The Inner Chief

" Simplicity scales, complexity fails." Chief, in today's Minisode I walk you through strategic focus for maximum performance impact, and why you should align your team to go in search of your 'gold'. There are times in business when the sheer number of things you could do becomes the biggest barrier to doing what actually matters. Projects multiply. Priorities compete. Every department has initiatives that seem important. Before long, an organisation can be incredibly busy while making very little progress on the outcome that matters most. That is where GTFG comes in. It is a mindset I first developed while working on a turnaround at an African gold mine in 2013. But the lesson applies to almost any executive team, business or organisation. 🎧👉 chiefmaker.com/394 👂 ARE YOU PRIORITISING CORE BUSINESS? Or are you wasting time and effort on non-core activities? Identify where your team should be spending all their time. chiefmaker.com/focus In this Minisode, I'll break down for you: ✅ How to define your gold and align the team around one shared outcome ✅ Why simplicity, ruthless prioritisation and removing distraction improve execution, and ✅ How ownership, collaboration and the right people create high-performance teams. Stay epic, Greg Follow Chief Maker 📝 Get my Finish Strong monthly newsletter with insanely valuable career tips 👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn or Instagram 📃 Grab one of the many FREE Leadership Resources 📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA 🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses 🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts 🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify 🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel 🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

"To be highly effective and be a true Chief, you actually have to work at three levels: your level, the level below you and the level above you." Chief, in today's Minisode I walk you through the concept of leading at the right level, and why it's so crucial to building a track record that will supercharge your career progression. One of the conversations I have regularly with Heads of Talent, Heads of HR and CEOs is whether someone is really operating at the level their role requires. Understanding these levels will also help you build high-performance teams because you can become much clearer about what level of leader a particular role - and therefore the business - actually needs. 🎧👉 chiefmaker.com/393 👂 JOIN THE WAITLIST FOR THE MOST PRACTICAL LEADERSHIP & EXECUTIVE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM ON THE MARKET (NPS: 91): chiefmaker.com/minimba  In this Minisode, I'll break down for you: ✅ How the 6 Levels of Leadership change your work, accountability and time horizon ✅ Why high-value leaders operate at their level, plus the levels above and below, and ✅ How to stop working in the weeds and build evidence of your leadership track record. Stay epic, Greg Follow Chief Maker 📝 Get my Finish Strong monthly newsletter with insanely valuable career tips 👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn or Instagram 📃 Grab one of the many FREE Leadership Resources 📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA 🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses 🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts 🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify 🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel 🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

"The important thing about 360 feedback is to sit down with the people who gave you the feedback and be brave and transparent about what you learnt and what you'll do with it."   This is a special episode only available to our podcast subscribers, which we call The Mini Chief. These are short, sharp highlights from our fabulous guests, where you get a 5 to 10 minute snapshot from their full episode. This Mini Chief episode features Tracey Burton, Executive Director of Uniting. Her full episode is titled Experiential learning, 360 degree feedback and the future of the health industry. You can find the full audio and show notes here: 🎧👉  chiefmaker.com/391  👂   DISCOVER HOW THE CHIEF MAKER MINI MBA WILL DRIVE PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT IN REAL-TIME. JOIN THE WAITLIST: chiefmaker.com/minimba   Tracey has been the Executive Director of Uniting NSW/ACT since April 2018. She has more than 35 years' experience in the Australian health and community services sector including leadership roles at St John of God Health Care, Ramsay Healthcare and St Vincent's Health Australia. In addition to her executive management roles, she has also served as a Board Director for aged care services, disability services in New Zealand and for a medical research foundation. Tracey holds a Bachelor of Health Administration, an MBA, is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and has done an Executive program in Negotiation at Columbia University in New York. In the full Best of Series Masterclass, we talk about: ✅ Why being the smartest person in the room won't help you lead ✅ How to supplement formal education with experiential continuous learning ✅ The do's and don'ts of 360 feedback and why it is so powerful; and  ✅ The future of the healthcare industry and how these now measure up 7 years after our initial interview. Stay epic, Greg Connecting with Tracey Burton You can connect with Tracey via LinkedIn. Books and Resources Your Leadership Diamond - by Paul Mitchell The Untethered Soul - by Michael Singer Similar Episodes on feedback Paula Martin, Executive Director, Regional NSW and Visitor Economy at Business NSW, on Learning from everyone, adapting to shorter strategy cycles, and genuinely receiving feedback Neil Craig, Former AFL Head Coach on High performance environments, your North Star and decision-making under pressure Chief Maker Minisode Series on How to Give Feedback Follow Chief Maker 📝 Get my Finish Strong monthly newsletter with insanely valuable career tips 👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn or Instagram 📃 Grab one of the many FREE Leadership Resources 📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA 🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses 🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts 🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify 🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel 🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

" Value is not always profit; it's the outcome the organisation is designed, funded, trusted or judged to produce. And if your track record aligns to that, the more valuable you become." Chief, in today's Minisode I run you through the various ways organisations create value for their various stakeholders. In today's world, I believe that many have become distracted from the  actual core role of being a Chief, which is to create value and to protect value, depending on the kind of organisation you work for. Today, I walk you through the above and why understanding it is so important for your career momentum - whether as an owner, founder, leader, board member or shareholder. 🎧👉 chiefmaker.com/392 👂 EQUIP YOUR MIDDLE MANAGERS AND SENIOR LEADERS WITH THE TOOLS TO DRIVE CHANGE AND RESULTS. JOIN THE WAITLIST: chiefmaker.com/minimba  In this Minisode, I'll break down for you: ✅ The key differences between Value Creation and Value Protection. ✅ The various types of value that a company creates and protects. ✅ Value drivers and measures in each organisation type, and how you can build your personal track record. Stay epic, Greg Follow Chief Maker 📝 Get my Finish Strong monthly newsletter with insanely valuable career tips 👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn or Instagram 📃 Grab one of the many FREE Leadership Resources 📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA 🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses 🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts 🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify 🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel 🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

"I was attempting to be the smartest person in the room, trying to add value to somebody else's work. It was not facilitating others' greatest contributions. In fact, it shuts people down." In this Best of Series episode, we replay a chat I had in 2019 with Tracey Burton, Executive Director of Uniting, on experiential learning, 360 degree feedback and the future of the health industry. 🎧👉  chiefmaker.com/391  👂   DISCOVER HOW THE CHIEF MAKER MINI MBA WILL DRIVE PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT IN REAL-TIME. JOIN THE WAITLIST: chiefmaker.com/minimba   Tracey has been the Executive Director of Uniting NSW/ACT since April 2018. She has more than 35 years' experience in the Australian health and community services sector including leadership roles at St John of God Health Care, Ramsay Healthcare and St Vincent's Health Australia. In addition to her executive management roles, she has also served as a Board Director for aged care services, disability services in New Zealand and for a medical research foundation. Tracey holds a Bachelor of Health Administration, an MBA, is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and has done an Executive program in Negotiation at Columbia University in New York. In this Best of Series Masterclass, we talk about: ✅ Why being the smartest person in the room won't help you lead ✅ How to supplement formal education with experiential continuous learning ✅ The do's and don'ts of 360 feedback and why it is so powerful; and  ✅ The future of the healthcare industry and how these now measure up 7 years after our initial interview. Stay epic, Greg Connecting with Tracey Burton You can connect with Tracey via LinkedIn. Books and Resources Your Leadership Diamond - by Paul Mitchell The Untethered Soul - by Michael Singer Similar Episodes on feedback Paula Martin, Executive Director, Regional NSW and Visitor Economy at Business NSW, on Learning from everyone, adapting to shorter strategy cycles, and genuinely receiving feedback Neil Craig, Former AFL Head Coach on High performance environments, your North Star and decision-making under pressure Chief Maker Minisode Series on How to Give Feedback Follow Chief Maker 📝 Get my Finish Strong monthly newsletter with insanely valuable career tips 👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn or Instagram 📃 Grab one of the many FREE Leadership Resources 📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA 🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses 🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts 🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify 🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel 🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

"When we sleep, a spinal fluid washes over our brain and gets rid of a peptide called beta-amyloid which is implicated in the Alzheimer dementia process. So if we're not getting enough sleep on a regular basis, we really do suffer the consequences later on."   This is a special episode only available to our podcast subscribers, which we call The Mini Chief. These are short, sharp highlights from our fabulous guests, where you get a 5 to 10 minute snapshot from their full episode. This Mini Chief episode features Dr Carmel Harrington, an Executive Sleep Guru and Managing Director of Sleep for Health. Her full episode is titled The myths and factors of sleep that drive optimal health, joy and performance. You can find the full audio and show notes here: 🎧👉  chiefmaker.com/389  👂   PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK. Make sure you assess all your leaders using the same systemised approach with this performance assessment tool: chiefmaker.com/performance   Carmel is an internationally recognised sleep expert, having worked in the world of sleep for more than 20 years. She is the Managing Director of Sleep for Health and an Honorary Research Fellow at the Children's Hospital Westmead. Following a career as a lawyer and educator, she obtained a PHD in Sleep Medicine from Sydney University and consults with companies and educational institutions both here and overseas on sleep health. Amazed at the seemingly little importance given to sleep, she dove head-first into the emerging research that clearly demonstrated that sleeping well was a key component of optimal performance and health. Carmel has also written two books, "The Sleep Diet" and "The complete guide to a good night's sleep". In the full Sleep Masterclass, we talk about: ✅ The crazy myths we carry about sleep and how short-circuiting this vital human function does far more than just make us tired. ✅ The different kinds of sleep and the optimal number of hours we need each night. ✅ Polyphasic sleep, caffeine, alcohol, diet, and ✅ What to do when you can't sleep! Stay epic, Greg Connecting with Dr Carmel Harrington You can connect with Carmel via her website, sleepforhealth.com.au Books and Resources The Sleep Diet - by Dr Carmel Harrington The complete guide to a good night's sleep - by Dr Carmel Harrington The 4-Hour Body - by Tim Ferriss Similar Episodes on Sleep and Recovery The Sleep Doctor, Dr Michael Breus, on How to fix your sleep, achieving maximum performance outcomes, and the four chronotypes Chief Maker Minisode on How elite Chiefs do recovery properly Chief Maker Minisode on Top 3 tips for beating overwhelm and burnout Follow Chief Maker 📝 Get my Finish Strong monthly newsletter with insanely valuable career tips 👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn or Instagram 📃 Grab one of the many FREE Leadership Resources 📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA 🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses 🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts 🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify 🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel 🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

"The best annual performance reviews are built all year long." Chief, in today's Minisode I run you through how to run Annual Performance Reviews really well, so much so that they are enjoyable, collaborative and result in your people giving sustained extra effort and kicking goals for the company. I know for many of you, these meetings and processes can be stressful and you might not like delivering them. And if that's the case, you might find that the person you're reviewing will definitely not like experiencing them! Today, I walk you through the exact frameworks I use for his process and how you can lead with distinction and be the leader to your people that you always wanted to be. 🎧👉 chiefmaker.com/390 👂   HAVING SOMEONE'S CAREER PROGRESSION IN YOUR HANDS IS A PRIVILEGE. Are you taking this responsibility seriously? Find out how with our Performance Review guide: chiefmaker.com/performancereviews   In this Minisode, I'll break down for you: ✅ Your mindset and role as a leader and coach in annual performance reviews. ✅ Preparation and context to ensure you're ready for the meeting. ✅ The CLEAR framework that provides a strong meeting agenda for maximum impact.   Stay epic, Greg Follow Chief Maker 📝 Get my Finish Strong monthly newsletter with insanely valuable career tips 👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn or Instagram 📃 Grab one of the many FREE Leadership Resources 📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA 🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses 🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts 🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify 🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel 🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

