The Inner Chief

“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, 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 📝 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

“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 📝 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

“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 How to foster a speak-up culture where people feel safe, trusted and worthyBeing answerable to investors, systemising values and culture, and building equality through technologyThe 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

“The 80/20 curve also applies to time: 1% of your time produces 50% of all your productivity.” 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 Perry Marshall, Author and Sales & Marketing Guru. His full episode is titled Redefining the 80/20 Rule, buying time for superhuman productivity, and solving tough problems. You can find the full audio and show notes here: 🎧👉 chiefmaker.com/362 👂 INFLUENCE DIFFICULT STAKEHOLDERS USING THIS STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE: chiefmaker.com/stakeholders Perry is endorsed in FORBES and INC Magazine, and is one of the most expensive business consultants in the world. His reinvention of the Pareto Principle is published in Harvard Business Review; in fact, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Labs at the California Institute of Technology uses his 80/20 Curve as a productivity tool. He founded the $5 million Evolution 2.0 Prize, with judges from Harvard, Oxford and MIT, where the object is to solve the biggest mystery in biology. His Google AdWords book laid the foundations for the $100 billion Pay Per Click industry and his other book, Ultimate Guide to Google AdWords, is the world’s best-selling book on internet advertising. He’s consulted in over 300 industries and served as an expert witness for marketing and Google AdWords litigation. In the full Best of Series Masterclass we talk about: ✅ What the 80/20 rule actually is and how he redefined it ✅ How to buy back time by saying no and what to remove from your life ✅ His secrets to running more efficient meetings ✅ The 80/20 productivity curve and its application in business efficiency, and ✅ Solving tough problems and appearing superhuman. Stay epic, Greg Connecting with Perry Marshall You can reach Perry on on X and via his website. Books and Resources 80/20 Sales and Marketing - by Perry Marshall Evolution 2.0 - by Perry Marshall Ultimate Guide to Google AdWords - by Perry Marshall Similar Episodes on productivity John Lee Dumas, Founder of Entrepreneurs on Fire, on Being insanely valuable, thinking outside the box and unlocking discipline to win Kath Blackham, CEO of The VERSA Group, on Extracting huge value from diversity and inclusion, mental health in the workplace and using tech for good Joe DeMaria, Founder of Teach To Scale, on The art of learning, career excellence and value creators 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

“When I think about the workplace of the future, it's about the experiences you provide when bringing people together. It’s an extension of your brand.” In this episode of The Inner Chief podcast, I speak to Brad Krauskopf, Founder & CEO of Hub Australia, on Designing inspiring flexible workspaces for the future, and Building workplace engagement and experience. 🎧👉 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 Workspaces Australia, the peak-industry body for flexible and coworking space in Australia. Under his leadership, 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 this 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 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. 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. 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