My guest for this Podcast, Dr Nikola Stepanov, has spent much of her career in service to the public sector and community. Her background is in professional ethics and governance, research and research regulation, mediation and dispute resolution, and board governance. She has expertise in resolving complex and contentious conflicts where there are grave personal or governance risks. She holds six degrees, including a Juris Doctor (JD) and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). She completed her PhD at the University of Melbourne with the School of Global and Population Health and the Melbourne Medical School. In her spare time, she is a devoted section and thru hiker. She has just returned from hiking the 270 Km Portuguese Coastal Camino (through Portugal and Spain in 36-37 degrees!) and for her next trip is planning to hike the stunning 'W Trek’ through the Torres del Paine National Park in Chilean Patagonia. Have a listen to this podcast if you wish to improve your approach to navigating those challenging ethical and Integrity moments in both professional and personal life.

“At times, you have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you’ll discover will be wonderful. What you’ll discover is yourself.” ― Alan Alda (Actor and Educator)

In this ‘Influence Me’ Leadership Podcast, I speak with my friend Doug Beitz (former emergency service officer, and successful business leader) about the benefit of understanding and then using your intuition for personal and professional effectiveness. Do yourself a favour and consider how this area of interest may bring bring extremely positive changes to you. #intuition #leadership #service #growing #experience #gutfeel 

When a potential guest says he is dangerously allergic to the archaic approach to leadership development - I want to interview him!

For this episode, my guest Matt Callow is a registered Psychologist with over 10 years experience consulting to organisations and delivering success in talent management, organisational development, learning & development; and strategic human resource management solutions. Matt blends commercial realism with proven behavioural science to help organisations increase productivity, performance and profitability. Matt work’s in partnership with Executives, OD, HR, L&D and Recruitment Leaders in determining the profile of success for their people, and consequently, the productivity and profitability of their organisations. Matt is also obsessed with seeing people challenge themselves. With more than 10 years of psychology-in-the-workplace and behavioural-intervention experience, he's obsessed with innovating new ways of rebuilding leaders and cultures; creating high impact programs and alternate delivery mechanisms that exude passion and produce tools and insights that are ludicrously useful and effective. Matt is dangerously allergic to the archaic approach to leadership development – a ‘death by PowerPoint’ approach limited in efficacy due to the cognitive dissonance and paltry half-life associated with traditional learning. Described as a mix between a mad scientist and sports coach, Matt uses powerful brain tools, psychology and neuroscience to enhance success and give people the choice and opportunity to grow beyond today.

Brenton known as “Ben” grew up and was educated in country Western Australia. In 1980 Ben joined the Australian Army where he began a journey that would last for 32 years. He developed a passion very early in his career for training and leadership which over his extensive career took him from being a Junior Commander through to senior management level as a Unit Commander.

Among numerous experiences and qualifications Ben specialised as a Bomb Disposal Technician operating in and leading small teams and later up to regimental (600 personnel) size groups. Having moved through the ranks from a Private soldier to a Commissioned Officer Ben’s life and leadership experiences are extensive.

Ben has undertaken training and operational duties in Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand, Tonga, India, Pakistan, United States, Iraq and Afghanistan. Ben is fluent in Pidgin English having also spent two years seconded to the Papua New Guinea Defence Force as a Military Adviser.

Ben has been the recipient of several military Commendations including three from the Chief of the Australian Defence Force for meritorious service in the fields of training and leadership. The greatest honour was when Ben received the Order of Australia Medal (Military Division) in the 2009 Australia Day awards.

Leaving the Australian Army in 2011, Ben joined emergency services sector of the Queensland State government where he is currently employed as the Executive Manager, QFES Workforce Development Unit.

Ben is married to Maureen and has one son Matthew. Ben has several hobbies (none of which he is good at) including, fishing, woodworking (ruining perfectly good timber), caravanning and collecting military memorabilia.

In this rich and informative Podcast I discuss matters of leadership during emergency operations with John Cawcutt AFSM. John is an Assistant Commissioner with the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services where he leads a multi-disciplinary team of over 1000 fire service officers, emergency managers and public service officers in the delivery of all-hazards prevention, preparedness and emergency response operations for Brisbane city and regional surrounds.

John has been a firefighter for over thirty five years and has served in metropolitan and regional centres in operational and management roles specialising in emergency response, risk and disaster management. In his operational and leadership capacity John has led multiple interstate and intrastate responses to emergencies of national importance and has frequently presented at both national and international conferences. John is an Australian Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Taskforce Leader and led disaster response teams to the Sumatran fires as well as to earthquakes in Padang, Indonesia and Christchurch, New Zealand.

