Wish I Knew . . .

Career Background:

• Finance transformation expert most recently with:
   
  • BT in London 
• Prior to that:
   
  • SVP Finance Operations with Smith and Nephew 
  • VP Finance Transformation and systems with Pearson

Highlights

• Not knowing how to do his first job and getting promoted
• Compensating with a Porsche
• Taking a year off  prior to University
• Coming from humble stock
• Degree in English, but switching to accounting for a job
• Having verbal agility and emotional intelligence have served John well
• The Gap Year discussion
• Growing into Leadership
• Advice on public speaking
• Talking stand up comedy
• Why he chose his first employer
• Being stubborn and getting accounting credentials
• Watching Dad and loving what he saw
• Getting out of accounting at the right time
• Coming down to Shared Services where we eventually met
• Logistics eats strategy for lunch everyday
• Great story about a US Major General that changed his life
• Crafting his own career path, MAGIC
• Finding his stride for 3 to 5 years in shared services, being so happy
• Great approach to conflict resolution
• Wonderful mentors that shaped his career
• Mentoring - Migrant Leaders
• What young people want these days
• Wonderful advice that fits everyone, so powerful
• Never been to a McDonald's
• Translation
   
  • Canteen = Lunch Room
•  
  • Cud = Fat
•  
  • Lager = Beer
•  

Want to be a guest? Email me at [email protected]!

Career Background:

• Coca Cola in various role 
  • SVP Customer Excellence 
  • VP of the West Zone 
  • National Team leader with sales associate recruiting 
  • National account executive 
• Florida State University majoring in Advertising Communication

Highlights

• Being a Seminole vs a Gator
• No idea on the major, sound familiar
• Sales career began early with convincing her dad of a way out of government work
• Podcast host with Origin stories
• Find your own authentic path
• Head / heart / gut conversation - where to listen
• "Everyone will let you down" comment
• Your choices create our outcomes
• People and soooo generous
• The informational interviews
• The Coke interview and starting with then in California
• The 12 to 1 ratio
• Being a successful woman at coke for 33 years
• We all have Plot twists that happen in our lives
• Paying attention to 
• Quiet the voices in your head
• Stopping is a great thing
• Always check in on your career path
• We've got your back
• Great proud moment
• Best career move had an element of regret
• Trust yourself

Want to be a guest? Email me at [email protected]!

Career Background:

• Author of the book "The Career Toolkit"
• MIT Graduate and an engineer by background
• Chief Technology Officer at several companies
• Faculty at MIT
• Creator of the "brain Dump" App

https://brainbumpapp.com/

Highlights

• Mom "Why don't you teach the chess class"
• Book "The Career Toolkit" 
  • 10 Topics / 10 chapters
• Learning the intangible skills to go along with the technical skills
• Giving content to MIT
• Helping people reach their potential
• Graduate degree in Cryptography
• Political volunteer for Clinton
• Never ever have software based voting
• Not knowing what to do, he "Hid" out at MIT as research staff
• How to think about looking for a job
• Look at the job not the title, dig deeper
• Looking at your career like a chess match
• Running towards is better than running away
• Look for material changes at your company
• Building your career plan
• Don't "Drift" with your career
• Field testing his book
• Be open to randomness and opportunities
• Focusing on the outcome
• Hates consulting
• Competitive dance career
• Discount all advice you are given
• Sabbatical 5 months prior to 30 years old

Want to be a guest? Email me at [email protected]!

Career Background:

• Founder and CEO of Avanti Search
• Recruitment experience with: 
  • Accolade Wines 
  • Class Ltd 
  • Wolters Kluwer 
  • NSW Dept of Industry 
• Apprentice Australia Contestant
• Ambassador for: 
  • Ferrari 
  • Australian Grand Prix Corporation 
• Miss World Australia 2006

Her Company - https://www.avantisearch.com.au/

 Highlights

• Best first job ever Miss World Australia 2006
• Looking for a way to get into charity work
• Finding excitement in recruitment
• Creating a company that aligns with her values
• Taking care of the family with an unwell Mother
• Building up confidence early on and taking that with her throughout
• Being discovered through her great interview skills
• An interview is just a conversation
• Key skill is her listening ability
• Hearing impairment is her super power
• Aligning career to her values
• Communicating with Executives
• Coaching candidates on their career experience and imposter syndrome
• Ask for a water, coffee or tea
• Admitting your nerves
• Overdelivering on content
• The "Golden" interview question
• Avanti Search is her own company with high touch
• Great perspective on her success
• Venice to Vegas
• Summertime in New Delhi

Want to be a guest? Email me at [email protected]!

