"The danger for CEOs is to allow yourself to be surrounded by people who tell you how good your ideas are. You actually need a balance of people who tell you when you've got something wrong or if you could have handled something in a different way."

In this Best of Series episode, we replay a chat we had in 2019 with Mike Schneider, the Managing Director of the Bunnings Group, on career diversity, genuine empathy, and the 4Hs of authenticity.

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BE MORE EFFECTIVE WITH YOUR TIME AND TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR CALENDAR: chiefmaker.com/saveanhour

Before being appointed to the top role, Mike was the Managing Director of Bunnings Australia & New Zealand and had also led the store operations teams, having joined Bunnings in 2005.

His career has seen him hold a range of senior operational, commercial and human resource roles, both in retail and financial services, most notably at Target, Westpac and The Warehouse Group.

Mike holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of NSW and has completed the Advanced Management Program at INSEAD, and the Advanced Strategic Management Program at IMD.

In this episode we talk about:

✅ How having a diverse career path has been to his benefit

✅ Why genuine empathy and being a consistent, not predictable, leader is vital to success

✅ What he means by an integrated life as opposed to work-life balance, and

✅ His 4Hs Framework that allows him to lead an authentic life.

Stay epic,

Greg

You can reach Mike on LinkedIn.

• World's Best by Ric Charlesworth

• On Violence by Natasha Stott Despoja

• Carolyn Creswell, Founder and Managing Director of Carman's Kitchen, on Running a multinational business, loving what you do and having a genuine work-life balance

• Cass Spies, food industry innovator, founder & CEO of Twisted Healthy treats, on Being nimble, promoting from within, and winning globally

• Julie Mathers, founder of Flora & Fauna and now CEO of Snuggle Hunny, on Bootstrapping a business from start to $30M exit

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"The biggest thing a leader can bring to the business is the responsibility to put the right people on the bus. And to have the bravery to say that there's a reason that they need to hop off the bus."

In this episode of The Inner Chief podcast, I speak to Carolyn Creswell, Founder and MD of Carman's Kitchen, on how to fire people gracefully, doing what you love, understanding menopause and having genuine work-life balance.

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In 1992, as an 18-year-old university student, Carolyn founded Carman's when she bought the small muesli business she was working at, for $1,000.

More than 30 years later, Carman's Kitchen is now Australia's favourite muesli brand, alongside being a market leader in deliciously good for you snacks.

Carolyn's determination and focus on producing quality products using whole foods, has seen Carman's grow internationally, exporting to more than 30 countries.

Carolyn won the 2007 Ernst & Young's Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award and was named the 2012 Telstra Australian Business Woman of the Year. She is also a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

In this episode we talk about:

✅ Her philosophy on continuous improvement and evolution as a business leader.

✅ The mindset and process required for better hiring and firing; and

✅ Why menopause in the workplace is a critical issue, and how she is navigating this for her own wellbeing and those in her organisation.

Stay epic,

Greg

You can connect with Carolyn via LinkedIn. You can learn more about Carman's on their website.

• Jim Collins interview - Tim Ferriss show

• Cass Spies, food industry innovator, founder & CEO of Twisted Healthy treats, on Being nimble, promoting from within, and winning globally

• Julie Mathers, founder of Flora & Fauna and now CEO of Snuggle Hunny, on Bootstrapping a business from start to $30M exit

• Vince Lebon, footwear brand trailblazer, CEO of Rollie Nation, on Streamlining Systems, scaling up and business rhythm

📝 Subscribe to the Finish Strong monthly newsletter and podcast drops

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🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

"Your direct reports actually want you to provide a clear framework and guidance, and then get out of their way so they can do the job you're paying them to do."

Chief, today we complete our Think Like a CEO Series, and we're going to look at how great chiefs work on the business, not in the business.

As you move up the ranks, your role increasingly becomes about working on the business.

If you are in a senior or executive role, this is about stepping out of the day-to-day operational grind: the thousands of tasks, the endless emails, the back-to-back meetings, the constant demands of stakeholders.

That is what your employer actually employs you for. The best leaders I've ever met embrace this responsibility. They look beyond their immediate role and work to improve the entire organisation.

