What key messages do you feel are relevant to the finance sector?
The underlying principals around leadership, seeing change as opportunities and resilience are equally applicable on the battlefield as they are in business, the ‘corporate battlefield’.
My experiences seem to have resonated with finance executives, at all levels. I think it is the core thoughts that I deliver that are fundamental to winning and on-going success regardless of industry. People also let me know that the way I present, my style, strikes a chord with them.
What about your experience, do those working in this industry relate to?
Some of my experiences are extreme and thankfully most of my audience members have never experienced being on a battlefield themselves. So the footage I have shot from war zones I have served in, can be confronting. But the footage and the experiences I share seem to cut through, to get people’s attention which helps when trying to convey key business messages.
People almost always feedback to me that beyond a powerful personal story, it’s the underlying principals and the lessons that I draw out that make it relevant for them, what-ever circumstances they are dealing with at the time.
You’re cleared for ‘Top Secret’ aren’t you? Can you share who you’ve been working with?
[Laughs…]
Over the past 12 months, I have been fortunate enough to work with many of the largest - and some of the smaller, more nimble - finance houses globally.
I have shared my experiences with various teams at Commonwealth Bank, Westpac, NAB, ANZ, Hume Bank, Bank West and many of their affiliates.
Coming-up, I will be in Melbourne these next few weeks, to provide keynote addresses and training for a couple of the bigger financial institutions’ internal teams.
Oh and a smaller, regional bank has asked me to help them with a road-show that will involve a 2,000km round-trip through central Queensland in March. I’m looking forward to catching-up with some farmers who have battled floods, droughts and fires, and hearing their thoughts on resilience and change!
As the 25th April, the Anzac Centenary approaches, the notions of team work, mateship, courage and resilience are just as important today as they were for our ANZAC forefathers.
Any parting words of wisdom?
Effective leadership and teamwork at all levels, our capacity to deal with what seems like an ever-increasing rate of change and the impact on our people, you know, the resilience required – they’re some of the universal truths to get right, things we must keep improving incrementally.
For me, I am so appreciative for the opportunity to share my thoughts in these key areas, to help businesses, Governments and others.
