active CEO Podcast #52 Francesca Boase Building Trust In Crisis Management

Francesca Boase – General Manager Edelman Australia

On this episode of the active CEO Podcast, Craig Johns speaks with Francesca Boase about building trust in crisis management, storytelling as an art of communication, leading change, the Edelman Trust Barometer and being a great mentor. We also discuss personal development, being a custodian of peoples careers, the pain of accepting feedback, workplace wellness, and managing her energy and performance.

Francesca Boase – Building Trust In Crisis Management

Francesca Boase is an experienced global corporate communications specialist who is committed to the community, health, fitness and wellbeing. She is known for building strong relationships, impressive personal development programs and competing at the world triathlon championships.

A genuine people person, she is passionate about mentoring, facilitating and leading teams. Her focus in corporate and financial communication, media relations, reputation management and strategic counsel, has given her the necessary skills to thrive in her current role as Managing Director of Edelman Australia, the world’s largest independent communications agency.

Educated globally, she went to Island School, Hong Kong; studied Journalism, Film and Broadcasting and completed a Post Graduate Diploma Public Relations at the University of Wales, Cardiff; and attended the Australian Graduate School of Management. Her previous senior executive appointments have included roles at Sharman Networks, PPR PR Agency and Sefiani Communications Group.

Fran talks about:

  • Growing up in Hong Kong in the 1980’s surrounded by many nationalities.
  • Acting and then communicating with absolute integrity.
  • Honesty and transparency are absolute fundamentals to building that trust.
  • The most important elements when it comes to being proactive in crisis management.
  • We are in constant state of change.
  • What’s its going to take for you to say yes.
  • Fear accompanies change or uncertainty.
  • What makes a really great mentor.
  • Strategies to use when determining your teams internal motivations.
  • Managing stress and the importance of wellbeing in a fast-paced environment.
  • Having high standards and integrity as a leader.
  • Noticing and recognising the cultural differences of the generations coming through.
  • Businesses increasingly have a role to play in building the trust of Australians.
  • Talking about workplace wellness and not actually doing enough about it.
  • Recognising people as human beings in a holistic sense.
  • Really have to take care of yourself first and then come in and tackle the day.
  • Managing competitiveness in a healthy way and figuratively in a healthy way.
  • How to help young people really appreciate and value themselves.

Active CEO Wellness Tip

Motion Call – Stand up and go for a walk when you receive a phone call rather than stay seated at your computer. It reduces distractions and ensures you get the value of motion leads to emotion when you are walking. You will be surprised how much exercise you can do and how productive your calls become.

Tweets

“Being able to effectively communicate means you can build trust, address issues, you can form an organisational and business point of view, and build a narrative and a story which is a very important part of engaging whether it is your target audiences, your staff or your customers.” Effective communication with Francesca Boase, on the active CEO Podcast.

“The bottom line is that people don’t come to work to achieve a business result. People come to work to be with other people. My experience is that being a leader and being able to communicate on a very human level is critical. Its critical to managing staff, it is critical for great client relationships. It is very important when you are dealing with very difficult situations.” Francesca Boase on communicating at a human level, on the active CEO Podcast.

“You genuinely need to have that recovery time. In terms of performance in a role that is very demanding, having a break and taking some time out is as important a lesson to learn to learn as is learning how to respond to a client or developing a communications strategy.” Francesca Boase talks about the importance of recovery with purpose, on the active CEO Podcast.

Resources Mentioned in this show:

Francesca Boase LinkedIn
Francesca Boase fran@boase.com.au
Edelman www.edelman.com.au
NRG2Perform www.nrg2perform.com
Craig Johns craig@nrg2perform.com
Craig Johns LinkedIn

High Performance Leadership

active CEO Podcast #49 Alex Baumann High Performance Leadership

High Performance Leadership

On this episode of the Sportspeople Recruitment active CEO Podcast, Craig Johns speaks with Alex Baumann about overcoming tragedy to win two Olympic Gold swimming medals, transforming coaches of high performance into high-performing coaches, high performance leadership, and his new role as Chief Strategist High Performance at Swimming Australia. We also dive into being a swimming parent, balancing wellness and performance, the importance of empathy and building trust, and the principles of high performance leadership.

Alex Baumann

Alex Baumann sets very high standards, doesn’t settle for mediocrity, and has a proven record in leading successful teams and sport organisations. He is one of the worlds’ leading sports administrators, International Swimming Hall of Fame inductee, husband to Australian swimmer Tracey Taggart and humble sporting parent of two International swimmers.

He was born in Prague Czechoslovakia, however grew up in Canada winning two swimming gold medals and setting two world records at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Alex holds an Honours degree in Political Science from Laurentian University, a Graduate Diploma of Education from the University of Queensland, and holds an Honorary Doctorate from Laurentian University.

