TEC Live - Leadership Insights: Recent Episodes

Stephanie Christopher

Join Stephanie Christopher, CEO at TEC (The Executive Connection) as she sits down with successful business leaders and inspiring guests covering wide-ranging conversations on all things leadership, exploring the questions that are top of mind for SME business leaders. Guests share tactical insights and takeaways to inform and inspire you every time you listen. Success thrives on different perspectives. If you are passionate about growth, improving your decision making or just interested in what's going on in the world of the midsized or small business then this podcast is for you.

Take the first step towards results – listen now.

In this episode Raj Narayan, founder and CEO of Emajin Golf, delves into the concept of combining business with a shared passion, in this case, golf. This innovative approach to strategic networking provides a fresh perspective on building authentic and meaningful business connections.

Gain valuable tips on how to build strategic relationships, including the importance of authenticity, the right timing for making an ask, and creating high-value connections. Raj's RICH referral recipe (Right people, Intuitive environment, Creating a friendly environment, High-value connections) is particularly insightful.

Raj outlines a clear framework for effective networking, focusing on three pillars: access, learn, and grow. This structured approach helps listeners understand how to leverage exclusive opportunities, gain valuable knowledge from industry leaders, and expand their professional network.

Simon Hunter, writer, director, and producer with over 30 years of experience in the film industry discusses the intersection of storytelling and leadership in business.

Simon explains how the Hero's Journey, a narrative structure found in mythology and films, can be applied to personal and professional development. He emphasises the importance of authenticity and self-awareness in leadership and encourages individuals to reflect on their own stories and motivations. He also highlights the power of storytelling in business, as it allows leaders to connect with their clients on a personal level and create a meaningful impact.

Warren Hogan brings an Insightful Economic Analysis and makes the complex simple. As a prominent figure in the Australian business community, his insights directly impact businesses of all sizes, providing practical implications for navigating economic challenges and opportunities.

He delves into the implications of government policies, offers credible forecasting and provides a long-term perspective on demographic and technological shifts. Whether you're a business owner, investor, or simply interested in understanding the economic landscape, this episode gives listeners a unique opportunity to gain valuable economic insights, stay informed about relevant policy developments, and enhance their understanding of the broader economic landscape's implications for business and society.

Join Stephanie Christopher and special guest Ashton Bishop in a deep dive into the world of marketing budgets and strategies. In this episode, we uncover the critical balance between short-term performance marketing and long-term brand building. Hear why allocating 60% of your marketing budget to brand and 40% to short-term efforts is crucial for sustainable growth.

From the importance of differentiation versus distinctiveness to the role of market segmentation in targeting the right audience, this podcast provides actionable strategies for mid-size businesses aiming for exponential growth. Find out how to measure the effectiveness of your brand efforts and strike the perfect balance between short-term gains and long-term success.

Whether you're a startup looking to establish your presence or a mid-size business seeking to scale, this episode offers invaluable advice on crafting a winning marketing strategy. Tune in and gain the confidence to invest in your brand's future while driving short-term results.

In this episode, Ingrid Maynard and Stephanie Christopher discuss the challenges in sales, from overcoming stereotypes to addressing the talent shortage. Ingrid delves into the skills deficit within sales teams, the significance of observable behaviours and the untapped potential of sales functions as incubators for broader organisational strategies.

Business leaders will gain insights into the motivations of salespeople and practical strategies for transforming sales mindsets and fostering a positive sales culture.

Sophie Pank is an authentic marketing professional with a knack for simplifying the complexities of marketing. This episode focuses on two key areas for business leaders wanting to ramp up their marketing efforts. It may be just the right time to review marketing strategies and ensure you have alignment and collaboration across your business.

Two top takeaways are:

The critical need for alignment between sales and marketing teams. Sophie emphasises the importance of shared goals, open communication, and collaboration between these two functions
The fundamentals of effective lead generation, emphasising the significance of understanding the ideal customer profile. She encourages businesses to actively engage with their audience, seek feedback, and adapt their marketing strategies based on real-world insights.

Debbie Haski Leventhal is an accomplished Professor of Business Management and the MBA Director at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. She is well-published with over 60 academic articles, five books, and a TED Talk, dedicated to creating impact and enabling others to find meaning and purpose.

In this fascinating podcast, Debbie Haski Leventhal's talks about her childhood and upbringing in the Kabbalah Centre, a cult-like environment, highlighting the challenges, control mechanisms and the twisted rituals that were practiced, her escape and the difficulties faced by those trying to leave such organizations.

This experience informed her views about the importance of critical thinking which led to her academic and professional pursuits, and the significance of corporate social responsibility in making a positive impact. Her work as a professor, focuses on corporate social responsibility and the positive impact that companies can make beyond their regular business activities. She cites examples of social enterprises and companies that can make a real difference in the world.

The podcast features a conversation with David Jenyns, who became a systems devotee after systemising his own business successfully in 2016. He founded systemHUB and SYSTEMology with a mission to free business owners from the daily operations of their businesses. The discussion covers various aspects of systemising a business, the importance of repeatability, the impact on scalability, and how to get started with creating and implementing systems and processes. David emphasises the value of falling in love with the idea of owning a systemised business and building up your systems muscle over time to achieve business growth and success.8 tips to improved efficiency, scalability, and overall success in business.

