Leadership Archives - Page 21 of 24 - NRG2Perform Craig Johns Speaker CEO Leadership Performance Coach Podcast

active CEO Podcast Cassandra Heilbronn (Minter Ellison) – Breaking Down Barriers

active CEO Podcast #48 Cassandra Heilbronn Breaking Down Barriers

Posted on July 29, 2019July 30, 2019 by Craig Johns in Leadership, Podcasts, Wellness

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 43:58 — 40.3MB) | Embed

On this episode of the active CEO Podcast, Craig Johns speaks with Cassandra Heilbronn about her journey into law; specializing in sport, sponsorship and social media law at Minter Ellison; founding The Prominenti Society; and drafting legislation in Sports, Entertainment & Events in Saudi Arabia. We also go in depth talking about sport integrity, empowering women, mental health and breaking down barriers.

Cassandra Heilbronn

Cassandra Heilbronn is an exceptional young woman, proud servant to the community, passionate advocate, and has been known as the skateboarding solicitor. She is a sought after keynote speaker, commentator on women in sport and is the Founder of The Prominenti Society; a speaker platform featuring only female speakers worldwide.

Her education included a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) and Bachelor of Arts – Politics & Public Policy at Griffith University and a Master of Laws at The University of Queensland. As a passionate lawyer she has remained connect to education as a guest lecturer Sports & Negligence as well as Social Media and Ethics at the University of Queensland, University of the Sunshine Coast and Griffith University.

Cassandra’s career as a lawyer commenced at Butler McDermott Lawyers, TressCoax Lawyers and Clayton Utz before becoming a Senior Associate in Sports and Corporate Risk at Minter Ellison. Since June 2019, she has lived in Saudi Arabia as the Regulation Legal Manager for Sports, Entertainment & Events at The Royal Commission of Al-Ula for the Al-Riyadh Governorate. Our guest’s passion for sport has led to governance roles at Sunshine Coast Girls Boardriders Club, Squash Australia, Brisbane Heat, Surf-rider Foundation Australia and Football Victoria. She is the Immediate Past President of Women Lawyers Association of Qld.

Cassandra talks about:

Growing up in Bundaberg, a low socio-economic area in Australia, with two sisters.
Leadership lessons from playing sport from the age of four.
Wanting to become a mechanic if she didn’t become a lawyer.
History does not define your circumstances.
Appreciating the small things in life.
Her motivation to become a lawyer.
Dealing with sport law contracts around the world.
Governance issues need to be addressed by sports.
The importance of having an employee social media policy.
Overcoming her own barriers as a young lawyer.
Enlisted a business coach at a young age to help with mannerisms and response in situations.
Empowering women to step out of the family comfort zone.
Helping younger girls with confidence and public speaking.
Cultural and societal change in Saudi Arabia.
How The Prominenti Society came to fruition.
Key lessons in negotiating.
Finding “Cass Time” where she can switch off.
A higher level of support for mental health.
Living as an expat for the very first time.

Active CEO Wellness Tip

Skill Stacking – To ensure that you deliver high performance every single day, you need to recover with purpose and have productive downtime. It could be doing exercise, creative pursuits, quality time with family, meditation, listening to music or watching a movie.

Tweets

“Teamwork, strategic analysis, learning how to use the rules, play the field to your advantage, meeting people and learning how to adapt to their personalities to reach the end goal.” Leadership lessons learnt on the sports field with Cassandra Heilbronn, on the active CEO Podcast.

“We are entitled to a private life, however with all social media there is no private life.” Cassandra Heilbronn talks about employees and social media, on the active CEO Podcast.