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In this episode, I talk about:

✅ Being a person of value and having the courage to start letting go

✅ Building a tight operating rhythm to engage a high performing team, and

✅ Not going it alone and bringing in trusted advisors to help you on your journey.

Deal hope,

Greg

📝 Subscribe to the Finish Strong monthly newsletter and podcast drops

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📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA

🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses

🍏 Give The Inner Chief podcast a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts

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🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

"All the best leaders of change I've noticed, bring their people with them."

Chief, today we continue with Part 4 of our Think like a CEO Series, and we're going to cover how to overcome resistance to change.

This is one of the most difficult and stressful parts of running a business. Getting people on the train, keeping them inspired and creative, and not slowing momentum down can be an incredibly difficult journey.

I've been involved in a lot of transformations now, and I've seen every mistake under the sun. And what I've learned is that the CEOs and the senior leaders who successfully drive change happen to do a few things that others seem to skip.

So I want to share with you five things that I know that if you apply them properly, it will make an immediate, tangible difference to the momentum you are getting in leading change in your organisation.

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In this episode, I talk about:

✅ Taking a step back and understanding your business and your people, and how they relate to the change curve

✅ Knowing your role and managing yourself to be able to perform at your peak, and

✅ A unique but hugely effective tactic around breaking fixed mindsets.

Deal hope,

Greg

📝 Subscribe to the Finish Strong monthly newsletter and podcast drops

👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn

📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA

🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses

🍏 Give The Inner Chief podcast a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts

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🎬 Subscribe to the Chief Maker YouTube channel

🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

"Correctly diagnosing your people's performance issues will mean you enjoy the benefits of watching your people grow and thrive, and they will never forget that you did that for them."

Chief, today we continue with Part 3 of our How to think like a CEO Series, and we're going to look at how to build confidence in your people.

I believe that one of the biggest problems in both sport and business - and I have seen this over and over and over again - is misdiagnosis of performance issues.

Leaders will talk about their people not having the right capability, but they simply lack the skills. Luckily, misdiagnosis of performance issues is something we can fix, and I will take you through this process in this episode.

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GET THE FREE CHIEF MAKER TOP 30 INTERVIEW QUESTIONS: chiefmaker.com/interview

In this episode, I talk about:

✅ How leaders misdiagnose performance issues and why this hampers confidence

✅ How to correctly diagnose confidence blockers, and

✅ Overcoming confidence struggles properly and building confidence over time.

Deal hope,

Greg

📝 Subscribe to the Finish Strong monthly newsletter and podcast drops

👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn

📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA

🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses

🍏 Give The Inner Chief podcast a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts

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🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

"They're thinking I must be really famous and know what I'm doing, but I'm just laughing because I wrote 20% of the content I'm sharing and 80% I'm sharing other people's."

This is a special episode only available to our podcast subscribers, which we call The Mini Chief. These are short, sharp highlights from our fabulous CEO guests, where you get a 5 to 10 minute snapshot from their full episode.

This Mini Chief episode features Ted Prodromou, America's #1 LinkedIn Coach.

His full episode is titled Perception, connecting properly with purpose, and standing out online.

You can find the full audio and show notes here:

🎧👉 chiefmaker.com/340 👂

DOWNLOAD THE CHIEF MAKER GUIDE FOR SENIOR LEADERS ON HOW TO HAVE DIFFICULT PERFORMANCE CONVERSATIONS: chiefmaker.com/difficult

Ted has bounced back from many setbacks; not only did he survive the dot com crash, which wiped out his successful 20-year tech career working for companies like IBM, he then came out the other side of the Global Financial Crisis of 2008, which turned his consulting business upside-down.

Today, Ted is America's #1 LinkedIn coach and he helps clients to super-charge their online profile and presence, and how to connect properly with purpose.

He is the author of the Ultimate Guide to LinkedIn for Business and has also been featured on Entrepreneur.com, the New York Times, CNBC, and Forbes.

In the full episode we talk about:

✅ How he got made redundant 3 times in 12 years

✅ How co-writing a book with Perry Marshall launched his LinkedIn coaching career

✅ Some simple tips on how to make your LinkedIn profile really stand out, and

✅ How to dial up your LinkedIn content management so that you are perceived to be associated with well-known brands.

