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

Francesca Boase – General Manager Edelman Australia

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

Francesca Boase – Building Trust In Crisis Management

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

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

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

Fran talks about:

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

Active CEO Wellness Tip

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

Tweets

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

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

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

Resources Mentioned in this show:

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

active CEO Podcast #51 Chris Robb Money Can’t Buy Experiences

Chris Robb Mass Participation World Money Cant Buy Experiences
Chris Robb – Founder Mass Participation World

On this episode of the active CEO Podcast, Craig Johns speaks with Chris Robb about mass participation sport events, growing the Standard Chartered Marathon to over 60,00 participants, being the course manager for the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games marathon, and changing people’s lives through money can’t buy experiences. We also delve into the immense power of pause, coping with it being lonely at the top as a CEO, collaborative leadership, inspiring others to make a powerful impact on the world and serving a tennis ball into the back of Sir Richard Branson’s head.

Chris Robb – Money Can’t Buy Experiences.

Chris is an international authority on iconic large-scale mass participation events; a humble, loyal and curious leader; and a passionate family man now living in Bali, Indonesia. He is an enabler of people to have an active and healthy lifestyle, author of Mass Participation Sports Events and Better business Better Life Better World, is a high impact consultant and a champion of Buy 1 Give 1.

Growing up in Zimbabwe, he studied a Bachelor Commerce and Bachelor of Agricultural Management at the University of KwaZulu-Nattal. Getting his first taste of event management while at high school, our guest has over 30 years experience organising and leading events. During his career he has been at the helm of events for more than one million participants in the likes of Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Zimbabwe, South Africa and India.

He established Spectrum Worldwide in Australia in 1992, where he worked on the 2000 Sydney Olympics, before establishing himself in Singapore at the commencement of the Asian health and fitness boom in the 2000’s. In 2015 he established Mass Participation Asia, an annual conference for event stakeholders, before selling Spectrum Worldwide to IRONMAN, in 2016.

Chris talks about:

  • Life growing up on a farm in Zimbabwe, during the independence war.
  • Having a rich upbringing from life experiences, even though they were financially poor.
  • The importance of embracing circumstances you find yourself in.
  • Being an 800m and 1500m runner training on farm tracks and dirt roads.
  • Planning to go back and run the family business on the farm.
  • Being involved in organising the Comrades Marathon while studying at University.
  • Changing people’s lives through money can’t buy experiences.
  • Getting parents out and getting active with their kids.
  • Getting more governments globally to recognise the value of sport especially the social and health impact.
  • Organising the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon with over 60,000 participants.
  • Expanding the JP Morgan corporate challenge running events into Asia.
  • Partnering with Dave Hansen from Supersprint Events and Robbie McEwan.
  • Going from zero to sixty thousand customers within 6 months.
  • Ramping up from a team of 30 to more than 5,000 people over a 3 month period.
  • A mindset expecting that there is going to be a curveball will be thrown at you.
  • Collaborative leadership where you are always looking for a solution.
  • Surround yourself with a great group of mentors much like an athlete has.
  • Having ritual’s and keeping yourself mentally and physically in shape.
  • Helping make it easier for our future leaders to grow in the industry.

Active CEO Wellness Tip

Life Is Not A Dress Rehearsal – It is important that you turn up, show up and be present right now. It’s not about what you did yesterday or what you plan in the future. It is all about this one second, one minute, one hour or even one day and you are ready to go.

Tweets

“Connecting with a community and a tribe and doing training and things together and taking you into the outdoors. It’s crucial for the health and wellbeing of the world.” Chris Robb talking about the power of sport and events on bringing people together, on the active CEO Podcast.

“I love putting that jigsaw together and making sure that everyone knows what they are doing, but also empowering them to make decisions.” Chris Robb on leading people, on the active CEO Podcast.

Resources Mentioned in this show:

Chris Robb LinkedIn
Chris Robb Facebook
Chris Robb Website www.chrisrobb.asia
Chris Robb Email chris@chrisrobb.asia
Mass Participation World www.massparticipationworld.com
Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon www.singaporemarathon.com
NRG2Perform www.nrg2perform.com
Craig Johns craig@nrg2perform.com
Craig Johns LinkedIn

Recommended Reading:

Mass Participation Sports Events Chris Robb
Better Business Better Life Better World Chris Robb

active CEO Podcast Major General Cheryl Pearce (United Nations) Leading From The Front Lines

active CEO Podcast #50 Major General Cheryl Pearce Leading From The Front Lines

Major General Cheryl Pearce – Forces Commander United Nations Peacekeeping Force

On this episode of the active CEO Podcast, Craig Johns speaks with Major General Cheryl Pearce about leading from the front lines, being an authentic leader, serving your country, managing workplace wellness, empowering a sense of purpose, and creating high performance teams. We also delve into her leadership roles at the Australian Defence Force and with the United Nations; creating a safe and inclusive environment to work in; completing the New York Marathon; and getting out of her comfort zone.

Major General Cheryl Pearce

Cheryl Pearce is an authentic leader, dedicated servant for global peace, change agent in cultural and gender diversity, and game-changer in the world of Defence. She is a next generational leader who is New York Marathon finisher, proud mum of two daughters, and Member of Order of Australia for Exceptional Leadership.

