Craig Johns

Leadership has been in question for the past two decades. Both political and business leaders have been under the microscope more than what they have ever been but has there really been a big drop in the level of leadership? Have we just changed? Has social media and technology made it impossible for leaders to lead? This week on The Experts Podcast we talk to a leadership coach, mentor, speaker and a former elite sports person that trains future leaders. Craig Johns is up and about with many hats as he traverses through the leadership and the speaker’s world. Craig has a strong coaching and elite sports experience in both field hockey and ironman. He was brought up in an environment where coaching was a big part of his life with family members holding key roles. It was inevitable really that he would head down this pathway. There are some fantastic observations by Craig on what makes a good leader. There certainly has been a shift in leadership and our expectations are very different today. The media and the fact that everyone is walking around with a mobile phone makes all leaders far more accountable all the time. Something that Hawke, Keating, and Howard would never have had to endure and maybe we weren’t as aware of behaviour that would be questionable today. The media tends to want to ask Craig when leadership is poor and rarely looks at positive leadership. “Political leaders are far too focused in combative mode than in collaborative mode.” One of the messages that Craig hits home with is that leaders “need to know when to lead and when to follow.” Which we are seeing more of in our family, business, sporting, political spaces where delegation is key. There are other observations that leaders and aspiring leaders can take on to improve their performance in this podcast as the team dives into other leaders both on a local and a global stage.