Systemise Your Business: Systemising your business can free you from daily operational tasks, allowing you to focus on more strategic aspects of your company.
Identify Critical Systems: Start by identifying the critical few systems that have the biggest impact on your business's success. These are the systems you should focus on first.
Delegate and Repeat: Delegate tasks to lower-skilled team members, making them repeatable and standardized. This helps free up higher-skilled team members to work on more valuable tasks.
Keep It Simple: Don't overcomplicate your systems. Focus on creating systems that are simple, clear, and easy for your team to follow.
Cultural Change: Changing the culture inside your organisation is a crucial part of systemisation. Teach your team the value of systems and processes and how they can lead to personal and professional growth.
Fall in Love with Systemisation: Understand the importance of systemisation and commit to the process, even if you don't particularly enjoy creating documentation. Focus on the benefits it brings to your business.
Start Small and Build: Begin by identifying and systemizing just one or a few key processes. Building your "systems muscle" gradually will lead to long-term success.
Celebrate System Wins: Recognise and celebrate small wins in systemisation during your weekly meetings. This reinforces the importance of systems within your company.

In this episode Trudy MacDonald and Stephanie Christopher tackle this rich and relevant topic, uncovering the evolving landscape of work and leadership challenges - a must listen podcast for all business leaders.

Over the past few years, there has been a shift from "The Great Resignation" to "The Great Renegotiation" and ultimately "The Great Exhaustion." Leaders are facing burnout in an environment where they are under more pressure than ever before.

Trudy highlights four key reasons contributing to burnout:

Ways of Working: Hybrid and remote work models are here to stay, impacting relationships and connections within teams.
Role Clarity: Leaders have taken on too many responsibilities, leading to role compression and overwhelming workloads.
Changing Demands of Leadership: Leadership now requires a more humanistic approach, balancing empathy and accountability, which can be challenging.
Culture: Creating a culture of psychological safety where toxic behaviours are not tolerated is crucial, especially in remote or hybrid work environments.

Trudy emphasizes that this shift in leadership requires leaders to be visible, accessible, and empathetic. By building trust and a sense of belonging within teams, leaders can create a culture where accountability and support go hand in hand. Starting with the leadership team and modelling the desired behaviours is essential for implementing these changes effectively.

Hear how leaders can help themselves and their teams to mitigate burnout and become a high performance team.

Melo Calarco, the author of Beating Burnout, Finding Balance. He's a mindfulness and high performance expert, a keynote speaker and corporate programs facilitator. Melo teaches others how to stay energized, perform their best, and conquer burnout.

Melo's lessons draw on his three decades of professional experience and on his life of cycling and trekking more than 30,000 kilometers across five continents, of course. His work has been described as truly transformational.

In this podcast you'll hear insights about: self-awareness, self-regulation, thinking about yourself as a person and as a leader, and then thinking about your teams as well. As a leader, teaching people about preventing burnout and being more mindful in their work, will also lead to greater productivity

In 2017 DJ and Harriet McCready embarked on transforming a dilapidated historic building in the NSW Blue Mountains of NSW into the first brewpub in the Blue Mountains.

Harriet tells a great entrepreneurial story. Hear the ups and downs of building a business from scratch, with incredible strokes of luck and about the people that helped them along with way. Their controversial business plan, resilience and belief in their vision and purpose helped them stand out from an already crowded marketplace.

This episode highlights the power of luck, seizing opportunities, and the importance of strong leadership and culture within a business that paved the way for rapid growth and more to come.

I highly recommend listening to this podcast episode, it offers a unique perspective on building a successful business, overcoming obstacles, and embracing the journey of growth.

This episode is thought-provoking and explores the exciting possibilities that generative AI offers. By understanding this emerging technology and its implications, you can position your organisation to thrive in an increasingly AI-driven world.

Tim sheds light on the historical journey of AI, from its origins in the post-World War II era to the present day. He touches on the concept of machines thinking like humans and the intermittent phases of progress and setbacks that have marked the development of AI over the years.

He points out that it’s essential to understand the nuances of AI Chatbots and shares tips on unlocking their full potential. ‘Generative AI is not meant to replicate human thinking or replace human intelligence but serve as a powerful tool to augment human capabilities and streamline work processes. It enables us to offload repetitive tasks, accelerate information retrieval, and empower us to focus on higher-level strategic thinking and creativity’ says Tim.

To gain insights into the implications of generative AI for your organisation this is a must listen to episode.

In this podcast, Warren Hogan provides an in-depth analysis of Australia's economic landscape and the rationale behind his views on interest rates and inflation.

Warren emphasizes the need for Australia's cash rate to surpass 4% in order to achieve a zero real interest rate. He argues that negative real interest rates historically do not help control inflation and can even contribute to its rise. By maintaining a zero real interest rate, Hogan believes the country can achieve a soft landing and effectively manage inflation.

Despite concerns about a potential economic downturn, the Australian economy has shown resilience Warren says and he also mentions interactions with mid-sized companies and their positive outlook, indicating that business activity remains strong. Adding recent employment data and member feedback showing that businesses are still hiring due to labor shortages.

Warrens shared his view that the cash rate could reach 4.35% or possibly 4.6% by the end of September. However, suggesting that once this target is achieved, there should be a genuine pause of four to six months to observe the effects of previous rate hikes. This pause period would allow the economy to stabilize and inform future monetary policy decisions.

This podcast is highly recommend listening, giving a comprehensive providing valuable perspectives and insights into Australia's economic outlook and the role of interest rates and other economic levers in managing inflation.

Sandra Poon is a strategy advisor, certified Advisory Board Chair and business coach - Sandra’s secret super-power is her ability to understand an organisation’s landscape quickly and identify ways to make it better.

Sandra and Stephanie delve deeper into the topic - DEIB and discuss the importance of fostering an inclusive culture, where everyone feels heard, valued, and empowered to contribute their unique perspectives. They also explore the positive impact that diverse teams have on decision-making, problem-solving, and overall organisational performance.