His career has included working as a sports administrator in Canada, Australia and New Zealand with roles as CEO and Executive Director roles at of Queensland Swimming, Queensland Academy of Sport, Canada’s Road to Excellence Program, Canadian Olympic Committee’s Own the Podium, High Performance Sport New Zealand and is currently the Swimming Australia’s Chief Strategist, High Performance.

Alex talks about:

  • When you have some success early on you want more.
  • Swimming with the Dr. Jeno Tihanyi and the legendary coach James ‘Doc’ Counsilman.
  • Winning the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games 200m IM and 400m IM swimming gold medals in World Record times.
  • Coping with the tragedies of losing both his father and brother.
  • A majority of Gold Medallists have had to deal with some sort of trauma.
  • The pressure of being the current world record holder going into an Olympic Games.
  • Balancing athlete wellbeing and high performance.
  • Transforming coaches of high performance into high-performing coaches.
  • You get the best out of athletes when you can empower them.
  • Winning when it matters to inspire a nation.
  • Embracing pressure, rather than seeing it as a negative.  
  • How Wilma Shakespeare guided his introduction to sports administration.
  • The ability to challenge in a way that doesn’t offend people.
  • The differences in High Performance leadership in Australia, Canada and New Zealand.
  • How a CEO or leader balances resources versus being resourceful.
  • Sometimes we get too complex to get that additional 1%.
  • There was not one word of winning in the Swimming Australia High Performance strategy.
  • One of my challenges is ensuring I have enough balance between work and family life.
  • The importance of urgency and the need to react quickly.
  • You have to keep doing new things and reinventing yourself through new things.
  • What drives each individual?
  • Once you think you know it all, you are dead in the water.

Active CEO Wellness Tip

Commitment To Excellence – Own where you want to go, constantly work at it, have the discipline to strive for excellence around how you are going to do it and why you are going to do it and make sure you put that plan into action. You need to commit to excellence if you want to be excellent.

Tweets

“Pressure is a positive thing as ultimately it gets the best out of us. Obviously if there is too much you get stiff, you just cant perform, The negative thoughts come into your mind and the pressure gets to you. Embrace it versus letting it consume you.” Embracing pressure with Alex Baumann, on the active CEO Podcast.

“When I got to the Olympics I had been through it all. You could throw anything at me and I would still be able to perform.” Alex Baumann on overcoming adversity, on the active CEO Podcast.

“I can’t worry about external things. I have to just concentrate on what I have to do. I have done the physical preparation, I am psychologically ready, I’ve competed against all these guys and I have beaten them.” Alex Baumann understanding the pressure of being an Olympian, on the active CEO Podcast.

Resources Mentioned in this show:

Alex Baumann LinkedIn
Alex Baumann Wikipedia
Swimming Australia www.swimming.org.au
International Swimming Hall of Fame Bio
NRG2Perform www.nrg2perform.com
Craig Johns craig@nrg2perform.com
Craig Johns LinkedIn

Recommended Reading:

Swimming With Alex Baumann: A Program for Competitive and Recreational Swimmers link

active CEO Podcast Sasa Sestic (The Coffee Man ONA Coffee) – A World Beyond Coffee

active CEO Podcast #47 Sasa Sestic A World Beyond Coffee

A World Beyond Coffee
Sasa Sestic ONA Coffee
World Barista Champion
Project Origin
2000 Sydney Olympics
Sasa Sestic – Founder & Director ONA Coffee

On this episode of the active CEO Podcast, Craig Johns speaks with Sasa Sestic about escaping three wars, transitioning from 2000 Sydney Olympic Games Handball player to entrepreneur, creating ONA Coffee, the powerful impact of Project Origin, winning the 2015 Barista World Championships and a world beyond coffee. We take a deep dive into building a team of innovators, creating a competitive environment, chasing excellence, collaborating with winemaker Tim Kirk from Clonakilla, The Coffee Man movie and book, and the realization that coffee was much more than a social drink.

Sasa Sestic – Podcast Interview Brief

Sasa Sestic is a World Barista Champion, Olympian, philanthropist and remarkable entrepreneur, who immigrated to Australia in 1997, from humble beginnings in war-torn Bosnia. He is considered inspiring, authentically raw and a fun entrepreneur to work with, who authored the award-winning book The Coffee Man. His outstanding sporting ability allowed him to represent Australia in European Handball at the Sydney 2000 Olympics.

While working in a Canberra bakery he found his true passion and an obsession for not only perfecting the ultimate cup of coffee, but also finding and roasting the world’s best coffee beans. He has a heart of gold and his devotion to donate thousands of dollars to the farmers who produce the coffee beans in places like India, Honduras and Nicaragua. His love of coffee has led to two Australian and the 2015 World Barista Championships, as well as owning a range of café’s including The Cupping room, ONA Coffee House, ONA Manuka and High Road.

