Episode #89 // Is it really inevitable that all projects will go overtime and over budget? I cut my leadership teeth as a project manager on large software development projects, and I’ve had executive accountability for mega-projects in construction, procurement, major asset overhaul, and capital efficiency. This episode takes a fly over the top of all things project-related. Why do they fail? What are some of the common misconceptions about projects? How do you improve the chances of success fo...
May 12, 2020•22 min•Ep 89•Transcript available on Metacast Episode #88 // It’s difficult to lead properly or act at a more strategic level, if your boss expects you to have a very hands-on component to your role. Some larger organisations these days seem desperate to become more entrepreneurial, and to ‘transform’. To do this, they are trying to mimic start ups. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could all be tech unicorns?! What it means in practice, though, is that people in senior leadership positions are expected to roll their sleeves up and work alongside t...
May 05, 2020•18 min•Ep 88•Transcript available on Metacast Episode #87 // Some of the best things in life happen purely by accident. Remember that impromptu party that turned out to be one of the best nights of your life? Well that’s how this episode came about. I was conducting a mentoring session via Zoom with an incredible young leader, coincidentally named Emma. When we came to a discussion on decision making models and frameworks, I asked Emma to “press record” so that she could replay it later (I wanted to move through the concepts fairly quickly)...
Apr 28, 2020•24 min•Ep 87•Transcript available on Metacast Episode #86 // Although we are still in lockdown mode in many parts of the world to stem the tide of the COVID-19 pandemic, we can start to look at the long term benefits that we are likely to see when we come through the other side. Indisputably, there is incredible pain for some, uncertainty for others, and for all of us, a change in how we view our world. But, eventually, we’ll emerge better for the experience (as humans have done over centuries). It’s now fast approaching the time when leade...
Apr 21, 2020•16 min•Ep 86•Transcript available on Metacast Episode #85 // The word “strategy” is much misused and misunderstood. A lot of people use it without really understanding what it means - ever had a well-meaning boss say; “You need to be more strategic”? Today, we take a step back and ask the question “What is strategy?”, and give you some practical tips for how to think about it (if you ever find yourself in the position where you need to). We cover the key concepts, looking at both the classical theory, and the contemporary application, leavi...
Apr 14, 2020•21 min•Ep 85•Transcript available on Metacast Episode #84 // I have met some incredibly intelligent executives, who struggle to get the outcomes they should because they can't elicit the buy-in and commitment of those around them. Many senior leaders try to drive outcomes from a position of ‘the smartest person in the room’. Well, being smart is awesome, but you’ve got to be REALLY smart if you want to learn how to use your intellect to get the job done the best way possible. This means going way beyond your pure intellect into the nebulous...
Apr 07, 2020•17 min•Ep 84•Transcript available on Metacast Episode #83 // In October of last year we released Episode #60, and looked at leading remote teams. In that episode, we outlined a number of principles to ensure that a lack of proximity doesn’t translate into a lack of results or value. Life has changed quite a bit since then, and now companies that previously had their whole complement of people within arm’s reach, are having to deal with managing a workforce that is fragmented in dozens (or even hundreds) of individual, remote work locations....
Mar 31, 2020•26 min•Ep 83•Transcript available on Metacast Episode #82 // Although the world is immersed in pandemic panic, today’s episode DOESN’T focus on the Coronavirus - there’s already an overload of information (and misinformation) in the public domain on this. However, it is timely for us to open our eyes to the wide world of crisis management, a core part of any senior leader's repertoire. Mastering the fundamentals of crisis management will enable you to lead your stakeholders through the uncertainties that invariably present when the sh!t hit...
Mar 24, 2020•21 min•Ep 82•Transcript available on Metacast Episode #81 // On 1st March 2020, we heard the news that Jack Welch had passed away at the age of 84 from renal failure. For over 20 years, he was the CEO and Chairman of General Electric, at the time one of America’s premier firms. Welch guided GE through the heady 1980s and 90s, at a time before the 2001 recession and the 2008 GFC curbed everyone’s enthusiasm. Welch is widely credited with transforming American capitalism. He was named the Manager of the Century by Fortune magazine in 1999, be...
Mar 17, 2020•19 min•Ep 81•Transcript available on Metacast Episode #80 // Decision fatigue has been spoken about over the last several years as a serious problem, a by-product of our fast paced world. Overcoming his initial reaction (“what a crock of sh!t”), Marty explored the topic, with an open mind, to understand it a little better. The outcomes of this journey of discovery are intriguing - the brain is an incredible thing, and we don’t understand it enough, even now, to definitively unveil all of its miracles. This episode will challenge your thinki...
