speak your piece. I think one of my early lessons in my career that was very formative. 2) I liked

In this episode we will be talking about another pattern that has emerged through many of the CEOs on the show and that is “Taking the Path Less Travelled”.   Have you ever found yourself boxed in to a role or industry? Ever felt stuck in your growth or feel like your network and knowledge set is limited to your profession and industry? Ever had the nagging gut feeling that you need to do something drastic to change things up but you find any number of reasons why you shouldn’t? Feel like the dream of rising to the top of just having a more meaningful career is slipping away? One pattern that has come up time and again is one where they have come to a sort of cross-roads where they feel they are potentially going to be stalled.   WHAT IS TAKING THE PATH LESS TRAVELLED? It can mean shifting industries, roles, organisations or something that expands your horizons. The key here is to aim to build wide ranging experience and knowledge that you can use to become better, smarter and more connected. Normally these k

In this episode you’ll hear from Sue Murphy, CEO of Water Corp. Sue spent 25 years at Clough engineering after completing an engineering degree where she was one of only two women out of 300 students. She has been the Water Corporation CEO since 2008 and on the board at the Fremantle Dockers for 12 months. She is also a director at Water Services Association of Australia (WSAA). We cover how to be honest, fun and make a difference in your work.  Key Points: Sue’s top quotes from this episode include: I learnt that it's not what your background is that matters, it's how well you can relate to the people around you. You don't come in and enforce your own self on everybody around you, you learn about the people around you and you learn what matters to them Harold (Clough) was very strong on giving people empowerment. He's philosophy was employ the smartest, most sociable kids you can find straight out of university and let them loose and see what can happen Harold always argued you can fake it for a few hours w

In this episode we explore the terrible consequence of Overwhelm, the high level neuroscience of the brain, the triggers and a rock solid solution for removing it from your life, Subscribe on iTunes here: https://itun.es/au/87Pqkb.c Subscribe on Android: http://tunein.com/radio/The-Inner-Chief-p1004701/ http://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=141429   Key Points: The top quotes and messages from this episode include: The Triune Brain Lizard – Flight for fight Monkey – Emotional monkey Mammalian – High order thinking   The consequences of overhwlem: relationships health and fitness work performance, quality, lack of creativity and insight stuck no career opportunityies drags into home not being a dealer in hope What triggers overwhelm: doing too many things at once bouncing around from one task to the next not having an automated response system evil sin of not recovering and doing things like turning your phone on   Three steps to managing overwhelm: Mindmap Daily Focus Session Focus Reset Focus Review meetings

In this episode you’ll hear from Daniel Herbert, CEO of SSKB. We are going to be covering some powerful strategies that he learnt through 67 tests for the Wallabies. He was apart of the glory era of Australian Rugby, won the RWC in 1999, the Bledisloe Cup and beat the British and Irish Lions in 2001. He Captained the QLD Reds and was world player of the year in 1999. Critically he has now gone to a successful corporate career with the commercial side of the QLD Reds and is now CEO of SSKB. We cover what executives can learn from elite sport (and what doesn’t translate), about what made him stand out from the pack and how to be indispensible to an organisation. The lessons here are vital. Subscribe on iTunes here: https://itun.es/au/87Pqkb.c Subscribe on Android: http://tunein.com/radio/The-Inner-Chief-p1004701/ http://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=141429   Key Points: “My only message to the next generation is, you have to impress. You have to still do the work, you have to still stand out from the crowd because the

In this episode I cover a key point that all of the CEOs have made on the show, ‘How to Create and Seize Opportunities’. “You have to create opportunities, they are the lifeblood of your track record” The top of the business world is fiercely competitive. Getting the chance at new opportunities can be rare and when they do come you have to make the most of it. Often you’ll see other executives getting golden opportunities that you thought should go to you and not understand why. This is often because you’re too busy, caught up in daily operations that you miss the chance to stand out. Don’t be limited by your role description. (Ep 5 – Vivek Bhatia also talks about this) Work on the business with your boss (Ep 3 – Daniel Hunter refers to this) A mistake that many leaders make is that they don’t seize the current opportunity in front of them and transform their current business. They keep waiting for bigger opportunities to come without looking at what is right in front of them. If you don’t make a big impact i

In this episode I catch up with Nicky Sparshott, Global Chief Executive of T2 Tea - a global luxury retailer offering the broadest and most imaginative range of teas and teawares from around the world. Nicky also serves as Vice President on the Global Leadership Team for Unilever's Refreshment Category, playing a lead role in M&A & E-Commerce. She also has experience on the agency side as a Partner at Y&R George Patterson (WPP Group). www.t2tea.com Key Points: “Be brave, because I think the world is changing quickly. What got us here won't get us there, and the best advice I would give to people is go after the dream, but perhaps also be prepared to take the path less trodden to get there, because I think it will hold you in good stead.” Nicky’s top messages include: On what Nicky learnt from a major setback from a failed product launch: A couple of really small choices that we thought were small choices, had not been clever and we did not deep dive. These proved to be those chinks in the armour

In this episode you’ll hear from Jim Soorley, Former Mayor of Brisbane and Chairman of CS energy and Unity Water. Jim has left an almost unrivalled legacy in Brisbane through his tireless work at Lord Mayor. He led the introduction of CityCats, A/C on buses, RiverFire, RiverWalk and brought a business and commercial approach to the running of the council. Key Points: Jim outlines the importance of energy, getting connected to the people on the ground and role modelling the behaviour you want to see.   Jim’s top messages include: Life is about sales. You’re always selling something. An idea, concept, product or service. For people who are working in management roles, they've got to see it is the system that determines outcomes. I guess the lessons out of that are that, if you're going to engage in training, restructure, reorganisation, you, A, must take a systems approach and B, let the people on the ground have a say. The worst thing in the world you can do is impose new structures, new disciplines, new idea