By the end of this episode, you'll gain a deeper understanding of why diversity matters and the simple steps leaders can take to create a culture that not only embraces DEI+B but outperforms those that don't.

In this episode of 'Empowering Leadership', we dive into the critical moments that CEOs face on their journey. Join Danielle and Stephanie as they explore strategies to navigate disruption, make impactful decisions, and develop emotional agility. Hear how to empower your team, tap into the expertise across your organisation, and become a transformational leader.

Danielle explains why it's important for CEOs and business leaders to preserving their energy and make conscious choices about where to invest their time. Gain insights on fostering creativity, gaining perspective outside of your business, and recognizing that the CEO role extends beyond individual responsibility.

It's time to conquer critical moments and empower yourself as a leader.

Colin Fraser, Co founder and Partner at Nevis Capital and Stephanie explore the opportunities and challenges caused by generative AI technology, particularly in fields traditionally considered outside the realm of automation, such as creative professions and consulting.
The conversation touches on the potential resistance to adopting AI tools in conservative professions like finance, insurance, and banking due to concerns about bias and regulation. Importantly the intentional management of biases in AI systems and the potential for AI to help make better decisions by removing bias and promoting better thinking.
The future of work is discussed in the context of social and cultural norms, technological advancements, and the environment. These three core components play a significant role in shaping the future of work.
They address the challenges faced by leaders of SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) in determining work arrangements, productivity, and performance in the office and remote settings. They emphasize the importance of teamwork, common goals, and avoiding a perception of privilege or punishment based on work location.
The conversation highlights the need for individualized approaches to work arrangements, recognizing that different individuals thrive in different environments. It's important to consider the unique circumstances and find ways to get the best out of each person.

Paul is an award-winning founder of Future Directors Institute and is described as a ‘boardroom futurist’. He's one of the leading thinkers on the where next for corporate governance and speaks regularly around the world on the themes of board diversity, inclusive decision-making and the concept of the ‘Future Director’.

In this podcast Paul explores the true purpose of a board and the change in mindset required to create or shape a board for effective stewardship, good decision-making and be your number one competitive advantage!

Dr Neryl East shares her experience of working with leaders across different types of organisations and highlights the importance of effective communication. She says, ‘Communication is not just about pushing out information but rather making sure that the other person has received, understood, believed, and acted on the message. Particularly in times of stress and uncertainty, trust in leaders and organisations is crucial, and effective communication plays a vital role in building that trust'.

Dr East and Stephanie Christopher deep dive into how leaders need to strike a balance between competence and character, that is, between demonstrating their knowledge and expertise and showing their humanness and ability to connect with people.

In partnership with TEC, Dr Neryl East shares her ground-breaking research. This research uncovers the keys for leaders to navigate the challenges of our post-pandemic world and rebuild trust with fragmented teams. Read about the 6 Lenses of Credible Leadership required in 2023 and beyond. Download the whitepaper here: https://tec.com.au/a/thankyou-whitepaper-download/

Elias Kanaris is an author, professional keynote speaker, executive coach, leadership trainer, and entrepreneur.

Elias shares an insider's view about what happened on 9/11 when the plane he was a passenger in was diverted, alongside another 37 planes, to Gander International Airport due to the terrorist acts in the US (New York City, the Pentagon and DC). What the passengers expected was going to be a short layover, turned into five days as they were hosted by the Salvation Army in Newfoundland, Canada.

Jens Goennermann, Managing Director of Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre sits down with Stephanie Christopher and shares his insights about the misconceptions of Australian Manufacturing and the untapped Opportunities for the future if we’re smart.

Manufacturing is the most promising capability to transform Australia from a lucky country to a smart country, says Jens.

He advocates that Industry needs to take charge and be more responsible for transforming the economy for the better and our education system also has an important role to play in this.

Jens is passionate that a country’s ability to make complex things is its' most important capability. Australia needs to add complexity to our commodities and value-add on shore - Creating more jobs and significantly impacting our GDP

Just the beginning of an important conversation …

PS Here's the video link about Jen's skydiving record mentioned: http://bit.ly/3XRDn1D

Dr Robert Dew, a customer experience innovation and competitive strategy expert, delivers this short, fast paced podcast. What's Theory of Purchase all about?

'People are fundamentally driven by needs' says Rob. Find out the 6 Core needs (CAPFUL) and why it's important for every businesses to develop a theory of purchase that's valid.

A great 9 minute listen!

Ashton Bishop, CEO at Step Change & Institute of Change - Marketing Academy Mentor and keynote speaker, he's always a dynamite guest on TEC Live and this time is no different.

Stephanie and Ashton start their conversation with the ‘R’ word and the mindset needed to look beyond the media hype – ‘remember it’s a cycle’ says Aston.

Ashton reveals the 5 smart marketing moves SME leaders can make to increase their share of voice in the category and drive their business forward in a recession.

There are so many tips, reminders and lessons learned about marketing spend in the digital space and what the REAL metrics are that leaders should be looking at - you'll need to listen to this podcast more than once!

Stephanie Christopher had the pleasure to be joined by cybersecurity expert Ross Sardi for a discussion about the current threat landscape and how to protect a small-to-midsized organisation.

This timely podcast provides a look into the most critical security issues and risks facing leaders in 2023. You’ll learn about the evolving role of the leader in the cybersecurity space, how to work collaboratively with other business executives, manage third-party exposure, and make better cyber risk decisions.

In this robust and interesting podcast, team coach and leadership expert Bernard Desmidt, introduces the 5 Disciplines that distinguish high performing teams and shares what it takes for teams to transition to flourish and achieve the most impactful results.