Resources Mentioned in this show:

Cassandra Heilbronn – Blog
Cassandra Heilbronn – LinkedIn
Cassandra Heilbronn – Twitter
Cassandra Heilbronn – Instagram
The Prominenti Society www.prominentisociety.com.au
NRG2Perform www.nrg2perform.com
Craig Johns craig@nrg2perform.com
Craig Johns LinkedIn

active CEO Podcast Jemimah Ashleigh (The Business Experiment) – Position of Influence

active CEO Podcast #46 Jemimah Ashleigh Position of Influence

Posted on July 15, 2019July 15, 2019 by Craig Johns in Leadership, Podcasts, Wellness

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 48:07 — 44.1MB) | Embed

On this episode of the active CEO Podcast, Craig Johns speaks with Jemimah Ashleigh about being a profiler in the Australian Federal Police, her Amazon best-selling book Position Me, creating The Business Experiment podcast, and her rollercoaster ride as an entrepreneur. We also delve into her involvement with Thankyou and The Hope Project, perseverance, wellness and failing the Andy Frisella 75Hard Challenge.

Jemimah Ashleigh

Jemimah Ashleigh is an inspirational entrepreneur, coach, mentor, podcast host, comedian, keynote speaker and is the Amazon best-selling author of ‘Position Me’. She is an incredible woman, who is considered authentic, hard-working, enthusiastic, fun and has a habit of throwing political correctness out the window.

Educated at La Trobe University, Charles Stuart University and the Australian Institute of Public Safety, she is fluent in Australian Sign Language, English and Bahasa Indonesia. After a decade in security and intelligence as a profiler in the Victorian Police Force, she founded Epic Social, Tangs Design and one half of The Business Experiment podcast.

Known as a global authority on positioning, she has been named in the Top 10 female entrepreneurs in Australia, was the 2015 Canberra artist of the year, is a board member for the Hope Project, an impact partner for Thankyou, and has reached over 6 million people through social media and podcasting.

Jemimah talks about:
• Growing up with law enforcement in her blood.
• Studying Russian history, Indonesian language and legal studies.
• Entrepreneurship is confusing.
• Curiosity is an undervalued skill particularly in business and growing your own business.
• Have an interest in people’s behaviour and why people do what they do.
• Being tired of law enforcement and realising career breaks are a real thing.
• Deciding to make jewellery and start a small business.
• Starting The Business Experiment podcast with Siobhan Joyce.
• A lot of entrepreneurs are very good at being busy, but not being productive.
• The main ingredient in business is that you need perseverance & a why bigger than yourself.
• The importance of having mentors and coaches when you are starting a business.
• We should outgrow our mentors at some point.
• Having an Amazon best-selling book, Position Me, in 26 minutes.
• Proving that we are an expert is really hard to do because it feels a bit inauthentic.
• People have really good ideas and intentions for what we want to do, but fail to execute.
• Having time to look after yourself, is not selfish, it is mandatory.
• We see so many people burning out. It is so gradual that it becomes a real problem.
• Failing the Andy Friscella 75HARD challenge.
• Daniel Flynn and being involved in Thankyou.
• The significance of the Hope Project and working with Kate Seselja
• It’s not about addiction, but why you became addicted in the first place.
• Turning Position Me into a TV show.

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 downtime, as it will allow you to maintain a higher threshold of performance over a longer period of time.

Tweets

“I think you can’t be laser focused in one area. That’s a skill if you are working for someone else.” Specialist versus generalist with Jemimah Ashleigh, on the active CEO Podcast.

“Being your own boss is amazing it is also a big problem. It is also your own problem. You are only accountable to you.” Talking entrepreneurship with Jemimah Ashleigh, on the active CEO Podcast.

“97% of female led start-ups in the first five years are failing, which is twice as much as males.” Jemimah Ashleigh raises a societal issue in entrepreneurship, on the active CEO Podcast.