Sasa talks about:

  • His dad surviving -15 degree nights to put food on the table.
  • Playing European Handball for Australian at the Sydney Olympics
  • Transitioning from athlete in 2013 to Barista entrepreneur.
  • Working in 3rd world countries to help them develop great coffee, grow there amazing coffees and see that we are doing something good for these communities.
  • The DNA of ONA Coffee which is community driven and family owned
  • A lot of failures; every time we failed it help bring us closer together.
  • People who love coffee, obsess with coffee and want to innovate.
  • Developing innovative coffee processes that are used globally.
  • Collaborating with winemakers Tim Kirk from Clonakilla.
  • O.C.D – ONA Coffee Distribution Tool
  • His first trip to India in 2011 changed the way he approached coffee.
  • Going deep into the Amazon Forest to search for the coffee bean DNA.
  • The story behind The Coffee Man movie.
  • Introducing consuming countries with the farming countries.
  • The future expansion of ONA Coffee.
  • Flying to Switzerland to understand the science of coffee.
  • Wanting to change the way coffees are sold.

Active CEO Wellness Tip

Talent Is Not Enough – Discipline, hard work and really putting that time into achieving your goals. Talent will only take you so far. What is the plan you are putting into place and implementing to ensure you achieve that performance that you desire?

Tweets

“Very competitive environment, very high paced, all high achievers, we all love competition and the competition gets the best out of us.” Sasa Sestic explains the ONA Coffee environment, on the active CEO Podcast.

“One of the issues we have is that when we reach these high goals, we don’t spend enough time celebrating. We just set another higher goal. Trying to be the best we can be. We want to compete with ourselves.” Wanting to spend more time celebrating with Sasa Sestic, on the active CEO Podcast.

“2007 is when I realised that coffee can be so much more than a social drink. So much more than something that tastes reasonably nice. A lot deeper purpose to being able to serve a great cup of coffee. We can make the world a little bit better.” Sasa Sestic’s approach to a world beyond coffee, on the active CEO Podcast.

Resources Mentioned in this show:

Sasa Sestic www.sasasestic.com.au
Sasa Sestic Instagram
ONA Coffee www.onacoffee.com.au
ONA Coffee Instagram
Project Origin www.projectorigin.com.au
NRG2Perform www.nrg2perform.com
Craig Johns craig@nrg2perform.com
Craig Johns LinkedIn

Recommended Reading:

The Coffee Man Book
The Coffee Man Film

active CEO Podcast Jennie Wyllie (Netball New Zealand) – Challenge Privately Support Publicly

active CEO Podcast #44 Jennie Wyllie Challenge Privately Support Publicly

Jennie Wyllie – Chief Executive Netball NZ

On this episode of the Sportspeople Recruitment active CEO Podcast, Craig Johns speaks with Jennie Wyllie about growing up watching the New Zealand Silver Ferns netball team, coping with intense public scrutiny, challenge employees privately and support publicly, and leading a high performing team as Chief Executive of Netball New Zealand. We also discuss standing out from other graduates at PricewaterhouseCoopers, the impact of the Tanya Dalton Foundation, an internal review following the 2018 Commonwealth Games, and resetting the body and mind by taking family vacations to her kiwi batch at the beach.

Jennie Wyllie

Jennie Wyllie is a wonderful leader who has navigated some major transformations in a short period of time. In her current role of Chief Executive of Netball New Zealand, she has led the implementation of the ‘Whole of Netball Plan’ strategy, has managed the move back to a domestic elite competition and is using all her experience to implement the recommendations following a recent independent review into the National team.

She went to Pakuranga College in New Zealand, before completing a Bachelor of Commerce specialising in Accounting and Tax, from the University of Auckland. Today’s guest has also completed an Institute of Directors Companies Director Course, is a certified New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountant and has a Postgraduate Certificate in Management Studies at the University of Waikato.

Her career began in accounting and finance with roles, in New Zealand and the UK, at Price Waterhouse Coopers, Discovery Networks, GlaxoSmithKline, Orange and Telecom New Zealand. While at Telecom New Zealand she spent time as a Next Generation Marketing Offers Lead before returning to finance as Head of Finance, Strategy and Services at Netball New Zealand.

Jennie talks about:

  • What is your differentiator – ‘just be me”
  • Being able to relate to everyone from the CEO and Board down to the receptionist.
  • Being an authentic leader – I am, what I am.
  • To be high performing you need to wrap yourself with experts in the field.
  • Balancing working in the business versus working on the business is a major challenge.
  • Coping with the intense public scrutiny, especially when the team may not be playing well.
  • The independent review of the unsuccessful 2018 Commonwealth Games Silver Ferns.
  • If you are not living the values of the team, who is going to hold you to account.
  • Balancing a focus on participation versus the elite side of the sport.
  • Recognising all the hard work that volunteers do in the netball community.
  • Ensuring that the health and wellness of our coaches and employees are being looked after.
  • Coaches challenges are not so much different to the athletes.
  • “How do we support our female coaches?” because they are different from the men coaches.
  • We encourage staff to stay active including a wellness day, where it is all tools down.
  • Requiring a growth mindset in sport as it reinvigorates you to go for that next challenge.