"Sales and marketing just seems to be like a lost skill  so you have to learn to be the differentiator as the human bridge." This is a special episode only available to our podcast subscribers, which we call The Mini Chief. These are short, sharp highlights from our fabulous guests, where you get a 5 to 10 minute snapshot from their full episode. This Mini Chief episode features Nick Lissette, Founder & CEO of Blackpearl Group. His full episode is titled Driving data into dollars, building human bridges in an AI world, and his "win or die" attitude. You can find the full audio and show notes here: 🎧👉  chiefmaker.com/388  👂   JOIN THE WAITLIST FOR THE MOST PRACTICAL LEADERSHIP & EXECUTIVE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM ON THE MARKET (NPS: 91): chiefmaker.com/minimba   Nick is the Founder and CEO of Blackpearl Group, a global data and AI technology company based in Wellington, New Zealand. With over 20 years in software, data and AI, he has built a career developing intelligent technology that drives measurable business growth. Under Nick's leadership, Blackpearl has grown from a founder-funded startup to a publicly listed global company providing purpose-built AI-powered tools to small to medium enterprises, helping them find and convert customers without expensive ad dependence. Nick is something of a serial entrepreneur, having founded an anti-spam SaaS service called Silver Cloud Mail in 2006, which he sold in 2012. In the full AI Masterclass, we talk about: ✅ Why AI speed only matters when it drives customer revenue outcomes. ✅ How to defend your business when code is no longer an obstacle. ✅ Why sales, marketing and human bridges still remain critical competitive advantages, and  ✅ How executives can become AI-ready before AI takes their job. Stay epic, Greg Connecting with Nick Lissette You can connect with Nick via LinkedIn. Books and Resources Creating Sustainable Advantage - by Jaynie Smith Pitch Anything - by Oren Klaff Similar Episodes on Artificial Intelligence Joel Pearson, Director of the Future Minds Lab, on Leading in uncertainty, Future-proofing for the AI revolution, and De-risking innovation Angus Stevens, Co-Founder & CEO of Start Beyond, on Putting guardrails on innovation and creating useful technology for tangible real-world problems Kath Blackham, CEO of The VERSA Group, on Extracting huge value from diversity and inclusion, the 4-day work week, and using tech for good Follow Chief Maker 📝 Get my Finish Strong monthly newsletter with insanely valuable career tips 👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn or Instagram 📃 Grab one of the many FREE Leadership Resources 📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA 🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses 🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts 🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify 🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel 🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

"When we sleep, a spinal fluid washes over our brain and gets rid of a peptide called beta-amyloid which is implicated in the Alzheimer dementia process. So if we're not getting enough sleep on a regular basis, we really do suffer the consequences later on." In this Best of Series episode, we replay a chat I had in 2019 with Executive Sleep Guru, Dr Carmel Harrington, on the myths and factors of sleep that drive optimal health, joy and performance. 🎧👉  chiefmaker.com/389  👂   PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK. Make sure you assess all your leaders using the same systemised approach with this performance assessment tool: chiefmaker.com/performance    Carmel is an internationally recognised sleep expert, having worked in the world of sleep for more than 20 years. She is the Managing Director of Sleep for Health and an Honorary Research Fellow at the Children's Hospital Westmead. Following a career as a lawyer and educator, she obtained a PHD in Sleep Medicine from Sydney University and consults with companies and educational institutions both here and overseas on sleep health. Amazed at the seemingly little importance given to sleep, she dove head-first into the emerging research that clearly demonstrated that sleeping well was a key component of optimal performance and health. Carmel has also written two books, "The Sleep Diet" and "The complete guide to a good night's sleep". In this Sleep Masterclass, we talk about: ✅ The crazy myths we carry about sleep and how short-circuiting this vital human function does far more than just make us tired. ✅ The different kinds of sleep and the optimal number of hours we need each night. ✅ Polyphasic sleep, caffeine, alcohol, diet, and ✅ What to do when you can't sleep! Stay epic, Greg Connecting with Dr Carmel Harrington You can connect with Carmel via her website, sleepforhealth.com.au Books and Resources The Sleep Diet - by Dr Carmel Harrington The complete guide to a good night's sleep - by Dr Carmel Harrington The 4-Hour Body - by Tim Ferriss Similar Episodes on Sleep and Recovery The Sleep Doctor, Dr Michael Breus, on How to fix your sleep, achieving maximum performance outcomes, and the four chronotypes Chief Maker Minisode on How elite Chiefs do recovery properly Chief Maker Minisode on Top 3 tips for beating overwhelm and burnout Follow Chief Maker 📝 Get my Finish Strong monthly newsletter with insanely valuable career tips 👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn or Instagram 📃 Grab one of the many FREE Leadership Resources 📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA 🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses 🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts 🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify 🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel 🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

"Is your customer winning from using your product? Are they making or saving money from you? If so, how much and how is that measurable to your product?" In this episode of The Inner Chief podcast, I speak to Nick Lissette, Founder & CEO of Blackpearl Group, on Driving data into dollars, building human bridges in an AI world, and his "win or die" attitude. 🎧👉  chiefmaker.com/388  👂   JOIN THE WAITLIST FOR THE MOST PRACTICAL LEADERSHIP & EXECUTIVE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM ON THE MARKET (NPS: 91): chiefmaker.com/minimba   Nick is the Founder and CEO of Blackpearl Group, a global data and AI technology company based in Wellington, New Zealand.  With over 20 years in software, data and AI, he has built a career developing intelligent technology that drives measurable business growth.  Under Nick's leadership, Blackpearl has grown from a founder-funded startup to a publicly listed global company providing purpose-built AI-powered tools to small to medium enterprises, helping them find and convert customers without expensive ad dependence.  Nick is something of a serial entrepreneur, having founded an anti-spam SaaS service called Silver Cloud Mail in 2006, which he sold in 2012.  In this AI Masterclass, we talk about: ✅ Why AI speed only matters when it drives customer revenue outcomes. ✅ How to defend your business when code is no longer an obstacle. ✅ Why sales, marketing and human bridges still remain critical competitive advantages, and  ✅ How executives can become AI-ready before AI takes their job Stay epic, Greg Connecting with Nick Lissette You can connect with Nick via LinkedIn. Books and Resources Creating Sustainable Advantage - by Jaynie Smith Pitch Anything - by Oren Klaff Similar Episodes on Artificial Intelligence Joel Pearson, Director of the Future Minds Lab, on Leading in uncertainty, Future-proofing for the AI revolution, and De-risking innovation Angus Stevens, Co-Founder & CEO of Start Beyond, on Putting guardrails on innovation and creating useful technology for tangible real-world problems Kath Blackham, CEO of The VERSA Group, on Extracting huge value from diversity and inclusion, the 4-day work week, and using tech for good Follow Chief Maker 📝 Get my Finish Strong monthly newsletter with insanely valuable career tips 👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn or Instagram 📃 Grab one of the many FREE Leadership Resources 📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA 🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses 🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts 🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify 🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel 🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

"If you've got good relationships and you're building alliances around ideas and issues, you can get things done."   This is a special episode only available to our podcast subscribers, which we call The Mini Chief. These are short, sharp highlights from our fabulous guests, where you get a 5 to 10 minute snapshot from their full episode. This Mini Chief episode features David Borger, Executive Director for Business Western Sydney and former NSW Politician. His full episode is titled Building alliances with your enemies, finding your executive courage, and championing legacy projects. You can find the full audio and show notes here: 🎧👉  chiefmaker.com/386  👂   DISCOVER HOW THE CHIEF MAKER MINI MBA WILL DRIVE PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT IN REAL-TIME. JOIN THE WAITLIST: chiefmaker.com/minimba   David is the Executive Director of Business Western Sydney, where he champions the growth, infrastructure and innovation precincts shaping one of Australia's most important regions. A former Lord Mayor of Parramatta (the youngest ever at just 30), David has also been the State Member for Granville and Minister for Roads and Housing, and has has spent his career bringing people together around big ideas and getting things done. He has served on a range of Boards across government, business, transport, culture and urban development, including NRMA and the Powerhouse Museum. David is still as passionate as ever about ensuring that all communities are great places to live, regardless of where they are located. In the full Relationship-building Masterclass, we talk about: ✅ Building alliances around ideas, by communicating even with your enemies. ✅ Finding the courage to speak up when you first get elevated to a senior position. ✅ Advocating for large projects in small decision time windows, and ✅ Championing Western Sydney's infrastructure, innovation precincts and legacy projects. Stay epic, Greg Connecting with David Borger You can connect with David via LinkedIn. Books and Resources Freedom's Forge - by Arthur Herman The New Geography of Jobs - by Enrico Moretti Similar Episodes from Business NSW Paula Martin, Executive Director, Regional NSW and Visitor Economy, on Learning from everyone, adapting to shorter strategy cycles, and genuinely receiving feedback Paul Nicolaou, the Executive Director of Business Sydney, on The 3Ps of building an insanely valuable network, daring to be different, and making people happy Zaklina Craig, Executive Director – People, Culture & Workplace, on Optimising role design for peak performance, managing differences in confidence between men and women, and navigating the decision to fire someone Follow Chief Maker 📝 Get my Finish Strong monthly newsletter with insanely valuable career tips 👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn or Instagram 📃 Grab one of the many FREE Leadership Resources 📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA 🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses 🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts 🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify 🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel 🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

"This framework is the core of what we do at Chief Maker. We join leaders' intuitive abilities with a framework and a process they can follow and repeat and really make it their own." Chief, in today's Minisode I run you through the High Performance Teams framework that is behind the Chief Maker MiniMBA Program we run every quarter for executives and other aspiring senior leaders. Recently, in Episode 385, I spoke about the I AM GREAT method, which I believe is crucial to implement if you desire to lead a high-performing team. Today, I walk you through the 5 pillars of the HPT framework so that you get a clear understanding of what separates good teams from great ones. 🎧👉 chiefmaker.com/387 👂 EQUIP YOUR MIDDLE MANAGERS AND SENIOR LEADERS WITH THE TOOLS TO DRIVE CHANGE AND RESULTS. JOIN THE WAITLIST: chiefmaker.com/minimba  In this Minisode, I'll break down for you: ✅ How and why I developed the High Performance Teams framework ✅ The 5 pillars: Mission, People, Culture, Tools, Execution, and ✅ How leaders can unite their intuition with a framework for repeatable implementation. Stay epic, Greg Follow Chief Maker 📝 Get my Finish Strong monthly newsletter with insanely valuable career tips 👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn or Instagram 📃 Grab one of the many FREE Leadership Resources 📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA 🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses 🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts 🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify 🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel 🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

"I remember being a young bloke as Lord Mayor and I was almost reticent to ask my small team to do the job. I felt guilty. Over time I realised that delegating is actually giving people opportunities." In this episode of The Inner Chief podcast, I speak to David Borger, Executive Director for Business Western Sydney and former NSW Politician, on Building alliances with your enemies, finding your executive courage, and championing legacy projects. 🎧👉  chiefmaker.com/386  👂   DISCOVER HOW THE CHIEF MAKER MINI MBA WILL DRIVE PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT IN REAL-TIME. JOIN THE WAITLIST: chiefmaker.com/minimba    David is the Executive Director of Business Western Sydney, where he champions the growth, infrastructure and innovation precincts shaping one of Australia's most important regions. A former Lord Mayor of Parramatta (the youngest ever at just 30), David has also been the State Member for Granville and Minister for Roads and Housing, and has has spent his career bringing people together around big ideas and getting things done. He has served on a range of Boards across government, business, transport, culture and urban development, including NRMA and the Powerhouse Museum. David is still as passionate as ever about ensuring that all communities are great places to live, regardless of where they are located. In this Masterclass, we talk about: ✅ Building alliances around ideas, by communicating even with your enemies. ✅ Finding the courage to speak up when you first get elevated to a senior position. ✅ Advocating for large projects in small decision time windows, and ✅ Championing Western Sydney's infrastructure, innovation precincts and legacy projects. Stay epic, Greg Connecting with David Borger You can connect with David via LinkedIn. Books and Resources Freedom's Forge - by Arthur Herman The New Geography of Jobs - by Enrico Moretti Similar Episodes from Business NSW Paula Martin, Executive Director, Regional NSW and Visitor Economy, on Learning from everyone, adapting to shorter strategy cycles, and genuinely receiving feedback Paul Nicolaou, the Executive Director of Business Sydney, on The 3Ps of building an insanely valuable network, daring to be different, and making people happy Zaklina Craig, Executive Director – People, Culture & Workplace, on Optimising role design for peak performance, managing differences in confidence between men and women, and navigating the decision to fire someone Follow Chief Maker 📝 Get my Finish Strong monthly newsletter with insanely valuable career tips 👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn or Instagram 📃 Grab one of the many FREE Leadership Resources 📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA 🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses 🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts 🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify 🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel 🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

