The Inner Chief

"I don't want you to just take the path less travelled; I want you to stop and pause and actually use a little bit of deep thinking and a bit of science to then take the path best, most congruent for you, and that will make all the difference."

In today's minisode, we look at a question that I have been inundated with in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and that is a career crossroads. People are getting to this point as they've realised what's truly important in life or they've had new opportunities come out of the blue.

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We're going to talk about:

✅ How to assess any opportunities and how this links to career excellence

✅ Some tools to arm you with making the most informed decision about which path to take that align to your career vision and values

✅ Applying the Chief Maker GREAT Method to affirm your chosen path.

Stay epic,

Greg

"We started every board meeting talking about what impact we made in the last month, before we even got to the CEO report or financials."

In this episode of The Inner Chief podcast, you'll hear from tech industry pioneer Tristan Sternson, CEO of ARQ Group, on being answerable to investors, systemising values and culture, and building equality through technology.

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Tristan is an Australian tech industry pioneer and CEO of multi-award-winning company, ARQ Group. ARQ is one of Australia's leading providers of digital and tech services, with a client base spanning Government and more than half of Australia's top 20 ASX-listed companies.

A serial entrepreneur and growth expert, Tristan boasts a decades-long career in IT, including advisory, experience and design, engineering and managed services.

Since being appointed CEO of ARQ in December 2019, Tristan led one of Australia's greatest turnaround stories, resulting in ARQ's $290 million acquisition by Singtel subsidiary NCS in April 2022.

Tristan's actions have also had a direct impact on Australia's tech skills shortage, establishing education programs within ARQ's Academy and growing their headcount by 75%.

In this episode we talk about:

✅ Starting a data business off the back of the GFC in 2009;

✅ Being answerable to investors while systemising values and culture;

✅ How technology like blockchain and the Metaverse is building equality into the world; and

✅ What a high-performance culture looks like in the technology industry.

You can connect with Tristan via LinkedIn

Good to Great - by Jim Collins

In this Best of Series episode, we hear from the aspirational Geoff Lloyd, former CEO of MLC Australia and Perpetual Limited, on being a guide not a guru, clarity and focus, and having curiosity in your life.

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We interviewed Geoff in early 2018 when he was the CEO of Perpetual Limited, a position he had held since 2012. Later that year he went on to become the CEO of MLC Australia, which was formerly a subsidiary of National Australia Bank and one of Australia's largest wealth management companies.

Geoff joined Perpetual in August 2010 as a Group Executive tasked with leading the development and implementation of their growth strategy.

He was previously a General Manager at BT Financial Group following the Westpac Group merger with St.George Bank, and held many senior positions during his career, including Chief Legal Counsel.

Geoff was also the Chairman of the Financial Services Council and an Advisory board member of The Big Issue. He is now an investor both in Australia and abroad, and also the Chairman of The Fathering Project.

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

• Lessons from an early career in the police force;

• What drives his ambition and using curiosity to create change;

• The hallmarks of his leadership, namely being a guide not a guru, and having courage and conviction; and

• Why complexity kills businesses, but can be avoided by creating clarity and focus.

You can connect with Geoff via LinkedIn.

• Repeatability - by Chris Zook and James Allen

• The Founder's Mentality - by Chris Zook and James Allen

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"As an industry, we are stopping women from working in all levels of society by our six-day working week. And that's not okay."

In this episode of The Inner Chief podcast, you'll hear from construction industry game-changer, Alison Mirams, CEO of Roberts Co, on transforming an industry and leaving a legacy by putting workers and their families at the heart of your business.

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Alison has more than twenty years' experience in the construction sector. In 2017, after successfully operating in executive roles at both Brookfield Multiplex and Lendlease, Alison became the CEO of boutique tier one construction firm, Roberts Co.

Alison also sits on the Boards of TAFE NSW and AeroPM, and has an engineering degree from the University of Technology Sydney.

In this episode we talk about:

• Leading from the front and changing an entire industry through promotion of a 5-day working week;
• How this change impacts families, but also addresses huge gender equity issues well beyond the first-order set of consequences;
• The jaw-dropping results of the research she did in conjunction with UNSW that enabled a data-led approach to shifting attitudes; and
• What's next for her and how she plans to leave a legacy for the next generation of construction workers.

You can connect with Alison via LinkedIn

• Wall Street Journal

"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.