Active CEO Wellness Tip

It’s Not About You! – You are here to SERVE, You are here to CONTRIBUTE and you are here to make a DIFFERENCE. As a leader you have to let go of the ego and make sure that everything that happens is about the team, is there for them and they can shine every single day.

Tweets

“Weird natural high, a buzz, for me that’s when I know that things are clicking, you come up with ideas, you interact with people and bounce ideas off without fears of reprisal. That’s when I know!” Jennie Wyllie explaining her peak state of mind on the Sportspeople Recruitment active CEO Podcast.

“With an intense public scrutiny comes a level of engagement and ownership they have with the team… You have to back yourself to make good decisions, and be able to stand behind your choices and the decisions you make. ” Jennie Wyllie talks about coping with public scrutiny on the Sportspeople Recruitment active CEO Podcast.

“In high performance the environment for athletes is inherently unsafe. You can be selected or not selected at any one time. But for a high performing team you need to feel safe, vulnerable to share your strengths and weaknesses.” The high performance environment conundrum, with Jennie Wyllie, on the Sportspeople Recruitment active CEO Podcast.

Resources Mentioned in this show:

Jennie Wyllie LinkedIn
Netball NZ www.netballnz.co.nz
Netball NZ info@netballnz.co.nz
NRG2Perform www.nrg2perform.com
Craig Johns craig@nrg2perform.com
Craig Johns LinkedIn
Ben Gathercole LinkedIn
Ben Gathercole Performance Coaching www.bengathercole.com.au

Recommended Reading:

Better Than Winning – Ben Gathercole

active CEO Podcast Brad Gunn (Vault Accounting) – Four Day Work Week

active CEO Podcast #43 Brad Gunn Four Day Work Week

Brad Gunn – Managing Partner Vault Accountants and Financial Services

On this episode of the active CEO Podcast, Craig Johns speaks with Brad Gunn, from Vault Accountants and Financial Services, about the four day work week, creating a customer centric financial business, the role of technology in client relationships, and high levels of staff retention. We also delve into sports leave, incentivizing staff to be active and healthy, taking Triathlon Queensland from insolvency, and his love of a fine wine.

Brad Gunn – Podcast Interview Brief

Brad Gunn is a humble, thoughtful, determined and creative leader, who has the quote “When you know your WHY, you’re going to attract people that bring the HOW” on his LinkedIn page.

He has more than thirty years experience in the financial services with senior roles in investment advisory, funds management, practice management and accounting. His education includes a Bachelor Economics, Accounting and Commerce at the University of Queensland; and post-graduate studies in financial management at the University of Adelaide and Columbia University in the City of New York.

In 2008 he co-founded Vault Accounting and Financial Advisors in Brisbane, Australia, a progressive advisory group that offers expertise across the entire financial planning landscape.

Brad talks about:

  • His father always saying he was a leader and people would follow.
  • Client engagement and communication is the key to successful retention in any business.
  • Developing customer centric approach so that companies could come to one place.
  • Training, education and ongoing up-skilling being important to Vault.
  • Moving people across and up in the business has lead to high levels of staff retention.
  • The only way they are going to learn is get their hands dirty on the tools.
  • The role of technology integration with accountants in the client relationship.
  • Wanting to dial back from the business, where they can exit the business within ten years.
  • Trialling the four day work week in February 2019.
  • They were putting a 40-hour week in 4 days and productivity was up through the roof.
  • During the debrief staff identified an improvement in mental health and a reduction in stress
  • Incentivising Vault Accountant’s staff in leading an active and healthy lifestyle.
  • The inspiration behind starting the Croc Triathlon Club with Brad Bevan and Rod Cedaro.
  • Being a Board member for Triathlon Queensland for 11 years including President for 8.
  • Managing change with a struggling organisation, which was technically insolvent.
  • Changing the way that Triathlon Australia and the State triathlon organisations operated.
  • His wife Sally seeing the need for him to get his work-life balance sorted out.
  • BBQ favourite wine is the Wirra Wirra Church Block Shiraz
  • Wanting to solve the question of how to fix the Australian Tax problem

Active CEO Wellness Tip

Energy Meeting – Why don’t we challenge the way we have always provided sugary muffins, coffee, lollies and soft drinks as our meeting snacks? How do we expect to perform optimally and get the most out of people when we are not focusing on strategies to ensure sustainable energy levels. If we want optimal performance, optimal learning and optimal outcomes then we need to implement effective energy strategies and that starts with what food and drinks we put on the table.

Tweets

“The university degree doesn’t automatically give you the right to know everything. It really is only a start.” Brad Gunn discusses on the job experience, on the active CEO Podcast.

“The first week was the most difficult as people were going through a transition and adjusting. The second week everyone was getting used to it, the third week they were loving it and by the fourth week can we keep this going.” Brad Gunn speaks about the four day work week trial, on the active CEO Podcast.