"What I noticed was that a lot of the self-help material out there really just didn't give you a sense of how to build the high performance system in order to achieve excellence and flow." Chief, in today's Minisode I am going to give you the background on how I developed the I AM GREAT framework for executive mastery, and how I've evolved it over time. As a leadership and executive coach for nearly 20 years, I have witnessed the extremes of performance: what makes teams succeed beyond their capacity, and what causes them to fail spectacularly. Over time, I've developed and iterated a framework which I believe is crucial to implement if you desire to lead a high-performing team. Today, I give you the step-by-step actions you need to take in order to rise above the pack, inspire your people, and leave a legacy. 🎧👉 chiefmaker.com/385 👂 WANT TO BE A SOUGHT AFTER, IN-DEMAND EXECUTIVE? DISCOVER THE NEXT STEPS YOU SHOULD TAKE TO BUILD TRUST, GAIN RESPECT AND ACCELERATE YOUR CAREER: chiefmaker.com/IAMGREAT In this episode, I'll break down for you: ✅ Why I developed the GREAT Method for achieving excellence in your career ✅ The evolution to I AM GREAT and why this difference matters, and ✅ How this framework fits into building a High Performance Team. Stay epic, Greg Follow Chief Maker 📝 Get my Finish Strong monthly newsletter with insanely valuable career tips 👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn or Instagram 📃 Grab one of the many FREE Leadership Resources 📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA 🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses 🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts 🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify 🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel 🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

"Consumers are rightly demanding more transparency from retailers on price, so we're using AI pricing tools and the results have been pretty instant in terms of uptick on where we're competitive ." This is a special episode only available to our podcast subscribers, which we call The Mini Chief. These are short, sharp highlights from our fabulous guests, where you get a 5 to 10 minute snapshot from their full episode. This Mini Chief episode features Jamie Kristow, CEO of Cotswold Outdoor Group. His full episode is titled Optimising the retail value chain, adapting your pace of leadership, and championing AI innovation. You can find the full audio and show notes here: 🎧👉  chiefmaker.com/384  👂 DOWNLOAD THE CHIEF MAKER GUIDE FOR SENIOR LEADERS ON HOW TO HAVE DIFFICULT PERFORMANCE CONVERSATIONS: chiefmaker.com/difficult Jamie is the CEO of Cotswold Outdoor Group, a leading outdoor clothing and equipment retail group based in the UK. His career has spanned more than 25 years globally and includes direct-to-consumer retail experience across Australia, UK, Canada and South Africa. Jamie has led incredible merchandising transformations for big brands like Target, Myer, Woolworths, Hudson's Bay and Sussan Group, while championing innovation such as a retail media network.  He is just a wonderful operator with a brilliant track record of delivering results through data-driven decision-making, empowered teams and customer-first thinking. In the full Retail Masterclass, we talk about: ✅ A wonderful explanation of the busy and complex retail value chain, and how to optimise for each component. ✅ Following the "rivers of money" and building product range through evolution not revolution. ✅ Why time in store and walking in a customer's shoes are vital to turnarounds, and ✅ How shifting search behaviour, retail media and AI pricing are reshaping retail growth. Stay epic, Greg Connecting with Jamie Kristow You can connect with Jamie via LinkedIn. Similar Episodes on retail Julie Mathers, Founder of Flora and Fauna and CEO of Snuggle Hunny, on Being adventurous, bootstrapping a business, and first mover advantage Angus McPherson, MD Australia of Diageo, on Creating momentum, difficult conversations, and simplifying your message Cliff Gale, former Managing Director of Lite n' Easy for over 20 years, on Leading with passion, respect for your people and keeping the soul alive in your business Follow Chief Maker 📝 Get my Finish Strong monthly newsletter with insanely valuable career tips 👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn or Instagram 📃 Grab one of the many FREE Leadership Resources 📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA 🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses 🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts 🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify 🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel 🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

"Understanding how the customer journey is changing and how you adapt is going to radically change retail in the coming years." In this episode of The Inner Chief podcast, I speak to Jamie Kristow, CEO of Cotswold Outdoor Group, on optimising the retail value chain, adapting your pace of leadership, and championing AI innovation. 🎧👉  chiefmaker.com/384  👂   DOWNLOAD THE CHIEF MAKER GUIDE FOR SENIOR LEADERS ON HOW TO HAVE DIFFICULT PERFORMANCE CONVERSATIONS: chiefmaker.com/difficult   Jamie is the CEO of Cotswold Outdoor Group, a leading outdoor clothing and equipment retail group based in the UK. His career has spanned more than 25 years globally and includes direct-to-consumer retail experience across Australia, UK, Canada and South Africa. Jamie has led incredible merchandising transformations for big brands like Target, Myer, Woolworths, Hudson's Bay and Sussan Group, while championing innovation such as a retail media network. He is just a wonderful operator with a brilliant track record of delivering results through data-driven decision-making, empowered teams and customer-first thinking. In this Retail Masterclass, we talk about: ✅ A wonderful explanation of the busy and complex retail value chain, and how to optimise for each component. ✅ Following the "rivers of money" and building product range through evolution not revolution. ✅ Why time in store and walking in a customer's shoes are vital to turnarounds, and ✅ How shifting search behaviour, retail media and AI pricing are reshaping retail growth. Stay epic, Greg Connecting with Jamie Kristow You can connect with Jamie via LinkedIn. Similar Episodes on retail Julie Mathers, Founder of Flora and Fauna and CEO of Snuggle Hunny, on Being adventurous, bootstrapping a business, and first mover advantage Angus McPherson, MD Australia of Diageo, on Creating momentum, difficult conversations, and simplifying your message Cliff Gale, former Managing Director of Lite n' Easy for over 20 years, on Leading with passion, respect for your people and keeping the soul alive in your business Follow Chief Maker 📝 Get my Finish Strong monthly newsletter with insanely valuable career tips 👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn or Instagram 📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA 🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses 🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts 🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify 🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel 🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

" When we talk strategy, we mean let's get through the next 12 months. Have a three year outlook, but be prepared to change it in six months' time if we have to."   This is a special episode only available to our podcast subscribers, which we call The Mini Chief. These are short, sharp highlights from our fabulous guests, where you get a 5 to 10 minute snapshot from their full episode. This Mini Chief episode features Paula Martin, the Executive Director, Regional NSW and Visitor Economy at Business NSW. Her full episode is titled Learning from everyone, adapting to shorter strategy cycles, and genuinely receiving feedback. You can find the full audio and show notes here: 🎧👉  chiefmaker.com/383  👂   ARE YOU GIVING THE RIGHT FEEDBACK? LEARN HOW TO EMBED EFFECTIVE FEEDBACK IN YOUR CULTURE: chiefmaker.com/feedback   Paula is the Executive Director, Regional NSW and Visitor Economy at Business NSW, where her focus is to champion growth through collaboration with government, industry and business. She leads Business NSW's regional office network, shaping policy that reduces red tape and creates employment opportunities. Paula also founded the award-winning Australian Business Consulting & Solutions, delivering innovation, commercialisation and programs for SMEs. Under her leadership, Paula achieved many firsts including the set-up of an operation in Shanghai to help Australian SMEs find genuine, authentic buyers in China, as well as the design of leading HR Management System, HR Advance. In the full Business Growth Masterclass, we talk about: ✅ Why "stable ground" matters to achieving operational excellence and sustainable business scaling. ✅ The one thing a mentor said to her that changed how she embraced continuous learning. ✅ How shorter strategy cycles are key to navigating an era of uncertainty and volatility, and ✅ Being truly present and vulnerable when absorbing feedback so as to unlock better decision-making. Stay epic, Greg Connecting with Paula Martin You can connect with Paula via LinkedIn. Similar Episodes on strategic planning Minisode: The AAR Method of Strategic Planning Angela Tsoukatos, CEO and 20 years executive team member, on How to manage key priorities to ensure focus on core business David Knoff, Antarctic Expedition Leader, on Being adaptable around your mission Follow Chief Maker 📝 Get my Finish Strong monthly newsletter with insanely valuable career tips 👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn or Instagram 📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA 🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses 🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts 🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify 🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel 🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

"  I want people to walk away from any engagement they have with me saying that I'm not a bad bloke, that I was keen to listen, and that I wanted to help."   This is a special episode only available to our podcast subscribers, which we call The Mini Chief. These are short, sharp highlights from our fabulous guests, where you get a 5 to 10 minute snapshot from their full episode. This Mini Chief episode features Paul Nicolaou, the Executive Director of Business Sydney. His full episode is titled The 3Ps of building an insanely valuable network, daring to be different, and making people happy. You can find the full audio and show notes here: 🎧👉  chiefmaker.com/382  👂   JOIN THE COUNCIL OF CHIEFS. Break the isolation and stretch your thinking with a network of like minded C-Suite executives and business owners: chiefmaker.com/councilofchiefs   Paul is a highly experienced executive leader and board member, having been Executive Director for Business Sydney since September 2021. Prior to this, he was Director for the Business Leaders Council, Membership and Events for the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) for seven years.  He is a Board Member of the Estia Foundation, and Ambassador for both Vinnies CEO Sleepout and Start Up Australia. Paul has held several senior roles in his distinguished career, such as at UNSW and UNSW Foundation, the CEO of the Australian Hotels Association of NSW, the NSW President of the Marketing Institute of Australia, and he served as Executive Chairman of the fundraising and business engagement arm of the Liberal Party in NSW. In the full Networking Masterclass, we talk about: ✅ How he has built incredibly reliable and insanely valuable networks using the "3 Ps" model. ✅ Leading with energy and daring to be different. ✅ Why his daily KPI is making people happy, and ✅ Cutting through red tape to run a business without being superhuman. Stay epic, Greg Connecting with Paul Nicolaou You can connect with Paul via LinkedIn. Similar Episodes on networking Minisode: How to Think Like a CEO: Leveraging your network Ted Prodromou, America's #1 LinkedIn Coach, on Perception, connecting properly with purpose, and standing out online Steve Sims, the Concierge to Billionaires, on How to gamify life and work, going for stupid and building priceless relationships Follow Chief Maker 📝 Get my Finish Strong monthly newsletter with insanely valuable career tips 👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn or Instagram 📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA 🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses 🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts 🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify 🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel 🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

"Imagine if you could. You need to imagine a future. You need to imagine growth. You need to imagine what success looks like." In this episode of The Inner Chief podcast, I speak to Paula Martin, Executive Director, Regional NSW and Visitor Economy at Business NSW, on learning from everyone, adapting to shorter strategy cycles, and genuinely receiving feedback. 🎧👉  chiefmaker.com/383  👂   ARE YOU GIVING THE RIGHT FEEDBACK? LEARN HOW TO EMBED EFFECTIVE FEEDBACK IN YOUR CULTURE: chiefmaker.com/feedback   Paula is the Executive Director, Regional NSW and Visitor Economy at Business NSW, where her focus is to champion growth through collaboration with government, industry and business. She leads Business NSW's regional office network, shaping policy that reduces red tape and creates employment opportunities. Paula also founded the award-winning Australian Business Consulting & Solutions, delivering innovation, commercialisation and programs for SMEs. Under her leadership, Paula achieved many firsts including the set-up of an operation in Shanghai to help Australian SMEs find genuine, authentic buyers in China, as well as the design of leading HR Management System, HR Advance. In this Business Growth Masterclass, we talk about: ✅ Why "stable ground" matters to achieving operational excellence and sustainable business scaling. ✅ The one thing a mentor said to her that changed how she embraced continuous learning. ✅ How shorter strategy cycles are key to navigating an era of uncertainty and volatility, and ✅ Being truly present and vulnerable when absorbing feedback so as to unlock better decision-making. Stay epic, Greg Connecting with Paula Martin You can connect with Paula via LinkedIn. Similar Episodes on strategic planning Minisode: The AAR Method of Strategic Planning Angela Tsoukatos, CEO and 20 years executive team member, on How to manage key priorities to ensure focus on core business David Knoff, Antarctic Expedition Leader, on Being adaptable around your mission Follow Chief Maker 📝 Get my Finish Strong monthly newsletter with insanely valuable career tips 👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn or Instagram 📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA 🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses 🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts 🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify 🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel 🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