A special thanks to former guest, Alex Mandossian, for introducing me to Ted.

Deal hope,

Greg

You can connect with Ted via LinkedIn.

• Ultimate Guide to Linked In for Business - by Ted Prodromou

• Contribution to an article on predicted LinkedIn trends for 2019 on Digital Marketer (Ted's piece is two-thirds down the article)

• Snappr, a great resource for taking a high-quality LinkedIn professional photo

• How to Win Friends and Influence People - by Dale Carnegie

• Leadership and Self-Deception - by The Arbinger Institute

• Natalie Speers, Founder & CEO of Social Ally, on being an early adopter, how anyone can thrive on social media, and visual disruption

• Alex Mandossian, CEO and Founder of Marketingonline.com, on ethical influence and the art of storytelling

• Jack Slade, Managing Director of Luxity Media, on being an accidental entrepreneur, saying no to increase revenues, and the future of new media

📝 Subscribe to the Finish Strong monthly newsletter and podcast drops

👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn

📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA

🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses

🍏 Give The Inner Chief podcast a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts

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🎬 Subscribe to the Chief Maker YouTube channel

🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

"A strong track record earns you a network. As a result, you get called upon straight away to solve a problem and that is the power of having a great network with ambassadors."

Chief, today we continue with Part 2 of our How to think like a CEO Series.

And we're going to cover something that is 100% linked to your ability to get promoted faster, and that is the size and value of your network.

I'm going to outline five core principles that CEOs and leading executives use to leverage their network fully and these will help you to get your network to work for you when you're not in the room.

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In this episode, I talk about:

✅ Thinking about what you can do for your network, not what your network can do for you

✅ Being the problem solver in your network

✅ Understanding how your network is your network's network, and

✅ How to ask someone you've helped without it seeming like a favour being returned.

Deal hope,

Greg

📝 Subscribe to the Finish Strong monthly newsletter and podcast drops

👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn

📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA

🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses

🍏 Give The Inner Chief podcast a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts

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🎬 Subscribe to the Chief Maker YouTube channel

🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

"A positive brand can mean opportunities for promotion. It can mean a lack of resistance when you're trying to get results, and an endless list of positive outcomes for you and your family."

Chief, today we are kicking off Part 1 of our How to think like a CEO Series.

And we're going to cover something that is one of the most crucial elements to career progression and outcomes, and that is personal branding.

Every single time you turn on a Zoom or you walk into a meeting room or every single time you send an email, people have a filter and a bias for or against you. Your reputation enters the room before you do. People are always watching.

🎧👉 chiefmaker.com/341 👂

BE MORE EFFECTIVE WITH YOUR TIME AND TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR CALENDAR: chiefmaker.com/saveanhour

In this episode, I talk about:

✅ Thinking and behaving like a professional services firm of one

✅ Working up at level to the top team you're in

✅ An exercise that will help you discover whether you're likeable, reliable and capable to your peers, and

✅ Why meetings are where your personal brand either sinks or swims.

Deal hope,

Greg

📝 Subscribe to the Finish Strong monthly newsletter and podcast drops

👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn

📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA

🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses

🍏 Give The Inner Chief podcast a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts

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🎬 Subscribe to the Chief Maker YouTube channel

🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

"83% of people will look at your LinkedIn profile now before they take a meeting with you."

In this Best of Series episode of The Inner Chief podcast, I speak to Ted Prodromou, America's #1 LinkedIn Coach, on perception, connecting properly with purpose, and standing out online.

🎧👉 chiefmaker.com/340 👂

DOWNLOAD THE CHIEF MAKER GUIDE FOR SENIOR LEADERS ON HOW TO HAVE DIFFICULT PERFORMANCE CONVERSATIONS: chiefmaker.com/difficult

Ted has bounced back from many setbacks; not only did he survive the dot com crash, which wiped out his successful 20-year tech career working for companies like IBM, he then came out the other side of the Global Financial Crisis of 2008, which turned his consulting business upside-down.

