Team Guru Podcast

Resilience in leadership is the hot topic and in this episode of the Team Guru Podcast I ask why. Why is resilience more relevant now than ever before? What is it? Can it be learned? How? And what can it mean for our lives? Today’s guest answers all of those questions and more. Stacey Copas is a key-note speaker, coach, author, and resilience consultant. And through her business, Resiliency for Results, she is in seriously high demand. She is known for her direct and practical approach, and in this episode Stacey gives us a step-by-step guide for how to build resilience into our lives. And if you think it sounds like a fairy tale –seeing negative events as an opportunity - you probably should know that Stacey is a quadriplegic. And while she’s been through tough times, she now says that the accident she had as a 12 year old is the best thing that could have happened in her life. Among many other things, it has given her clarity of purpose. Stacey’s mission is to bring awareness of reliance to the world. She wants people to know that like any skill, resilience can be developed and she wants to teach us how to do it.

JV Crum is the man behind the Conscious Millionaire empire. At 5 years of age he decided he wanted to be a millionaire and he told anyone who’d listen. By 25 he’d made his first million… …and then realised it hadn’t made him happy. Thus began the quest for authentic professional and personal fulfilment. In this episode of the Team Guru Podcast, JV Crum shares his thoughts about wealth creation, creating the right business for you, living a virtuous live, motivating yourself and others and being part of a great team environment. J V Crum III helps entrepreneurs grow six and seven figure conscious businesses that combine making high profits with making a positive impact. He is a speaker, coach, Huffington Post Columnist, and best-selling author of “Conscious Millionaire: Grow Your Business by Making a Difference.” He hosts the top-ranking Conscious Millionaire Podcast and is Founder of ConsciousMillionaire.com, a global coaching and wealth product business. He holds an MBA, JD, Masters in Psychology, and has built and sold successful companies.

Bob Katter has spent more than 40 years in state and federal parliament. He was a long serving minister in Queensland’s notorious Bjelke-Peterson government. He was one of the three independent MPs who held the fate of the Australian government in his hands during the 2010 hung parliament. Bob Katter has styled himself as one of the most colourful, opinionated, passionate and controversial members of Australian public life. His opinions are loathed by many and loved by just enough people to get him re-elected – at every single election since 1974. This conversation is jam packed with passionate opinion and intimate stories about some of our country’s most controversial and colourful characters. Bob speaks candidly about the leaders he admires and the philosophies that guide his thinking. Depending on who you listen to, Bob is either a heroic defender of Australian tradition and values – or he’s a case study in cognitive bias gone wild. You be the judge.

Michael Blucher talks about life inside the bubble of professional sport and the lessons about performance and personal growth we can all learn from the trails and tribulations of the stars of the athletic world. Michael is an author, blogger, keynote speaker and professional advisor to high profile sports men and women and business leaders. His latest book - Bubble Boys – takes readers into the strange world of professional sports – the highs and lows, the enticing trappings and the perilous pitfalls. Michael has spent 28 years in and around professional sport - within the media, corporate partners and playing organisations. He has relationships with some of the best-known names in Australia and he works with some of the biggest names you’ve not yet heard of. He’s witnessed the shifting landscape of professional sport - the changing role of the mainstream media, the impact of social media, big money, the bright lights and the dark times. In some ways this conversation is just two guys who love sport, gossiping about players past and present, incidents, achievements and falls from grace. But there’s a serious thread to it. Talking with Michael opened my eyes to the complexity of a life played out in front of a crowd. He gives us great insight into work he does through his company - The Third Half – giving people the support they need to ensure what they do in the office or on the sporting field does not define or limit them as a person. He is a deep thinker about values, behaviour and the challenges we all face. And he gives some wonderful, practical advice that many of us can use to enrich our own lives. I could literally have talked to Michael for hours. Absorbing. Salacious. Serious. And wise. A good dose of sports talk and some serious links to the lessons we can all extract and inject into our own personal and professional journey. If you enjoy listening to this conversation half as much has I did recording it, you’re in for a real treat.