" It's never about Paul Nicolaou; it's about other people, because you want to appreciate and show your passion towards them and helping them achieve an end result." In this episode of The Inner Chief podcast, I speak to Paul Nicolaou, the Executive Director of Business Sydney on the 3Ps of building an insanely valuable network, daring to be different, and making people happy. 🎧👉  chiefmaker.com/382  👂 JOIN THE COUNCIL OF CHIEFS. Break the isolation and stretch your thinking with a network of like minded C-Suite executives and business owners: chiefmaker.com/councilofchiefs Paul is a highly experienced executive leader and board member, having been Executive Director for Business Sydney since September 2021. Prior to this, he was Director for the Business Leaders Council, Membership and Events for the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) for seven years. He is a Board Member of the Estia Foundation, and Ambassador for both Vinnies CEO Sleepout and Start Up Australia. Paul has held several senior roles in his distinguished career, such as at UNSW and UNSW Foundation, the CEO of the Australian Hotels Association of NSW, the NSW President of the Marketing Institute of Australia, and he served as Executive Chairman of the fundraising and business engagement arm of the Liberal Party in NSW. In this Networking Masterclass, we talk about: ✅ How he has built incredibly reliable and insanely valuable networks using his "3 Ps" model. ✅ Leading with energy and daring to be different. ✅ Why his daily KPI is making people happy, and ✅ Cutting through red tape to run a business without being superhuman. Stay epic, Greg Connecting with Paul Nicolaou You can connect with Paul via LinkedIn. Similar Episodes on networking Minisode: How to Think Like a CEO: Leveraging your network Ted Prodromou, America's #1 LinkedIn Coach, on Perception, connecting properly with purpose, and standing out online Steve Sims, the Concierge to Billionaires, on How to gamify life and work, going for stupid and building priceless relationships Follow Chief Maker 📝 Get my Finish Strong monthly newsletter with insanely valuable career tips 👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn or Instagram 📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA 🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses 🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts 🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify 🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel 🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

"  Let's create an army of light and just  get out there and be a positive force in the world." Chief, welcome to 2026. In today's Minisode I am going to share with you my tips for being the leader that the world needs right now. If you've felt the weight of the negative news cycle, the anxiety of the unknown and the relentless pace of change, you're not alone. Therefore, it's time to be a positive leader who brings light, energy, and direction when others feel overwhelmed. Yes, you can't pretend the world's perfect and you can't ignore hard realities. But you can choose to impart a contagious culture of positivity and light. 🎧👉 chiefmaker.com/381 👂 BREAK THE ISOLATION. Discover the benefits of C-Suite networking for shared learnings, innovation, and business growth: chiefmaker.com/councilofchiefs In this episode, I'll break down for you: ✅ Why this matters in the world right now ✅ The 3 actionable principles you need to get moving quickly, and ✅ Protecting your energy fiercely. Here's to hitting 2026 out of the park, Chiefs! Stay epic, Greg Follow Chief Maker 📝 Get my free Finish Strong monthly newsletter and podcast drops 👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn 📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA 🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses 🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts 🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify 🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel 🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

"It all starts with a good night's sleep. There is very clear research that cognitive performance declines when we're sleep-deprived."   This is a special episode only available to our podcast subscribers, which we call The Mini Chief. These are short, sharp highlights from our fabulous CEO guests, where you get a 5 to 10 minute snapshot from their full episode. This Mini Chief episode features Justin McNamara, Psychometrics Guru. His full episode is titled Improving recruitment selection, performance prediction and acing psychometric tests. You can find the full audio and show notes here: 🎧👉  chiefmaker.com/380  👂   NEED TO GET YOUR HIRING RIGHT? Discover 30 unique and powerful interview questions used by CEOs to help make sure you hire the right person for the right role: chiefmaker.com/interview   Justin is an Occupational Psychologist who loves working at the intersection of people and data, in order to support companies to solve tricky problems. During his career, he has been privileged to learn from great minds at the University of Queensland, and both Kent and Cambridge Universities in the UK, while happily immersing himself in the latest research. His passion for psychometrics, machine learning and data have resulted in deep expertise in the creation of custom assessment solutions for a variety of businesses in most industries to improve the performance of their people and selection processes. In his own words, he loves bringing the nerdier things to life for clients in a pragmatic and business-focused way. In the full Best of Series Masterclass we talk about: ✅ What Psychometrics are - and aren't - and which ones are useful in the recruitment process. ✅ Knowing the markers for success for predicting both performance and leadership. ✅ The future of Psychometrics and big data, and ✅ The key factors in ensuring you can ace a psychometric test. Stay epic, Greg Connecting with Justin McNamara You can reach Justin via LinkedIn. Books and Resources People Excellence website Practice psychometric tests: https://www.shldirect.com/en/practice-tests https://www.savilleassessment.com/practice-tests https://www.trytalentq.com Talent Intelligence – by Nik Kinley Mind Over Mood – by Dennis Greenberger Similar Episodes on hiring talent Chief Maker Minisode: 7 unique interview questions used by CEOs Nancy Slessenger, Founder and CEO of Vinehouse Hiring, on Scientific recruitment, the do's and don'ts of interviewing, and staff retention Linda Carroll, Chief People Officer of G8 Education, on Hiring for attitude and the critical power of human capital Follow Chief Maker 📝 Get my Finish Strong monthly newsletter with insanely valuable career tips 👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn or Instagram 📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA 🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses 🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts 🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify 🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel 🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

" A setback is that reinforcement that this is your opportunity to be the best of yourself. That's really exciting. It's the next step, the next day, the next week, the next season."   This is a special episode only available to our podcast subscribers, which we call The Mini Chief. These are short, sharp highlights from our fabulous guests, where you get a 5 to 10 minute snapshot from their full episode. This Mini Chief episode features Rupert Guinness, author and ultra-endurance cyclist. His full episode is titled Choosing growth and opportunity and discovering untapped physical and mental capacity through extreme adversity. You can find the full audio and show notes here: 🎧👉  chiefmaker.com/378  👂   ARE YOUR PEOPLE RESISTING CHANGE? Learn to lead the right way right now with the Chief Maker Guide to Situational Leadership: chiefmaker.com/fixresetgrow   Rupert is a Sydney-based sports writer, author, public speaker and media consultant, as well as an accomplished ultra-endurance cyclist, adding extraordinary personal experience to his storytelling. Rupert spent nine years living in Belgium and France covering the Tour de France from up close in inside the tent. Since then, he has written for major publications including The Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian and The Daily Telegraph. Across his career, Rupert has reported on an exceptional array of sports, covering many of the world's biggest events, including the Rugby World Cup, four Olympic Games and an extraordinary 31 Tours. Beyond journalism, Rupert has held senior media and communications roles with the Australian Rowing Team, the NSW Waratahs and the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. He has also written 15 books, including Power of the Pedal, Overlander, and The Tour. In the full Masterclass, we talk about: ✅ The harsh reality of life inside the Tour de France and the unseen battles at the back. ✅ His personal accounts of mental toughness, setbacks and breakthroughs in finishing ultra endurance races. ✅ How he used resilience and composure to reframe weaknesses into growth areas, and ✅ Why seizing opportunity, embracing uncertainty and pursuing adventure matters more in midlife. Stay epic, Greg Connecting with Rupert Guinness You can connect with Rupert via LinkedIn or Instagram. Books and resources The Tour - by Rupert Guinness Power of the Pedal - by Rupert Guinness Overlander - by Rupert Guinness The Fight - by Norman Mailer Similar Episodes on high-stakes adventure David Knoff, Antarctic Expedition Leader and author, on High-stakes risk and crisis management, and being adaptable around your mission Rory Hunter, Founder of MODEL, on Seeking solitude and healing on the ocean, and the adventure of a lifetime after buying an island in his twenties Ian Snape, CEO of Frontline Mind, on Resilience by design, leading Antarctic expeditions and relaxing in high-stakes environments Follow Chief Maker 📝 Get my Finish Strong monthly newsletter with insanely valuable career tips 👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn or Instagram 📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA 🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses 🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts 🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify 🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel 🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

"Resumés don't actually have that much useful information; your experience as a candidate can vary wildly based on the environment that you're in and your motivations to perform."   In this Best of Series episode, we replay a chat we had in 2019 with Psychometrics Guru, Justin McNamara, on improving recruitment selection, performance prediction and acing psychometric tests.   🎧👉  chiefmaker.com/380 👂   NEED TO GET YOUR HIRING RIGHT? Discover 30 unique and powerful interview questions used by CEOs to help make sure you hire the right person for the right role: chiefmaker.com/interview   Justin is an Occupational Psychologist who loves working at the intersection of people and data, in order to support companies to solve tricky problems. During his career, he has been privileged to learn from great minds at the University of Queensland, and both Kent and Cambridge Universities in the UK, while happily immersing himself in the latest research. His passion for psychometrics, machine learning and data have resulted in deep expertise in the creation of custom assessment solutions for a variety of businesses in most industries to improve the performance of their people and selection processes. In his own words, he loves bringing the nerdier things to life for clients in a pragmatic and business-focused way.   In this Best of Series Masterclass we talk about: ✅ What Psychometrics are - and aren't - and which ones are useful in the recruitment process. ✅ Knowing the markers for success for predicting both performance and leadership. ✅ The future of Psychometrics and big data, and ✅ The key factors in ensuring you can ace a psychometric test.   Stay epic, Greg   Connecting with Justin McNamara You can reach Justin via LinkedIn. Books and Resources People Excellence website Practice psychometric tests: https://www.shldirect.com/en/practice-tests https://www.savilleassessment.com/practice-tests https://www.trytalentq.com Talent Intelligence – by Nik Kinley Mind Over Mood – by Dennis Greenberger Similar Episodes on hiring talent Chief Maker Minisode: 7 unique interview questions used by CEOs Nancy Slessenger, Founder and CEO of Vinehouse Hiring, on Scientific recruitment, the do's and don'ts of interviewing, and staff retention Linda Carroll, Chief People Officer of G8 Education, on Hiring for attitude and the critical power of human capital Follow Chief Maker 📝 Get my Finish Strong monthly newsletter with insanely valuable career tips 👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn or Instagram 📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA 🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses 🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts 🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify 🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel 🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

" The key here is not perfection, it's all about just doing the very best we can in the current state of our life." Chief, in our last episode of 2025, I'm going to share with you the exact end of year review process I've refined over more than two decades that gives me clarity, alignment, and meaningful progress. You can complete this on your own or with your partner, but in the Council of Chiefs we take it further by building a full Executive Playbook that guides both your career and life. 🎧👉 chiefmaker.com/379 👂   JOIN THE COUNCIL OF CHIEFS. Break the isolation and stretch your thinking with a network of like minded C-Suite executives and business owners: chiefmaker.com/councilofchiefs   In this episode, I'll break down for you: ✅ Why this process matters and why the goal is alignment, not perfection ✅ The 2 mindsets you need in order to set yourself up for success, and ✅ The exact 5-step process I follow in my End of Year Review. Here's to hitting 2026 out of the park, Chiefs! I wish you and your families a tremendous festive season and a safe and fulfilling new year. Stay epic, Greg Follow Chief Maker 📝 Get my free Finish Strong monthly newsletter and podcast drops 👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn 📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA 🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses 🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts 🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify 🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel 🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

"It's now obvious to me that it's harder to maintain that sense of community unless you've got things like parkrun that are driving that connection." This is a special episode only available to our podcast subscribers, which we call The Mini Chief. These are short, sharp highlights from our fabulous CEO guests, where you get a 5 to 10 minute snapshot from their full episode. This Mini Chief episode features Tim Oberg, former CEO of parkrun Australia. His full episode is titled Escaping the rat race, building a vibrant community and managing anxiety. You can find the full audio and show notes here: 🎧👉  chiefmaker.com/377  👂   WANT TO ACCELERATE YOUR NEXT PROMOTION? COMPLETE YOUR FREE CAREER SCORECARD: www.chiefmaker.com/score-card   Tim has a background in teaching and travel, having set up his own tour business in London in the early 2000s. He stumbled upon the parkrun concept in the UK in 2010 and pitched to the owner to be the one to take it to Australia, thereafter leading the regional business for nearly 12 years. Tim is now the Founder of Next Stars Sports Academy and the Healthy Kids Project, as he uses his vast experience in health and wellbeing to tackle some of the biggest challenges amongst the younger generations. He is also a Board member at Little Athletics Queensland and lives in Airlie Beach with his wife and 4 kids (congrats to them as they recently welcomed a little baby girl!). In the full Best of Series Masterclass we talk about: ✅ His epic back story that got him to where he is today - you'll really love this as it's one of the most in-depth, interesting and crazy ones we've ever had on the Inner Chief podcast! ✅ The courage he showed in repeatedly escaping the rat race to start his own businesses. ✅ Growing the parkrun Australia community from nothing to the biggest of its kind in the country, and ✅ How he has survived and thrived despite living with and managing anxiety. Stay epic, Greg Connecting with Tim Oberg You can reach Tim via LinkedIn. Books and Resources Headspace app Beating Anxiety - SBS Insight TV show that Tim appeared on parkrun, anxiety and me - article posted by Tim after his recovery Dare - by Barry McDonagh Similar Episodes on community building Juliette Wright OAM, Founder of GIVIT, on Revolutionising misguided charitable giving, having a million conversations, and leaning into anxiety Daniel Penny, MD of Mustard Creative, on Going beyond the brief and understanding your influence Mike Smith, Founder and CEO of Zero Co, on Building a tribe of loyal customers, and creating a better world through business Follow Chief Maker 📝 Get my Finish Strong monthly newsletter with insanely valuable career tips 👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn or Instagram 📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA 🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses 🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts 🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify 🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel 🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

