Leadership Is Changing

Julian studied politics at the University of Auckland before completing his first-class Honours degree at Victoria University of Wellington. 

Julian started his career in the Australian foreign service before serving in the National-led Government as an advisor to MPs and Ministers, including in the offices of Nick Smith and Amy Adams. 

He was a consultant at the public relations firm Acumen Republic and an external relations specialist in the financial services sector. 

One of his proudest moments was working in the Amy Adams’ team where they tackled complex social issues like family violence, homelessness, and social investment. 

He has worked as a senior business manager at Fonterra, where he advised New Zealand’s largest company on reputational risk and business strategy in areas of global business and sustainability, and had the opportunity to work in Shanghai, London, and Hong Kong. 

Recently he joined Air New Zealand, an organization in crisis, where he is advising in a public relations and reputation role to help turn the national airline around.

Julian has held many board directorships over the years, including at the Institute of Public Administration, Wairarapa Cancer Society, Public Relations Institute of New Zealand, and helped establish the Youth Advisory Council of the New Zealand Middle East Business Council.

Julian is completing his MBA. He has founded his own pet care start-up and is an author and commentator. An avid runner and rower. He is engaged to Jordon, a doctor specializing in obstetrics, and they live in Auckland with our son Hugo and our dog Teddy.

On this episode:

• Hear Julian talk about how his leadership journey started organically without him realizing it
• Julian defines his “true essence” of leadership
• The importance of finding the right people
• Tackling and embracing diversity
• Julian discusses why resiliency is one of the key elements of becoming a successful leader

Key Takeaways:

• Leadership today is about stepping up to the opportunities to lead people even though you may not realize you’re doing so
• Leadership comes from the heart.
• Authentic leadership is out. Inclusive leadership is in.
• Leaders must build their resilience to be prepared for unforeseen events.
• Crisis doesn’t build character. It reveals it.

Tweetable Quotes:

“Leadership today is that it’s no longer about having a C-suite office. It’s about having the opportunities to sort of step up and lead people around you even though you may not know you’re doing it.” – Julian Light

“A true leader, in my view, looks beyond today’s challenges and challenges people to keep an eye on the horizon and always looking ahead.” – Julian Light

“Crisis doesn’t build character. It reveals it.” – Julian Light

You can connect with Julian on LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com/in/julianlight/) 

Resources:

Email: [email protected]

Website: http://www.leadingchangepartners.com/ 

Leadership Is Changing Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/LeadershipIsChanging/

Leadership is Changing LinkedIn Page:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/leadership-is-changing-podcast/

Tamara is a self-taught digital marketing expert, having learned from the top digital marketers in the field both in her hometown of Rochester, NY, and the world. Her company is called NOW Digital Marketing.

She has a specialized Niche for helping funeral homes and funeral directors be more human to stand out online above all the noise and to be the leaders of the community they are. While the funeral industry is her specialty, she has worked with many different industries, such as the travel and restaurant industries.

Tamara has held leadership positions in many community organizations, most recently she led the Rochester Professional Consultants Network as their President, and when her term expired in June of 2020, she became the first female chapter chair for SCORE Greater Rochester.

In SCORE, Tamara has helped start over 40 businesses and mentored hundreds of business owners to start, run or grow their business.

Prior to being the Chapter Chair, she was the Chair of the Marketing Committee and the Workshop Committee.

In the past, she was also VP of Family & Youth Programming for both her local chapter of Parents Without Partners overseeing the programming for families for over 100 members, in addition to overseeing the programming for the Region, which included 17 chapters across New York State and Pennsylvania.

Tamara has 2 radio shows that are weekly and heard in Rochester NY and around the world by streaming online, and ROC Voices, which showcase local leaders and community members engaged in moving the community forward. ReThinking Business – a show developed for SCORE highlighting SCORE Mentors and SCORE clients as well as business owners. We talk about the journey of being a business owner and how mentoring leads to success.

Tamara is married to Jim, and they have a blended family of five (5) children: She has five (5) grandchildren.

On this episode:

• Hear Tamara share her journey as a self-taught digital marketing expert
• Tamara discusses her leadership style
• Tamara talks about the lack of connection between people in the organization.
• Tamara discusses why we should change how leaders connect with their people.

Key Takeaways:

• Walk the talk. Be the role model of what you want your people to be.
• Bring the human factor back and connect with the people
• When connection within the organization is strong, and their values and beliefs are aligned. It will move the organization to an even higher level.
• Employees expect to be heard and listened to
• Be open to everything and attached to nothing. That will allow you the ability to pivot and know which opportunities to jump on.

