Inner Chief Podcast

In our first two minisodes on leading high performance teams we built your vision and purpose. So your team now knows where they should be in two to three years and also why (your purpose).   The next logical question is how? And this means pulling the right levers to make the biggest and most effective impact in your area.     For more info check out www.chiefmaker.com.au/81   Many executives make a critical error at the outset of leading a transformation. They don’t stand back and clearly assess the current situation, relying instead on a partial understanding of the environment in which they’re operating. This error costs them time and money, and it raises stress and resistance throughout the process.   Chiefs spend significant time precisely mapping the territory before they start. Rather than launching projects randomly, they apply deep understanding to the problem.   This mapping gives them an in-depth understanding of the economics, culture, and their team’s capabilities. They understand how the depart

In today’s episode we meet Ronsley Vaz.   Ronsley is a speaker, author and marketer. He is the author of the book AMPLIFY – How to raise your voice, boost your brand and grow your business. His podcast, ‘Bond Appetit’, is Australia’s #1 food podcast on iTunes and receives between eight and twelve thousand listeners a day. Ronsley is also the founder of content marketing agency Amplify, which has grown from zero to twelve staff in just ten months.   Ronsley sits on the board for freetoshine.org, an organisation that prevents sex trafficking. He has an MBA in Psychology and Leadership and a Master's in Software Engineering as well as a Diploma in Financial Services. Ronsley’s journey has seen him specialise in a variety of different industries. Before killing it as an entrepreneur, he worked as a DJ, software engineer, financial adviser, restaurateur and chef.   His newest venture, Amplify, is all about converting audio into a content-marketing echo chamber. He and his team help clients create content and turn

Last minisode we spoke about Vision which is the what you’re going to achieve. The destination. Purpose is all about your why, your spirit, serving the greater good.   Simon Sinek, author of “Start with Why” says, “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.”   And that goes for people buying your products and people buying into your business or team plans.   If you don’t put purpose at the heart of what you do you’ll never know what it’s like to have someone in your team go the extra mile for the team.   You can find our more at www.chiefmaker.com.au/79   How Does purpose give us energy and make us kick out of bed in the morning?     Purpose unleashes oxytocin, serotonin and dopamine because when we do something significant that is for the benefit of others and the world these so called Happy Chemicals release into the body making us feel great and improve our bodies immune system and flow.   Every time I’ve had a huge week and it gets to Friday and I need to record a minisode I picture someone lis

This week you and I are joined by Siobhan Hayden, the COO and Board Advisor of HashChing a progressive and innovative fintech start-up. HashChing is Australia’s first online marketplace for customers to access verified mortgage brokers.   Siobhan is also a Director of Running for Premature Babies and former CEO of The Mortgage & Finance Association of Australia (MFAA) the peak industry body providing service and representation to more than 12,500 Professional Finance Brokers.   We cover: How she rose from bluecollar roots to lead one of the most exciting fin-tech businesses What she learnt from becoming a black belt in multiple martial arts forms How to stop being a victim and accelerate your career How to look at the person in the mirror and like what you see Full show notes at chiefmaker.com.au/78

Leading HP Teams - Part 1 - Vision www.chiefmaker.com.au/77 Over the next 25 weeks I’m going to share the 25 elements that form the Chief Maker HP Teams - Tx Model. The aim is that every Monday we’ll introduce one element so you can spend the week focusing on improving it even just 5 or 10%. After 25 weeks you should have made real world progress and have a measurably higher performing team. These 25 elements fall under the 5 pillars of the Chief Maker HP Teams model are: Mission People Culture Tools Execution A MISSION A clear vision and goals steeped in a bigger purpose with a clear strategy & metrics to align the group PEOPLE We have the right people with the right capability in the right roles CULTURE Our team is united,constantly improving in a challenging and enjoyable environment. TOOLS My people have the systems, processes and hardware to perform their role with excellence EXECUTION We have strong governance of our transformation to keep the clock ticking To kick things off over t