Today, Ted is America's #1 LinkedIn coach and he helps clients to super-charge their online profile and presence, and how to connect properly with purpose.

He is the author of the Ultimate Guide to LinkedIn for Business and has also been featured on Entrepreneur.com, the New York Times, CNBC, and Forbes.

In this episode we talk about:

✅ How he got made redundant 3 times in 12 years

✅ How co-writing a book with Perry Marshall launched his LinkedIn coaching career

✅ Some simple tips on how to make your LinkedIn profile really stand out, and

✅ How to dial up your LinkedIn content management so that you are perceived to be associated with well-known brands.

Deal hope,

Greg

A special thanks to Alex Mandossian for recommending Ted.

You can connect with Ted via LinkedIn.

• Ultimate Guide to Linked In for Business - by Ted Prodromou

• Contribution to an article on predicted LinkedIn trends for 2019 on Digital Marketer (Ted's piece is two-thirds down the article)

• Snappr, a great resource for taking a high-quality LinkedIn professional photo

• How to Win Friends and Influence People - by Dale Carnegie

• Leadership and Self-Deception - by The Arbinger Institute

• Natalie Speers, Founder & CEO of Social Ally, on being an early adopter, how anyone can thrive on social media, and visual disruption

• Alex Mandossian, CEO and Founder of Marketingonline.com, on ethical influence and the art of storytelling

• Jack Slade, Managing Director of Luxity Media, on being an accidental entrepreneur, saying no to increase revenues, and the future of new media

📝 Subscribe to the Finish Strong monthly newsletter and podcast drops

👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn

📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA

🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses

🍏 Give The Inner Chief podcast a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts

🎵 Give The Inner Chief podcast a 5-star rating on Spotify

🎬 Subscribe to the Chief Maker YouTube channel

🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

"I define speak-up culture as an environment in which members of a team feel that it is both psychologically safe and worth it to raise ideas, as long as it's to make things better."

This is a special episode only available to our podcast subscribers, which we call The Mini Chief. These are short, sharp highlights from our fabulous CEO guests, where you get a 5 to 10 minute snapshot from their full episode.

This Mini Chief episode features Stephen Shedletzky, author of Speak-Up Culture: When Leaders Truly Listen, People Step Up.

His full episode is titled How to foster a speak-up culture where people feel safe, trusted and worthy.

You can find the full audio and show notes here:

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"Shed", as he is known to everyone, is a leadership author and coach who helps leaders and organisations create a culture where people feel encouraged, safe and valued in speaking-up.

He became the fourth person to join well-known leadership expert Simon Sinek's team and has had the roles of Chief of Staff and Head of Brand Experience, Training & Development. The two still collaborate together.

He is also a TEDx Speaker Coach.

In the full episode we talk about:

✅ How he overcame a stutter and fear of public speaking to become a guru in speak-up culture.

✅ His framework and principles for helping you build a speak-up culture at work, and

✅ The most important things to consider in delivering a TEDx level presentation.

Deal hope,

Greg

Thanks to former guest, James Whittaker, for introducing me to Shed.

You can connect with Stephen via LinkedIn and the Shed Inspires website. You can also see his Speak-Up Matrix on his website (see more details below in the show notes).

• Man's Search for Meaning - by Viktor Frankl

• The Attributes - by Rich DeVinney

• Culture Map - by Erin Meyer

• Outliers - by Malcolm Gladwell

• Don't sleep, there are snakes - by Daniel L. Everett

• Matt Abrahams, author of Think Faster, Talk Smarter, on Managing your reputation before you enter a room, thinking on your feet, and getting to the point

• Roger Love, World's #1 Voice Coach on Teaching Bradley Cooper, Reese Witherspoon, The Beach Boys and more to use their voice to change the world

• Minisodes by Greg Layton - Meetings as a Performance Theatre and BREAC a leg!

📝 Subscribe to the Finish Strong monthly newsletter and podcast drops

👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn

📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA

🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses

🍏 Give The Inner Chief podcast a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts

🎵 Give The Inner Chief podcast a 5-star rating on Spotify

🎬 Subscribe to the Chief Maker YouTube channel

🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker