"I can't tell you the number of Mini-MBA graduates who have taken action on low performers or toxic high performers and it has made a fundamental difference to everyone's lives."

In today's minisode, we cover some of the main reasons why graduates of the Chief Maker Mini-MBA program decide to join a cohort and the main benefits they get from it.

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One of the most common reasons why people take up the Chief Maker Mini-MBA is one that I hear repeatedly before we kick off the sessions, and that is, "How do I work at level? How do I work in a leadership capacity, on strategy, and with the executive team and really add value to the organisation?"

So, today we're going to talk about:

• Stopping to look up at the broader market trends and other external factors;
• How to do an organisational analysis and deal with the wrong people on the bus; and
• Building your strategic playbook so that you can deliver on your track record.

Stay epic,

Greg

In this episode of The Inner Chief podcast, you'll hear from Daniel Penny, Co-Founder and MD of Mustard Creative Agency, on going beyond the brief, working with agencies, and understanding your influence.

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Daniel co-founded Mustard Creative Agency in 2001 with his business partner.

The agency has worked with well-known brands like Target, Hertz, Hisense, Coles and The Good Guys.

Daniel is also the founder of LearnSpring, an online learning digital platform.

In this episode we talk about:

• Starting a marketing and creative agency from scratch and how word-of-mouth recommendations have fuelled the business since launching;
• Why responding to a brief beyond what is requested is the best outcome for a client;
• Leading an organisation of humans and understanding your influence; and
• His core principles in driving employee and client engagement.

You can connect with Daniel via LinkedIn

• Almanack of Naval Ravikant - by Eric Jorgenson
• Atomic Habits - by James Clear

In this Best of Series episode, we hear from Angela Buglass, former CEO of Trilogy International, on creating your own destiny, cross-functional experience, and being at the pinnacle of a listed company.

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We interviewed Angela in early 2018 when she was the CEO of Trilogy International, the parent company for popular consumer brands across such categories as skincare and luxury home fragrance products.

She is currently the MD of Hello in New Zealand, a women's health brand, while also serving as the Chair of Cosmetics New Zealand and sitting on the board of The Beauty Collective.

After just over 3 years at Trilogy, Angela went on to become CEO of Antipodes Water.

Her experience also includes roles with leading FMCG players Procter & Gamble, L'Oréal and Estée Lauder, and these roles have taken her all around the world.

In this episode, you're going to hear Angela talk about:

• How gaining a variety of experience at smaller organisations was fundamental to her development in landing senior roles at large multinational brands;
• Her routines and recovery methods that allow her to achieve life balance;
• What she looks for when recruiting executives to her team; and
• Why communication and honesty will allow you to be the creator of your own destiny.

You can connect with Angela via LinkedIn.

• The Five Dysfunctions of a Team - by Patrick Lencioni
• The Fish Rots from the Head - by Bob Garrett

In this episode of The Inner Chief podcast, I chat to Jay Bonaretti, Founder & CEO of Amino Z, on ownership over victimhood, being in competition with yourself, and distributed leadership.

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Jay is the Founder and CEO of Amino Z, an Australian manufacturer and retailer of nutritional products and supplements.

He founded the business in 2006 as a one-man organisation and continues to be at the helm of a now large workforce, servicing hundreds of thousands of customers.

Jay is incredibly vulnerable about his childhood battle with chronic fatigue syndrome, a situation that led him to depression and isolation, but ultimately to recovery.

He is also the author of "How to Transform the Average Joe in 12 Weeks".

In this episode we talk about:

• Being bed-ridden for 9 months to winning Australia's BodyBlitz Challenge a few years later;
• Why your physical capability is based on your mental capability, regardless of age;
• Surrounding yourself with people who are smarter than you and giving them accountability; and
• How he has a "stop doing list" and builds that into his quarterly review process.

You can connect with Jay via LinkedIn

• The Road Less Stupid - by Keith Cunningham

"The research says it takes one and a half years for us to really be fully valuable to a mid- to large-sized organisation. But there are ways to cut that period down."

In today's minisode, we have a question from one of our listeners, Louise, who asks about returning to work and how to get back into the swing of things after a long break.

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We're going to talk about:

• Understanding how your life has changed since you were last at work;
• Why the success markers are different in your life and how to be kinder to yourself; and
• How to craft 30, 60, 90 day plans and weave in continuous learning.

Stay epic,

Greg

In this episode of The Inner Chief podcast, you'll hear from Dean Salakas, CEO of The Party People, on seeing change as an opportunity, coping with growth, and evolving as a leader.

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Dean is the Chief Party Dude of The Party People, a business he and his brother bought from their mother in 2007.