In this week’s Chief interview we meet CEO of WTRI, Dr. Lia DiBello.   Lia is a global leader in accelerated learning and business expertise. She leads her team to build cutting edge cognitive science into products that can improve performance in business while at the same time advancing research.   We cover: What is accelerated learning How can we cut the 10,000 hour rule to 16 hours The number one mistake most leaders make in their learning that is costing them How anyone can rapidly increase their rate of learning and improve business outcomes   See more at www.chiefmaker.com.au/76   More about Dr Lia DiBello   Lia is best known for the development of a particular kind of activity-based “strategic rehearsal” approach that has been shown to greatly accelerate learning through cognitive reorganization. Studies of over 7000 people at all levels exposed to DiBello’s methods indicate that learning was accelerated by several months in all cases. Other studies indicate that unprecedented performance improvement

Today, we will cover 7 vital steps that leaders often get wrong in leading transformation but when they get them right it accelerates change and makes it far less stressful.   For full summary go to: www.chiefmaker.com.au/75   A very trusted friend of our family is the COO of a national law firm. In the first paragraph of his profile he outlines his expertise in professional services firm leadership. He details how, as COO, he led a company from $3M turnover to over $100M in 8 years. Those are some seriously impressive numbers. They demand attention and they give him immediate credibility when he walks in the room. Few executives ever rise to the top without leaving behind them a clear record of transformation. CEOs are looking for leaders who can demonstrate how they’ve innovated, led significant change and succeeded without leaving a trail of destruction. Everything up to this point has been preparing you to make a standout impression when your target CEO is reviewing candidates for an executive position

Out guest this week is Sara Chamberlain, who along with her sister Amy created Australia’s premier property styling company, The Real Estate Stylist, in under 4 years. The business has grown from effectively a one sofa enterprise to now employing 15 staff with a multi million dollar turnover and a list of discerning property owners and A-listers including Rebecca Judd, Zoe Foster Blake and the Australia’s elite. Launching yet another two businesses under this umbrella since 2013 the group now includes The Artwork Stylist and The Apartment Stylist.   The Real Estate Stylist is considered the property styling experts in Australia regularly called upon for collaborations and comment with Real Estate.com, Domain, and The Collective.   A serial entrepreneur, Sara has being in business for 15 years, launching her first internationally stocked homewares range at just 21. Sara has bought and sold businesses, worked on the world’s largest advertising accounts in London, (including Coke-a-Cola, Cadbury and Pizza Hut) d

Life in the chaos of the modern business world can be crushingly difficult. Many of those caught in the machine describe the daily grind as “soul destroying”. They work hard all day, every day on an endless list of tasks at work and home. It might be politics, red tape and antiquated systems frustrating them, or they might just sense that there has to be more to life than this. Many of them feel like they need to escape, but escape isn’t the answer. They know the solution is a purposeful and impactful career and a life of significance that doesn’t come at the cost of one’s soul. Many of them see Chiefs who are living this life. They want the same thing, so they strive to be Chiefs themselves (or at least their dream role). They drive for that title which will give them the authority to make big change. The life of a Chief can look glamorous. Not only do they have the powerful roles, they are also honoured guests at the best events, they are connected to powerful and influential people, and they have the pow

In this episode we talk with CEO of SalesITV Dean Mannix on overcoming your limitations to live a bigger life and selling like the best in the world   Full details at www.chiefmaker.com.au/72   ABOUT DEAN He is the author of Australia’s largest library of video sales and service training and has delivered sales performance projects in over 25 countries. Dean is recognised as one of Australia’s leading sales performance coaches with 30 years of legal, finance, sales and management experience. He advises, coaches and trains senior executives from many of the world’s leading corporations. He has also been the CEO of a leading property development and childcare management company which he built to a team of 140 employees. He then developed and led a highly successful sales team in the technology space and simultaneously grew his consulting business. Dean has an Executive MBA from the AGSM and he is also a qualified Yoga teacher.   He is now the CEO of SalesITV. We cover: - How we coped with the murder of his fath