Bernard kicks off the conversation with the 80:60:20 Paradox - Why is it that 80% of leaders claim to spend 60% of their time in teams, yet only 20% of teams are high performing, collaborative teams?

He takes the confusion out of what we mean by collaboration, 'we can’t see what we can’t distinguish' and draws a dominant distinction between a team that functions and is cohesive versus a team that is collaborative and flourishes - a subtle but significant one and the 3 key elements that determine that distinction... 'Collaboration dances with conflict'.

Stephanie and Bernard explore the culture of a flourishing team and what to look for and then finish off with the 3 steps for leaders to get started on the journey to a high performance team.

Psychologically safe leadership is a whole new approach that can be learned in time, if you want to unleash the leader you have always wanted to be this podcast is for you.

Dave Sewell, shares his perspective about the importance of Leaders putting psychological safety at the core of everybody's development. What stops you as a leader getting the best outcomes and working together with a common goal? Stress can be a major inhibitor to great performing teams and inclusive cultures.

Leaders need to be the calm in the storm. By being able to hold a place of psychological safety, will give you the skills to face your fears and have those difficult conversations with people.

Where do leaders start? Dave shares the 3 steps that a leader can take to work towards psychological safety within the workplace. The leader shows the way, but it’s everyone’s responsibility.

This fast-paced conversation Christian and Stephanie cover leadership, strategy, execution and performance.

A former fighter pilot and now successful entrepreneur, Christian Boucousis (Boo), dedicates his life to helping leaders have the courage to be accountable for their own journey.

Boo shares insights into how Great leaders create clarity through chaos and reveals the ‘Do Loop’ a brain hack that gives you 50% more brain power in 4 steps and creates a culture of action and outcomes.

In this inspiring podcast Nicole Golan, a proud Ngarrindjeri woman and CEO/Founder of Nik&Co. consultancy, speaks from the heart. Nicole highlights the inequity in our society and brings to life how business has a role to play in making a difference. Nicole and Stephanie unpack what reconciliatory practices within a business environment look like. How do leaders embrace reconciliation and inclusive practices within the workplace, and where to start?The good news is that ‘anybody can make a difference and support equality and justice for first nations peoples by applying a cultural lens over everything we do. We have to confront our history to be able to build our new world together.Nicole delivers a powerful and thought provoking vision.

In this action packed podcast David explores the science of people performance at work and how to link habits of high performing CEOs to end outcomes for long term business success. Change has never been faster, and leaders are having to change-up their game and re-assess – ‘What got me here won’t get me there’. David shares the 3 critical steps that will put leaders on the right path for re-invention to help unleash sustainable performance.‘Leadership is now a contact sport’, says David. Leaders need to be brave and have meaningful real time conversations with their top talent- it’s about frequency more than duration. CEOs and managers need to be constantly involved in the careers of their top talent and asking how they can accelerate their direct reports ambitions within the context of your growing business.

Stephen has always been passionate about helping small business and entrepreneurs, however after visiting Hobart’s Art & Culture Museum five years ago a new purpose unfolded for Stephen – To create opportunities for indigenous entrepreneurs and small business leaders.In this conversation, Stephanie and Stephen explore the similarities and differences between Indigenous Entrepreneurship and Western Entrepreneurship and the need to apply open innovation principles for the next horizon of growth.Critical to success is bringing the two worlds together, find out how all business leaders can take that first step.

Rob Kinkade, Co-Founder & CEO Chasm Digital and Director of DuToday brings a cross-sector perspective to digital transformation and in simple terms, unpacks what it means for the future of business, small or large. Rob say's ’It's about having a lightweight, agile approach to digital, it’s no longer a set and forget’. Rob gives great insights about how to go from idea to outcome with a great working example. Rob and Steph circle back at the end of this conversation with his top 3 tips to kick off digital transformation today. There are so many actionable insights in this podcast you'll need to listen again and again.

Warren Hogan sits down with Stephanie to talk about the current economic environment that business leaders are now operating in and what it will take to succeed.‘The world has shifted a lot, particularly in the last 6 months. Our economy is robust, but will also bring many challenges over the next couple of years - It will be dynamic, exciting and frightening for business and one of the most interesting economic backdrops that we’ve had in this country for a generation or longer.’Is your business in a defensive posture or an expanding posture? A must listen podcast for all business leaders!

Christa Lenard discuss the recent High Court decision in WorkPac and Rossato regarding casual employment in Australia. In a nutshell, the position in Australian employment law is now clear. Christa talks to Stephanie about the implications of this recent decision for SME Business Leaders and also for the GIG economy.

The landscape has shifted rapidly as we transition to the new normal and living with COVID. The conversation has shifted from restrictions to risk management and compliance. With a number of businesses bringing people back into the office it's time to re-access those COVID safe plans. Christa Lenard provides business leaders with clear practical measures that will minimise ongoing risk and increased compliance in a COVID world. Stephanie asks the question, 'Are there increased risks for employers because of shifts in expectations of health and safety at work, as a fall out from COVID, from a workers compensation perspective?' and 'How are employers managing issues around proof of public health orders with their staff?' This brief update is an essential listen for all business leaders.

Kim Seeling Smith, CEO of Ignite Global,Award winning author, Speaker and Future of Work Expert is Stephanie's guest in this episode, and Kim shares her insights about The Great Resignation and the Future of Work. Kim gives us key tips on what every size business can do to bring in the right talent and explains the paradigm shift in hiring. It all comes down to the Manager and the critical role they now play in our organization. A must listen to podcast - practical tips for business leaders of any size organisation can implement now.