Who is leading our democratic process? Is it the media, the voting public, or the politicians we elect? Here in Australia we’ve just found ourselves with a brand new prime minister – our 5th in five years. It’s been a fascinating few years– powerful personalities and a revolving door of leadership. It’s been nasty, divisive and hyper-partisan. Whatever the changes have meant to you, we all have one thing in common – it's been incredibly interesting to watch. Dr Stephen Harrington is the perfect person to chat with about all things politics, media and the future of the democratic landscape. He has a PhD in philosophy, he’s a senior lecturer in journalism, media and communication at the Queensland University of Technology. He’s the author of a book - Australian TV News: New Forums, Functions, and Futures. And he has an incredible ability to make the weighty and often bland issue of political discourse relevant and thought provoking. This is not just the story of Australia’s recent political theatre, this is the story of the changing relationship between the political class, the voting public and the media that connects them.

Prue Mackenzie is quite simply one of the most impressive people I have ever met. Beneath her easy going manner and quick wit lies formidable intelligence, a wickedly competitive streak and lofty ambition. Prue graduated from her commerce degree with honours and at the very top of the class. At 29 she became a vice president at the global financial giant Credit Suisse. She’s a Harvard Business School Graduate. Currently she’s a vice president at Aurizon - Australia’s largest freight company. All that is very impressive – especially when you consider that she’s only 35. But as you know, being impressive isn’t enough to get you on the Team Guru Podcast. The thing I most like about this chat with Prue is her keen awareness of herself as a person and as a leader. In this episode you’ll hear her talk explicitly about her journey as a leader, what she’s learned from mentors, the value she places on being part of a team, her thoughts on learning about the theory of leadership, and the challenges she has faced putting it into practice. This episode of the team guru podcast is custom built for anyone who wants to be inspired in their career, to pursue the best version of themself and to overcome the obstacles that might get in the way.

Johannes Fritzsch is a rockstar of the orchestral world. Last year he finshed his tenure as the chief conductor of the Queensland Sympanthy Orchestra – where he oversaw the most challenging time in their long history – a merger with the Queensland philharmonic orchestra. In his role as chief conductor he very much sees himself as a leader of people. Johannes was born in Meissen East Germany. He grew up, was educated and began his professional career under communist rule. This and his 35 years experience performing with orchestras and opera companies all over the world has shaped his approach to leadership. In this episode of the Team Guru Podcast Johannes gives us amazing insight into the way a professional orchestra puts together their performances and recruits their members. But most of all – he takes us deep wthin is own personal philisophies on leading people and producing beautiful music.

Jason Maloni is a crisis communication expert. Environmental disaster. Transportation accident. Celebrity mishap. Corporate take over. Have you ever wondered about the type of thinking behind the response of a company, celebrity or nation when they find themselves in a sticky situation? Chances are Jason Maloni is in the war room working it out. Crisis communication is a specialised art and our guest on this episode of the Team Guru Podcast had been playing this pressure packed game for 25 years. As well as some tantalising inside stories about major disasters you have heard of, Jason gives us some top tips about taking charge and communicating in tough times.

Boo Holmes is a modern day Lionel Logue – Geoffrey Rush’s character in The King’s Speech. Except he’s a polite Englishman A trained actor – who has of course appeared in The Bill – Boo now spends his time helping people master the art of communication with his company Speak the Speech His clients include delegates from the United Nations, Formula 1 drivers, international cricketers, rugby league and union players, professional golfers, barristers and a host from the corporate world. In the true spirit of the Team Guru Podcast, Boo masterfully brings to life the topic of public speaking and effective communication. He gives us expert insight into the depth of the art of communication - a full body experience that defines the human experience. If you’ve ever wanted to improve your communication skills, and become a more effective public speaker, this episode of the Team Guru Podcast is for you.

Are there any teams that work under greater pressure, for higher stakes, than an emergency department at a hospital? Have you ever been part of a team that thinks the work it does is too important to ‘waste’ time thinking about the way its members interact – a team that thinks its technical skills and knowledge gives it immunity from having to think about human interaction? Then this episode is for you. Colin Myers carries the ultimate responsibility for hundreds of emergency patients everyday. He is the Executive Director of Critical Care across four hospitals. He is a specialist doctor with decades of experience. He is a man enormously aware of himself as a leader and the power of effective teamwork. In Colin’s world healthy leadership and team dynamics save lives – and he gives us an amazing insight into that world right here, in the third episode of the Team Guru Podcast.