In this episode we talk about : • why your boss is your #1 customer • What happens when they’re not • How to make them your biggest ambassador  www.chiefmaker.com.au/71 This starts with a simple question: Who is your customer?  When I asked one of my clients this question, he said, “My team. My job is to make their jobs as easy as possible.”  “Do they approve your salary and bonuses?” I asked. “Well, no”, he said, hesitating. “My boss approves that.” “Who is your true customer then?” The revelation stopped him in his tracks because it runs counter to contemporary management fads to think of your boss as your true customer. We’ve been taught that we should think of our team members as our customers, but this is looking at it the wrong way around. Your team is the vendor. Your boss is your customer. Turning your thinking around like this will help you see who you need to serve better (i.e., your boss) and who you can expect more from (i.e., your vendors). When we look at our team as though they were o

In this episode we talk with Know How Group Founder and CEO Bushy Martin on success, playing the long game and living like every day will be your last.     Full details at www.chiefmaker.com.au/70 SPONSOR: This episode is brought to you by The Build a Better Agency Podcast with Drew McLellan. The podcast has a new episode every week that helps small to mid-sized agency owners and leaders ensure that their agency is future proofed, scalable and more profitable than ever before. Search Build a Better Agency podcast on your podcast player or google   ABOUT BUSHY Bushy is the founder of the Know How Group. His team helps time poor professionals that don't know who to trust or where to start to replace their income through property. But, much more than that, Bushy is the author of Freedom Formula, a killer book I read cover to cover, the host of Get Invested Podcast, and avid property investor, and just an all around top bloke. In this episode we'll talk about his journey from being completely broke to being finan

In this episode we talk about how to create clarity everyday and how that will help you with confidence, beating imposter syndrome and making smart decisions. www.chiefmaker.com.au/69   The speed and complexity of the modern world is not a natural environment for our brains. It can too easily lead to overwhelm and feeling like you’re a little lost at sea. Our brains are designed for singular focus and by pouring a constant stream of emails, social media, news onto our normal busy lives it is a recipe for confusion and a scattergun approach to our work. We simply lose focus. There are three important methods for creating clarity in your life and career. Having this clarity in your mind is comforting. Is helps keep you composed and when key decisions or events come along your response is more effective and inspiring.   The three methods are:   Diagnostics The world is full of diagnostics that help people and teams analyse complex systems. The medical profession, personality models, culture surveys and manu

In this episode, we explore the three powerful techniques to recenter the soul and mind.   It is also part 2 of how to overcome imposter syndrome which we discussed in Ep 65 Imposter Syndrome.   Full notes here: www.chiefmaker.com.au/67   The soul can easily get lost as sea in the modern business world. With the incredible pace of business and life it is easy to lose connection to yourself. When you lose this it rattles your confidence and belief that you should be in the position you’re in. So it plays a key role in beating imposter syndrome. It is also vital to get right if you want to feel composed, present and have that sense of gravitas so many of us find elusive.   There are three major ways to recenter the soul and mind: Regular Focus Session Once or twice per week set aside an hour and give yourself the opportunity to deeply reconnect to your soul, purpose, vision and strategy.   This is best done in a few key steps: 20 mins of meditating and calming the mind 20 mins of reviewing your purpose

In this episode we talk with Ausenco CEO Zimi Meka on resilience, honesty and the importance of good people.     Full details at www.chiefmaker.com.au/66   Zimi Meka is one of the founding directors of Ausenco Limited and was appointed as Chief Executive Officer / Managing Director in 1999. Zimi’s background includes senior roles in engineering and operations companies prior to the formation of Ausenco in 1991. He has over 25 years' experience in the design, construction and operation of a wide range of processing plants and infrastructure in the minerals industry in Australia and internationally. He is the Queensland University of Technology’s 2008 Alumnus of the Year, was awarded the Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy’s 2009 Institute Medal and is one of Australia’s top 100 most influential engineers as awarded by Engineers Australia. He is a Fellow of Engineers Australia, a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy and a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