It’s critical for any size business to have a Communication Strategy. Frances Dwyer, Marketing Communications & Strategy expert, kickstarts the conversation with 3 driving factors to guard against Reputational Damage for your business and tips on risk & crisis management.When it comes to your Communication Strategy Frances’ recommendation is to take an ‘Inside Out’ approach - What’s your Purpose and Values, how do they intersect with your product/services and the ‘What that you do’. Frances unlocks how you can develop an effective Communications Strategy in a meaningful & practical way that’s helpful to your target audience.Frances covers a lot of ground in this podcast and rounds the conversation off with Messaging tips to help you connect with your ideal customer, media tips, myth busting and more.

Stephanie Reuss and Victoria Stuart, Co-founders & Co CEOs of Beamible (formerly Beam). Five years ago they created a flexible jobs marketplace called Beam alongside their consulting business supporting flexible work solutions. After helping to move the needle on normalising flexible work they could see that there was more work to do.They've shifted their business model to a cloud-based platform solving the next set of flexible work challenges for business leaders, such as #burnout, #resourcing, lack of #visibility and lack of access to real #workforcedata. It's all about removing barriers to flexible and sustainable working.

If you’re shaping a positive future for your organisation, you know the importance of having a great, connected team. In this podcast Mark Puncher, CEO of Employer Branding Australia shares his expertise about how you can attract and retain the best talent, and keep them engaged, through employer branding strategy, employee value proposition development, storytelling and content marketing. Mark turns recruitment on its head and talks about the key components of effective employer branding to help you accelerate and enhance your employer branding journey for business success.

Trudy MacDonald, MD of TalentCode HR and award winning speaker, shares insights about what’s going on in the marketplace with the war for talent and how talent professionals are applying innovative recruitment marketing strategies for success. In this podcast, find out what are great businesses doing differently to find and attract the right talent and why an Employee Value Proposition is more important than ever. As Trudy explains it's also important at the same time to employ different ways to retain your top performers and keep them from getting poached.

David Thomas, China Expert and BRIC specialist, empowers business leaders, entrepreneurs and investors to thrive in the Asian Century. He believes that Australia is well-positioned to become the new Gateway to Asia and that SMEs can play a vital role in changing the conversation from the International Diplomacy stage to opening up new business opportunities for Australian and New Zealand businesses. David shares his observations about how our two nations may be perceived by our nearest trading partners and provides practical takeaways that you can deploy in your business to demonstrate your openness to access new markets and talent pools.

In this fascinating, but practical podcast, Craig Rispin, Business Futurist and Innovation Expert shares how business will be transformed by the fourth industrial revolution and what opportunities this presents for SMEs.Where there's emerging technology or innovation coming onto the global scene, Craig knows about it.Hear how visionary CEOs are transforming their strategic planning by employing AI, to scan and analyse worldwide trends that are then peer reviewed by hundreds of futurists.Are you a future focused CEO?

In John Bellamy's entertaining and provocative style he'll challenge your sales mindset and what you're really using LinkedIn for.He shares his 5 top tips to optimize your LinkedIn Profile for successful selling.John also gives us insight into how to hone your sales messaging to increase your opportunities to have more sales conversations. ‘It’s about connecting with the right people in order to steer a conversation off platform so we can get to know each other better.’

Nigel Stoke, alias ‘Skipper’, reflects on his 2016 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race experience. After 2 days of exhilarating high speed ocean racing, things took a turn for the worse. As Nigel says “when things go wrong, they always go wrong when it’s pitch black in the middle of the night and to make matters worse they were in 25 knot winds in Bass Strait!”.Fortunately Nigel’s 20 years of leadership experience equipped him to make that all important split second judgement call – knowing the difference between the urgent and the important. The foundation of any high performing team is trust and as Nigel recounts they pulled off, what other crews would have thought impossible!

For any CEO or business leader with ambitious growth plans this is the podcast to listen to. Adam Siegel, CEO and growth advisor unpacks the complexities of transforming and rapidly scaling a business using best practice business growth methodologies. Adam also reveals the key attributes of a successful leader for business success and so much more!

In the last 12 months of disruption and rapid change, organisations forced into remote work practices have discovered the unpredicted benefits for both their teams but also for themselves. ‘It’s been a lived experience’.Maja Paleka talks about how we can retain those benefits as we move into a new norm. Whatever workforce model organisations opt for, it needs to be designed with a human centered approach. Maja shares how a Hybrid model can be the best of both worlds, but it does require a bit work to get there. It needs a very clear framework, tailored implementation and constant review process. Here Maja’s 3 step framework for success!

In 2021 Growth will come at the expense of the Competition! Tony will share proven strategies and techniques for creating new sales conversations with the right people. How sellers can step-up and drive highly effective ‘combination’ strategies for human-to-human engagement leveraging technology and proven techniques that open doors and set the right agenda with decision-makers.A must listen for all business leaders and sales professionals!

David reflects on his experience in business over 2020….Challenging, scary but enjoyable? ‘The most enjoyable year in business’ … well that’s because David is a natural problem solver!He shares how they addressed their most important challenge this year and that was ‘people’…their team and their clients. People being their greatest asset and the importance of giving them certainty one way or the other.The conversation moves to the all important issue for most business leaders and that's about the future of work and the getting the balance right as they move into 2021. David also talks about how his peer advisory group supported him throughout 2020 with all it's ups and downs and so much more...A great listen for all business leaders!