Resources Mentioned in this show:

Jemimah Ashleigh www.jemimahashleigh.com
Jemimah Ashleigh Instagram
Jemimah Ashleigh Facebook
Jemimah Ashleigh LinkedIn
NRG2Perform www.nrg2perform.com
Craig Johns craig@nrg2perform.com
Craig Johns LinkedIn

Recommended Reading:

Position Me – Jemimah Ashleigh

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

active CEO Podcast #44 Jennie Wyllie Challenge Privately Support Publicly

Posted on June 30, 2019June 30, 2019 by Craig Johns in Leadership, Podcasts, Wellness

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 47:30 — 43.5MB) | Embed

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

Posted on June 24, 2019June 25, 2019 by Craig Johns in Leadership, Podcasts, Wellness

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 49:16 — 45.1MB) | Embed

*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

Posted on June 18, 2019June 18, 2019 by Craig Johns in Leadership, Podcasts, Wellness

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 43:41 — 40.0MB) | Embed

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 PJ Ashley (The Pillar Practice) – Consciously Connected Leadership

active CEO Podcast #41 PJ Ashley Consciously Connected Leadership

Posted on June 10, 2019June 10, 2019 by Craig Johns in Leadership, Podcasts, Wellness

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 52:48 — 48.3MB) | Embed

*PJ Ashley – Founder The Pillar Practice*

On this episode of the active CEO Podcast, Craig Johns speaks with PJ Ashley about The Pillar Practice, being born to change the world, supporting Defence Force families, and consciously connected leadership. We also discuss the ‘why’ behind starting her own business, having ‘busy’ as a badge of owner, people becoming truth-seekers, the World Health Organization recognizing “Burn-out”, and the walking dead state.

PJ Ashley – Podcast Interview Brief

PJ has chosen the health and wellness of people and businesses around the world over a corporate life. She spent eight years as a director at Lifeline Canberra, which exists to support people in crisis and save the lives of those experiencing thoughts of suicide

The early part of her life included living in NSW and then Queensland, Australia, where she attended St Aidans Anglican Girls College. She completed a Certificate Business Studies at Lorraine Martin Business College and later on in her career, a Diploma Holistic Therapies at Swindon College in the UK.

Our guest has spent over 25 years working in and around Defence, including being an executive in the corporate world dealing with large multi-million dollar Government and Defence contracts. This has included working in various managerial roles at Toll, CIPS Australia, Supply Chain and Logistics Association of Australia, Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles Australia and LMB Consulting.

In 2013, she founded The Pillar Practice, where they decrypt the mysteries of life through a journey of healing. Her trademark The Pillar Code is now formally recognized as a new modality in 26 countries.

PJ talks about:

Growing up in a sporting family, as a dancer.
Going to the university of life, but not being able to name the campus she went to.
Finding her leadership talent through voluntary work with Defence families.
Seeing something in someone that they cant see in themselves.
Her leadership style and what values are most important to her.
Surrounding herself with people who can do things that she cant.
The ‘WHY” behind leaving the corporate world and starting her own business.
Why a massage became her defining moment for The Pillar Practice.
Delivering the world a brand new modality, the gift to assist them to the waking up.
The coding system of the universe with the nine Pillars.
The World Health Organization recognising “BURNOUT” as a occupational phenomenon.
People pushing themselves to the absolute limit.
Recognizing consciously connected leadership.
Sealing, a very quick form of consciously meditating without going into a full meditation.
Not going to get to the end of this life and I didn’t give it my best shot.
Wanting to solve the walking dead state.

Active CEO Wellness Tip

Bigger Than Themselves – You have to dig deep and find out what truly motivates each employee on your team. What gets them up each day and what will allow them to draw more energy to perform with distinction in your company? What is the greater purpose? Because people want to do something much bigger than what your company stands for and something that is bigger than themselves.

Tweets

“Some people are just born to be academics and other people are born to change the world. You are not the academic, you are the one to change the world.” The advice PJ Ashley’s head mistress gave to her at school on the active CEO Podcast.

“Every day was the same except I was adding another zero.” PJ Ashley describing how every day became the same, on the active CEO Podcast.