Tweetable Quotes:

“When things are aligned with your values and your beliefs, I think that totally moves your organization and takes it to an entirely different level.” – Tamara MacDuff

“Be open to everything and attached to nothing … because that will allow you the ability to pivot and know which opportunities you want to jump on.” – Tamara MacDuff

Get in touch with Tamara on LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com/in/tamaramacduff )

Resources:

Email: [email protected]

Website: http://www.leadingchangepartners.com/ 

Leadership Is Changing Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/LeadershipIsChanging/

Leadership is Changing LinkedIn Page:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/leadership-is-changing-podcast/

In this episode of Ask Denis, hear Denis talk about how to finish the quarter strong. We’re now approaching the end of March, which marks the end of the first quarter of the year. Where are you now with your goals? Have you accomplished them, or are you making any progress? Do you have plans you need to finish within the last week of the quarter but is second-guessing if you’ll have enough time? Well, a lot can happen in a week, so let’s go out there and get the ball rolling and make this quarter a memorable one.

On this episode:

• Denis emphasizes that in just a week, a lot of amazing things can happen
• Why you should start thinking more towards the growth mindset
• Denis talks about why people tend to step away when faced with obstacles
• Denis gives advice on how you can finish this quarter strong

Key Takeaways:

• Make the decision now, and let’s hit those quarterly goals
• When you adopt the growth mindset, things will slowly start to fall in place
• Obstacles exist so that we can grow
• Stay disciplined, focused, and be consistent

Tweetable Quotes:

“As we sort of started thinking differently, lifted are thinking, started to think a little bit more around the growth mindset of ‘what we could do?’ ‘How we could put things into place?’ What could make things happen?’ Things started to happen.” – Denis Gianoutsos

“It’s not over until it’s over.” – Denis Gianoutsos

Resources:

Email: [email protected]

Website: http://www.leadingchangepartners.com/ 

Leadership Is Changing Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/LeadershipIsChanging/

Leadership is Changing LinkedIn Page:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/leadership-is-changing-podcast/

Anneliese Olson is Senior Vice President and General Manager for HP’s Print Category. In this role, she is responsible for global category management for Print, 4P execution, P&L management, and country management. With 25 years of experience at HP, she has a strong track record of driving transformation across different business roles.

Prior to her current role, Anneliese was General Manager and Global Head of Home Printing Solutions at HP. Before her leadership role in HP Print, Anneliese was Vice President & General Manager of HP’s Personal Systems Category for the Asia Pacific and Japan (based out of Singapore).

Anneliese is also a strong advocate for sustainability and diversity at HP. She is particularly passionate about work-life integration, workplace inclusion, and women in leadership – she was the Executive Sponsor for HP’s APJ diversity efforts, including the Women In Networking (WiN) group in Singapore. She currently serves as Executive Sponsor of HP’s Sustainability strategy and initiatives for the print business.

With a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Santa Clara University. Anneliese has held a number of board positions with non-profit organizations focused on improving the lives of women and children. 

Currently based in the Bay Area with her husband and two children, she enjoys travel, music, and DJ lessons.

On this episode:

• Anneliese talks about how she started developing her leadership skills through playing sports
• Anneliese discusses how Abraham Lincoln and reading and listening to transformational stories have influenced her leadership style
• We talk about how technology has advanced and how it affects Anneliese and their business
• Anneliese discusses the importance of being a good listener

Key Takeaways:

• Listen to Stories of Transformation. There are countless lessons you can learn from them.
• As leaders, we have to be flexible. We must constantly adapt to the changes in the world.
• Leaders must be good listeners.
• What we do as leaders has a massive impact.

Tweetable Quotes:

“People need to listen, especially leaders.” – Anneliese Olson

“Change is always there. We have to be more flexible.” – Anneliese Olson

Reach out to Annelise on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annelieseolson/

Resources:

Email: [email protected]

Website: http://www.leadingchangepartners.com/ 

Leadership Is Changing Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/LeadershipIsChanging/

Leadership is Changing LinkedIn Page:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/leadership-is-changing-podcast/

Simon is currently the CEO of Rowing New Zealand and has been in the role for 12 years.

Simon was former CEO of Sport Auckland, where he worked for over nine years. Simon is the former Chairman of Paralympics NZ, where he was in the role for the Athens and Beijing Paralympics campaigns. During his time in that role, he was on the International Development Committee for the International Paralympic movement. Overall, Simon has over 25 years of experience in sport management. 

He has also completed the Harvard University course – Governance for Non-profit Excellence. 

Simon has also been a professional cricket coach (six years) and played first-class cricket for Auckland. Simon’s coaching and playing experience and his understanding of sport management are integral in understanding and creating a high-performance environment for New Zealand’s rowers.

Simon has been Chairman of the Pinnacle Programme, which is a Hyundai NZ-backed initiative to develop the potential of young New Zealanders across music, art, culture, and Sport. Simon is also a Director on a family-owned commercial Board.  