Youcef’s story is inspirational and shows incredible resilience. He talks about his journey and the hurdles that he overcame to achieve his Olympic dream. His journey starts in a small village in Algeria with one TV channel and a school 6kms from home at the bottom of a mountain. At the age of 18 something went terribly wrong and Youcef Abdi had 24 hours to escape an Algerian military training camp in the desert - One day to make up his mind about where to spend the rest of his life, never giving up on his Olympic dream.

Ben Grozier shares his top tips for start-ups and the many hats that founders/owners and CEOs wear. Hear about the benefits of creating a frictionless culture that speeds up the pathway to success and applying the First Principals approach ‘What's the problem and what's the solution - what do I need to achieve and how do I achieve it - Ben calls this 'Mindset innovation'.

Martin Cayzer talks about what he got right and leadership lessons learned about leading teams across boundaries. Hear how Martin fostered collaboration and how he used imagery to drive focus and clarity for success.Excited to jump into a CEO role for a division of a larger European company with multiple offices and locations throughout the US, UK and Europe. His objective at the time was to bring this collection of businesses together under one umbrella to form a truly global enterprise. Martin underestimated the power, but also the challenge of bringing a team together, specifically leadership teams, across boundaries: geographic, time zone, cultural, disciplines, and language to name a few.

Disruption is a powerful way of thinking about innovation-driven growth. Matthew Tice, CEO at Insurgence, will challenge your thinking and discuss ways to transform disruption into a source of permanent competitive advantage.A worst-case scenario plan will help you visualise different strategic approaches and navigate through uncertainty. Will you emerge from current disruption as a Predator or Prey?

Linear Clinical Research is conducting the first human trials of a coronavirus vaccine right here in Australia. CEO and TEC member Jayden Rogers shares why it takes so long to develop and market a vaccine for COVID-19 and what he’s learned from this experience as a leader.Jayden is passionate about innovation in healthcare. He reflects on the value of a diverse group of peers that share insights, challenges and opportunities.

Difficult conversations can be a lot easier if we change our way of thinking in advance. In this podcast, Deborah Burt shares her recipe.Start with accepting that there are 3 versions to every story and that they co-exist; check your feelings and assumptions - ask questions and finally, agreement doesn’t mean a solution, it’s an agreement to move forward towards a solution.

What type of leader are you? A Directive, a Participative, an Affiliative Leader, or a blend of all 3 – An Effective Leader? Lynn Leahy, international speaker and business coach, leads the listener through the importance of coaching skills in Leadership.What’s the purpose of coaching? What makes a good coach? Can you coach someone remotely? Lynn tackles these questions and more. A great listen for all walks of life.

Garry Thomson, currently, CEO of Uplifting Australia, is a social innovator with 25 years experience in family development and a thought leader in this space.Tune into his podcast with Stephanie Christopher and learn what a healthy emotional system is and how to develop a practice at home for great mental health and wellbeing.You'll hear about tools you can apply immediately and also learn how these same practices can strengthen both your personal and professional relationships.

Trudy MacDonald shares three straightforward tools and techniques for increasing performance in your teams.[1]This podcast helps build leaders' capability to create engaged, purpose-driven, and accountable teams, with aligned efforts to deliver great outcomes.Excerpt

We have a tendency to take the old way of doing things and simply translate them to an online format. Viran Thakrar challenges that tendency and helps leaders re-imagine how work is being done in our new flexible, remote working environment.He helps business leaders consider the future we’re building.

Ron Schwartz explores leadership and the power of words in equations of hope and trust during challenging times. He’s a corporate change agent, organisational designer and business innovator with 20 years of experience in Australia, USA, Europe and parts of Asia.Ron has partnered with CEOs, business owners and senior executives to enhance individual, team and organisational performance by aligning effort with intention.

'Communication is not what is said but what is received' - Ashton Bishop talks to Stephanie about what's important for leaders to remember when communicating in times of Crisis...People are looking to their leaders for Leadership and as a leader this current crisis is moving so quickly, staying calm and intentional is essential.What are the conversations you are having with yourself? Be intentional with your communication to yourself and others. Ask yourself the question - How am I talking to people right now and what are they hearing?Stop thinking about time, think about your energy ... Get explicit about what your counter balances are...what are you doing to rejuvenate and replenish yourself?Check in regularly and check in with intent. Make sure you are taking the time to slow down and check-in with each team member to find out where they are on the continuum of change. This is a timely conversation and a great listen. Ashton is also happy to share the following resources with our TEC Live audience.Download one page Crisis Comms Model : https://tec.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Podcast-Crisis-Comms-Model.pdf or get further information on the 5Cs of Crisis Response here: https://info.hellostepchange.com/5cs-crisis-response

Susanne Bransgrove is Founder & Director of Women in Family Business and LiquidGold Consultants. Susanne's passion for Family Businesses is built on her experience as a 3rd generation member of a successful German business, allowing her to truly understand the range of issues that exist in a family business, especially when trying to meet the needs of multiple generations. In this podcast Susanne guides us through solving issues through manageable discussion frameworks, functional governance structures and facilitating conversations to enable meaningful interactions supporting the important human element and emotional side of long-term business and family decisions. Find out about the powerful quadrant framework for a balanced approach to provide business sustainability, people focus and family harmony.

Matthew Le Merle is co-founder and Managing Partner of Fifth Era which manages Blockchain Co-investors - the world's leading Blockchain venture fund of funds. Hear the simple actions you can take to be ahead of the game in the digital economy of the future… it’s all about mindset!Matthew takes a potentially complicated subject matter, Blockchain technology, and simplifies the concept and future applications. This technology will change our lives significantly. In this podcast Matthew addresses some frequently asked questions about this technology: What would a digital economy look like? How could it change my business/investments/life & How does this technology address the current challenges of the existing internet: Security, identity and trust.