Before taking on the ownership, Dean and his brother worked in the business in various positions, from driver to retail assistant to website manager.

Dean is now an accomplished speaker, a Board member of both eTail Australia and Online Retail Summit. He has also pitched The Party People to the investment TV show, Shark Tank.

In this episode we talk about:

• The full background to him and his brother buying The Party People from his mother;
• Being the first Google and Bing customers, and leading the business to triple digit growth, and all the challenges that brought;
• How he developed a culture that change is an opportunity; and
• How the business survived the COVID-19 pandemic through innovation, communication and engagement with customers.

You can connect with Dean via LinkedIn

• The One Minute Manager - by Kenneth Blanchard Ph.D and Spencer Johnson M.D.

In this Best of Series episode, we hear from Greg Steele, Global President of Arcadis Mobility, on the importance of broad experience, bringing people with you and dealing with difficult issues.

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We interviewed Greg in late 2017 when he was the CEO of the Asia Pacific business of Arcadis, one of the world's largest professional service consultancy firms with over 28,000 people in 70 countries.

Greg has nearly 40 years' experience as an engineer and manager, having been involved at a leadership level for some of Australia's largest and most complex infrastructure projects.

He is also the Chair of Engineering Aid Australia, a not for profit organisation which strives to inspire indigenous Australians to become engineers. He has also been a Board Member of Roads Australia, and an MD of Hyder Consulting.

Greg has a degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Queensland and also a PostGrad Diploma in Management from Deakin University.

In this episode, you're going to hear Greg talk about:

• The importance of making mistakes, re-charting your course and developing broad experience;
• His list of three keys to leadership;
• How to show your staff that you are serious about cultural change, especially around gender diversity; and
• Dealing with difficult issues by taking them head-on.

Connecting with Greg Steele

You can connect with Greg via LinkedIn.

• The Five Dysfunctions of a Team - by Patrick Lencioni
• The Discipline of Market Leaders – by Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema
• Kaleidoscope Strategy - building success that lasts

In this episode of The Inner Chief podcast, you'll hear from Brigit Esselmont, Founder & CEO of Biddy Tarot on executive intuition, busting the myths of tarot, and from zero to 7 figures.

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Brigit is the Founder & CEO of Biddy Tarot the world's leading online learning community for people who read Tarot.

She is the best-selling author of Everyday Tarot and is on a mission to bring Tarot out of the closet and into the mainstream.

Brigit has been featured in Huffington Post, The Oprah Magazine, and appeared on numerous podcasts including Being Boss and Truth Telling, and has appeared on stage in front of live audiences across the US and Australia.

Before diving full-time into Biddy Tarot, Brigit was a management consultant and human resource strategist at organisations such as Telstra and ANZ.

In this episode we talk about:

• Busting the myths around tarot, and what it actually is;
• Executive intuition and how elite chiefs use its principles to execute their game plans;
• How she quit her corporate career and developed what is now a multi-million dollar business; and
• A live tarot reading with me!

You can connect with Brigit via the Biddy Tarot website

The Big Leap - by Gay Hendricks

"People overestimate what they can do in one year and underestimate what they can do in 10."

In today's minisode, we have a question from one of our listeners, Ben, who asks how he can really nail a year and achieve all or most of his goals.

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We're going to talk about:

• The visioning process and timing of check-ins;
• Managing time and energy to fit in with your busy life;
• The value of structured thinking time.

Stay epic,

Greg

In this episode of The Inner Chief podcast, you'll hear from Izzy Silva, MD, APAC at Wolters Kluwer, on using EQ to good effect, making the vision visible, and data-led decision-making.

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Izzy was born in Sri Lanka, moved to New Zealand when he was 9 but has called Australia home for the last 25 years.

He is currently the MD in the APAC region of Wolters Kluwer, a global information services and solutions provider focusing on health, tax and accounting, risk and compliance, finance and legal sectors.

Since graduating from Monash University with a Bachelor of Information Management & Systems, Izzy's career has seen him take on roles at well-known organisations such as HP, Deloitte Australia, Telstra and Equifax.

His first CEO role came at GetCreditScore, a start-up based in Sydney. He has been at Wolters Kluwer APAC for nearly 4 years, having been promoted to MD from Chief Commercial Officer in late 2018.

In this episode we talk about:

• How his EQ is his secret sauce and how he uses it to lead change;
• Living and breathing the vision and setting the example;
• Why data is the key to realising client and company value; and
• The technological future of privacy, diversity and creativity.

You can connect with Izzy via LinkedIn

• Homo Deus - by Yuval Noah Harari
• Principles for Dealing With The Changing World Order - by Ray Dalio
• Think Again - Adam Grant