Resources Mentioned in this show:

Brad Gunn LinkedIn
Vault Accountants and Financial Advisors www.vaultgroup.com.au
Triathlon Queensland website
NRG2Perform www.nrg2perform.com
Craig Johns craig@nrg2perform.com
Craig Johns LinkedIn
Ben Gathercole LinkedIn
Ben Gathercole Performance Coaching www.bengathercole.com.au

Recommended Reading:

Better Than Winning – Ben Gathercole

active CEO Podcast Adam Hudson (Reliable Education) – Future Of Amazon Entrepreneurship

active CEO Podcast #42 Adam Hudson Future of Amazon Entrepreneurship

On this episode of the active CEO Podcast, Craig Johns speaks with Adam Hudson about coping with losing millions of dollars; the future of Amazon entrepreneurship; the purpose of Reliable Education; and innovation at the heart of entrepreneurship. We also delve into leaning into entrepreneurship, timing being an important part of your success, identifying a visual gap in the market, knowing when to fire yourself and the importance of masterminds to his success.

Adam Hudson – Podcast Interview Brief

Adam Hudson is a tenacious, focused and courageous serial entrepreneur who has ridden the highs and lows of business success. He has built several multi-million dollar companies in Australia and the USA, including co-founding Reliable Education and Zonguru.

Considered an Amazon Thought Leader, he authored the book “Primed” in 2017. With Amazon catalysing a massive disruption in the retail industry, he simplifies a hyper-logical yet counterintuitive approach to successfully launching consumer brands on the platform.

Our guest has featured on credible media platforms including the Brian Tracy Show, Sky Business News, USA Today, Inc.com and The Wall Street Journal.

He is considered a man of resilience, authenticity, has a huge smile and a genuine desire to make a difference.

Adam talks about:

  • Having a desire to create things and chart his journey.
  • “If you don’t like it, then you can get your own place and create your own rules”.
  • Doing a Tony Robbins seminar and getting to the root of what your drive is.
  • The biggest secret to his success is persistence and working hard.
  • Failing more than he has succeeded.
  • His desire to have agency over his life and not work for anyone.
  • The future of Amazon entrepreneurship.
  • Innovation will reveal the pain that is not obvious.
  • Why he developed Reliable Education and the reason why they interview everyone.
  • Differentiate and stand out from the lack of innovation.
  • Sell things where there is demand, people are already buying and people really care about.
  • Does this business stack with someone else doing every piece all the way through.
  • Young entrepreneurs don’t value their time & they become a prisoner of their own making.
  • Sponsoring villages in Indonesia to pay for eye surgery for the 4 million people that are blind.
  • Right from the start, my mission is to fire myself from every company.
  • Being aware of his own mental health and focusing on self care around food and sleep.

Active CEO Wellness Tip

Time on Business – Most CEO’s get lost “in the business” rather than spending time “on the business”. You will find it invaluable to find one to two times per week for a half day to spend time on your business. You need to block out your calendar and make a decision and a commitment to clear weekly time for strategic thinking and direction. This thinking, reflecting and creating time should be effectively used to drive growth and develop the future of the business.

Tweets

“You can only get so much from a book and the rest you have to learn from the school of hard knocks.” Adam Hudson talks about experience, on the active CEO Podcast.

“I fired up under the pressure, I said alright this is it, what are you made of , lets do this.” Adam Hudson’s response to losing everything in 2008, on the active CEO Podcast.

Resources Mentioned in this show:

Reliable Education www.reliable.education
Zonguru www.zonguru.com
Adam Hudson Instagram
NRG2Perform www.nrg2perform.com
Craig Johns craig@nrg2perform.com
Craig Johns LinkedIn
Ben Gathercole LinkedIn
Ben Gathercole Performance Coaching www.bengathercole.com.au

Recommended Reading:

Primed: Your Guide to Building an Amazing Business on Amazon – Adam Hudson
Better Than Winning – Ben Gathercole

active CEO POdcast Craig Phillips (Commonwealth Games Australia) – The Games Shaper

active CEO Podcast #40 Craig Phillips The Games Shaper

Craig Phillips – CEO Commonwealth Games Australia

On this episode of the Sportspeople Recruitment active CEO Podcast, Craig Johns speaks with Craig Phillips the CEO of Commonwealth Games Australia about the success of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games; leading in the sports industry; the importance of volunteers; and why females bring a different game to sports leadership, coaching and high performance. We take a deep dive into bringing world-class athletes and teams together in an Olympic team environment; the pioneering days of professional sport management; leading an active and healthy lifestyle; and the legacy of international sporting events.

Craig Phillips

Craig Phillips is the most capped Australian Olympic Committee Team official in Australian sporting history. With more than 35 years experience in the sports industry, he has been involved in the successful planning, management & leadership of 12 Australian Olympic (Summer & Winter) Teams between 1992 and 2014.