Chief Economic Advisor, Warren Hogan led a TEC Economic Outlook 2020 Breakfast in the first week of February. Warren provided analysis and commentary on the current economic outlook and the global and local factors in play for business in the year ahead. Adam Creighton, Economics Editor, The Australian also features in a response which gives the listener another perspective to consider.A must listen podcast for insights to help business leaders navigate the current uncertain economic conditions and to support strategic decision making.

Getting started is the biggest hurdle for Strategic Planning in mid size businesses.How do you get started, create, and then execute on that strategy? In this podcast Kerry gives a practical strategic framework and talks to the 3 key elements that kick start the process:1. Create your company Vision 2. Define your financial targets 3. Create your Strategic Statement (A broad business statement as to how are you going to deliver theses targets and your vision)

Kerry and Stephanie further explore these 3 elements with no jargon examples to help simplify the process and what to look out for on the way.

Brad Church likes to ask the question “who leads the leader?”. The answer is that as leaders we need to lead ourselves. That means inspiring ourselves toward our goals and our vision for the future. In this podcast Brad takes Stephanie Christopher through his step by step repeatable process for goal setting that helps people make progress toward their true state of well-being. Brad has worked with successful families and business people for more than 20 years as a trusted advisor. Also as Chief Executive of Goodman private wealth advisers, he has seen firsthand the benefits that goal setting, when done well, can have on the lives of individuals, families, businesses and communities. He has come to recognise that a lot of the popular goal setting concepts like “work/life balance” and “smart” goals are actually ineffective for most people.Rather than 'work life balance', Brad believes that what we are all really striving for is well-being, a state characterised by health, happiness and prosperity. In order to achieve this state of well-being, we need to approach goal setting, from a new perspective.

Special Forces Veteran, Bram Connolly, demonstrates the 3 Fundamental Pillars for every Leader through his unique art of story telling drawing from real life experiences over his 20 year career in the Australian Defence Force, 15 years of which were spent in the Australian Special Forces!1. Preparation2. Communication3. Positivity

Todd Coates founding CEO of the globally renowned Bridge Climb Sydney across two decades – voted the best experience in Australia and 4th best on the planet. Todd shares this leadership journey with Stephanie Christopher and how they created a winning customer-centric culture from start up through to a crew of over 200 people. "Culture exists the moment the 3rd person walks in the door". "Culture is" whether you know it or not, so be intentional.

As a Peak Performance coach, Gaj Ravichandra, assists individuals, sporting teams and educational institutions to enhance and maximise their potential and performance.Do you believe that you are control of your life and you can control your destiny or are you leaving it up to fate? Are you the Bus Driver or a Passenger?What is in your control that you can be impacting positive change in your lives?Gaj applies a Model of Mental toughness developed by AQR that identifies 4 Critical Components to mental toughness, Find out what the ‘4 Cs are.Research has shown that Mental Toughness is 3 times more impactful than academic ability and performance in terms of success and happiness.

If the ultimate outcome of your business is a sale or you are a founder planning to transition your business further down the track you need to start now. This is particularly important for SMEs. Make sure you have a 360˚ view of your business. The ability to pivot for an opportunity or misfortune – you never know what’s around the corner.It’s much more than just getting your documentation and finances organised.Is there an opportunity to increase the value of your business?What are the disciplines you need to employ in your business?What are the critical elements of good business management?In this podcast Graham explains what "Game Ready" really means. A must listen for every small and midsize business leader.

The rate of change is driven by technology and advances in technology which is fast becoming exponential, Colin shares his insights into what you can do, as a leader or manager, to help individuals, teams and the organisation navigate that change.Capability of change and to change and can be a competitive advantage. It’s all about Resilience and mindset.Five main reasons that people resist change in an organisation:1. No communication of the underlying business reason for change2. Fear of job loss - if so disclose early and be very clear3. Expectation of new skills associated with change and fear of capability4. Comfortable with status quo5. Expected to do more for lessGreat Change Leaders Focus on People and Process. Colin shares his tips on how to drive successful cultural change and what to look out for on the way.

David Thomas explores the business growth and commercial opportunities for Australian businesses with China, particularly the limitless Inbound opportunities.80% of China’s GDP is now generated by the Chinese domestic market … so where are the business opportunities in China for Australian and New Zealand businesses? The window of opportunity is closing for outbound opportunities, but what about the Inbound opportunities and what is the difference?

Resilience – applying sports science to good business and leadership. Sven covers the important concepts for today’s leaders who need to perform at their Optimum.Sven makes the case that Leaders need to make a Strategic Investment in building their Resilience Resources.Sven and Stephanie also discuss: 1. The Importance of Sleep and the Impact of Stimulation Overload on Leadership and critical Decision Making.2. Presence & Flow and the impact it can have on you as a leader and how to structure your day for Flow.3. Self-awareness check-ins and more.

What does a remote location in The Kimberley got to do with lessons in leadership?Are you the manager who has all the answers? OR Do you want to be the business leader who asks the right questions?Mike talks to Stephanie about the challenge for CEOs and Business Leaders to step back from having all the answers. Leaders need to get out of the Content and coach their teams to ask the Process Questions, collectively the answer may result in a far better one.A problem well understood and well explored is a problem that’s mostly solved. The more perspectives you give a question then you will get an idea what the real problem is.Examine the impacts of the problem and unexpected consequences of this problem. If we did solve that problem, how would we know and what does success look like?What are our choices around what we could do? How do they meet the success measures?This questioning technique creates deep engagement and accountability. Find out more about Mike's 5 step process

National Family Business Advisor of the Year Award Winner, John Broons helps family businesses build their legacies and reclaim their family lives. John talks to Stephanie about the differences, opportunities and challenges of family business. 'A business has a fixed time frame but a family is forever.'Values are the foundations of a family business and understanding these values is critical to navigating the business success.Some questions that you may consider as a member in a Family Business:What are the rules of engagement and what are the rules about entry and exit?How do family members represent the brand and who is the best person to do this?Do you have a family charter that’s dynamic?