"As human beings we have a lot more physically and mentally than we give ourselves credit for. When we think we're done, I don't think we're near." In this episode of The Inner Chief podcast, I speak to Rupert Guinness, legendary sports writer and ultra-endurance cyclist, on choosing growth and opportunity at every turn, and discovering untapped physical and mental capacity through extreme adversity. 🎧👉  chiefmaker.com/378  👂   ARE YOUR PEOPLE RESISTING CHANGE? Learn to lead the right way right now with the Chief Maker Guide to Situational Leadership: chiefmaker.com/fixresetgrow   Rupert is a Sydney-based sports writer, author, public speaker and media consultant, as well as an accomplished ultra-endurance cyclist, adding extraordinary personal experience to his storytelling. Rupert spent nine years living in Belgium and France covering the Tour de France from up close in inside the tent. Since then, he has written for major publications including The Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian and The Daily Telegraph.  Across his career, Rupert has reported on an exceptional array of sports, covering many of the world's biggest events, including the Rugby World Cup, four Olympic Games and an extraordinary 31 Tours. Beyond journalism, Rupert has held senior media and communications roles with the Australian Rowing Team, the NSW Waratahs and the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. He has also written 15 books, including Power of the Pedal, Overlander, and The Tour. In this Masterclass, we talk about: ✅ The harsh reality of life inside the Tour de France and the unseen battles at the back. ✅ His personal accounts of mental toughness, setbacks and breakthroughs in finishing ultra endurance races. ✅ How he used resilience and composure to reframe weaknesses into growth areas, and ✅ Why seizing opportunity, embracing uncertainty and pursuing adventure matters more in midlife.  Stay epic, Greg Connecting with Rupert Guinness You can connect with Rupert via LinkedIn or Instagram. Books and resources The Tour - by Rupert Guinness Power of the Pedal - by Rupert Guinness Overlander - by Rupert Guinness The Fight - by Norman Mailer Similar Episodes on high-stakes adventure David Knoff, Antarctic Expedition Leader and author, on High-stakes risk and crisis management, and being adaptable around your mission Rory Hunter, Founder of MODEL, on Seeking solitude and healing on the ocean, and the adventure of a lifetime after buying an island in his twenties Ian Snape, CEO of Frontline Mind, on Resilience by design, leading Antarctic expeditions and relaxing in high-stakes environments Follow Chief Maker 📝 Get my Finish Strong monthly newsletter with insanely valuable career tips 👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn or Instagram 📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA 🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses 🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts 🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify 🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel 🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

"Start telling your story really early. By the time the actual capital raise comes around, you can create something that's oversubscribed." This is a special episode only available to our podcast subscribers, which we call The Mini Chief. These are short, sharp highlights from our fabulous guests, where you get a 5 to 10 minute snapshot from their full episode. This Mini Chief episode features James Schofield, Founder of Insight Investor Relations. His full episode is titled Pitching your business, raising capital and winning investor trust. You can find the full audio and show notes here: 🎧👉  chiefmaker.com/376  👂   INFLUENCE DIFFICULT STAKEHOLDERS USING THIS STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE: chiefmaker.com/stakeholders   James speaks the language of investors - over a 25-year career in capital markets, he's advised from both sides of the table: first as a top-rated equity analyst with Merrill Lynch, UBS, and Deutsche Bank, and now as the founder of Insight Investor Relations. Since launching IIR in 2018, James has worked with NZX-listed CEOs and CFOs across companies valued between $300 million and $3 billion. His team is trusted to design and execute investor relations strategies at pivotal points in a company's growth story, with their clients' aggregate market value more than doubling to $10.8 billion over the past 12 months. James and his team have also helped founders raise between $2-$15 million in growth capital through leveraging investor-side language and insights. In the full Masterclass, we talk about: ✅ The right time to pitch and raise capital, and when not to. ✅ How to position your business to attract investors through clarity, credibility and consistent messaging. ✅ Why founders should treat investors like customers by understanding their needs and motivations, and ✅ The five Ps of pitching for investor success: purpose, product, proof, playbook, and promise. Stay epic, Greg Connecting with James Schofield You can connect with James via LinkedIn. Books and resources Essentialism - by Greg McEwen Similar Episodes on Capital Raising Ben Lipschitz, Co-Founder and CEO of FoodByUs, on Being data-driven, starting and exiting a business, and successfully securing funding Ant Moorhouse, Co-Founder and CEO of EarthTech, on Purpose-driven leadership, and changing the planet by harnessing technology and capitalism Jack Delosa, Founder and Chairman of The Entourage, on Frameworks for success, building customer connection, and raising capital from an investor's viewpoint Follow Chief Maker 📝 Get my Finish Strong monthly newsletter with insanely valuable career tips 👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn or Instagram 📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA 🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses 🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts 🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify 🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel 🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

"It's now obvious to me that it's harder to maintain that sense of community unless you've got things like parkrun that are driving that connection."   In this Best of Series episode, we replay a chat we had in 2019 with Tim Oberg, Former CEO of parkrun Australia on escaping the rat race, building a vibrant community and managing anxiety.   🎧👉  chiefmaker.com/377 👂   WANT TO ACCELERATE YOUR NEXT PROMOTION? COMPLETE YOUR FREE CAREER SCORECARD: www.chiefmaker.com/score-card   Tim has a background in teaching and travel, having set up his own tour business in London in the early 2000s. He stumbled upon the parkrun concept in the UK in 2010 and pitched to the owner to be the one to take it to Australia, thereafter leading the regional business for nearly 12 years. Tim is now the Founder of Next Stars Sports Academy and the Healthy Kids Project, as he uses his vast experience in health and wellbeing to tackle some of the biggest challenges amongst the younger generations. He is also a Board member at Little Athletics Queensland and lives in Airlie Beach with his wife and 4 kids (congrats to them as they recently welcomed a little baby girl!). In this Best of Series Masterclass we talk about: ✅ His epic back story that got him to where he is today - you'll really love this as it's one of the most in-depth, interesting and crazy ones we've ever had on the Inner Chief podcast! ✅ The courage he showed in repeatedly escaping the rat race to start his own businesses. ✅ Growing the parkrun Australia community from nothing to the biggest of its kind in the country, and ✅ How he has survived and thrived despite living with and managing anxiety. Stay epic, Greg Connecting with Tim Oberg You can reach Tim via LinkedIn. Books and Resources Headspace app Beating Anxiety - SBS Insight TV show that Tim appeared on parkrun, anxiety and me - article posted by Tim after his recovery Dare - by Barry McDonagh Similar Episodes on community building Juliette Wright OAM, Founder of GIVIT, on Revolutionising misguided charitable giving, having a million conversations, and leaning into anxiety Daniel Penny, MD of Mustard Creative, on Going beyond the brief and understanding your influence Mike Smith, Founder and CEO of Zero Co, on Building a tribe of loyal customers, and creating a better world through business Follow Chief Maker 📝 Get my Finish Strong monthly newsletter with insanely valuable career tips 👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn or Instagram 📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA 🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses 🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts 🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify 🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel 🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

"The best founders are constantly pitching – for customers, recruits, suppliers and capital."   In this episode of The Inner Chief podcast, I speak to James Schofield, Founder of Insight Investor Relations, on Pitching your business, raising capital and winning investor trust. 🎧👉  chiefmaker.com/376  👂   INFLUENCE DIFFICULT STAKEHOLDERS USING THIS STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE: chiefmaker.com/stakeholders   James speaks the language of investors - over a 25-year career in capital markets, he's advised from both sides of the table: first as a top-rated equity analyst with Merrill Lynch, UBS, and Deutsche Bank, and now as the founder of Insight Investor Relations. Since launching IIR in 2018, James has worked with NZX-listed CEOs and CFOs across companies valued between $300 million and $3 billion. His team is trusted to design and execute investor relations strategies at pivotal points in a company's growth story, with their clients' aggregate market value more than doubling to $10.8 billion over the past 12 months. James and his team have also helped founders raise between $2-$15 million in growth capital through leveraging investor-side language and insights. In this Masterclass, we talk about:  ✅ The right time to pitch and raise capital, and when not to. ✅ How to position your business to attract investors through clarity, credibility and consistent messaging. ✅ Why founders should treat investors like customers by understanding their needs and motivations, and ✅ The five Ps of pitching for investor success: purpose, product, proof, playbook, and promise. Stay epic, Greg Connecting with James Schofield You can connect with James via LinkedIn. Books and resources Essentialism - by Greg McEwen Similar Episodes on Capital Raising Ben Lipschitz, Co-Founder and CEO of FoodByUs, on Being data-driven, starting and exiting a business, and successfully securing funding Ant Moorhouse, Co-Founder and CEO of EarthTech, on Purpose-driven leadership, and changing the planet by harnessing technology and capitalism Jack Delosa, Founder and Chairman of The Entourage, on Frameworks for success, building customer connection, and raising capital from an investor's viewpoint Follow Chief Maker 📝 Get my Finish Strong monthly newsletter with insanely valuable career tips 👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn or Instagram 📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA 🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses 🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts 🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify 🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel 🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

"You can't make good choices from a cluttered mind." Chief, today I'm going to introduce you to one of the most powerful tools in leadership: The Decision Clarity Matrix. Every part of your life and career is shaped by the quality of your decisions. From relationships to investments, to how you respond in tough moments, your reputation and legacy all come down to one thing. Decision-making. Yet, no one really teaches us how to make good decisions. Until today, that is! 🎧👉 chiefmaker.com/375 👂   ONE THING IS CERTAIN, TO BE A TRUE CHIEF, COGNITIVE CLARITY IS CRITICAL. WHERE DO YOU SIT ON THE CHIEF MAKER DECISION CLARITY MATRIX? chiefmaker.com/decisionmaking   In this episode, I'll break down for you: ✅ The Decision Clarity Matrix - how clear thinking drives high-impact decision making ✅ Managing your state to shift from cluttered thinking to clarity before key decisions, and ✅ The four decision zones: Breakthrough Territory, Danger Zone, Delegation, and the Vortex. You can follow along and download the full resource: chiefmaker.com/decisionmaking. Stay epic, Greg Follow Chief Maker 📝 Get my free Finish Strong monthly newsletter and podcast drops 👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn 📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA 🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses 🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts 🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify 🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel 🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

"Your values and philosophy about why you do things are your North Star; without them your decisions will be wishy-washy."   This is a special episode only available to our podcast subscribers, which we call The Mini Chief. These are short, sharp highlights from our fabulous CEO guests, where you get a 5 to 10 minute snapshot from their full episode. This Mini Chief episode features Neil Craig, Former AFL Coach and England Rugby High Performance Manager. His full episode is titled High performance environments, your North Star and decision-making under pressure. You can find the full audio and show notes here: 🎧👉  chiefmaker.com/373  👂   GET THE FREE CHIEF MAKER TOP 30 INTERVIEW QUESTIONS: chiefmaker.com/interview   Neil was best known as being a former Australian rules footballer and as the Head Coach of the Adelaide Crows Football Club. His other stints in the AFL have included being the fitness adviser at the Crows, and having various coaching roles at the Melbourne Demons, Essendon Bombers, Carlton Blues and Gold Coast Suns. Between 2017 and 2022, he was England Rugby's High Performance Manager under head coach Eddie Jones. In the full Best of Series Masterclass we talk about: ✅ What a high performance environment is and how to create one ✅ Why knowing your North Star - your purpose and values - is critical to success ✅ How to make complex decisions under pressure, and ✅ Why leadership is not about you, but all about you. Stay epic, Greg   Connecting with Neil Craig You can reach Neil via LinkedIn. Books and Resources Legacy - by James Kerr Similar Episodes on coaching Chief Maker Minisodes on Coaching Principles and Power Coaching Questions Conrad Tracey, Addiction Coaching Specialist, on Breaking points, dealing with resistance in others, and self-acceptance Golf Master Coach, Steve Bann, on Coaching the world's best golfers, turning practice into confidence, and the improvement lifecycle Follow Chief Maker 📝 Get my Finish Strong monthly newsletter with insanely valuable career tips 👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn or Instagram 📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA 🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses 🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts 🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify 🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel 🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