His education involved earning a Diploma of Teaching in Physical Education from the Australian College of Physical Education, and a MBA in Sports Management from the Southern Cross University. He is internationally recognised expert in strategic, team and event planning, and has a wealth of experience in sport program design, policy development, governance and integrity.

After eight years working in the New South Wales Department of Sport and Recreation, Craig has had an illustrious 24 years as the Technical Director, Director of Sport and Secretary General of the Australian Olympic Committee. Most recently he led the highly successful 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in Australia.

Craig is the current CEO of Commonwealth Games Australia and the recipient of the 2018 Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Sports Performance Award For Leadership.

Craig talks about:

  • Going to South Sydney Rabbitohs Rugby League team games with his dad.
  • Playing rugby league, swimming, water polo and modern pentathlon as a child.
  • Starting his career with the NSW Office of Sport & Recreation.
  • Parked his sporting ambitions to volunteer with Modern Pentathlon
  • Seismic changes in sport with the creation of the Australian Institute of Sport, considerable funding in sport in the 1980’s and then the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.
  • His greatest sporting moments in being involved in 12 Olympic Games campaigns, while working at the Australian Olympic Committee,
  • Helping Steven Bradbury fix his boot before winning a gold medal at the Winter Olympic Games.
  • Driving Grant Hackett to training in a golf cart at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games.
  • What’s involved in planning an Olympic Games campaign for Team Australia.  
  • Seeing coaching as actually a legitimate career path without being a great athlete.
  • Why the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games was so successful.
  • A greater sense of community on the Gold Coast and the flow on effect of the Games.
  • There needs to be a greater focus on the mental health of coaches and sport managers.
  • Athlete engagement and wellbeing post their career.
  • How he looks after his health and wellness.
  • Creating international sports structures that are done in such a way that don’t lend itself to abuse in the system.
  • Why Ian Chesterman AM and Craig McLatchey AO had the greatest influence on his career.

Active CEO Wellness Tip

Learning – The first stage of learning is absolute silence. The second stage is listening to what people are saying. Absorbing what they say and how they are saying it, so you have a better understanding of what they are expressing.

Tweets

“You have got to be really careful with knowledge and experience that you don’t let arrogance grow. You shouldn’t ever believe that you have got all the answers. You have got to be a good listener and bring in other people with expertise who give you the answers.” Craig Phillips provides important advice for sport leaders, on the Sportspeople Recruitment active CEO Podcast.

“The volunteer is still a very much an important part of sport industry. If we started to pull back on the contribution of volunteers, sport will start to die. ” Craig Phillips talks about the importance of volunteers in sport, on the Sportspeople Recruitment active CEO Podcast.

“When you do get everyone hitting in the same direction and singing off the same sheet it is very rewarding.” Preparing an Olympic Games environment that produces gold medals, on the Sportspeople Recruitment active CEO Podcast.

Resources Mentioned in this show:

Craig Phillips LinkedIn
Commonwealth Games Australia www.commonwealthgames.com.au
Commonwealth Games Australia LinkedIn
2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games www.gc2018.com
Australian Olympic Committee www.olympics.com.au
NRG2Perform www.nrg2perform.com
Craig Johns craig@nrg2perform.com
Craig Johns LinkedIn
Ben Gathercole LinkedIn
Ben Gathercole Performance Coaching www.bengathercole.com.au

Recommended Reading:

Better Than Winning – Ben Gathercole

active CEO Podcast #39 Adriana Cecere The BackPocket CEO

Adriana Cecere – Consulting Australia

On this episode of the active CEO Podcast, Craig Johns speaks with Adriana Cecere from Consulting Australia about being a teenage entrepreneur, creating scalable businesses, transitioning to being a sort after business consultant and coach, and delivering high performance as a CEO. We also learn about the backstory behind being called ‘The BackPocket CEO’, writing a #1 Amazon Best Seller with ‘Simple Strategies to Success’, Steve Brossman’s influence on her as a mentor and co-author of ‘Game Changers’, being The Buttery Private ambassador, and her new project with Michaela Gee.

Adriana Cecere

Adriana Cecere is an incredible serial entrepreneur, #1 Amazon Best Selling author, and a sort after business consultant and coach. Known as The BackPocket CEO, she opened her first business at the age of 17 and has gone on to own and sell more than ten businesses.

Adriana co-authored the book, Game Changers in 2017, and recently wrote the book Simple Strategies to Success. In December 2017, she was recognised by New Yorks Consulting Magazine, with an accolade as a Global Leader, for Excellence in Innovation in Consulting.

Over the last few years Adriana has grown her business, Consulting Australia, to one of the leading management consulting firms in Sydney, Australia. She is an ambassador for The Buttery Foundation who provide successful mental health and substance misuse treatment programs. 