Her education includes a Bachelor of Arts in Asian Studies from the University of New England, a Master’s in Policing, Intelligence and Counter-Terrorism from the Macquarie University in Sydney, and a Master’s of Arts in Defence Studies from the Deakin University in Melbourne.

Over the past 35 years she has risen through the ranks of the Australian Defence Force, starting off as an Officer Cadet when there were only a few females. Cheryl’s career has included: Australian Army’s Provost-Marshal and a military observer with the United Nations Mission of Support in East Timor in 2002; Commandant of the Defence Police Training Centre and Commanding Officer of the 1st Military Police Battalion; Director of Special Operations Support; Australian Army Headquarters Chief of Staff; and the Commander Commandant Australian Defence Force Academy.

In 2016, Cheryl was the Commander of the Australian Joint Task Force Group in Afghanistan providing training, advice and assistance to the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces as part of the Resolute Support Mission of The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Her most recent role sees her as only the second ever female appointed by the United Nations to lead a peacekeeping mission, as the Forces Commander – United Nations Peacekeeping Force based in Cyprus.

Cheryl talks about:

  • The shock of capture when joining the Australian Army.
  • Working day-by-day and focusing on chunk size bites at a time.
  • The internal motivation of serving your country and be much more than your individual self.
  • Managing competing priorities as a leader and having a young family.
  • Having an army behind the scenes.
  • Gaining the confidence to be that authentic self and have an intuitive leadership style.
  • Being sensitive to perfectionism and judgement.
  • Leading from the front lines
  • Why exercise is my stress release and my safe space.
  • The importance of listening to what other people have to say and not transmit our own ideas.
  • The Cultural shift in inclusion and behaviour within the Australian Defence Force.
  • Her role as the Forces Commander – United Nations Peacekeeping Force based in Cyprus.
  • Speaking in front of the UN Security Council.
  • How health has taken on a broader aspect from mind and body.
  • Completing the New York Marathon after her partner, Paul, went through lifesaving cancer surgery.

Active CEO Wellness Tip

Recover With Purpose – 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

“Internal narrative that keeps churning, it is ok to be imperfect. To be perfect, the authenticity is not there. It’s ok not to be perfect.” Major General Cheryl Pearce speaks about the challenges of perfectionism, on the active CEO Podcast.

“Doing what I do, my heart rate races when I de-escalate and have difficult conversations with my opposing forces when I try to get messages a across or deal with stressful moments. I find that is sufficient adrenaline to test me all the time.” Doing something for the first time with Major General Cheryl Pearce, on the active CEO Podcast.

“I know it when I can be in the moment, I am performing really well at work, I am visionary, I can really focus on where we are going and know what my big rocks are and where they are going, while dealing with the small and actionary issues and listening.” In the moment with Major General Cheryl Pearce, on the active CEO Podcast.

Resources Mentioned in this show:

Cheryl Pearce LinkedIn
Cheryl Pearce Twitter
ADFA www.defence.gov.au/adfa
Australian Army www.defence.gov.au
UNFICYP website
NRG2Perform www.nrg2perform.com
Craig Johns craig@nrg2perform.com
Craig Johns LinkedIn

High Performance Leadership

active CEO Podcast #49 Alex Baumann High Performance Leadership

High Performance Leadership

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

Alex Baumann

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

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

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

Alex talks about:

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

Active CEO Wellness Tip

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

Tweets

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

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

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

Resources Mentioned in this show:

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

Recommended Reading:

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

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

active CEO Podcast #46 Jemimah Ashleigh Position of Influence

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 Brad Gunn (Vault Accounting) – Four Day Work Week

active CEO Podcast #43 Brad Gunn Four Day Work Week

Brad Gunn – Managing Partner Vault Accountants and Financial Services

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

Brad Gunn – Podcast Interview Brief

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

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

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

Brad talks about:

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

Active CEO Wellness Tip

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

Tweets

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

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

Resources Mentioned in this show:

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

Recommended Reading:

Better Than Winning – Ben Gathercole

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

active CEO Podcast #42 Adam Hudson Future of Amazon Entrepreneurship

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

Adam Hudson – Podcast Interview Brief

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

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

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

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

Adam talks about:

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

Active CEO Wellness Tip

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

Tweets

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

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

Resources Mentioned in this show:

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

Recommended Reading:

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

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

active CEO Podcast #40 Craig Phillips The Games Shaper

Craig Phillips – CEO Commonwealth Games Australia

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

Craig Phillips

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

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

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

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

Craig talks about:

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

Active CEO Wellness Tip

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

Tweets

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

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

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

Resources Mentioned in this show:

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

Recommended Reading:

Better Than Winning – Ben Gathercole

Workplace Wellness: World Health Organization Recognizes Burn-out

Workplace Wellness: World Health Organization Recognizes Burnout
Photo by Aarón Blanco Tejedor on Unsplash

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

Adriana Cecere – Consulting Australia

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

Adriana Cecere

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

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

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

Adriana talks about:

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

Active CEO Wellness Tip                                                       

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

Tweets

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

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

Resources Mentioned in this show:

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

Recommended Reading:

Simple Strategies Success Business – Adriana Cecere

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