"Chiefs who take a one-size-fits-all approach to leadership will ALWAYS end up failing." Chief, today I'm diving into one of the most powerful models in business performance and leadership: the Fix, Reset, Grow, Change the Game journey map. This is the framework I use with almost every executive or organisation I coach. It gives you clarity, confidence and direction as a leader by showing you exactly where your business is, where it's heading, and what to do next. 🎧👉 chiefmaker.com/374 👂   DOWNLOAD THE CHIEF MAKER SITUATIONAL LEADERSHIP GUIDE AND IMPLEMENT THE LEADERSHIP STYLE YOUR BUSINESS NEEDS RIGHT NOW: chiefmaker.com/fixresetgrow   In this episode, I'll break down for you: ✅ Why the model and the business performance journey map matter ✅ The 4 stages fully explained and how to self-assess where you are, and ✅ Putting in place the appropriate steps in order to adapt your leadership style and get you into the most exhilarating stage - changing the game. You can follow along and download the full resource: chiefmaker.com/fixresetgrow. Stay epic, Greg   Follow Chief Maker 📝 Get my free Finish Strong monthly newsletter and podcast drops 👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn 📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA 🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses 🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts 🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify 🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel 🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

"It's not about you, but it's all about you. If you're able to think that way, you'll get feedback when you need it without asking for it and you'll be amazed how many problems just go away."   It's AFL grand final week so we're bringing you a Best of Series episode from 2019 with Neil Craig, former AFL Head Coach, on high performance environments, your North Star and decision-making under pressure.   🎧👉  chiefmaker.com/373 👂   GET THE FREE CHIEF MAKER TOP 30 INTERVIEW QUESTIONS: chiefmaker.com/interview   Neil was best known as being a former Australian rules footballer and as the Head Coach of the Adelaide Crows Football Club. His other stints in the AFL have included being the fitness adviser at the Crows, and having various coaching roles at the Melbourne Demons, Essendon Bombers, Carlton Blues and Gold Coast Suns. Between 2017 and 2022, he was England Rugby's High Performance Manager under head coach Eddie Jones.   In this Best of Series Masterclass we talk about: ✅ What a high performance environment is and how to create one ✅ Why knowing your North Star - your purpose and values - is critical to success ✅ How to make complex decisions under pressure, and ✅ Why leadership is not about you, but all about you.   Stay epic, Greg   Connecting with Neil Craig You can reach Neil via LinkedIn. Books and Resources Legacy - by James Kerr Similar Episodes on coaching Chief Maker Minisodes on Coaching Principles and Power Coaching Questions Conrad Tracey, Addiction Coaching Specialist, on Breaking points, dealing with resistance in others, and self-acceptance Golf Master Coach, Steve Bann, on Coaching the world's best golfers, turning practice into confidence, and the improvement lifecycle Follow Chief Maker 📝 Get my Finish Strong monthly newsletter with insanely valuable career tips 👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn or Instagram 📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA 🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses 🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts 🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify 🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel 🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

"Building an operating rhythm and sticking to it requires energy and fortitude."   Chief, today I'm going to talk about three important tips to help you bring your operating rhythm to life and to ensure that it is high impact and drives results consistently. I'm also going to talk through three of the most classic problems that executives face when trying to implement a new one or refine an existing operating rhythm. 🎧👉 chiefmaker.com/372 👂   DOWNLOAD THE CHIEF MAKER OPERATING RHYTHM HOW TO GUIDE AND PUT YOUR VISION AND MISSION INTO ACTION FAST: chiefmaker.com/operatingrhythm   In this episode, I talk about: ✅ The Chief Maker Performance Lifecycle: P2R2 ✅ Owning the plan and embedding it culturally in your organisation, and ✅ Ensuring it is always impactful and doesn't become stale. You can also find out more about what an operating rhythm is by checking out some previous episodes: Building a personal operating rhythm High Performance Teams Series - Operating Rhythm Stay epic, Greg   Follow Chief Maker 📝 Get my free Finish Strong monthly newsletter and podcast drops 👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn 📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA 🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses 🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts 🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify 🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel 🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

"To win your people's hearts and minds, you have to have a compelling vision or proposition to offer them."   This is a special episode only available to our podcast subscribers, which we call The Mini Chief. These are short, sharp highlights from our fabulous CEO guests, where you get a 5 to 10 minute snapshot from their full episode. This Mini Chief episode features George Hunt, Former CIO of the Year. His full episode is titled Winning hearts and minds, technology as a strategy, and the little things of leadership. You can find the full audio and show notes here: 🎧👉  chiefmaker.com/371  👂   WONDERING WHAT CAREER MOVE TO MAKE NEXT? GET THE CHIEF MAKER BOOK AND BE GUIDED BY THE GREAT METHOD FOR CAREER ACCELERATION: chiefmaker.com/book   At the time of the recording, George was the Chief Information Officer (CIO) of Sydney Water. He is currently the Chief Strategy Officer of Smart Energy Water in the UK, a role he has held since November 2020. George is a recognised technology leader within the global utility sector, with a successful track record in implementing technology infrastructure to support increasing customer expectations, challenging regulatory outcomes and corporate business goals. He has also held roles as a Global Consulting Partner at Wipro Digital in the UK and CIO for Wessex Water. George has a Bachelor of Engineering from Birmingham University and a Master of Information Systems from Kingston University in London, and was awarded CIO Australia's CIO of the Year in 2018. In the full Best of Series Masterclass we talk about: ✅ How to win the hearts and minds of your people and aligning to achieve a vision ✅ Why Technology has evolved to become a key strategy for most organisations ✅ Some great analogies for leading a business through rapid change, and ✅ The Little Things of Leadership like the power of goodwill. Stay epic, Greg Connecting with George Hunt You can reach George via LinkedIn. Books and Resources Be Like Amazon - by Jeffrey Eisenberg, Bryan Eisenberg, Roy H Williams The Advantage - by Patrick Lencioni Who Moved My Cheese - by Dr Spencer Johnson Leading on the Edge - by Rachael Robertson Be The Business: CIOs in the New Era of IT - by Martha Heller Similar Episodes on strategic technology Ant Moorhouse, Co-Founder & CEO of EarthTech, on Purpose-driven leadership, and changing the planet by harnessing technology and capitalism Greg Steele, Global President of Arcadis Mobility, on The importance of broad experience, bringing people with you and dealing with difficult issues Angus Stevens, Co-Founder & CEO of StartBeyond, on Taking learning by experience to new frontiers, putting guardrails on innovation, and creating useful technology for tangible real-world problems Follow Chief Maker 📝 Get my Finish Strong monthly newsletter with insanely valuable career tips 👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn or Instagram 📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA 🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses 🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts 🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify 🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel 🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

"If you think your people aren't using AI, you would be in denial."   This is a special episode only available to our podcast subscribers, which we call The Mini Chief. These are short, sharp highlights from our fabulous guests, where you get a 5 to 10 minute snapshot from their full episode. This Mini Chief episode features Kate Newey, HR Chief of Adaptalift Group. Her full episode is titled The secret life of HR professionals, having it all and AI in the workplace. You can find the full audio and show notes here: 🎧👉  chiefmaker.com/370  👂   INFLUENCE DIFFICULT STAKEHOLDERS USING THIS STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE: chiefmaker.com/stakeholders   Kate is a highly experienced HR leader and has held various roles at Adaptalift Group since 2012, currently overseeing 650 staff in her role as HR Chief. She is a champion of flexible executive roles, balancing part-time leadership and parenting, something that became almost non-negotiable during the COVID pandemic. In the full Masterclass, we talk about: ✅ The secret life of HR professionals…the real, messy and rewarding reality in the current business environment. ✅ How leading from the middle builds influence, trust and a seat at the strategic table. ✅ Navigating burnout, boundaries and part-time leadership through parenting and a modern lifestyle, and ✅ HR's growing leadership in AI strategy and how this links to company strategy and and what "buy, borrow, build, bot" means for HR. Stay epic, Greg Connecting with Kate Newey You can connect with Kate via LinkedIn. Books and resources Mindful High Performer - by Chelsea Pottenger Similar Episodes on Human Resources Linda Carroll, Chief People Officer of G8 Education on Driving business success through the development of your people Zaklina Craig, Chief People Officer of Business NSW, on Optimising role design for peak performance, managing differences in confidence between men and women, and navigating the decision to fire someone Angela Tsoukatos, CEO and 20 years executive team member, on Pivotal career moments, how to focus on core business, and the most effective ways the Board and C-Suite can work together Follow Chief Maker 📝 Get my Finish Strong monthly newsletter with insanely valuable career tips 👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn or Instagram 📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA 🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses 🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts 🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify 🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel 🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

"The one analogy I use for technology change programs is that we're trying to upgrade an aircraft whilst it's in flight. This allows people to understand the risk profile."   In this Best of Series episode, we replay a chat we had in 2019 with George Hunt, former CIO of the Year, on winning hearts and minds, technology as a strategy, and the little things of leadership. 🎧👉  chiefmaker.com/371 👂   WONDERING WHAT CAREER MOVE TO MAKE NEXT? GET THE CHIEF MAKER BOOK AND BE GUIDED BY THE GREAT METHOD FOR CAREER ACCELERATION: chiefmaker.com/book   At the time of the recording, George was the Chief Information Officer (CIO) of Sydney Water. He is currently the Chief Strategy Officer of Smart Energy Water in the UK, a role he has held since November 2020. George is a recognised technology leader within the global utility sector, with a successful track record in implementing technology infrastructure to support increasing customer expectations, challenging regulatory outcomes and corporate business goals. He has also held roles as a Global Consulting Partner at Wipro Digital in the UK and CIO for Wessex Water. George has a Bachelor of Engineering from Birmingham University and a Master of Information Systems from Kingston University in London, and was awarded CIO Australia's CIO of the Year in 2018. In this Best of Series Masterclass we talk about: ✅ How to win the hearts and minds of your people and aligning to achieve a vision ✅ Why Technology has evolved to become a key strategy for most organisations ✅ Some great analogies for leading a business through rapid change, and ✅ The Little Things of Leadership like the power of goodwill. Stay epic, Greg Connecting with George Hunt You can reach George via LinkedIn. Books and Resources Be Like Amazon - by Jeffrey Eisenberg, Bryan Eisenberg, Roy H Williams The Advantage - by Patrick Lencioni Who Moved My Cheese - by Dr Spencer Johnson Leading on the Edge - by Rachael Robertson Be The Business: CIOs in the New Era of IT - by Martha Heller Similar Episodes on strategic technology Ant Moorhouse, Co-Founder & CEO of EarthTech, on Purpose-driven leadership, and changing the planet by harnessing technology and capitalism Greg Steele, Global President of Arcadis Mobility, on The importance of broad experience, bringing people with you and dealing with difficult issues Angus Stevens, Co-Founder & CEO of StartBeyond, on Taking learning by experience to new frontiers, putting guardrails on innovation, and creating useful technology for tangible real-world problems Follow Chief Maker 📝 Get my Finish Strong monthly newsletter with insanely valuable career tips 👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn or Instagram 📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA 🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses 🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts 🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify 🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel 🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