Adriana talks about:

  • Being 13, sitting under a bay leaf tree, & setting the goal of owning a business by 18 years of age.
  • Starting her first business, Voo Doo Hair Ink at the age of seventeen.
  • Co-writing her first book, Game Changers, with mentor Steve Brossman.
  • Getting good people around her that knew what they were so she
    could grow the business.
  • Having no formal education or training when she first started her entrepreneurial journey.
  • Designed a place, buying land, project managing and building a shop in Italy, at the age of 22.
  • Freedom of owning a business, working with great people, & seeing something grow.
  • Transitioning from owning your own business to coaching people to run their businesses.
  • Learning from many people who have turned adversity into successful ventures.
  • Her approach to determining business needs and requirements.
  • Partnering with Michaela Gee to support young females to grow their leadership skills.
  • Writing #1 Amazon Best Seller, ‘Simple Strategies to Success’.
  • The secret to success in establishing a business from day one that can be easily scaled.
  • Incorporating online programs into her business strategy.
  • Having a healthy mindset, training in the morning, walking in fresh air and eating healthy.
  • The challenge for senior leaders to balance pressure versus releasing the pressure.

Active CEO Wellness Tip                                                       

Own Your Own Influence – Being your own greatest influencer is important so that you have the habits and routines in place to ensure that you can keep delivering what you need to, so everyone else can perform really well. You have to be able to influence yourself, be confident, and ensure that you are in control of what you do every single day.

Tweets

“Where is the business at, what does the clients need, what’s the environment doing and what do I want to do with the business.” Adriana Cecere discussing how she chooses a business opportunity, on the active CEO Podcast.

“We are supposed to be getting smarter, but there are so many people with mental health programs” Talking about the scale of mental health problems with Adriana Cecere, on the active CEO Podcast.

Resources Mentioned in this show:

Adriana Cecere LinkedIn
Adriana Cecere Facebook
Adriana Cecere www.adrianacecere.com.au
Consulting Australia www.consultingaustralia.com.au
The Buttery www.buttery.org.au
The Buttery Private www.butteryprivate.org.au
NRG2Perform www.nrg2perform.com
Craig Johns craig@nrg2perform.com
Craig Johns LinkedIn
Ben Gathercole LinkedIn
Ben Gathercole Performance Coaching www.bengathercole.com.au

Recommended Reading:

Simple Strategies Success Business – Adriana Cecere

Game Changers – Adriana Cecere & Steve Brosnan
Better Than Winning – Ben Gathercole

active CEO Podcast Ellen Derrick Deloitte

active CEO Podcast #37 Ellen Derrick Make Mistakes No Regrets

Ellen Derrick – National Executive Deloitte Australia

On this episode of the active CEO Podcast, Craig Johns speaks with Ellen Derrick about the importance of being grateful and serving others; her high performance mindset; working with leaders to deliver excellence at Deloitte Australia; and the value of scheduling energy rather than time.

We also delve into coping with her adopted mother passing away from Breast Cancer at the age of eleven; how her children fuel her to deliver better leadership; being open to mistakes and having no regrets; and why speaking on stage with her daughter Kate, who has Cystic Fibrosis, was one of the best days of her life.

Ellen Derrick

Ellen is an impressive Senior Executive who is a leader with a service mentality, who has a bios for action and accountability.

Growing up in the USA she played a lot of sport, including tennis at University before switching to squash, which she played at an international level.

She studied at Nardin Academy, has a BA Government Business at Colby University and has completed an MBA Management from the Australian Graduate School of Management, since moving to Australia.

Her impressive resume includes managerial roles for Accenture, IISM Group, the Australian Federal Government Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, and is currently the National Leader Public Sector and Public Policy and a member of the National Executive for Deloitte Australia.

Now living in Australia she is an affiliate member of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, plays an active role in national charitable foundations including Cystic Fybrosis Australia, and is a mentor for the center of economic development of Australia and Institute of Public Administration of Australia.

Ellen talks about:

  • Growing up in an Irish part of Buffalo, New York, USA.
  • The influence of her mother, who passed away from Breast Cancer, when she was eleven.
  • Her mum teaching her to be grateful, serve others, keep perspective and be optimistic.
  • Always being in a hurry, feeling time limited and always looking for the next thing.
  • Loving playing soccer and basketball for many years, before switching to tennis & squash.
  • Her love of history, English, writing and the systems of government.
  • Leading national public practice and public policy at Deloitte.
  • Working with the leaders to deliver excellence and having a lasting impact.
  • How we better our life expectancy.
  • Keeping her mind relaxed and calm, while leading a very diverse portfolio.
  • Are leaders born or made?
    Helping to find the confidence and courage to take big leaps.
  • How her team would describe her leadership style.
  • Coping with her early days at Deloitte, where she felt the effects of imposter syndrome.
  • Coming back from maternity leave, knowing she was a different human being.
  • Adjusting her life when she learnt her daughter has Cystic Fibrosis.
  • Her professional purpose and personal purpose converging every day.
  • The importance of scheduling her own time to free the mind and re-energise.
  • The impact of speaking on stage with her daughter Kate, for the first time in front of influential senior business leaders
  • What we truly need to do collectively in ensuring our sustainability and our prosperity?
  • Feeling energetic, positive and focused when she is in a peak state of mind.

