The Inner Chief

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.

chiefmaker.com/233

REGISTER FOR OUR JULY MINI-MBA INTAKE: chiefmaker.com/miniMBA

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.

chiefmaker.com/232

REGISTER FOR OUR SEPTEMBER MINI-MBA INTAKE: chiefmaker.com/minimba

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.

chiefmaker.com/231

LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER FOR OUR APRIL MINI-MBA INTAKE: chiefmaker.com/minimba

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.

chiefmaker.com/230

LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER FOR OUR APRIL MINI-MBA INTAKE: chiefmaker.com/minimba

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

"Life's too short for instant coffee and cheap shoes."

In this Best of Series episode, we hear from former CEO of Water Corporation, Sue Murphy, on leading transformation, and how to be honest, fun and make a difference in your work.

chiefmaker.com/229

REGISTER FOR OUR APRIL MINI-MBA INTAKE: chiefmaker.com/miniMBA

We interviewed Sue back in November 2017, when she was the CEO of Water Corporation in Perth, having led the organisation since 2008. Sue finished up there in 2018, having joined Water Corp as the GM of Planning & Infrastructure in 2004.

Preceding this was a 25 year stint at Clough Engineering, where she started as a scholarship recipient after completing an Engineering degree from the University of Western Australia, where she was one of only two women out of 300 students.

Sue is now an accomplished Director. She has sat on the board of The Fremantle Dockers and the Water Services Association of Australia, and currently is a Director of the West Australian Treasury Corporation and MMA Offshore Limited. She's also come full circle and serves on the Senate of the University of Western Australia.

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

• Building people-first organisations through empowerment;
• The joy and experiences of working on construction projects;
• Why the path to leadership should only be for those who aspire to it; and
• Leading transformations and bringing people along on the journey.

You can connect with Sue via LinkedIn.

• Why Should Anyone Be Led By You? – article by Robert Goffee and Gareth Jones

In this episode of The Inner Chief podcast, you'll hear from Alison Gaines, MD & Founder of Gaines Advisory, on hiring great executives, becoming an NED, and characteristics of successful boards.

chiefmaker.com/228

REGISTER FOR OUR APRIL MINI-MBA INTAKE: chiefmaker.com/minimba

Alison founded Gaines Advisory in 2020 to provide a unique board search and board advisory service, while also specialising in the provision of strategic support to leaders to develop and implement their corporate strategy.

She currently sits on the board of Blackstone Minerals (we had their MD, Scott Williamson on the show in episode 222), Tura New Music Ltd, is the Chair of Hiremii recruitment, and is the Governor of the College of Law Ltd. She is also the independent Chair of the Nominations Committee of Hockey Australia and member of the Nominations Committee of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (WA).

Alison was Global CEO and Head of the Board Practice for international boutique search firm, Gerard Daniels, for nearly 15 years, following a career as a CEO of a law society and senior executive in government responsible for government boards and committees and the Senior Executive Service.

In this episode we talk about:

• The traits she looks for when hiring a CEO and appointing Board members;
• Career journeys and transitioning into NED roles;
• How the changing world has impacted the expectations of boards and Chairs; and
• What makes a Board successful and how tenures are managed.

You can connect with Alison via LinkedIn

International Directors Programme at INSEAD in Fontainebleau, in France - it's a very sophisticated, very focused, small, higher education institution with amazing faculty and research.

In today's minisode, I am going to share my top 10 tips for running an executive retreat or a strategic offsite.

chiefmaker.com/227

LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER FOR OUR APRIL MINI-MBA INTAKE: chiefmaker.com/minimba

We're going to talk about:

• What to do if you don't have a budget for bringing in a facilitator or coach;
• How to define an agenda that measures the success of the event;
• Ensuring follow-up tasks are absorbed into your operating rhythm.

Stay epic,

Greg

In this episode of The Inner Chief podcast, you'll hear from Nickie Scriven, CEO of Zenith Media Australia, on leaning into challenges, responding not reacting, and sonic branding.

chiefmaker.com/226

REGISTER FOR OUR APRIL MINI-MBA INTAKE: chiefmaker.com/minimba

Nickie has had a tremendous career in marketing, advertising and media. Before moving into agency leadership, she spent eight years on the client side, holding marketing and sales leadership roles for the likes of AustralianSuper, NAB and News Corp, as well as running her own consultancy.

She joined Zenith Media in Melbourne as Managing Director in October 2014, and within two years was promoted to Australia CEO.

She has been instrumental in helping Zenith achieve global account wins like Disney and TikTok, while guiding the agency through the pandemic, achieving consecutive year-on-year double-digit revenue growth.

Nickie is also an accomplished triathlete, having competed internationally for Australia.

In this episode we talk about:

• Leaning into challenges and smashing goals;
• Responding not reacting to career setbacks and learning to value yourself;
• How to get the most out of the agency-client partnership model; and
• Why sonic branding is often overlooked as a marketing weapon.

You can connect with Nickie via LinkedIn

• The Growth Mindset - by Carol Dweck
• Shoe Dog - Phil Knight
• Attention economy article

In this Best of Series episode, we hear from former Wallaby rugby player Daniel Herbert, CEO of SSKB on what executives can learn from elite sport, what made him stand out from the pack and how to be indispensable to an organisation.

chiefmaker.com/225

REGISTER FOR OUR APRIL MINI-MBA INTAKE: chiefmaker.com/miniMBA

Daniel played 67 tests for the Wallabies, Australia's national rugby union team. He was a part of the glory era of Australian rugby, winning the Rugby World Cup in 1999, the Bledisloe Cup contested between Australia and New Zealand, and also beating the British and Irish Lions in 2001, a series that Wallaby players only contest every 12 years.

He also captained the Queensland Reds and was World Player of the Year in 1999. In short, he is an Australian sporting great.

Since retiring from rugby, Daniel has gone onto a successful corporate career, having been involved on the commercial side of sportswear brand Skins and the Queensland Reds, and is now the CEO of property services firm, SSKB.

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

• Lessons from elite sport, and what hasn't translated into the corporate world;
• Living by his mantra of 'Hard work will beat talent when talent doesn't work hard';
• How he became indispensable to his team, and how this applies in the corporate world; and
• Why an aligned executive leadership will knock it out of the park.

You can connect with Daniel via LinkedIn.

• Good to Great – by Jim Collins
• Sapiens – by Yuval Noah Harari
• Grit – by Angela-Lee Duckworth

In this episode of The Inner Chief podcast, you'll hear from Ben Simon, Partner at Rose Partners, on diffusing heated negotiations, identifying red flags during a deal, and managing founders.

chiefmaker.com/224

REGISTER FOR OUR APRIL MINI-MBA INTAKE: chiefmaker.com/minimba

Ben has spent his entire career at Rose Partners, and has worked his way up to become a Partner at the professional services firm.

His specialties are in Business Advisory, Mergers & Acquisitions, Business Valuations, Tax and structuring, and Large business transaction and he has performed these duties across many industries. This is critical for all executives to understand strategy and getting ahead.

As a testimony to his wealth of knowledge, Ben has also been asked to sit on several clients' advisory boards.

In this episode we talk about:

• The role of an advisor and bringing transacting parties together;
• What a good advisory team looks like;
• Identifying red flags during the deal process; and
• Managing founders after a sale.

You can connect with Ben via email

• Chief Maker Minisode: How to get and keep a CEO mentor