Career Background:

• Currently President and CEO of Axion Medical
• Board member with:
   
  • Bottlenose 
  • ESSI 
• Advisor to Private Equity and Venture capitalists
• Equaterra for nearly 8 years
• Founder of Morgan Chambers in the UK

Highlights

• Hard working family and the oldest of 6 kids
• Community College degree / Great visual
• Power plant engineering degree
• Semi autonomous robot work
• Extremely technical background out of College
• Killing two sacred cows at once
• Citigroup came calling early on
• The drive for $$$
• Learning outsourcing at the very beginning
• Gaining cultural experience early on as an independent contractor
• Outworks everyone else
• Loves the English language
• Massive advice from Mom - Understand people
• EQ = Understanding or caring for people
• Best advice - Question everything
• Secret to success "Live in the Gray"
• Speed in decision making
• Get over yourself and ALWAYS Be yourself
• Constant knocks on his door for opportunities
• Choose your partners wisely and monitor the alliance
• Contention unattended becomes conflict
• Engineering, Outsourcing, Ad Agency
• Organic career choices with good decisions
• Never selling his soul
• World Class Philly Cheesesteak sandwich maker / Comfort Food

Want to be a guest? Email me at [email protected]!

Background

• Currently - Director of Talent X & Educate X 
• Cracked into consulting in 2011 with Gallop Solutions where she worked with some incredible people who helped shape her career.
• Marnie eventually Started her own Business consultant organization

Highlights:

• Hungry Jacks (Burger Kind) and the $300 phone bill
• No drive or desire to go to university
• Out of High School "I want to go to England" so she did
• Daniel and Lindy internship
• First client at 19, "you can pay me to talk about my or how I can help you."
• Analytical and structured thinker
• Working with small businesses
• Really likes people, loves human beings
• 6 months, no way. Turned into 6 years
• 24 hour decision, do you want to be here or not
• Being completely self aware
• Best advice - Death Bed Exercise
• Having a casual lack of concern - "Insouciant"

Want to be a guest? Email me at [email protected]!

Welcome to another episode of "Wish I Knew . . . " 

A podcast where I speak with people about their career success, advice given or received and listen to their interesting stories about how they got to where they are today.

 I am honored to have someone I've always looked up to in my consulting career  Bob Cecil

 - Nuclear Engineer to a Big 4 Partner
- Involved in 3 start up consulting firms
- Widely recognized as a thought leader and industry spokesperson for shared services and outsource advisory
- Worked with several Fortune 100 clients globally
- One of the best consultants I've ever had the pleasure to work with

 ​Some Highlights for our discussion:

- Business development - Letting go of your fears
- What intrigued him about Consulting
- Solving complex problems and Being Curious
- The most important thing in being a successful consultant
- Having Role Models is important for success
- Mentoring the good ones embrace it
- Solid advice he received "Hero's don't scale"
 - Go quick go alone . Go far go with a team
- The Power of "I Don't Know"
- His key to success 
     - Strong team around you
- Keeping your own compass around ethical dilemma's
- How Bob wants to be most remembered

Want to be a guest? Email me at [email protected]!

I'm your host Gary Nowak and I have a conversation with a young lady Walkyria Whitlock who shares amazing stories about her life and time in Idaho, Fiji, Rio, The Hamptons, Florida, Australia and working on Yachts while traveling.  

Career Background:

• Author of the book "I love what I've forgotten"
• Self Employed as President of Global MVP
• Yoga Instructor on Private Yachts and Villas
• Attended Boise State University

Highlights 

• Scooping ice cream and losing weight at age 14
• Tremendous high school career across the board
• Getting burned out first 2 years of college at Boise State
   
  • Did way too much 
  • Felt depressed and not knowing why 
  • Reconciling childhood trauma 
• Finding writing and mindfulness to process her upbringing
• Going to Fiji and living with the Prime Minister
   
  • Modeling 
  • Diving 
  • Surfing 
  • Working for tips 
  • Getting picked up on a Yacht 
• Learning from her Grandfather who is a nuclear engineer
• Leaving Fiji for home then to Ft Lauderdale to yacht some more
• Getting a job opportunity within 2 hours
• First job as a crew chef on a yacht
• Moving to the Hamptons and taking care of a family
• Started writing a lot
• Decided to move to Australia for music
• Discussing compassion
• Changing your environment when things are not going well
• Feeling and being present with your feelings
• Don't lose HOPE
• Super adaptive and optimistic
• Introduction to Deepak Chopra by Arthur Blank
• Compiling a book in 20 hours
• Rainbow vegetarian cake

Want to be a guest? Email me at [email protected]!

I'm your host Gary Nowak and this is by far one of my most organic and fun podcasts where my former boss and guest Dave Brown and I don't get past what he studied in college and managed to enjoy a very insightful conversation. 

Career Background:

• Principal & Global leader for Shared Services and Outsource advisory for KPMG
• 10 years of experience with Equaterra and TPI
• Director of Finance with AT&T for 6 years
• University of Windsor Bachelor of Psychology / Finance
• MBA from Queen's University

Talked about the Book "South" by Ernest Shackelford  

 "This is the epic real-life adventure of the Shackleton expedition to the Antarctic that goes wrong in every way possible."

 Highlights

• Paper boy foundation to his success no bike no basket
• Getting politely stiffed in Canada during paper boy collections
• Blue collar upbringing and 1st to go to college
• The impact of his Parents telling Dave after seeing his grades that they "Shutting this down"
• Psychology to sociology to business degree
• Crossing the Canadian / American border for a few beers and saving a few $$
• Using sports analogies in business, so applicable
• How Dave builds a team and the process he follows / what is he looking for?
• Your reputation will follow you everywhere you go
• Dave's interviewing technique - getting to the stories
• Hiring people that "look like you"
• Proud moment has an exponential impact
• His approach with me while I was in China and Australia
• Becoming behavioral not mechanical with his mentoring approach
• Viewing issues from the other point of view
• Being a strategic thinker, great lesson / operational mindset
• Being put on the spot by the client and speaking honestly
• Commanding the room and when to pick and choose when to speak
• The Zen Master - bringing Zen into a room
• Best advice - work your tail off, you will be seen and There is more to life than hoping for a new shovel
• 5 year plan perspective - Trash it
• Take advantages of opportunities in front of you
• Support your boss and make them look good
• Moving to your favorite vacation spot
• Abba, ugh

Want to be a guest? Email me at [email protected]!

I've got a inspiring and clairvoyant  one for you with my guest Sana Afzal.

Background

• Sana hails from Houston, Texas, grew up in Dubai and calls California home. 
• Creative Business Exec at Google, and was previously a Creative Ops and Production lead at The ZOO, a 
• Global Policy Strategist and Senior Creative PM at AdMob, 
• Sana has been a strong advocate for the importance of creativity in the tech world and has orchestrated the integration of branding and tech throughout her career. 
• Coaches high-level execs and mentors early career professionals. 

Highlights

• How the Iphone impacted her career choice
• Imposter syndrome
• Career started off with knowing exactly what she wanted to do, however it was a straight line
• Advice from parents: Do what you love, but make sure you can support yourself
• The immigrant mentality and how a milk commercial changed Sana's life
• Take into consideration what is in front of you
• Opportunities will find you, if you work hard
• You have to "Show Up" everyday, sometimes it's challenging
• Her reaction to being asked to consider law school 
• Getting joy outside of your 9 to 5
• Is that in my job description?
• Empathy and communication has helped in her creative world career
• Pivoting your perspective on Feedback
• Empathy in the creative world
• Learning through observation of others
• Patience / Gratitude / persistence
• The power of journaling
• Being grounded, not easily done
• You want Sana's Spotify Playlist

Want to be a guest? Email me at [email protected]!