Sean Chapman imparts some of his knowledge about leadership and the strategies he uses for a high-performance team.

Chapman encounters the alpha male types in his work, but he has learned to harness that determination for the team's benefit. He talks about different leadership styles, the impact of a great leader. Understanding the goals of a team empowers team members to give their best work, he adds.

He discusses his current projects, why he does what he does.

Show topics:

• Training dogs
• Harnessing determination
• Different leadership styles
• Impact of a great leader
• Importance of understanding goals
• Chapman’s current projects
• Why Chapman is in construction
• Transition difficulties to civilian life
• Setting standards
• Adapting leadership strategies

Michael Hawker, former Wallaby and chairman of several companies, is on the podcast with us to speak about his roles and positions. He talks about his background and his experiences as a professional athlete.

Hawker has many experiences in leadership positions and gives insights on how to keep a team stable and on the same page. He makes a distinction between leadership and management, emphasizes the importance of trust and courage in having difficult conversations.

Hawker closes the episode with what are his values as a leader and the importance for them to have a vision. Listen to the full podcast episode and gain some insight you can apply to your team.

Show topics

• Roles, positions of Hawker
• Hawker’s hometown
• Hawker’s test debut and vice-captain assignment
• Importance of team stability
• Keeping teammates on the same page
• Grand slam tour
• New South Wales training approach
• Leadership vs Management
• Importance of trust
• Courage to have difficult conversations
• Humility
• Why is it important for leaders to have vision?
• Management structures
• Values as a leader

Ben Cross is a former rugby player who is on the show to share his insights on leadership from his years working on the field.

Cross recalls his coaches with whom he has trained. They range from the jovial to the tough and there are advantages and disadvantages to both. It comes down to how these coaches set an example for their team to follow.

His work for the National Rugby League has had its fair share of challenges such as losing the grand final in 2006, but it is less about failure and more about a push to continue training and improving.

Show Topics:

• Raiders and Matty Elliot
• “Getting the right people on the bus”
• Mental fitness
• Leading through action
• NRL recruitment process
• 2006 grand final loss
• Sporting world vs Corporate world
• 2007 recovery
• Trust and leadership
• Challenge cup

Chris Robshaw is on the show to offer his insights into how he overcame his team's loss in the 2015 World Cup. He emphasizes the importance of personal and professional networks in these difficult circumstances. Additionally, how essential followers can be in achieving a team's goals.

Robshaw talks about maintaining the momentum of a successful team and lists his traits of a high-performance leader.

Show topics:

• 2015 World Cup campaign
• Importance of personal/professional networks
• Importance of followership
• Maintaining momentum
• Traits of a high-performance leader

In this episode, Will Collett talks about how his background in the police, Special Forces, and agriculture shaped his leadership and teamwork perspective.

Collett speaks about his experiences working with an ethnically diverse workplace. He learned that race or religious differences should not be a hindrance when there is a common goal. A good leader should understand that what matters most is someone’s heart and determination.

He was a part of the Australian Defence Force. Soldiers rely on their training and on their superiors to lead them forward. Such a relationship requires the utmost trust. Leaders need to establish this trust to create an effective team.

Similarly, Collett’s work for the federal police placed him in difficult, stressful situations where good leadership could mean life or death. He adds what he believes to be the traits of a good leader.

Finally, Will Collett wants to emphasize the importance of mental health. As a veteran, he served for the safety of civilians. He realized the toll it had on him, and he established Making Men for the support of others who are going through similar situations because, according to him, good leadership starts with self-leadership.

Show topics:

• Racial dynamics in the workplace
• Leadership
• One commando regiment
• Trust
• Federal police
• Traits of a good leader
• Making Men

Blaine Scully is a former captain of the Eagles rugby team in the 2015 World Cup.

Scully explains his preference for rugby as compared to other sports. He goes further into detail about his strategies in improving his team’s dynamic. The coach and mentorship, he added, are essential for the growth and progress of the group. Furthermore, honesty and accountability go hand in hand in leading oneself to become a better unit member.

Scully talks about winning and losing national titles, adjusting to new environments. During the 2018 European challenge, faced him with fierce competition.

Show topics:

• Scully’s background
• Preference for rugby
• First rugby game
• Holistic development
• Coaching and mentorship
• Honesty
• Winning and losing national titles
• Adjusting to new environments
• 2018 European challenge
• Scully’s endeavors outside of rugby
• Emphasis on statistics

Rupert Backus is the Executive Manager for Commonwealth Bank. He shares his insights on his leadership strategies in working for CBA and as a rugby coach. He shares his background in Graceland, how he started working in Dubbo.

Backus’ work for the Commonwealth Bank of Australia and as a rugby coach makes him knowledgeable regarding leadership. He discusses the different ways he has achieved high performance. Some of these strategies include engaging with independent investors, personality assessments, and more.

Show topics:

• Background
• Dubbo
• CBA
• Team: Good to great
• Engaging with someone else
• Personality assessment
• Self-awareness
• Accountability
• Trust
• Results
• Development
• Leadership qualities

Sean Chapman imparts some of his knowledge about leadership and the strategies he uses for a high-performance team.

Chapman encounters the alpha male types in his work, but he has learned to harness that determination for the team's benefit. He talks about different leadership styles, the impact of a great leader. Understanding the goals of a team empowers team members to give their best work, he adds.

He discusses his current projects, why he does what he does.

Gail Miller, Olympian and Managing Director at Goldstone Property Pales, recalls her run at the 2000 Olympics, competing in the first women’s polo team. It was a difficult process, campaigning to be included, but they emerged victorious.

Miller shared the grueling training process necessary for her and her team to compete and eventually win the 2000 Olympics gold medal for women’s polo. Through this, she developed a keen sense of teamwork and an understanding of the importance of team dynamics.

Listen as she relates her knowledge in sports to the competitive field of sales. Sports are similar in that to achieve success; a managing director like herself must work to create a tight team that works together towards a common goal.

Show Topics:

• History of women’s polo team
• 2000 Olympics
• Campaign for equal rights in Olympics
• ’99 World Cup
• Transition of women’s polo from an amateur to professional
• Training for Olympics
• Team philosophy
• Team dynamics
• Addressing issues within the team
• Developing the skill of understanding constructive feedback
• Communicating with different team members

 

Liam Messam is a New Zealand rugby union player.

He is on the podcast to speak about the successes of his career and his insights on how to maintain a high performance team.

Coaches like Dave Rennie were highly influential on his high standards of leadership. His team, the All Blacks, played for each other and Messam points to this as a major factor to its success.

Messam recounts his different games, such as the All Black’s game against the Sharks, and offers some advice to other rugby players on maintaining a team’s momentum through their second year.

Show topics:

• Dave Rennie
• Success
• Importance of knowing your role
• Making tough decisions
• Win against sharks
• Maintaining high performance in 2nd year
• Influential leaders
• Key traits of a leader