Active CEO Wellness Tip                                                       

Better Place – It is our role as leaders to be a steward and leave what we are looking after in a better place for our future leaders. We need to ensure our stewardship continues to build it up step-by-step so we leave a positive legacy for the next generation.

Tweets

“How do you really seize opportunity from challenge and how do you keep your perspective when things are truly hard.” Ellen Derrick speaking with her daughter Kate on stage in front of influential business leaders, on the active CEO Podcast.

“We don’t always get it right, but we are perfectionists, we are the big four, it is our job to get it right, and it really hurts us when we don’t.” The challenge of leadership expectations with Ellen Derrick, on the active CEO Podcast.

Resources mentioned in this show:

Ellen Derrick LinkedIn
Ellen Derrick Profile
Deloitte website www.deloitte.com
Cystic Fibrosis www.cysticfibrosis.org.au
NRG2Perform www.nrg2perform.com
Craig Johns craig@nrg2perform.com
Craig Johns LinkedIn
Ben Gathercole LinkedIn
Ben Gathercole Performance Coaching www.bengathercole.com.au

Recommended Reading:

Better Than Winning – Ben Gathercole

active CEO Podcast Andrew Klein (Spike Presentations) – Speaking It’s An Occupational Hazard

active CEO Podcast #35 Andrew Klein Speaking Its An Occupational Hazard

Andrew Klein – Spike Presentations

On this episode of the active CEO Podcast, Craig Johns speaks with Andrew Klein, his struggle with being a lawyer; how debating and theater sports led to a career in speaking; why authenticity is number one for speakers; the art of influence, persuasion and presence; the importance of recovery as a performer; and leading an active and healthy lifestyle. He also energetically talks about aspiring to be Michael Jordan; idolising the comedy science of Jerry Seinfeld; dressing up as the ‘Swedish Chef’ from the Muppets; introducing Sir Bob Geldof; and delivering pub quizzes.

Andrew Klein

Andrew Klein is a professional, articulate, entertaining and crowd-favourite professional MC. He thrived in Drama, Basketball and Theatre at Sydney Boys High School, and studied a Bachelor of Arts and Law at the University of NSW. His career highlights include being director of Impact EnterTrainers, Director of Legal Policy at NSW Department of Multicultural & Ethnic Affairs and Solicitor at Clayton Utz.

Known for personalising experiences, injecting energy, being right on the mark and keeping it fresh as the founder of Spike Presentations, Andrew has hosted successful events at companies such as Westpac, Ernst & Young, Telstra, IBM, Coca-Cola and Commonwealth Bank. A creative man, he invented “Life’s a Pitch” and “How to Awe Them, Not Bore Them”.

Andrew talks about:

• Bringing energy and a dash of zest to the room.
• Growing up in Sydney.
• The passion behind becoming a lawyer.
• The decision in 1995 to finish his law career and step onto stage.
• Idolizing comedians and following comedy.
• Why Jerry Seinfeld is his hero.
• Why it is important to set the mood at the beginning of an event.
• His pre-event routine leading up to the event opening.
• What makes a great speaker leave a permanent mark on the audience.
• The “Spike Presentations” elevator pitch and how it works?
• Bringing charisma and injecting a dose of humor in a performance.
• Balancing being a conference emcee with teaching presentation skills.
• The emotional intelligence of reading the room.
• You are there to serve the audience, it’s not about you.
• How he stays fit & healthy when travelling & working a busy schedule.
• The routines, habits and triggers allow him reset his body and mind.
• “how do we change the way we educate children at school?”
• The impact the famous Australia poet, Brook Emery had on his life.

Active CEO Wellness Tip

Focus in the moment – What we can control is right now! We can’t change history, however we can take what we have learnt; good or bad, right or wrong; and harness the opportunities to do something better or leapfrog off what we was successful. Use your strengths to be better now, improve the way you live and make the world a better place. It starts with making a choice, a decision that only you can own in the moment, right now.

Tweets

“When you are on the stage, you are a performer whether you like it or not.” Andrew Klein discusses stage performance, on the active CEO Podcast.

“You have been in the audience time and time again, listening to people who are knowledgeable on a topic but unable to engage with you. Are you one of those people?” Andrew Klein discusses the Spike Presentations elevator pitch, on the active CEO Podcast.

Resources Mentioned in this show:

Andrew Klein www.andrewklein.com.au
Andrew Klein LinkedIn
Andrew Klein Facebook
NRG2Perform www.nrg2perform.com
Craig Johns craig@nrg2perform.com
Craig Johns LinkedIn
Ben Gathercole LinkedIn
Ben Gathercole Performance Coaching www.bengathercole.com.au

Recommended Reading:

Better Than Winning – Ben Gathercole