Inspiring Great Leaders Podcast #192 Rob Paterson Flip and Decide

Inspiring Great Leaders Podcast #192 Rob Paterson Flip and Decide

Inspiring Great Leaders Podcast #192 Rob Paterson Flip and Decide

Flip And Decide

On this episode of the Inspiring Great Leaders Podcast, Craig Johns speaks with Rob Paterson about Flip and Decide, working his way from the ground up to becoming a CEO, the art of decision making and being a decisive leader.

We also dive deep into the hospitality industry, the influence of sports in leadership and decision-making, Grind Academy, and the highs and lows of being a leader.

Rob Paterson – Flip And Decide

Rob Paterson is the former CEO of Best Western Hotels in Great Britain, founder of Grind Academy, a leadership evangelist, and the best-selling author of the book Flip and Decide. He honed his craft over a remarkable 25-year career in the hotel industry working with global brands such as InterContinental Hotels Group, Accor Hotels, De Vere Group, Malmaison and Hotel Du Vin, Village Hotels & Best Western Hotels Group GB.

Having launched multiple technology platforms, he possesses a wealth of entertaining storytelling and practical business advice. He was the 2020 Industry Titan by Boutique Hotelier Magazine, founder of headwear brand Cody Spice, and was featured on the renowned UK’s Channel 4 docuseries “Inside Best Western.

Rob talks about:

  • Taking on a natural evolution of being mentored and mentoring as a child
  • Growing up taking on a leadership style of play and style of camaraderie in a sports team
  • Moving from the sport of AFL to hospitality
  • Working from the ground up as a cleaner, moving from one department to another, until reaching the top as a CEO
  • Flip and Decide
  • The impact of playing sports earlier in life on his leadership style and decision making
  • Moving to the UK and becoming CEO of a large organisation
  • Hospitality at its heart is about people
  • Humanity driving real success
  • Finding joy and satisfaction in helping others
  • Grind Academy
  • Training your mental scales
  • Leaders who make quick decisions

Tweets

“Simply flip a coin. It’s a form of metacognition, is what psychologists call it. It short circuits your doubt.” Rob Paterson on stopping that vicious cycle that reduces your chance of making a decision on the Inspiring Great Leaders Podcast. 

“You either destroy the play off the field or you get destroyed, which happened plenty of times to me. But I like that I drew a lot of confidence from being able to make those really quick decisions, snap decisions, and feel confident about it and go with it and brought that into my life inadvertently.” The impact of sports on his leadership skills with Rob Paterson on the Inspiring Great Leaders Podcast. 

“I did cleaning bathrooms and clean the floor and I spent a year there moving through various departments in the housekeeping space … I think that helped me in good stead throughout my career because there was probably never anything I asked anyone to do that I hadn’t done myself.” Humble beginnings working his way through to the top with Rob Paterson on the Inspiring Great Leaders Podcast. 

Resources Mentioned in this show:

Rob Paterson www.therobpaterson.com
Rob Paterson Linkedin
Craig Johns www.craigjohns.com.au
Craig Johns craig@nrg2perform.com
Craig Johns LinkedIn
Craig Johns Facebook
Inspiring Great Leaders Podcast
NRG2Perform www.nrg2perform.com

Book:

Flip and Decide With Confidence Book Link

Pauline Nguyen (Red Lantern) – Rise of the Phoenix

active CEO Podcast #27 Pauline Nguyen Rise Like a Phoenix

On this episode of the active CEO Podcast, Craig Johns speaks with Pauline Nguyen about her leadership style; the importance of employees acting like owners; thriving in economic adversity; developing a high performing team; staff retention; connectedness with the customer; the importance of entrepreneurship; and being unshakeable in business and in life. We also delve into about the effect of parenthood; becoming an award-winning author; shining as a keynote speaker; finding happiness in the pursuit; why she connects with the Phoenix; and the relevance of Why does the Buddha sit on a Lotus flower.