He won the NZ Sport and Recreation Leadership award in 2015 with a Professional Development scholarship in the name of Chris Doig, a former Rowing NZ board member.  

Simon is happily married and has two young children, and enjoys living an active lifestyle in Hamilton.

On this episode:

• Simon talks about how he evolved his leadership style to focus on both the team and individual aspects of your members
• Simon discusses why “change managers” irks him.
• Simon explains why leadership is all about “time.”
• Leadership is transitioning more into EQ rather than IQ
• The unfair playing field brought by the social media world and mainstream media heading into more opinionated pieces.

Key Takeaways:

• Look after your team and give them the appropriate treatment
• A good leader is about consultation and makes sure everybody is heard and considered
• A good leader has a good sense of EQ (Emotional Quotient)
• Our paradigms are not the same as other people’s paradigms

Tweetable Quotes:

“You are a people leader when you’re a coach.” – Simon Peterson

“As a leader, it’s really critical to understand that your paradigm and your world is not that of your colleagues and those that are working with you.” – Simon Peterson

Reach out to Simon on:

• Visit their website at  https://www.rowingnz.kiwi/ 
• Send him an email: [email protected]

Resources:

Email: [email protected]

Website: http://www.leadingchangepartners.com/ 

Leadership Is Changing Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/LeadershipIsChanging/

Leadership is Changing LinkedIn Page:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/leadership-is-changing-podcast/

In this episode of Ask Denis, hear Denis talk about the power of setting big goals. When we set a goal, big or small, we create a plan to achieve it, but the bigger the goal, the more resources you will put into it, which is the idea behind BHAGs (Big Hairy Audacious Goals). When we have massive goals, it forces us to break out of our boxes and stop thinking ‘small.’ It will force us to become better versions of ourselves so that we’ll be capable of achieving those BHAGs.

On this episode:

• Denis talks about the 36th America’s Cup.
• Team New Zealand setting big goals and bringing home the Cup back to NZ
• How are your goals coming along? Have you set big powerful goals?
• When is the right time to set goals?

Key Takeaways:

• Big goals paired with a plan, massive action, working hard, and seeing it through to the end produces magnificent results
• Set goals that will push you to a higher level
• It is never too late to set a new goal and work hard to achieve it

Tweetable Quotes:

“Set yourself some massive goals. Go on, be courageous, be bold.” – Denis Gianoutsos

“It’s amazing how things start to fall into place for people as they set goals.” – Denis Gianoutsos

Resources:

Email: [email protected]

Website: http://www.leadingchangepartners.com/ 

Leadership Is Changing Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/LeadershipIsChanging/

Leadership is Changing LinkedIn Page:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/leadership-is-changing-podcast/

Stephanie worked for more than 15 years in the not-for-profit sector, promoting human rights and sustainable development causes. Stephanie is currently Global Co-CEO of Talent Beyond Boundaries, a non-profit on a mission to enable refugees and other displaced people to secure jobs overseas and migrate on the basis of their skills to secure their futures. 

Prior to that, Stephanie led advocacy and external affairs at Amnesty International Australia and held several senior leadership positions at Oxfam Australia and Oxfam International. 

In 2017 she was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to research innovative refugee admission programs across six countries. She wrote about my findings at www.makerefuge.org - a website created to showcase how governments, citizens, and other actors can better work together to welcome refugees into our communities. 

Stephanie has a Bachelor of Arts, a Bachelor of Public Policy and Management, and a Masters of Public and International Law from the University of Melbourne. 

Stephanie is passionate about creating innovative solutions to human rights and development challenges.

On this episode:

• Hear Stephanie talk about her background and how her passion for human rights and social development issues have affected the course of her life
• Stephanie talks about why she follows the principle of “hiring someone based on their potential.”
• Stephanie explains their “Co-CEO Structure” and how it has impacted their organization
• Stephanie discusses where leadership will be in the next 5 years

Key Takeaways:

• Hiring someone based on potential can go a long way. It’s not always about the qualifications on their papers.
• Leaders must be accountable for their decisions and behavior
• Leaders must have flexibility and adaptability
• Leaders must be able to pivot on a dime

Tweetable Quotes:

“Hire on potential and look for potential.” – Stephanie Cousins

Reach out to Stephanie:

• www.makerefuge.com
• www.talentbeyondboundaries.org

Resources:

Email: [email protected]

Website: http://www.leadingchangepartners.com/ 

Leadership Is Changing Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/LeadershipIsChanging/

Leadership is Changing LinkedIn Page:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/leadership-is-changing-podcast/

Ernest Azzam is the Regional Business Manager for HP, managing Large Format Printing in Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Africa region. 