In this episode, I answer a question from a subscriber. How do I overcome imposter syndrome? Over the next three minisodes we’ll explore some powerful ways to beat imposter syndrome so you feel comfortable in your own skin and clear in your mind.  Assuming you do have most of the skills necessary for the job the three main causes of imposter syndrome are:  • Unrealistic or incongruent vision of the role • No set process of recentering • Lack of clarity  In Part 1 today we cover:  • Develop  a congruent vision of you in the role • Dealing with hidden assumptions In Episode 67 I’ll cover processes for recentering and in episode 69 we’ll talk about creating clarity. The single biggest assumption that people make is that the day their role changes is the day their whole mindset and outlook will change. The two aren’t related. To feel like a boss, like a chief, you have to cultivate that feeling. This means you need to be rock solid in your belief in the path you’re on.  I remember the first time I entered a

Today we joined by founder and CEO of the McLellan Marketing Group, Drew McLellan.   He also owns and runs the Agency Management Institute (AMI), which is a consultancy for small to medium sized agencies that has been helping agency owners grow their agencies since the early 90s.   We talk about: What he learnt about understanding people by creating ads To grow and get promoted you need to let of the reins Being curious Joining masterminds Drew launched his agency’s blog in 2006 and it has been on the AdAge Top 150 from the list’s inception. His first book, 99.3 Random Acts of Marketing, was published in 2003 and Drew and Australian marketer Gavin Heaton created the Age of Conversation series of crowdsourced books in 2007. To date, the AOC series has raised over $50,000 for charity. Drew launched the AMI blog in 2012 and hopes it will be a great resource to agency leaders. Drew’s often interviewed/quoted in Entrepreneur Magazine, New York Times, CNN, BusinessWeek, and many others. The Wall Street Journal

In this episode I outline a method of turning risk completely on its head that I developed which gets killer outcomes for everyone involved.   When most of us here the word Risk Management Plan we start thinking red tape, no more freedom and a group of expensive auditors at your door to analyse your business inside out.   If you’ve ever had the risk auditors turn up and trawl through your business telling you all the things you need to write a report on about you’ll stop major events happening you’ll know the meaning of paperwork.   Richard Branson. Never made a deal he could lose on.   “As an adventurer...I try to protect against the downside. I make sure I have covered as many eventualities as I can. In the end, you have to take calculated risks; otherwise you're going to sit in mothballs all day and do nothing.”   Throughout my business life I have always tried to keep on top of costs and protect the downside risk as much possible. The Virgin Group has survived only because we have always kept tight contro

In this episode we hear from Super Rugby Club, the Melbourne Rebels CEO, Baden Stephenson. Baden's path to CEO has been different to most as he transitions from coaching and operations and finally getting his first CEO role in 2017. He was heavily involved as a GM of rugby in the drama of 2017 when the Melbourne Rebels battled to keep their super rugby licence. At the conclusion of, he was selected to lead the club into the future. Questions I ask Baden: What did you learn from the elite sport side of rugby that has translated to the business and administration side? What was the most brutal feedback you ever received that you knew to be true? What do people misunderstand about professional sporting clubs? What are the major setbacks you’ve had? How do you lead high performers?   Key Points from Baden: On what he learnt from his wife’s battle with cancer: I think now when I'm dealing with people, I think it has certainly improved my emotional empathy for players and stuff, when they've got family issues, ha

In this episode we explore the incredible power of ritual and tradition in building your tribe and I share 3 magic traditions that will boost any team spirit and most importantly the role of the chief in leading them.   Traditions and rituals in a business sense are the stories, language, gatherings, symbols that give a team deeper meaning and a sense of belonging.   They reinforce what you stand for, what you believe in, what you have in common and that you share something.   Tradition comes from an inner space that is seeking meaning, deep human connection and understanding. All of us long for traditions, they nourish our spirits and when at their best, they ennoble us and those around us.   When work feels soulless, like it crushing your spirit, people are sacrificing, people aren’t committed to the team or their work. Won’t go the extra mile for each. Bicker and fight. Good people are leaving and average people are staying. Then there is a good chance you haven’t got the right rituals and t