He has represented Australia at numerous United Nations Search and Rescue meetings and is an international Classifier having assessed more than a dozen different countries. In addition, John was the official mentor for the Japan, New Zealand, USA and China international disaster response teams. John is a Graduate of the Institute of Company Directors and has a broad range of academic qualifications that include a Masters in Public Administration, Masters in Leadership & Management (Policing), Graduate Diploma in Executive Leadership a Bachelor of Further Education & Training. John has sat on a number of humanitarian Boards and committees and among other awards was proud to receive the Australian Fire Service Medal (AFSM) in the 2006 Queen's Birthday Honours list.

As it is said, from little things big things grow. Robert’s initial experience with the fire services was as an untrained and ineffectual volunteer firefighter with the CFA in the early 1980’s. In 1983 he fled the Ash Wednesday fires with his wife and month old daughter, and shortly thereafter while he worked in TAFE, and before the era of Certificates, he conducted many Train-the-Trainer programs for the CFA trainers at Fiskville. Robert went on to work with the Fiskville trainers to develop training packages to improve the skills of the CFA volunteers. In the mid-90’s he escaped Ballarat’s miserable winters and moved to Maleny. Around that time a major review of Queensland’s fire services lead to a major restructure. 81 fire boards in local government were replaced by a single fire service and this is was the early genesis of the current QFES. Robert worked within the new organisation with its exceptional people for many years to develop the capability of the new teams. He went on to do similar work with QAS and other agencies within the Emergency Services. Robert has also worked on major and minor organisational development projects in other sectors and across the globe. He is currently retired but always happy to support people doing good work with good people.

What an opportunity to speak with Doug Beitz, a long-term colleague and friend. Doug was previously an emergency services officer, a successful business operator, with him now moving into the role of life coach. This podcast tells his life story to date, including the many lessons he has gleaned, all with lots of meaning. Doug is incredibly curious when it comes to life, and he is someone who I have learnt from personally. During our conversation, we cover three distinct phases of his life, and knowing Doug as I do - there’s more to come. His desire to support others is expressed through his own Podcast series ‘Conversations with Doug’, and I recommend that listeners may gain benefit in tuning it to episodes that may hold personal meaning.

For this podcast it’s a pleasure to have Queensland Ambulance Service - Deputy Commissioner Dee Taylor-Dutton ASM as my guest. In her current role, Dee has accountability for all aspects of QAS frontline operational service delivery. Commencing in 1995 as a Student Ambulance Officer in Townsville, Dee has since held positions in operations, communications, corporate services and management, as well as leading operational service delivery to rural, remote, and urban communities across Queensland. Dee is a recipient of the prestigious Ambulance Service Medal as well as the National Medal, she is also a graduate of the Australian and New Zealand School of Government and the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She has a number of tertiary qualifications, including an Executive Masters of Public Administration, Bachelor degrees in Law and Science, as well as an Associate Diploma in Applied Science. It’s great to be able to have this important discussion with Dee. I certainly learnt a bit more about psychological safety in the workplace, I’m sure other listeners will as well.

My guest for this Podcast Nick Dunn is a corporate professional with over twenty years in management and leadership positions with his current role with global insurance firm Aon as their Operations, Projects and Facilities Manager for Queensland and Northern Territory. Nick also travels nationally, project managing, design and construction of new office sites for Aon; as well as being the lead for Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity.  

Nick has been volunteering with the SES for nearly ten years and is currently a Deputy Local Controller with the Brisbane Unit, occasionally back filling the Local Controller position when required. Nick has a passion for developing leaders and has created a leadership coaching program for new and emerging leaders within the SES which is available to all volunteers to help with their own leadership development. Nick is well known as an innovator and intuitive problem solver, with a strong empathetic leadership ethos and culture that includes nurturing, confidence, empowerment, openness and inclusion within the people that he leads and works alongside.

An avid triathlete, challenging his own abilities, both physically and mentally is one catalyst for Nick wanting to help others grow and be the best (SES member) they can be. Nick's favourite quote mirrors his attitude toward developing people being, "If you're not making someone else's life better, you're wasting your time”. In this Podcast we discuss the critical aspect of supporting our emerging leaders, so they can avoid making the mistakes many leaders unfortunately make during their leadership journey.

Kerry Howard is a best-selling author and psychologist specialising in trauma prevention and treatment. Kerry has won two international awards for her commitment to treating PTSD and improving mental health in Australia. Since 2010, Kerry has presented at a variety of international conferences including the USA, Europe and Australia. She developed professional development training in the promotion, prevention and early intervention of traumatic injury. Kerry is a former executive level leader who developed policy and programs in a variety of health focussed areas.

Kerry’s new book, ‘The Trouble with Trauma’ provides clear guidance for individuals and organisations about how to resolve traumatic experience. See https://thetroublewithtrauma.com

In this Podcast we discuss the challenge and impact of trauma, and the role leaders can play in improving trauma impact outcomes.