Ernest has been an HP employee for over 15 years, beginning in 2003 as the Large Format Printers Product Manager for the Middle East. In 2008, Ernest managed the Laser and Enterprise solutions Go-To-Market unit. He joined the Graphics Solutions Business Team in 2013, managing the Large Format Business for the Middle East and Africa region until 2019 when his territory was expanded to include Eastern Europe.

Ernest has more than 20 years of experience in the Graphics industry. Prior to joining HP, Ernest was a Software and Sales Engineer at Heidelberg Gulf.

On this episode:

• Listen to Ernest's story of how he searched and grabbed for the opportunity to become a leader, not just wait for it.
• Ernest discusses his observations of how leadership has changed over the years.
• Ernest talks about how leadership is about Influence
• Ernest shares what a leader's role is all about
• Ernest talks about how life is in Dubai during the pandemic
• Ernest stresses the importance of being able to adapt to this fast-paced, ever-changing world

Key Takeaways:

• Don't just wait for the opportunity. Search for it.
• Some people are not made to be leaders
• You should be happy with what you do. People are more successful with jobs where they are happy with what they do.
• Successful leadership today is about influence, not authority.

Tweetable Quotes:

"You have to grab [the opportunity] and find it yourself and not wait for somebody to give it to you." – Ernest Azzam

"Happiness in what you do is key. And I believe that's the ultimate objective." – Ernest Azzam

You can connect with Ernest on LinkedIn 

Resources:

Email: [email protected]

Website: http://www.leadingchangepartners.com/ 

Leadership Is Changing Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/LeadershipIsChanging/

Leadership is Changing LinkedIn Page:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/leadership-is-changing-podcast/

In this episode of Ask Denis, hear Denis talk about why mindset matters for success. If you have ever listened to successful people talk, they always say something along the lines of without the right mindset; you will never reach your goals, and that by shifting their mindset to the right one, they were able to move the needle towards their goals. But does mindset really matter? Does it really play a significant role, just as they say? Tune in and find out!

On this episode:

• What is the right mindset?
• Denis stresses that having the right mindset separates successful people from the unsuccessful
• Denis talks about the 7 things that make people successful 

Key Takeaways:

• Adopt the growth mindset, not the diminishing mindset
• Be very clear with your “why” or “purpose”
• Perfection is not going to happen
• Successful people are results-focused
• Change the impossible to possible. Don’t look for reasons why you can’t do something.
• Change brings opportunities
• Understand the importance of consistency
• Be confident in the value you can bring

Tweetable Quotes:

“People who have a mindset and understand that mindset matters for success are successful cause they understand that they are never going to be perfect.” – Denis Gianoutsos

“With change comes opportunities.” – Denis Gianoutsos

“It’s not about what it is. It’s about what you do with it is what counts.” – Denis Gianoutsos

Resources:

Email: [email protected]

Website: http://www.leadingchangepartners.com/ 

Leadership Is Changing Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/LeadershipIsChanging/

Leadership is Changing LinkedIn Page:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/leadership-is-changing-podcast/

Sean is a Pastor, Entrepreneur, and Keynote Speaker. Since 1998 he has been helping thousands of people become solid, strategic, and solutional leaders in life and business. He is launching The Oaks Church in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on April 4th, Easter Sunday.

On this episode:

• Listen to Sean talk about his journey to overcoming people’s expectations of him.
• Sean shares the story of how he stumbled into becoming a speaker.
• Sean stresses that leaders must be “believable.” Turn yourself into someone that people can believe in. 
• Are you in it to make money, or are you in it to make a legacy?

Key Takeaways:

• Don’t take years to leave a job that’s not making you happy. Take a leap of faith into chasing your dreams.
• Your dream will discover you if you just keep seeking it.
• If you are not “believable,” people will turn you off in a heartbeat.
• If you build people, they will build your business.

Tweetable Quotes:

“We all have a story to tell, and we all have scars from life. The scars are a sign of healing. They are a sign of life; they mean we made it. And so, I love to be the type of leader that shares my story and shows my scars cause I believe that gives other people hope that they can make it too.” – Sean Abbananto

“Your dream will discover you if you just keep seeking it.” – Sean Abbananto

“When you reignite the heart of a dreamer, anything is possible.” – Sean Abbananto

Learn more about Sean:

• The Oaks Church OKC: https://www.theoaksokc.church/
• Website: http://seanabbananto.com/
• Twitter: @seanabbananto
• Instagram: @seanabbananto
• LinkedIn: @seanabbananto
• Facebook: @seanabbananto

Resources:

Email: [email protected]

Website: http://www.leadingchangepartners.com/ 

Leadership Is Changing Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/LeadershipIsChanging/

Leadership is Changing LinkedIn Page:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/leadership-is-changing-podcast/