WOW - Stephanie talks to Maja Paleka about what organisations of the future will look like and how to get there. Maja is a co-founder and director of Juggle Strategies, a consultancy that works with organisations looking for better ways to work. She works with them to help shift the mindsets, capabilities and then behaviour of their people to support the new models they co-design. Ultimately, it is about creating workplaces of the future so that people, organisations and their communities can thrive.The last five years has seen the ‘Future of Work’ become a topic of intense focus and speculation in the business world. Work environments, organisational structures and the motivations behind work have transformed. Leaders of the future will need to shift their focus to adapt to this changing environment.For true agile work capability your team needs: Trust, Effective Communication and Measurable Outcomes.

Gary Bertwistle has always had a passion for innovation and creativity. His career has spanned the retail, music, media, corporate education and radio industries. Gary’s drive comes from having people and organisations think differently to generate new ways of doing things. In this podcast Gary and Stephanie cover a lot of ground from Podcast popularity - What’s changed to make Podcasting popularity ; Great Leaders build time into their day for learning; and Challenging the existing business formulas and paradigms. It's all about being Intentional, Curious and "Skill Stacking"!

Confidence has jumped in last 3 months – This quarter CEOs and business owners feel the economy has turned a corner but it isn’t all clear roads ahead; with talent and access to credit remaining key challenges for leaders looking to drive growth in FY 2020.CEOs remain optimistic about their own prospects, forecasting growth and increased investment in the next 12 months.The latest TEC CEO Confidence Index reveals retaining and attracting talent is a key concern for CEOs, and leaders are increasingly adopting new, people-focused programs to tackle their talent challenges.Federal Government policies and mechanisms to stimulate growth in small-to-medium businesses are largely under utilised, with the majority of SME leaders not yet capitalising on key benefits outlined in the Federal Budget.

Greg Donlan talks about the transformation of selling. Greg has had a long and successful carer in sales leadership, education and innovation across a diverse range of industries and has seen selling change dramatically. Successful companies are using a modern approach to selling which is a sophisticated system and more about educating than selling, which is easy to replicate and achieve consistent results.

How successful business leaders are embracing the new Paradigm of work and leveraging their competitive advantage.What is fractional work?Old Work paradigm - Organisational structures with clearly defined roles / Traditional roles and the traditional working week Versus The New Work Paradigm - Highly skilled people working for fractions of a week or fractions of a traditional role.

Ashton Bishop, CEO, Step Change talks to Stephanie about the ‘7 Customer Centric Shifts’ that Business Leaders need to adopt to become truly 'Customer Centric'Seeing the person behind the customer... Maximising the value they receive …while removing anything that reduces their ease of interaction

What's a military term "OODA Loop" got to do with Cyber Risk? Ross Marston, Founder and Chief Security Strategist for Business Intelligence Security has had over 30 years experience protecting companies against Cyber attack and educating businesses, large and small, government and private about reducing Cyber risk. Cyber risk is the new OH & S. Business leaders must take a Risk Management Approach it’s not a technical issue. In this podcast Ross highlights what to look for and what you, your staff and your company can do to minimize the risk and reduce the impact of a Cyber attack

John Stewart, talks to Stephanie Christopher about the importance of forecasting your balance sheet. It's about the management of cash more than the management of profit.Everyone knows 'Cash is King' and 'You only run out of cash once'. Most people in business understand these as a statements, however John has found that most business leaders' ability to know where their cash is and their ability to forecast their cash is wanting."You can keep a business alive with poor profit and strong cash flow, however if you have a business with strong profit and poor cash flow your business is at risk."It's about the management of cash more than the management of profit!

Will Meere, a young doctor takes time out for a short trip to Tokyo, Japan and then decides to journey northwards for a few days skiing. After 2 and half days of awesome powder skiing, confidence was high and on the 3rd day he pushed higher up the mountain and onto more difficult runs. Suddenly skiing through a precipice, falling and finding himself on the wrong side of the mountain in unfamiliar territory, alone and still overconfident in the decisions he was yet to make proved to be a potentially deadly predicament to find himself in.....This adventure would test his mental and physical stamina.... Listen to this roller coaster of an adventure!

John Beech talks with Stephanie Christopher about applying a scientific methodology to Innovation. Taking the mystery away from entrepreneurship and innovation, ‘something most people learn at school - how to have an idea and test it.’John assists companies with strategy development and execution with a focus on commercialising innovations developed into global markets. With over 30 years’ experience in the development, commercialisation and financing of new technologies John is a Speaker on Business Model Innovation and until recently was a Chair for an international CEO leadership group for over 15 years....Love the problem not your solution!

What does Innovation look like for business and where do you start? Stephen Rutter, Founder of The Scale Institute talks to Stephanie Christopher demystifying the latest buzzword. Innovation can be as simple as changing processes to solving complex problems or driving transformational change for business.

Former ANZ Chief Economist and Industry Professor at UTS Business School, Warren Hogan in conversation with Stephanie Christopher, TEC CEO providing robust insights and comment on current economic climate and implications for SMEs.