Background

Pauline Nguyen is an award winning author, inspirational speaker, spiritual entrepreneur and businesswomen who has harnessed energy from extreme adversity to live a successful life and career.

Born in Vietnam, she escaped Communist rule at the end of the Vietnam War by boat with her family. They were taken into a Thai refugee camp before being accepted into Australia, where they settled in Cabramatta, Sydney.

She started working in hospitality at her family restaurant from the age of seven. In 2002 she co-founded the world’s most-awarded Vietnamese restaurant, Red Lantern, with her partner Mark Jensen, who is a phenomenal Chef, Ready Steady Cook TV host and Master Chef Australia guest Chef, and her brother Luke Nguyen who is celebrity TV chef, MasterChef Vietnam judge and author.

Known for captivating audiences, through her aura and energy, she studied a BA Communications from the University of Technology Sydney. She won the 2008 Newcomer Writer of the Year for he award winning book ‘Secrets of the Red Lantern’ and the 2012 Telstra Business Award for Medium Business.

This gifted writer and compelling speaker has a sense for adventure, is eager to learn and is excited for new challenges. She recently launched her new book, ‘The Way of the Spiritual Entrepreneur’. O

Pauline talks about:

  • Escaping Vietnam as a 3 year old.
  • Having a ferocious work-ethic built-in from a very young age.
  • The choice to give meaning to her suffering and reframing her story.
  • Establishing Red Lantern 17 years a go, with her brother Luke, after waiting at Sydney’s best restaurants under some incredible Sommeliers.
  • Living 5 years in Paris and London, working in film post-production.
  • Leading by example, through inspiration, working in the big picture, surrounding herself with people who live in the detail and without micro-managing.
  • The secret behind having only 10% staff turnover and the average length of employment being 6-10 years.
  • In business and in life it is impossible to please everyone.
  • Changing the business model in the middle of the financial crisis, and the effect that had on their current and future customers.
  • The universe rewards the unreasonably determined.
  • The surprise of winning debut writer of the year.
  • Writing the Secrets of the Red Lantern for her daughter.
  • The launch of her new book, “The Way of the Spiritual Entrepreneur.
  • To be spiritual is to be in sprit, to be inspired and to talk your absolute truth.
  • How can we be stress less, and lead an active and healthy lifestyle.
  • Getting out in nature as much as possible.
  • Never understating the power of the nature’s medicine and incorporating business walking meetings.

Active CEO Wellness Tip                                                       

Every Day is a New Day – We need to continually fuel our mind and body. Routines can become very boring and unhealthy if we continue to do the same thing day after day. We need try something new every day to make life more exciting. Start small like taking a different route to work, starting the day with a drink of water, taking staff out for a walking meeting, more vegetables over the food we eat or set a new goal like climbing a mountain. The benefits of attempting new things and really valuable and make life more exciting. It brings you out of your comfort zone, it’s great for our brain and mental strength, it event makes you more confident and courageous, and it provide a sense of accomplishment.

Tweets

“Doing everything we can to stay in alignment every day. To stay in alignment with joy, with inner peace and with inspiration. That’s what spirituality is about. It’s top be inspired. To be in spirit. ” Pauline Nguyen explains one of the Spiritual Entrepreneur strategies, on the active CEO Podcast.

“Happiness in the pursuit, not the pursuit of happiness.” Talking about spirituality with Pauline Nguyen on the active CEO Podcast.

“You can’t make a difference if you are going to be like everyone else.” Pauline Nguyen talks about success of the active CEO Podcast.

Resources Mentioned in this show:

Pauline Nguyen www.paulinenguyen.com.au
Red Lantern www.redlantern.com.auh
Pauline Nguyen Instagram
Pauline Nguyen Facebook
Pauline Nguyen LinkedIn
Red lantern Article by Craig Johns
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:

The Way of the Spiritual Entrepreneur – Pauline Nguyen
Secrets of the Red Lantern – Pauline Nguyen
Better Than Winning – Ben Gathercole