Tag: #fitness

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

active CEO Podcast #40 Craig Phillips The Games Shaper

Posted on by Craig Johns in Leadership, Podcasts

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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 Chris McCormack (Super League Triathlon) – Transforming The Business of Triathlon

active CEO Podcast #38 Chris McCormack Transforming The Business of Triathlon

Posted on by Craig Johns in Leadership, Podcasts

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Chris McCormack – 4x World Triathlon Champion / Co-Founder Super League Triathlon

On this episode of the active CEO Podcast, Craig Johns speaks with four-time World Triathlon Champion, Chris McCormack about ceo performance; growing up in Sydney; lessons learnt in triathlon and business; balancing patience with commercial decisions; winning on a world stage; and transitioning from sportsperson to businessperson. We also delve into what makes a high performance CEO; thinking anything is possible; and his successful team approach that has led to IRONMAN Hawaii World Championship titles as well as leading MaccaX, MaccaNow, Thanyapura, Bahrain Endurance 13, Super League Triathlon and MINC Group.

Chris McCormack

Chris McCormack is a four-time world triathlon champion, successful entrepreneur and one of the smartest brains in the sport industry. Born in Cronulla, Sydney, Australia, Chris graduated from the University of New South Wales, Australia, with a Bachelors degree in Economics.

With a win rate of greater than 76%, he has won more than 250 triathlon events around the globe, since 1993 when he switched from running to triathlon. Chris won the coveted Hawaii Ironman World Championships in 2007 and 2010, as well as the 1997 ITU World Triathlon Champs and 2012 ITU World Long Distance Triathlon Championships.

Alongside his phenomenal sporting career, he has also led some of the world’s most exciting sport projects including Thanyapura, Bahrain Endurance 13 and most recently co-founded the game-changing Super League Triathlon. Macca, as he is more commonly known, is a pioneer in the sports industry, with a New York best-selling book “I’m Here to Win’.

The MaccaNow Foundation was established, in honor of his mother Theresa McCormack, to help the fight against Breast Cancer. As an entrepreneur he established MaccaX, an integrative platform to give athletes of all abilities the chance to learn from the world’s best, and also MINC Group where he consults on world-leading integrative projects.

Chris talks about:

  • Why his father was so determined that his three boys got the start in life that he didn’t have.
  • Getting into triathlon with Sean Maroney, while on a University of NSW run scholarship.
  • Quitting his professional triathlete dream to finish university and get a job at Bankers Trust.
  • Wanting to pursue a dream in seeing the world and through the eyes of a triathlete.
  • Naivety, freedom of belief and the non-pollution of focusing on what is possible.
  • Living the golden era of triathlon by chance, by birth year and by falling into the sport.
  • Idolising Rob De Castella, Mark Occhilupo, Steve Moneghetti and Sebastian Coe as a child.
  • The influence that successful businessmen, Tony Pritzker and Chris Parker had on his career.
  • Being let down by his triathlon friends who didn’t believe in Super League Triathlon
  • The transition from athlete to businessmen.
  • Surrounding himself with a team of specialists Mark Allen and Stuart O’Grady.
  • Applying the team approach at Thanyapura, with the Royal Family of Bahrain and Super
  • His Ironman triathlon rivalries, with Norman Stadler and Craig Alexander.
  • Confidence is important in business, but you realise you are not the champion in the room.
  • You have to pick your fights, as business is strategy more than competitiveness.
  • Why athletes struggle with managing energy in business because they always had triggers.
  • A high performing CEO is an amazing communicator, therapist and vision creator.
  • The courage to identify with his daughter and say that I am very proud of what you do and I think you are remarkable and how can I be a part of that.
  • Why isn’t life fair?
  • His dad, Michael Gilliam, Susan Kraeftner & Andrew Murphy having influence on his life
  • Creating the MaccaNow Foundation in memory of his mother who had breast cancer.

Active CEO Wellness Tip                                                       

Leaders Are Teachers – It’s important that we continue to evolve both ourselves, from a learning point of view, and those around us. The best leaders continue to teach as it not only is good stewardship, but it also challenges them to learn more. Never let the music die inside of you.

Tweets

“People may think that it’s a stupid idea, but I think I am going to do it anyway. Someone’s got to do it. If it is a stupid idea, who cares, as there’s no punishment for it. You don’t get whipped and go to jail for the rest of your life. I don’t know why you wouldn’t make that step, why you wouldn’t try.” Chris McCormack isn’t afraid of giving something a try, on the active CEO Podcast.

“In any start-up the work ethic is out of this world, however the flexibility is exciting. Some people can exist in a start-up and some can’t. I thrive in them and love them. I love the dynamic nature, flexibility and the decisions that you can make that can take you from left to right in an instant, the downs, the highs and I think that comes from sport.” The beauty of start-ups with Chris McCormack, on the active CEO Podcast.

Resources Mentioned in this show:

Chris McCormack www.macca.com
Chris McCormack LinkedIn
Chris McCormack Instagram
MX Endurance (MaccaX) www.mxendurance.com
Super League Triathlon www.superleaguetriathlon.com
Bahrain Endurance 13 www.bahrainendurance13.com
Ironman www.ironman.com
ITU www.triathlon.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:

I’m Here to Win – Chris McCormack
Better Than Winning – Ben Gathercole

active CEO Podcast Ellen Derrick Deloitte

active CEO Podcast #37 Ellen Derrick Make Mistakes No Regrets

Posted on by Craig Johns in Leadership, Podcasts

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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 Kate & Sam Cawthorn (Speakers Institute) – The Best Is Yet To Come

active CEO Podcast #36 Kate and Sam Cawthorn The Best Is Yet To Come

Posted on by Craig Johns in Leadership, Podcasts

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Kate & Sam Cawthorn – Co-Founders Speakers Institute

On this episode of the active CEO Podcast, Craig Johns speaks with Kate and Sam Cawthorn about their life-defining moment; Sam being uniquely wired as a futurist; Kate unlocking your “super powers” of influence through the Gallup CliftonStrengths Finder assessment; the magic of Storyshowing; and Proximity is Power. We also delve into the ‘why’ behind Speakers Institute and Speakers Tribe; being a selfless CEO; recovering with purpose; shifting the energy of a room; orchestrating people’s attention; and being in the transformational personal development industry.

Kate & Sam Cawthorn

Kate and Sam Cawthorn are an incredible couple, with the most beautiful souls, who are passionate about transforming leaders into influential speakers. Through adversity, they found opportunity, and made decisions that have led to making remarkable impacts on so many peoples lives.

As Co-Founders and leaders of the Speakers Institute and the Speakers Tribe, they harness their very different personalities and unique strengths to not only beautifully compliment each other, but also to provide a more well-rounded leadership approach.

Kate has spent more than a decade in the personal development space, unearthing many hidden talents in people. Unlocking peoples superpowers and guiding them to live their ‘why’ through understanding and harnessing their strengths, fuels her inner passion, as a renowned certified Gallup Clifton Strength Finder coach.

Sam has transformed into a thought leader in peak performance, bestselling author, speaker, CEO and award-winning educator, after a horrific car accident in October 2006, changed his life forever. The 2009 Young Australian of the Year and 2013 Edupreneur of the year, has two international best-selling books Bounce Forward and Storytelling, which are changing the game for many people around the world, from all walks of life.

Kate & Sam talk about:

  • What inspired Kate as a child and what she dreamed of being a mum.
  • Sam seeking attention growing up in a family of eleven children.
  • Sam’s role as a Youth futurist with the Australian Federal Government.
  • The near fatal crash that transformed both their lives.
  • How Kate coped with Sam’s accident and being in a coma.
  • How Sam approached the adversity and when he realised his ‘why’.
  • What was the trigger for Kate to become a Gallop Clifton Strength Finder coach?
  • What attracted Sam to become a professional speaker and the concept of Bounce Forward.
  • Why Kate has to pull the hand brake on.
  • The catalyst to starting the Speakers Institute and Speakers Tribe.
  • Working together as leaders of Speakers Institute.
  • Kate and Sam’s top 5 strengths from the Gallup Clifton Strength Finder assessment and how they compliment each other.
  • The Toggle Framework for speakers.
  • How they recharge their batteries and refuel their tanks.

Active CEO Wellness Tip                                                       

Fear Less – More than 80% of what we fear and worry about never ever comes true. If we are worried about something, rather than ruminating in our head, we should go and actually talk to the person. We need to look at the problem and do some research and understand whether it will it actually matter. What is the evidence behind what we are thinking? Is there any or not?

Tweets

“People don’t need to be like someone else, that just need to be more of themselves.” Kate Cawthorn dives deep on what makes a great speaker, on the active CEO Podcast.

“The greatest training ground, as a speaker, is to go into your local school and speak to thirteen to fifteen year olds. If you can keep their attention span for a one hour period of time, you will keep anyone’s attention.” Sam Cawthorn talks about starting a speaking career, on the active CEO Podcast.

“If you are not speaking about something that you are genuinely passionate about, you will not come across as genuine at all.” Kate shares the secret of owning your voice, on the active CEO Podcast.

 “When I walk into the room I want to make sure the atmosphere has shifted”. The power of attention with Sam Cawthorn, on the active CEO Podcast.

Resources Mentioned in this show:

Kate Cawthorn LinkedIn
Sam Cawthorn LinkedIn
Sam Cawthorn www.samcawthorn.com
Sam Cawthorn Wikipedia
Speakers Institute www.speakersinstitute.com.au
Speakers Institute Facebook
Speakers Tribe www.speakerstribe.com.au
Speakers Tribe Facebook
Gallup Clifton Strengths 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:

Bounce Forward Sam Cawthorn
Storyshowing Sam Cawthorn
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

Posted on by Craig Johns in Leadership, Podcasts

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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

active CEO Podcast Garry Mills (Garry Mills Peak Performance) – Yes Prime Minister

active CEO Podcast #33 Garry Mills Yes Prime Minister

Posted on by Craig Johns in Leadership, Podcasts

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Garry Mills – CEO Garry Mills Peak Performance

On this episode of the active CEO Podcast, Craig Johns and Ben Gathercole speak with Garry Mills about lessons from the police force; being a Bodyguard for former Australian Prime Minister John Howard; and being a mental health advocate with Beyond Blue and Blokepedia. We also talk about learning to live and cope with depression; living a playboy lifestyle; staying in the moment; setting social media parameters; the importance of situation and self-awareness; and helping people improve their lives.

Garry Mills is a resilient, determined and trusted freelance entrepreneur, facilitator, Keynote Speaker and Trainer. He is a former bodyguard for the Australian Prime Minister and other dignitaries, an executive level Australian Public Servant and former police officer. Making a difference in other people’s lives is his passion and has recently joined Blokepedia as a Director and continues to be an ambassador for Beyond Blue.

As a devoted father he loves the challenge of being an Ironman triathlete. He is an entrepreneur with Garry Mills Peak Performance, as well as a very talented TV actor and corporate video/podcast presenter and has spent time on the radio. In 2017, he became famous for finishing second with Team Australia in the Photonis Ultimate Forces Challenge, an international outdoor sports and survival competition & reality TV show.

Garry talks about:

  • Dreaming of being a fighter pilot and police officer as a child.
  • Working in the wool industry as a Jackaroo, before joining the Victorian Police in 1996.
  • Fears around presentations and speaking with lots of eyeballs looking at you.
  •  “I am” rather than “I want to be”
  • Enjoying the moment when on the start line of a triathlon.
  • Being reactive as a policeman, versus being proactive in the background as a bodyguard.
  • Your communication goes to a whole new level as a bodyguard for the Prime Minister
  • Leaders need to be adaptable and flexible, because of the rate of change.
  • Living someone else’s life as a bodyguard.
  • Learning to know when you can relax and when you can be on.
  • During the 2,000’s his mental health started to deteriorate and work becoming his only focus.
  • Hitting rock bottom in 2012 and the decision to seek help for his depression.
  • Being present in the moment. Not worrying about what happened yesterday and what is going to happen tomorrow.
  • Working with Josh Cornby, who started Blokepedia in 2017.
  • “Conversations that matter”
  • Breaking down barriers and providing a safe and open place for men to be honest about how they are feeling and supporting their mates.
  • There is so much serious stuff in the world and laughter is the best medicine.
  • Being part of the Photonis Ultimate Forces Challenge with his wife in Bali.
  • Eating a bowl of silkworms in the food markets.
  • His wife Nicole having the greatest influence on his life.

Active CEO Wellness Tip                                                       

Energy Management – Most CEO’s and Leaders spend time focusing on managing their time rather than managing their energy. If you focus on managing time you will tend to create overload and over time you will run out of energy. You have to manage your energy and productive down time as it will allow you to maintain a higher threshold of performance over a longer period of time.

Tweets

“Having a close network of friends, who all look after each other. We will all reach out. You don’t have to have gone through it to help somebody.” Being there for friends who have depression with Garry Mills, on the active CEO Podcast.

“Why cant we just make happy films?” Garry Mills has one question he would like to solve, on the active CEO Podcast.

Resources Mentioned in this show:

Garry Mills LinkedIn
Garry Mills Peak Performance www.garrymillscoach.com
Garry Mills YouTube
Blokepedia www.blokepedia.com
Blokepedia Facebook
Blokepedia LinkedIn
Beyond Blue www.beyondblue.org.au
Beyond Blue 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

active CEO Podcast Alex Richardson (Art of Mentoring) – The Art of Mentoring

active CEO Podcast #32 Alex Richardson The Art of Mentoring

Posted on by Craig Johns in Leadership, Podcasts

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Alex Richardson – The Art of Mentoring

On this episode of the active CEO Podcast, Craig Johns speaks with Alex Richardson about his creative world; growing up with dyslexia and Irlen Syndrome; the positive effects of meditation on staying focused; the effects of music on the brain; and painting an audio picture. We also delve into the Art of Mentoring; leading a virtual team; the power of mentoring on a mentor; and how they have grown to matching 6,000 mentoring pairs each year.

Alex Richardson – The Art Of Mentoring

Alex Richardson is a highly successful and determined entrepreneur, who is at the forefront of the HR technology space. He is a man who is extremely passionate about people and culture.

Alex has excelled in audio and visual production, sound engineering, 3D Animation and the typography space, working with Charles Fisher who produced top bands such as Savage Garden and Hudu Gurus, as well as doing front of house production for many artists and festivals such as Bluesfest.

Since 2013, Alex is a co-Founder and Director of his family businesses Art of Mentoring and Horizons Unlimited. He is at the forefront of mentoring technology and program design in Australia. They design, implement and support over 6,000 mentoring partnerships each year in Association, Corporate, Government and University industries.

In his spare time he is a Board member of 2bbb radio station and is a member of the Australian Human Resources Institute and Family Business Australia. O

Alex talks about:

  • Seeing the world through a creative lens.
  • Compartmentalising the curiosity and focusing on the task at hand.
  • How meditation brought clarity to Dyslexia and Irlen Syndrome as a child.
  • His morning ritual of meditation, Kung-Fu and eating a bowl of fruit.  
  • Finding his passion in music and meeting a fantastic mentor, Charles Fisher, who produced Savage Garden and the Hudu Gurus.
  • Sound engineering is like painting an audio picture.
  • The effects of music on the brain and the way that shapes our perception of the world, of societies perception and the social fabrics that are created through music.
  • Music is the most engaging activity for the brain out of any activity that you can possibly do.
  • Social fabrics that are created through music and music genres
  • Using 3D animation as a very powerful way to teach and allow people to learn.
  • Establishing the Art of Mentoring with his mum and transitioning from employee to business owner.
  • Using mantras & learning’s from the music industry, & bringing them into the business world.
  • Leading a virtual team of 14 staff across Australia.
  • Taking the best practices and core standards that are tried and tested.
  • Mentors saying that the mentee will never understand that I got more out of this than the mentee did.
  • Matching 6,000 pairs of mentors and mentees over the last 12 months.
  • Waking up in the morning knowing he goes to work knowing he will make a difference to the world, not just a dollar.
  • Would love to solve how humans can coexist in a positive way.

Active CEO Wellness Tip                                                       

Checking in With Yourself – It is important that we ask the questions of yourself. Are we on track to achieve our goals? Are we happy how we communicated today? If we weren’t happy with the answers, then how can we resurrect on it and get ourselves back on track. What is your purpure on life and what we are driven for and making sure that we stay in line with that. Take some time at the beginning or end of each day. It might be every day, every 3 days or at the end of each week or the start of each week. Its about finding that routine and making sure we have the right things in place, doing the right things and making sure we are staying on track with our goals.

Tweets

“The downside of being a really creative person is that you do have a lot of ideas and marinating that focus is an important piece of the puzzle.” The creative mind of Alex Richardson, on the active CEO Podcast.

“Both music and sound have a responsibility to paint a picture, evoke an emotion and to create that activity in a persons brain.” The power of music with Alex Richardson, on the active CEO Podcast.

Resources Mentioned in this show:

Alex Richardson LinkedIn
Art of Mentoring www.artofmentoring.net
Art of Mentoring Facebook
Music & Effects 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

Holly Ransom (Emergent) – Next Generational Leadership

active CEO Podcast #31 Holly Ransom Next Generational Leadership

Posted on by Craig Johns in Leadership, Podcasts

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Holly Ransom – CEO / Founder Emergent

On this episode of the active CEO Podcast, Craig Johns speaks with Holly Ransom about being forensically curious; the richness of a conversation; importance of pre-game routine; the power of reverse mentoring; learning to harness fear; and intergenerational leadership in the 21st Century.

We explore conversations with Sir Richard Branson and former US President Barak Obama; high performance leadership; what makes New Zealand Primeminister, Jacinda Ardern a great leader; signing up 100 days before her first Ironman triathlon; and Learning from a Lifetime of Experience on the Coffee Pods Podcast.

Background

Holly Ransom is a highly articulate, pragmatic, futuristic, energetic and curious young leader. She is a thought-leader who thrives on challenging the way people think, facing market disruptions head on, unlocking opportunities and helping leaders build their capacity to effect change.

A high achiever and born leader, she held numerous sport captain and leadership roles, while at Methodist Ladies College. She holds a law degree and a BA Economics from the University of Western Australia, however she will quite openly state that she didn’t quite fit in at University.

As a teenager she thrived as an events manager at Challenge Stadium in Perth, before becoming a paralegal at Francis Burt Legal Chambers. Her talent was recognised early by Rio Tinto CEO, Sam Walsh, which paved the way for former Australian Primeminister Tony Abbott to appoint her as the 2014 G20 Youth Summit Chair. She was Chief of Staff to the NAB Wealth Chief Executive, before taking on her current role as CEO and Founder of Emergent in 2015.

As a Director, Chair and Advisory member she currently sits on the Boards of Hudson, Hub Australia, Cox Architecture, United Nations Global Coalition of Young Women Entrepreneurs, Victoria Police, the Prince’s Charities Australia, Port Adelaide Football Club, Black Sheep Capital and was the youngest President of a Rotary Club.

In her spare time she loves to stay fit, compete in Ironman distance triathlons, speak all around the world and moderate conversations with world leaders such as Barak Obama, Sir Richard Branson and the Dalai Lama. O

Holly talks about:

  • Being described as forensically curious by her mentors
  • Her Grandma’s life lesson, “If you walk past it, you tell the world it is ok.”
  • How easy it is to jump into action without seeking to understand context or appreciate nuance.
  • Running Virgin Disrupters in London with Richard Branson.
  • How leaders of the business world failed to consider themselves as leaders as equivalents as high performing athletes.
  • Her people-orientated, interactive and engaged leadership style.
  • Leading the Youth Summit for the G20 in 2014.
  • Encouraging people to reflect on the diversity of the 5 people they spend their time around.
  • Facing a new fear every single day for a year.
  • Like an elite athlete, you need have someone who is continually giving you that performance feedback.
  • The biggest change in her life was shifting from managing her time to managing her energy.
  • The most important habit to build is ironically to continually reflect on your habits.
  • A lot of CEO’s have trouble making time for on the business and they get too lost in the business.
  • Learning from a lifetime of experience, the catalyst behind the Coffee Pods Podcast.
  • Jacinda Ardern being an extraordinary example of a next generation leader.
  • Making a habit of doing something new every day, one thing you are afraid of everyday.
  • How do we prepare the next generation?
  • Layne Beachley AO and Jan Owen having the greatest impact on her career.

Active CEO Wellness Tip                                                       

Habit Reflection – As CEO’s we need to be aware of our Habits and know that the best Habit is to reflect on your habits. Allocate some time 2-4x per year where you find the space to reflect on your habits and determine what habits you could tweak slightly, commit to stop doing, rethink, start doing more of.

Tweets

“Great leaders are hungry for new knowledge, different perspectives, to be challenged on their view on the world or to seek insight into something they may not of thought about yet, and find great benefit in surrounding themselves with a real diversity of people.” Holly Ransom, on the active CEO Podcast.

“With a role in a large organisation, you appreciate that as one person you can never turn the titanic” Holly Ransom talking about the complexities of leadership, on the active CEO Podcast.

“The compassion, empathy and the way she has put her arms around the community.” Holly Ransom describing Jacinda Ardern, on the active CEO Podcast.

Resources Mentioned in this show:

Holly Ransom Linkedin
Holly Ransom Instagram
Holly Ransom www.hollyransom.com
Emergent www.Emergent.global
Coffee Pods Podcast
Layne Beachley www.laynebeachley.com
Jacinda Ardern Wikipedia
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 #29 Brent Clayton Richest Kid In The Playground

Posted on by Craig Johns in Leadership, Podcasts

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Brent Clayton – Firefighter, CEO Fire Recruitment Australia & Authority Marketing Machine

On this episode of the active CEO Podcast, Craig Johns speaks with Brent Clayton about being a serial entrepreneur; turning adversity into opportunity; the determination to become a firefighter; and balancing democratic and autocratic leadership.

We also delve into learning discipline from the military; understanding the intricacies of a job; what it takes to be a firefighter; and the backstory of his businesses Fire Recruitment Australia and Authority Marketing Machine.

Background

Brent Clayton is an active firefighter, author, coach, mentor and serial entrepreneur. He is a top Aussie bloke who has a passion for serving the community, helping people realise their dream of serving their country, and is in training to be on the front cover of the Australian Firefighters calendar in 2020.

A man of true resilience, who overcame failure to rise up and live his dream of being a firefighter. He turned the harsh lessons learnt of failing to meet his goals into being a highly successful entrepreneur with his company, Fire Recruitment Australia, a coaching and training platform for would-be firefighters.

He currently works as a senior station officer in Australia as well as running his own businesses. Before becoming a firefighter he was a prison guard and worked in the military prior to that.

Not one to sit still, he has just launched a new business called Authority Marketing Machine, and was once a star on Channel Ten’s, It’s a Knockout TV Game Show.

Brent talks about:

  • Commencing his entrepreneurial journey as a child delivering newspapers.
  • Being the richest kid in the playground.
  • Dreams of being a helicopter pilot.
  • The importance of learning about a job and its intricacies.
  • Incorporate serving your community or nation into the education system.
  • Dealing with conflict resolution as a prison guard.
  • Coping with being denied before being accepted into the fire service.
  • Monetizing the recruitment process and skills required to be a firefighter or policeman, by writing a book.
  • The five components of the recruitment process.
  • What the key characteristics are to being a firefighter.
  • Understanding what risks there are, how you can rectify the situation and what resources are required.
  • Your mind is clear to start looking for the anomalies.
  • Having a very structured routine around fitness, meditation and nutrition.
  • Routines make you free, because you don’t have to think about anything.
  • It’s only risky if you don’t know what you are doing.
  • Democratic versus autocratic leadership
  • What makes coaching and mentoring fulfilling?
  • The background behind the Authority Marketing Machine
  • The fitness routine of the firefighter.
  • Booking a flight in a fighter jet with a mate.
  • Solving the smartphone epidemic

Active CEO Wellness Tip

Small Incremental Efforts – To be successful you need to make small and consistent incremental efforts each day. Something as simple as 5min walk today and 6min tomorrow, or halving the amount of butter on your toast.

Tweets

“If there is one thing you do, don’t get caught around the smoko table whinging, go do something constructive”. The best advice Brent Clayton received, on the active CEO Podcast.

“Understanding that the idea of something is not always enough to get what you want.” A lesson in growing up, with Brent Clayton, on the active CEO Podcast.

“When the alarm goes off, you get up. It’s not a conversation with yourself about whether you are going to get up.” Discussing discipline with Brent Clayton, on the active CEO Podcast.

Resources Mentioned in this show:

Fire Recruitment Australia www.firerecruitmentaustralia.com.au
Fire Recruitment Australia Facebook
Fire Recruitment Australia Podcast
Brent Clayton www.brentclayton.com
Brent Clayton LinkedIn
Brent Clayton Youtube
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:

Fire Service Recruitment – The Process to Success Link
Better Than Winning – Ben Gathercole Link

active CEO Podcast #24 Carl Wegner Financial Blockchain Evolution

Posted on by Craig Johns in Leadership, Podcasts

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On this episode of the active CEO Podcast, Craig Johns talks with Carl about the “why” behind learning Chinese, life in Asia over the last 30 years, falling into banking by accident, and his passion for financial technology and start-ups. We uncover Blockchain technology, R3’s innovative approach to raising finance, the power of the Corda platform, the challenge of writing code and his passion for cycling.

Background

Carl Wegner is not afraid to challenge the status quo, build lasting cross-border relationships and stimulate innovative thinking. He has spent more than 30 years working in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, making a difference in the Cash Management, Institutional Banking, Financial Supply Chain and Distributed Ledger Technology sectors.

During his time in Asia, he has held Managing Director and Executive Vice President roles at prominent banks such as Bank of Boston, Standard Chartered Bank (Taiwan) and Deutsche Bank (China). An interest in financial technology led to a role as Chief Representative of technology at TradeCard in China, which is now known as GTNexus, and since 2016 is the Managing Director and Head of APAC, at R3.

R3 is a gamechanger and world-leader in Blockhain Digital Ledger Technology, creating the Corda Enterprise platform, which growing global ecosystem comprises over 200 companies and regulators on six continents, making it the largest collaboration of its kind in the blockchain space.

Growing up in the USA, he completed a Bachelor of Science and Masters of Science in Chinese Language and Chinese History at Georgetown University. He has also completed an executive study program in International Management at INSEAD.

Carl has held Board Director roles at Taipei American School, Orbis Taiwan and the American Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan. He has used his experience an expertise to create, invest, advise and mentor a number of start-up businesses such as LiqEase, Chinaccellerator and Veterati

He is an avid cyclist, supporter of his children who are talented athletes, and enjoys lecturing and speaking on Cash Management, Financial Supply Chain Management, FinTech and RMB Internationalization

Carl talks about:

  • Learning Chinese and travelling to study Chinese in Taiwan on a Study Abroad program.
  • Living and working in Asia for more than 30 years.
  • Not thinking math would be a tool for the future.
  • Extending his stay in Hong Kong to witness the handover from British to Chinese rule.
  • The changing role of expats working in Asia.
  • Trade wars going on between China and the USA, doesn’t just affect China but everyone that trades with them.
  • The importance of understanding the culture and being as open-minded as possible.
  • Thriving as an expat when everything is so foreign to you.
  • Why R3 caught his attention and how Blockchain is going to change our lives.
  • By 2025 10% of the value of the worlds goods will be processed on Blockchain platforms.
  • R3’s innovation approach to raising capital.
  • Why 40 plus banks have all invested in the R3 business and Corda platform.
  • Blockchain is likely to take ten years to get to those “uber-type” moments.
  • The major legal and security issues that Blockchain is currently facing and what they are looking to overcome.
  • Having a down to earth and collaborative leadership style.
  • The attraction of cycling and why Taiwan is so great to cycle around.
  • Travelling upwards of a quarter of a million miles this year.
  • The challenge of keeping fit while travelling for work often.
  • Balancing rest with exercise.

Active CEO Wellness Tip

Fitness Friend – Do you find it a challenge to stay motivated and consistent with your workouts when you train by yourself? Finding a workout friend is hugely helpful for keeping motivated, ensuring you turn up each day and making it fun. It is important to find someone who is positive and will inspire, rather than discourage you. Write down a list of your friends who love to exercise and then mark down whether they are available to meet on a regular basis, are they supportive of your goals, and can they keep up with you or even push your limits in key workouts? Once you have identified someone or a group of people, then now is a great time to give them a call and get started.

Tweets

“What I see is what you see and that is the truth.” Carl Wegner explaining distributed ledger technology on the active CEO Podcast.

“Blockchain is the Paradigm shift on how data is shared.” Carl Wegner on the active CEO Podcast.

“Here is a gap, here is something you haven’t thought about and just because you have Incredible energy doesn’t necessarily mean that it makes sense. You have to think practically.” Carl Wegner on the active CEO Podcast and why he likes investing in start-ups.

Resources Mentioned in this show:

R3 www.r3.com
Carl Wegner LinkedIn
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 Gathercoles’s best selling book