Resources Mentioned in this show:

PJ Ashley Facebook
PJ Ashley LinkedIn
The Pillar Practice www.thepillarpractice.com.au
The Pillar Practice Facebook
The Pillar Practice 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:

It’s About Time by George – PJ Ashley
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

Posted on June 3, 2019June 3, 2019 by Craig Johns in Leadership, Podcasts

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 50:02 — 45.8MB) | Embed

*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

Workplace Wellness: World Health Organization Recognizes Burn-out

Posted on May 29, 2019May 9, 2020 by Craig Johns in Article, Leadership

This week the World Health Organization (WHO) made positive steps in improving workplace wellness by formally recognizing ‘Burn-out’ as an official occupational phenomenon. The WHO classified burn-out as ‘a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed’, under the International Classification of Diseases, and it will be globally-recognized as of 2020.

Feel like work is zapping all your energy and taking the fun out of life?

Do you feel burnt out, run down, emotionally paralyzed or lack the energy to do what you want to in life?

We live in a world that has a workplace culture that tends itself towards high levels of stress, working over-time, depression, detachment and feeling ineffective.

Will Workplace Wellness be the Next Royal Commission?

Will this mean that Workplace Wellness could be the next Royal Commission or Presidential Commission? It can’t be too far away as the effects, quite often catastrophic, that are associated with unsuccessfully managed workplace stress have a major ramifications for sick leave expenses, physical and mental health, personal and professional relationships, loss of productivity, workplace culture and employee retention.

It’s Affecting Those Close to Us!

I don’t know about you, but I am feed up with seeing family, friends and many people all around the world suffering from workplace related depression, mental health and even suicide due to the workplace cultures that cause unnecessary stress and burn-out.

CEO’s, leaders, owners and board directors are going to have to start taking workplace wellness seriously. It wouldn’t surprise me if we start seeing class actions in the near future.

There are a number of companies and organizations that do have positive and effective workplace wellness cultures in place and we must applaud them for being proactive in a space that has a major effect on society and our local communities. They should be used as examples of best practice and rewarded accordingly.

What is Burn-out?

We know that those who are most vulnerable to burn-out regularly navigate complex, contradictory and sometimes hostile environments. The main risk factors of burn-out in the workplace consist of:

doing work that is unrewarding,
limited control on the work that you do,
an overwhelming workload due to time and/or pressure exerted,
work that conflicts with our personal values,
unfair work practices, and
lack of community.

Workplace related symptoms include:

feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion;
increased mental distance from one’s job;
feelings of negativity or cynicism related to one’s job; and
reduced professional efficacy.

We Are Here to Help You

It is now time for you as a CEO or leader to make a positive change place workplace wellness at the heart of your company or organisation.

The team at NRG2Perform are here to support and guide you in implementing a positive workplace culture.

We have developed the Breaking The CEO Code and Breaking The CORPORATE Code. We provide CEO’s and leaders, as well as corporate teams or companies the curriculum and tools to minimise workplace stress, improve mental health and maximise your performance potential.

Programs include the four key fundamentals of Peak Human Performance:

ENERGY (fitness) – healthy body, healthy mind
FUEL (nutrition) – a Formula 1 car won’t perform on diesel fuel
EMOTION (mindset) – you are infectious both positive & negative
RECOVERY (recharge) – if you don’t switch the light off it will blow

And, the 3P’s of building sustainable energy for high performing leaders:

CEO/CORPORATE Periodization – scheduling your energy & recovery over time
CEO/CORPORATE Presence – communicating with purpose, precision & energy
CEO/CORPORATE Performance – bringing the energy, showing up & turning up

There is no Time to Wait

Make a decision and act now by contacting Craig Johns at NRG2Perform today, to discuss a specifically tailored Breaking The CEO Code or Breaking the CORPORATE Code program, by calling +61 415 675 939 or emailing craig@nrg2Perform.com.

active CEO Podcast #39 Adriana Cecere The BackPocket CEO

Posted on May 27, 2019May 28, 2019 by Craig Johns in Leadership, Podcasts

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 42:24 — 38.8MB) | Embed

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

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

Posted on May 20, 2019May 20, 2019 by Craig Johns in Leadership, Podcasts

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:13:40 — 67.4MB) | Embed

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