"It's really important to keep a sense of humour, especially if you're in a stressful environment. Show people that you're human."   This is a special episode only available to our podcast subscribers, which we call The Mini Chief. These are short, sharp highlights from our fabulous guests, where you get a 5 to 10 minute snapshot from their full episode. This Mini Chief episode features Linda Carroll, Chief People Officer, G8 Education. Her full episode is titled Driving business success through the development of your people. You can find the full audio and show notes here: 🎧👉  chiefmaker.com/369  👂   DO YOU UNDERSTAND THE REAL IMPACT OF OVERLOAD? Learn how to stay focused, optimise your effort and prioritise what's really important. chiefmaker.com/focus   As an experienced People and Culture Leader, Linda Carroll joined G8 Education in June 2024. With more than a decade of executive experience in the early childhood education and care sector, Linda has honed her skills in building and managing high-performing teams across diverse networks. Her expertise lies in people and culture transformation, talent acquisition, capability development, and employee and industrial relations. Linda's accolades include the HR Director of the Year award at the Australian HR Awards in 2019 and she has also obtained an MBA in Human Resource Management from Griffith University. In the full Masterclass, we talk about: ✅ The significance of developing people within an organisation through continuous learning. ✅ Hiring for attitude and creating a loyal culture through recognition and embracing humour ✅ Overcoming the crisis of confidence upon returning to work post-maternity leave, and ✅ The evolving role of HR and its strategic importance in driving business success via the power of human capital. Stay epic, Greg   Connecting with Linda Carroll You can connect with Linda via LinkedIn. Books and resources 7 Habits of Highly Effective People - by Stephen R. Covey Emotional Intelligence - by Daniel Goldman Similar Episodes on Human Resources Zaklina Craig, Chief People Officer of Business NSW, on Optimising role design for peak performance, managing differences in confidence between men and women, and navigating the decision to fire someone Angela Tsoukatos, CEO and 20 years executive team member, on Pivotal career moments, how to focus on core business, and the most effective ways the Board and C-Suite can work together Fiona Crawford, CHRO of Creditor Watch, on Doing extra, celebrating success, and enabling the business Follow Chief Maker 📝 Get my Finish Strong monthly newsletter with insanely valuable career tips 👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn or Instagram 📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA 🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses 🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts 🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify 🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel 🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

"HR is such a diverse role. At any given time we see people at their worst, and people at their best. We're expected to be lawyers and are constantly making commercial decisions."   In this episode of The Inner Chief podcast, I speak to Kate Newey, HR Chief of Adaptalift Group, on The secret life of HR professionals, having it all and AI in the workplace. 🎧👉  chiefmaker.com/370  👂   IS YOUR PROGRESS BLOCKED BY DIFFICULT STAKEHOLDERS? Download this step-by-step guide to build trust, get buy-in and turn difficult stakeholders into ambassadors: chiefmaker.com/stakeholders   Kate is a highly experienced HR leader and has held various roles at Adaptalift Group since 2012, currently overseeing 650 staff in her role as HR Chief. She is a champion of flexible executive roles, balancing part-time leadership and parenting, something that became almost non-negotiable during the COVID pandemic. In this Masterclass, we talk about: ✅ The secret life of HR professionals…the real, messy and rewarding reality in the current business environment. ✅ How leading from the middle builds influence, trust and a seat at the strategic table. ✅ Navigating burnout, boundaries and part-time leadership through parenting and a modern lifestyle, and ✅ HR's growing leadership in AI strategy and how this links to company strategy and and what "buy, borrow, build, bot" means for HR. Stay epic, Greg   Connecting with Kate Newey You can connect with Kate via LinkedIn. Books and resources Mindful High Performer - by Chelsea Pottenger Similar Episodes on Human Resources Linda Carroll, Chief People Officer of G8 Education on Driving business success through the development of your people Zaklina Craig, Chief People Officer of Business NSW, on Optimising role design for peak performance, managing differences in confidence between men and women, and navigating the decision to fire someone Angela Tsoukatos, CEO and 20 years executive team member, on Pivotal career moments, how to focus on core business, and the most effective ways the Board and C-Suite can work together Follow Chief Maker 📝 Get my Finish Strong monthly newsletter with insanely valuable career tips 👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn or Instagram 📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA 🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses 🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts 🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify 🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel 🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

"HR has shifted towards partnering with the business as a trusted advisor to the executive team, as people have started to realise the value of human capital." In this episode of The Inner Chief podcast, I speak to Linda Carroll, Chief People Officer of G8 Education, on driving business success through the development of your people.   🎧👉  chiefmaker.com/369  👂   FEELING OVERLOADED? Constant emails and meeting requests flooding in? Too much to do and not enough time? Learn how to prioritise your time with this strategic focus tool. chiefmaker.com/focus   As an experienced People and Culture Leader, Linda Carroll joined G8 Education in June 2024. With more than a decade of executive experience in the early childhood education and care sector, Linda has honed her skills in building and managing high-performing teams across diverse networks. Her expertise lies in people and culture transformation, talent acquisition, capability development, and employee and industrial relations. Linda's accolades include the HR Director of the Year award at the Australian HR Awards in 2019 and she has also obtained an MBA in Human Resource Management from Griffith University.   In this Masterclass, we talk about: ✅ The significance of developing people within an organisation through continuous learning. ✅ Hiring for attitude and creating a loyal culture through recognition and embracing humour ✅ Overcoming the crisis of confidence upon returning to work post-maternity leave, and ✅ The evolving role of HR and its strategic importance in driving business success via the power of human capital.   Stay epic, Greg   Connecting with Linda Carroll You can connect with Linda via LinkedIn. Books and resources 7 Habits of Highly Effective People - by Stephen R. Covey Emotional Intelligence - by Daniel Goldman Similar Episodes on Human Resources Zaklina Craig, Chief People Officer of Business NSW, on Optimising role design for peak performance, managing differences in confidence between men and women, and navigating the decision to fire someone Angela Tsoukatos, CEO and 20 years executive team member, on Pivotal career moments, how to focus on core business, and the most effective ways the Board and C-Suite can work together Fiona Crawford, CHRO of Creditor Watch, on Doing extra, celebrating success, and enabling the business.  Follow Chief Maker 📝 Get my Finish Strong monthly newsletter with insanely valuable career tips 👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn or Instagram 📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA 🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses 🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts 🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify 🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel 🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

"There's work guilt because you worry that you're not delivering 100%. There's guilt that you're not being the best mum possible. So, it really is guilt on all fronts if you're not careful."   This is a special episode only available to our podcast subscribers, which we call The Mini Chief. These are short, sharp highlights from our fabulous CEO guests, where you get a 5 to 10 minute snapshot from their full episode. This Mini Chief episode features Nicolette Rubinsztein AM, Professional Board member and author. Her full episode is titled Removing guilt, building female confidence, and overcoming busy-ness. You can find the full audio and show notes here: 🎧👉  chiefmaker.com/367  👂   RIGHT PERSON, WRONG ROLE? Use this checklist of questions to determine the right future development plan for your leaders: chiefmaker.com/performance   Nicolette is a qualified actuary and is currently the Chair of Greenpeace Australia Pacific and CBHS Health Fund, and a Non-Executive Director at Zurich Australia. She has previously been a Director at UniSuper and OnePath Insurance, and was the President of the Actuaries Institute for 4 years after an extensive career in senior management roles as an actuary. Nicolette received a Member of the Order of Australia in the King's Birthday 2024 Honours List for her significant service to the finance and commerce sectors. She is also the author of "Not Guilty", a powerful book providing strategies for successful career mums. In the full Best of Series Masterclass we talk about: ✅ The resilience learnt from losing her job twice due to overnight industry changes ✅ How to balance work with motherhood without feeling guilty or putting your career on hold ✅ Why lower confidence in females has led to a lower uptake of STEM careers, and ✅ Overcoming busy-ness as parents and the concept of "career mum staff". Stay epic, Greg   Connecting with Nicolette Rubinsztein AM You can reach Nicolette via LinkedIn or on her website. Books and Resources Homo Deus and Sapiens - by Yuval Harari The Confidence Code - by Katty Kay and Claire Shipman Similar Episodes on the evolving workplace Alison Mirams, CEO of Roberts Co, on Transforming an industry and leaving a legacy by putting workers and their families at the heart of your business. Grainne O'Loughlin, CEO of Karitane, on Parenting for executives and the first 2000 days of a child's development, and the inspiring legacy she is building. Dr Bronwyn Evans AM, CEO of Engineers Australia, on Theory vs practice, empathetic performance management, and advancing society through great engineering Follow Chief Maker 📝 Get my Finish Strong monthly newsletter with insanely valuable career tips 👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn or Instagram 📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA 🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses 🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts 🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify 🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel 🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

"When you develop all three traits, you become bulletproof. You create momentum, confidence, and long-term impact." Chief, today we dive into what I consider to be a core framework that I've observed after working with hundreds of top-tier executives and CEOs through the podcast and our day job at Chief Maker over a number of years. These three traits keep showing up, without fail, in every high-performing leader I meet. If you don't have these in your toolkit, I can almost guarantee you'll struggle to hit your definition of success. 🎧👉 chiefmaker.com/368 👂   WANT TO ACCELERATE YOUR NEXT PROMOTION? COMPLETE YOUR FREE CAREER SCORECARD: www.chiefmaker.com/scorecard   In this episode, I talk about: ✅ The 3 key traits that every great leader has in spades ✅ A brilliant little tool to diagnose where you need to create some real momentum shifts ✅ What will happen if you don't act now Stay epic, Greg Follow Chief Maker 📝 Get my free Finish Strong monthly newsletter and podcast drops 👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn 📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA 🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses 🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts 🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify 🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel 🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

"You've got to get yourself in a position to exit, and then give yourself the time to exit properly. The biggest advice I give sellers is to not be in a rush to sell."   This is a special episode only available to our podcast subscribers, which we call The Mini Chief. These are short, sharp highlights from our fabulous guests, where you get a 5 to 10 minute snapshot from their full episode. This Mini Chief episode features Dean Salakas, Former CEO of The Party People. His full episode is titled Being sale-ready, Forecasting like a CFO, and Selling confidently on your terms. You can find the full audio and show notes here: 🎧👉  chiefmaker.com/366  👂   EQUIP YOUR MIDDLE MANAGERS AND SENIOR LEADERS WITH THE TOOLS TO DRIVE CHANGE AND RESULTS. JOIN THE WAITLIST: chiefmaker.com/minimba   Dean is a retail advisor, keynote speaker, and former CEO of The Party People, Australia's largest party store, which sold in late 2024. With three successful business exits and a track record of retail innovation, Dean now helps businesses grow through strategic advice and execution support and also as a fractional Head of Growth at Party Hire Group. This is the second time we have had Dean on the show; during episode 234 we covered how he saw change as an opportunity, coping with growth, and evolving as a leader. In the full Evolved CEO Masterclass, we talk about: ✅ The art of the sale - how to create buyer FOMO, go public with your sale, and drive up valuation. ✅ Why staying 'match-fit' with reporting and forecasting is key to a successful exit. ✅ The power of understanding your customer beyond product, and why this matters when selling, and ✅ What BATNA is and why deal structure matters more than just the multiple on offer. Stay epic, Greg   Connecting with Dean Salakas You can connect with Dean via LinkedIn. Books and resources The One Minute Manager - by Kenneth Blanchard Ph.D. &, Spencer Johnson M.D. Similar Episodes on Selling a business Roland Frasier, CEO of All Channels Media, on Creative business deals, modelling and masterminding Julie Mathers, Founder of Flora & Fauna and now CEO of Snuggle Hunny, on Bootstrapping a business from start to $30M exit Ben Lipschitz, Co-Founder and CEO of Foodbyus, on Being data-driven, starting and exiting a business, and successfully securing funding Follow Chief Maker 📝 Get my Finish Strong monthly newsletter with insanely valuable career tips 👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn or Instagram 📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA 🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses 🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts 🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify 🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel 🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

"There's work guilt because you worry that you're not delivering 100%. There's guilt that you're not being the best mum possible. So, it really is guilt on all fronts if you're not careful."   In this Best of Series episode, we replay a chat we had in 2019 with Nicolette Rubinsztein AM, Professional Board member and author, on removing guilt, building female confidence, and overcoming busy-ness.   🎧👉  chiefmaker.com/367 👂   RIGHT PERSON, WRONG ROLE? Use this checklist of questions to determine the right future development plan for your leaders: chiefmaker.com/performance   Nicolette is a qualified actuary and is currently the Chair of Greenpeace Australia Pacific and CBHS Health Fund, and a Non-Executive Director at Zurich Australia. She has previously been a Director at UniSuper and OnePath Insurance, and was the President of the Actuaries Institute for 4 years after an extensive career in senior management roles as an actuary. Nicolette received a Member of the Order of Australia in the King's Birthday 2024 Honours List for her significant service to the finance and commerce sectors. She is also the author of "Not Guilty", a powerful book providing strategies for successful career mums.   In this Best of Series Masterclass we talk about: ✅ The resilience learnt from losing her job twice due to overnight industry changes ✅ How to balance work with motherhood without feeling guilty or putting your career on hold ✅ Why lower confidence in females has led to a lower uptake of STEM careers, and ✅ Overcoming busy-ness as parents and the concept of "career mum staff".   Connecting with Nicolette Rubinsztein AM You can reach Nicolette via LinkedIn or on her website. Books and Resources Homo Deus and Sapiens - by Yuval Harari The Confidence Code - by Katty Kay and Claire Shipman Similar Episodes on the evolving workplace Alison Mirams, CEO of Roberts Co, on Transforming an industry and leaving a legacy by putting workers and their families at the heart of your business. Grainne O'Loughlin, CEO of Karitane, on Parenting for executives and the first 2000 days of a child's development, and the inspiring legacy she is building. Dr Bronwyn Evans AM, CEO of Engineers Australia, on Theory vs practice, empathetic performance management, and advancing society through great engineering Follow Chief Maker 📝 Get my Finish Strong monthly newsletter for insanely valuable career tips 👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn 📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA 🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses 🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on  Apple Podcasts 🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify 🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel 🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