Mar 10, 2020•18 min•Ep 80•Transcript available on Metacast Episode #79 // This episode takes us into another Q&A, where we address three excellent listener questions - and to celebrate International Women’s Day, we have an all-female roster. Janine asks about driving leadership change in an organisation where the tenets of accountability and empowerment that we subscribe to are not supported by the organisation’s prevailing culture. Vicky, an HR professional, asks us how organisations can better recognise the value to be achieved from the HR functio...
Mar 03, 2020•19 min•Ep 79•Transcript available on Metacast Episode #78 // In our quest to build harmonious teams where everyone works together and collaborates for the common good of the organisation, we sometimes forget how important it is to foster the natural and constructive tensions that are ever present in business. Having said that, we don’t want the pendulum to swing too far the other way. So what is the right amount of constructive tension to build into your team? This episode examines how leaders can strike the balance between constructive ten...
Feb 25, 2020•17 min•Ep 78•Transcript available on Metacast Episode #77 // A lot of people spend a lot of time talking about resilience. Interestingly, real resilience can be difficult to acquire for an individual, and even harder for a leader to build it into a team. This episode focuses on creating the right culture in your team to build the resilience that will enable it to handle any eventuality. What is it that builds resilience for an individual, so that they can roll with the punches in both their careers and their lives? Why is avoidance the grea...
Feb 18, 2020•17 min•Ep 77•Transcript available on Metacast Episode #76 // There are lots of different ownership structures that we come across in the world of business, and family owned businesses are extremely common. Some of these are relatively small, and some are massive enterprises. One of our listeners, Owen asked "Do you have any advice for a CEO going into a family-run company?" This episode touches on the different dynamics that can exist under the various ownership structures, and how they can affect the management team. If you, like Owen, are...
Feb 11, 2020•17 min•Ep 76•Transcript available on Metacast Episode #75 // This episode shifts a little from the leadership, culture, and human performance elements of business, to a technique-based expose on negotiation. Negotiation is one of the elements of business (and life) that is fundamental to your ultimate success. After a barrage of listener requests, I’m finally relenting to uncover the core skills required to be a great negotiator! In this episode, we uncover the critical elements of negotiation, and recommend some sources to help you develop...
Feb 04, 2020•21 min•Ep 75•Transcript available on Metacast Episode #74 // Middle management roles are sometimes the toughest of any role in an organisation. However, if you have the right mindset and perspective, it is also the place where your leadership career is forged. If you have already passed through middle management ranks, this is an opportunity to once again put yourself in a middle managers’ shoes. If you are living the middle management dream right now, I have some tips that will hopefully help you to navigate the choppy waters ahead. In thi...
Jan 28, 2020•20 min•Ep 74•Transcript available on Metacast Episode #73 // How do you stop people from mindlessly carrying out non-value adding activity for its own sake? This problem is extremely common, and addressing it can be incredibly challenging. As a leader, you will most likely need to do more than just work with your people on an individual basis. You will actually need to cut through your organisation’s well established cultural norms. But busy work is hard to see, hard to challenge, and hard to replace with higher value work. In this episode,...
Jan 21, 2020•19 min•Ep 73•Transcript available on Metacast Episode #72 // This week we take on one of the biggest, most complex topics in society and business today - climate change. With bushfires ravaging Australia on the back of one of the longest droughts in our history, the evidence for climate change is mounting. So too is the awareness and anger of the Australian people. This has driven media commentators, celebrities, and politicians alike to decry the sorry state of the planet. The vast majority of these are looking for someone to blame. Howeve...
Jan 14, 2020•30 min•Ep 72•Transcript available on Metacast Episode #71 // Thinking about how to transition to a new company or industry when you don’t have the technical expertise? For all our listeners who are changing roles (company, industry, or job function), this episode addresses some of the key challenges. We look at the role of diversity and inclusion, how to recognise and leverage your generic skillset, and why your technical expertise becomes less critical as you move up the ladder. I also give you a guided tour of my multiple successful caree...
Jan 07, 2020•17 min•Ep 71•Transcript available on Metacast Episode #70 // Happy New Year everyone! Today we take a step back to think about what we need to do to make 2020 our best year yet! Now is the time to press pause, and work out what you're actually going to do in the next 12 months. Since we started this podcast, I've had a lot of people ask me about my rituals and habits as a CEO. How did I set myself up for success at the start of each year? What are the exact tools and strategies that I use to stay on track? So to help you nail your goals thi...
Dec 31, 2019•6 min•Ep 70•Transcript available on Metacast Episode #69 // As 2019 draws to a close, Em and I thought we’d take a look back on the year of podcasts, and pick out our favourites for you to go back and listen to while you are enjoying some downtime in the New Year. Leaders, don’t just stay inside and eat pies this Christmas (and you’ll need to listen to the episode to work out what I mean)… Take a little time to improve yourselves, and get into some of these episodes from our back catalogue that we think are the pick of the bunch. All the l...
Dec 24, 2019•19 min•Ep 69•Transcript available on Metacast Episode #68 // Strong leadership is rare, but incredibly valuable to people and organisations. Unfortunately, with the amount of superficial, feel-good leadership content being peddled these days, you could be forgiven for thinking quite the opposite. For many, leadership has deteriorated into a quest to ‘make people happy’. Many leaders then begin to believe their own bullish!t. They misinterpret superficial contentment as productivity, and limited achievement in an undemanding environment as h...
Dec 17, 2019•18 min•Ep 68•Transcript available on Metacast Episode #67 // The reality of life in modern organisations is that resource constraints are ever present. For this reason we have to make choices, but we typically aren’t good at this. We simply try to do way too much. And if we DO manage to get good at it, there is often a Nike boss above us who says “Just do it”. The type of boss who doesn’t want to listen to why something can’t be done. Excellence in performance is generally underpinned by a philosophy of simplicity and focus. Don’t try to do...
Dec 10, 2019•17 min•Ep 67•Transcript available on Metacast Episode #66 // It is almost expected that when you take on a new role, you are going to find ways to do things differently, and improve the team you have. Enter the “change program”. It is easy to get caught up in the hype… Consultants running around everywhere telling you what needs to be done, people drowning in PowerPoint decks that explain the change, and a whole facade of indicators to prove that what you are doing is working. But how do you know if you are really getting traction? Often we...
Dec 03, 2019•18 min•Ep 66•Transcript available on Metacast Episode #65 // As leaders, we often feel as though it is our obligation to ensure that everyone in our team is happy, motivated, and succeeding. Although that would be nice, it is also incredibly unrealistic. This episode explores the line between accountabilities for the leader and their people (many of whom may also be leaders, of course). How far does your obligation extend to help someone change? And how much rope should you give them if they are clearly not turning the corner? We get really...
Nov 26, 2019•20 min•Ep 65•Transcript available on Metacast Episode #64 // Restructures in large organisations are commonplace, and quite often imply that the organisation is seeking greater efficiency, which results in a number of roles being made redundant. These decisions, from the front line perspective, may seem to lack rationality and create a lot of angst, as sometimes very good people are moved on. How do you handle this emotionally and psychologically if you are caught in the firing line and, in your role as a leader, how can you help to make a ...
Nov 19, 2019•18 min•Ep 64•Transcript available on Metacast Episode #63 // Sometimes we focus so much on developing our own leadership style that we forget to read the play. One of the most useful leadership models that I have encountered is Situational Leadership Theory. It basically states that, since every individual is different, and they often find themselves in different situations, the style of the leader should vary according to this in order to optimise results. In this episode we look at when it is appropriate to push harder, when it is appropr...
Nov 12, 2019•17 min•Ep 63•Transcript available on Metacast Episode #62 // In today's episode, Em and I are chatting through two really great listener questions! The first question we tackle is from Alison, who asked: “ I’d be interested in a topic covering how to lead and influence people that are smarter than you! How do you keep them engaged and motivated without being permissive?" We all know that hiring people who are smarter than us is actually the object of the exercise, but being smart isn't everything, it’s just a really good start! The second q...
Nov 05, 2019•15 min•Ep 62•Transcript available on Metacast Episode #61 // As leaders, we are often cast in situations where we have to say “no” to people. In this episode I give you some practical techniques for having the confidence to say “no” to virtually anyone - your team, customers, suppliers, and peers. I’ll even touch on how to say “no” to your boss without risking the relationship, or making her or him feel as though you are being insubordinate. Understanding how to say “no” without feeling as though you have let the other person down, and with...
Oct 29, 2019•18 min•Ep 61•Transcript available on Metacast Episode #60 // Leading when you don’t have physical proximity to your people can be tricky. The good news is that doing this well is no different from leading any team well. However, any cracks in your leadership will be more obvious in this scenario. In this episode I explore the nuances of leading remote teams (or remote employees, as flexible working arrangements become more prevalent). I'll talk about why world leading safety organisation, DuPont, always put one of their own leaders into a n...
Oct 22, 2019•19 min•Ep 60•Transcript available on Metacast 