"You've got to get yourself into a position to exit and then put time on your side. Don't be in a rush to sell, but when you are ready, put a deadline in place for buyers to make an offer." In this episode of The Inner Chief podcast, I speak to Dean Salakas, former Party People CEO, on Being sale-ready, forecasting like a CFO, and selling confidently on your terms. 🎧👉  chiefmaker.com/366  👂   EQUIP YOUR MIDDLE MANAGERS AND SENIOR LEADERS WITH THE TOOLS TO DRIVE CHANGE AND RESULTS. JOIN THE WAITLIST: chiefmaker.com/minimba   Dean is a retail advisor, keynote speaker, and former CEO of The Party People, Australia's largest party store, which sold in late 2024. With three successful business exits and a track record of retail innovation, Dean now helps businesses grow through strategic advice and execution support and also as a fractional Head of Growth at Party Hire Group. This is the second time we have had Dean on the show; during episode 234 we covered how he saw change as an opportunity, coping with growth, and evolving as a leader.   In this Evolved CEO Masterclass, we talk about: ✅ The art of the sale - how to create buyer FOMO, go public with your sale, and drive up valuation. ✅ Why staying 'match-fit' with reporting and forecasting is key to a successful exit. ✅ The power of understanding your customer beyond product, and why this matters when selling, and ✅ What BATNA is and why deal structure matters more than just the multiple on offer. Stay epic, Greg   Connecting with Dean Salakas You can connect with Dean via LinkedIn Books and resources The One Minute Manager - Kenneth Blanchard Ph.D. &, Spencer Johnson M.D. Similar Episodes on Selling a business Roland Frasier, CEO of All Channels Media, on Creative business deals, modelling and masterminding Julie Mathers, Founder of Flora & Fauna and now CEO of Snuggle Hunny, on Bootstrapping a business from start to $30M exit Ben Lipschitz, Co-Founder and CEO of Foodbyus, on Being data-driven, starting and exiting a business, and successfully securing funding Follow Chief Maker 📝 Get my Finish Strong monthly newsletter and podcast drops 👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn 📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA 🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses 🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on  Apple Podcasts 🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify 🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel 🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

"Imagine any city with 50% job losses, it's a completely different place. I don't see governments getting things ready. It's going to take time."   This is a special episode only available to our podcast subscribers, which we call The Mini Chief. These are short, sharp highlights from our fabulous guests, where you get a 5 to 10 minute snapshot from their full episode. This Mini Chief episode features Professor Joel Pearson, Director of Future Minds Lab. His full episode is titled Leading in uncertainty, Future-proofing for the AI Revolution, and De-risking innovation. You can find the full audio and show notes here: 🎧👉  chiefmaker.com/364  👂   EQUIP YOUR MIDDLE MANAGERS AND SENIOR LEADERS WITH THE TOOLS TO DRIVE CHANGE AND RESULTS. JOIN THE WAITLIST: chiefmaker.com/minimba   Joel is a psychologist, neuroscientist, author and Director of the Future Minds Lab, and an ARC Future Fellow at the University of New South Wales. He initially studied art and filmmaking at the College of Fine Arts before turning to the scientific mysteries of human consciousness and the complexities of the brain. He is now a prolific public speaker, writer, and world expert in Intuition, the psychology of AI, mental imagery, and Aphantasia, which is the inability to picture things visually. His debut book, The Intuition Toolkit: The New Science of Knowing What, Without Knowing Why, came out in 2024 and he is now helping companies like Pixar, Google, KPMG, Macquarie Group, Lexus and Toyota prepare for the disruptive change of the AI revolution. Joel hosted the popular ABC Sydney radio show "The Brain Box," blowing people's minds about their minds. In the full AI Masterclass, we talk about: ✅ How he is at the forefront of accelerating innovation through agile science, rapid experimentation and minimum viable experiments ✅ Some practical tools and mental models to build resilience in an uncertain and rapidly changing AI-driven world ✅ Preparing humans and not just systems for exponential change from Artificial Intelligence, and ✅ Mind-wandering and cognitive recovery as competitive advantages for modern executives. Stay epic, Greg   Connecting with Joel Pearson You can connect with Joel via LinkedIn and his website. Books and resources The Intuition Toolkit - by Professor Joel Pearson Future Minds Newsletters on Substack Similar Episodes on Artificial Intelligence Brad Krauskopf, Founder & CEO of Hub Australia, on Designing inspiring flexible workspaces for the future Angus Stevens, Co-Founder & CEO of Start Beyond, on Putting guardrails on innovation and creating useful technology for tangible real-world problems Kath Blackham, CEO of The VERSA Group, on Extracting huge value from diversity and inclusion, the 4-day work week, and using tech for good Follow Chief Maker 📝 Subscribe to the Finish Strong monthly newsletter and podcast drops 👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn 📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA 🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses 🍏 Subscribe to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts 🎵 Subscribe to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify 🎬 Subscribe to the Chief Maker YouTube channel 🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

"We need to get better, better, better at core. Not newer, bigger, different."   Chief, today we cover something that is absolutely dominating everyone's thoughts in a hyper-distracted world, and that is cutting out the noise and getting back to strategic intent and focus. Executive teams are under relentless pressure; from technological change, shifting workforce expectations, and increasing compliance, to the ever-present noise of geopolitics and market urgency, it's easy to get pulled in a hundred directions and lose sight of what actually drives value. When leadership spreads itself too thin, focus disappears, risk increases, and performance suffers. Chief, getting back to your core business is more important now than ever. I share the framework I use with Chiefs and boards across the globe to help them identify their true strategic priorities, cut through distraction, and optimise their systems to deliver real impact. Because when leaders waste energy on the wrong things, the business pays the price: in culture, in profit, and in reputation. 🎧👉 chiefmaker.com/365 👂   JOIN THE WAITLIST FOR THE MOST PRACTICAL LEADERSHIP & EXECUTIVE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM ON THE MARKET (NPS: 91): chiefmaker.com/minimba   In this episode, I talk about: ✅  The 5 forces overwhelming executive teams and driving strategic distraction ✅  A practical model to define and refocus on your core business ✅  The cost of non-core work and how to reset strategic priorities for impact. Stay epic, Greg   Follow Chief Maker 📝 Subscribe to the Finish Strong monthly newsletter and podcast drops 👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn 📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA 🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses 🍏 Subscribe to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts 🎵 Subscribe to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify 🎬 Subscribe to the Chief Maker YouTube channel 🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

"By the time that person's come to work, it's cost them 50 bucks for transport, lunch, coffee. So what is the experience they're going to get going into work for a day, because they could easily just stay at home."   This is a special episode only available to our podcast subscribers, which we call The Mini Chief. These are short, sharp highlights from our fabulous guests, where you get a 5 to 10 minute snapshot from their full episode. This Mini Chief episode features Brad Krauskopf, Founder & CEO of Hub Australia. His full episode is titled Designing inspiring flexible workspaces for the future, and Building workplace engagement and experience.   You can find the full audio and show notes here: 🎧👉  chiefmaker.com/363  👂   DOWNLOAD THE CHIEF MAKER OPERATING RHYTHM HOW TO GUIDE AND PUT YOUR VISION AND MISSION INTO ACTION FAST: chiefmaker.com/operatingrhythm   Brad is an industry pioneer and has been at the forefront of the coworking and hybrid work revolution for more than a decade, having co-founded and Co-Chaired Flexible Workspace Australia, the peak-industry body for flexible and coworking space in Australia. dership, Hub Australia has expanded nationally, delivering human-centred, sustainable workspaces that help businesses attract the best talent and to thrive. Hub Australia is widely considered the market-leading workspace hospitality operator in Australia, and has been ranked 6 years running by the Great Places To Work program. Brad is a passionate advocate for the future of workplace experience, bringing deep expertise in workplace strategy and property innovation.   In the full CEO masterclass, we talk about: ✅ Why businesses must now earn their employees' commute by creating community and purpose. ✅ How to champion flexible modern workplaces that drive connection and performance. ✅ Strategies for scaling culture and impact in a hybrid and distributed workforce, and ✅ The evolving role of leaders in designing work experiences that empower the humans behind your brand.   Stay epic, Greg   Connecting with Brad Krauskopf You can connect with Brad via LinkedIn. Books and resources Hub Australia - Love Where You Work Report 2024 Similar Episodes on hybrid working Stephen Shedletzky, author and TEDx speaker coach, on How to foster a speak-up culture where people feel safe, trusted and worthy Tristan Sternson, CEO of ARQ Group, on Being answerable to investors, systemising values and culture, and building equality through technology Nick Bell, Founder of Superist, on The threat of AI on addressing productivity gaps, looking after his A-players and living to 150   Follow Chief Maker 📝 Subscribe to the Finish Strong monthly newsletter and podcast drops 👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn 📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA 🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses 🍏 Subscribe to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts 🎵 Subscribe to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify 🎬 Subscribe to the Chief Maker YouTube channel 🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

"I think the internet will be gone. AIs will have all the information and entertainment for us whenever we want." In this episode of The Inner Chief podcast, I speak to Professor Joel Pearson, Director of the Future Minds Lab, on Leading in uncertainty, Future-proofing for the AI revolution, and De-risking innovation. 🎧👉  chiefmaker.com/364  👂 DOWNLOAD THE CHIEF MAKER GUIDE FOR SENIOR LEADERS ON HOW TO HAVE DIFFICULT PERFORMANCE CONVERSATIONS: chiefmaker.com/difficult Joel is a psychologist, neuroscientist, author and Director of the Future Minds Lab, and an ARC Future Fellow at the University of New South Wales. He initially studied art and filmmaking at the College of Fine Arts before turning to the scientific mysteries of human consciousness and the complexities of the brain. He is now a prolific public speaker, writer, and world expert in Intuition, the psychology of AI, mental imagery, and Aphantasia, which is the inability to picture things visually. His debut book, The Intuition Toolkit: The New Science of Knowing What, Without Knowing Why, came out in 2024 and he is now helping companies like Pixar, Google, KPMG, Macquarie Group, Lexus and Toyota prepare for the disruptive change of the AI revolution. Joel hosted the popular ABC Sydney radio show "The Brain Box," blowing people's minds about their minds. In this AI Masterclass, we talk about: ✅ How he is at the forefront of accelerating innovation through agile science, rapid experimentation and minimum viable experiments ✅ Some practical tools and mental models to build resilience in an uncertain and rapidly changing AI-driven world ✅ Preparing humans and not just systems for exponential change from Artificial Intelligence, and ✅ Mind-wandering and cognitive recovery as competitive advantages for modern executives. Stay epic, Greg Connecting with Joel Pearson You can connect with Joel via LinkedIn and his website. Books and resources The Intuition Toolkit - by Professor Joel Pearson Future Minds Newsletters on Substack Similar Episodes on Artificial Intelligence Brad Krauskopf, Founder & CEO of Hub Australia, on Designing inspiring flexible workspaces for the future Angus Stevens, Co-Founder & CEO of Start Beyond, on Putting guardrails on innovation and creating useful technology for tangible real-world problems Kath Blackham, CEO of The VERSA Group, on Extracting huge value from diversity and inclusion, the 4-day work week, and using tech for good Follow Chief Maker 📝 Subscribe to the Finish Strong monthly newsletter and podcast drops 👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn 📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA 🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses 🍏 Subscribe to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts 🎵 Subscribe to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify 🎬 Subscribe to the Chief Maker YouTube channel 🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker