10 Lessons Learned

Andrew Tyndale - Play the Long Game

                     
Andrew Tyndale speaks with Jeffery Wang this week. Explaining his lessons of why you should "Find your tribe", the power of "Filling you heart with gratitude" and the benefit of "Playing the long game".
About Andrew Tyndale
Andrew has spent more than 35 years of investment banking and funds management, initially in the commercial space and, for the last decade, in the social sector.
In his ongoing work, Andrew originates Impact Investing opportunities for wholesale capital, in sectors like affordable and disability housing, to generate a healthy risk-weighted financial return as well as a social or environmental benefit.
He also advises major foundations and governments on using investment capital to adress the world’s wicked problems. In 2014, Andrew was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship, and has held numerous commercial and not-for-profit board roles.
Together with his wife, Philippa, Andrew has been extensively involved in international development work, including microfinance with Opportunity International Australia (www.opportunity.org.au), maternal health & education with Pader Girls Academy (www.ccfpader.org) and digital literacy and numeracy through Library For All (www.libraryforall.org) now part of Save The Children.
Episode notes.
You can’t go somewhere where you haven’t imagined 02:53.
Play the long game 08:25.
The wise man builds his house on a rock, not sand 12:19.
Find your tribe 18:14.
You have the power of life and death on your tongue 25.03.
You grant the most authority to your own words – your self-talk becomes your reality 33:22.
Fill your heart with gratitude 37:35.
Unforgiveness is like drinking poison and hoping the other person dies 40:38.
Undirected passion won’t lead to purpose 44:40.
This too shall pass 50:26.

Eddie Grobler - What’s Your Decency Quotient

                                 
This week Duff speaks with Eddie Grobler. Eddie shares how "the answer is in your hands", why you shouldn't "Jerk the knee or shoot the mouth" and why "Your mindset matters...a lot" along with seven other great lessons.
About Eddie Grobler
In July 2019, Eddie established Commerce 2040. The main objective is to use Commerce 2040 as a “platform” for engagement with different stakeholders in the payments value chain with the key focus on payment flows in a dynamic and changing environment. He is currently involved is a number of explorative engagements with stakeholders – mainly start-up organisations and entities who are interested in entering the Australasian market.
Eddie Grobler was the Executive Vice President: Australasia Division from 2008 and in August 2016, he was appointed as Executive Vice President: Realtime Payments. Based in London, he was responsible for the development and execution of Mastercard’s real time payments strategy. Part of this strategy was to acquire a UK real time payments company. Eddie was part of the due diligence team. After the successful acquisition of Vocalink he took responsibility for the integration of the company into Mastercard. This project was successfully completed in November 2018 after which he returned back to Australia. Eddie retired, after 20 years, from Mastercard on 31 December 2018.
Prior to 2008 Eddie was Based in Johannesburg, as the Senior Vice President: Sub-Sahara Division Eddie was responsible for all the Mastercard Africa business operations, in particular, the development of the Mastercard franchise in Africa, sub-Sahara. He was instrumental in the opening of the Mastercard offices in Nigeria, Kenya and Morocco.
Eddie holds two Master's Degrees: one in Business Leadership the other in Psychology.
Episode notes.
Lesson 1: The answer is in your hands 5m 58s.
Lesson 2: Culture matters and always will 8m 58s
Lesson 3: Writing in the snow 12m 08s.
Lesson 4: What’s your decency quotient 14m 35s
Lesson 5: Your mindset matters a lot 18m 03s.
Lesson 6: Far or fast…you choose 22m 58s.
Lesson 7: Make recognition your job 25m 00s.
Lesson 8: Reverse Mentoring 30m 42s
Lesson 9: Your career is not a one-day match. 36m 07s
Lesson 10: Don’t jerk the knee or shoot the mouth 38m 58s.

Diana White - Be prepared to walk away

       
This week Siebe Van Der Zee speaks with Diana White. Diana has a wealth of experience and eagerly shares her 10 lessons with Siebe. Dianna tells us why we should "never let work politics...influence out work ethics", why we should " Be prepared to walk away..." and that "everyone has something to learn and to teach".
About Diana White
Diana White has over 30 years in sales and retail experience, leading stores with revenues of over 10 million and a staff of 200. Consumer psychology, marketing, operations, and leadership are just a few of her skillsets. Diana’s career experience encompasses both the east and west coasts, starting with the management of several retail locations in NYC. Diana moved her family to Arizona in 2002. She has spent her years in Arizona working across the state, learning more about consumer buying patterns, and honing her sales skills. Seeing a need for startup and operations assistance within the local business community, Diana established D.E.W. Business Solutions, LLC, in 2014 to provide consulting to small businesses.
In 2017, Diana began working with a technology incubator in Northern Arizona. Diana held the title of Director of the Coconino County Small Business Development Center under the incubator and worked to develop programming for entrepreneurs. Along with developing curriculum content and facilitating small business workshops through Moonshot at NACET, in 2019, Diana was appointed as CEO of Chandler Innovations, a technology incubator funded by the City of Chandler, Arizona.
Diana obtained a Bachelor of Science in Small Business Administration from Northern Arizona University, holds a green belt in Lean Six Sigma, and is a certified Agile Scrum Master. She is committed to helping businesses and non-profits as well as the community at large. Diana has served on many boards, including the Boys and Girls Club and Habitat for Humanity. She is presently the Vice-Chair for Marketing Mission. This non-profit organization provides quality, professional marketing services to small non-profits. Diana also serves on the advisory board for Lancaster Leadership, a woman-owned and operated leadership academy. She currently splits her time between her residences in Gilbert and Flagstaff, Arizona, where she continues to lead Chandler Innovations and assist small businesses through her consulting firm.
 
Episode notes
Lesson 1: Be kind to everyone, you never know if they might be a potential customer…and there’s that Karma thing. 06m 03s.
Lesson 2: Never work harder than the person that works for you to keep THEIR job. 08m 47s.
Lesson 3: Don’t let work politics or bad influences dictate your work ethics. 10m 00s.
Lesson 4: If you’ve done your homework, listened attentively and you’re truly excited about something, don’t let others tell you not to try 14m 31s.
Lesson 5: Listen for comprehension and empathy 17m 11s.
Lesson 6: Base your ask on the value of the work not how you feel about your self-worth 21m 26s.
Lesson 7: Be prepared to walk away and be prepared that no one will try to stop you 23m 16s.
Lesson 8: for many positions great people skills and a willingness to learn are the real treasures to look for when hiring 29m 32s.
Lesson 9: Find someone who can show you how they were able to do what you wish to do 32m 25s.
Lesson 10: Everyone has something to learn. Everyone has something to teach 37m 07s.

John Collee - Find Somebody Who’s Done it Before

                         
Academy Award-nominee writer John Collee spends time with Duff Watkins to discuss valuable lessons that he has learned. John will reveal "The reason we have 2 sexes", why "It's not an education without language and music" and why you need to "Find someone who's done it before". 
 
About John Collee
John Gerald Collee (born 1955) studied Medicine in Edinburgh, Scotland, and subsequently worked as a doctor in the UK, Sri Lanka, Madagascar, and the Solomon Islands.
From 1991-96 he wrote a popular weekly medical column for The Observer Newspaper, UK.
Since moving to Sydney in 1998 John has written or co-written a number of feature films including the Oscar nominated “Master and Commander” and the Oscar winning “Happy Feet.” More recent work includes "Creation" - about the home life of Charles Darwin - "Walking with Dinosaurs" and "Wolf Totem".   
John is also a novelist and published Author. His novels include “Kingsley's Touch”, “A Paper Mask” - both medical thrillers - also “The Rig”, inspired by his work as a doctor for a Canadian drilling company in Madagascar.
John is married to his wife Deborah, a newspaper journalist, and they have three grown-up children.
​He is also the creative director of Hopscotch Features (producers of Russell Crowe's "The Water Diviner" etc), also co-founder and board member of the climate action group 350.Org, Australia.
 
Episode notes
Lesson 1: It’s not an education without music and language 05m 30s.
Lesson 2: The reason we have 2 sexes 12m 02s.
Lesson 3: How to succeed before you start University 16m 01s.
Lesson 4: Find somebody who’s done it before 23m40s.
Lesson 5: Locate your limits 25m58s.
Lesson 6: Humans achieve communally 29m 31s.
Lesson 7: Output equals input 33m 45s.
Lesson 8: The hard conversations are the important conversations 37m 23s.
Lesson 9: Choose your children wisely 40m 58s.
Lesson 10: It’s not analytical or intuitive …it’s both 45m 01s.

Ten Lessons - Recap EP 13 - 16

                 
In this episode the four of us, Dr. Duff Watkins, Siebe Vanderzee, Jeffery Wang, and Robert Hossary review episodes that featured Alan Haselden, Bill Guy, Guillaume Lucci and Jacob Butler. We share with you, our audience, the lessons that resonated most with us. 

Jacob Butler - Don’t Wait for Change

                               
This week Siebe brings you 10 Lessons from Jacob Butler. Jacob shares lessons that his culture has taught him. Lessons like why you should "Invest in lasting impact" and why you "Don't wait for change" in your life. 
About Jacob Butler
Jacob Butler is Onk Akimel O'Odham.  He is the community gardens coordinator for the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. He has worked for his community in the cultural resources office for the past 15 years, previously worked as the cultural resource specialist and was the primary contact for the section 106 government-to-government consultation for the tribe, the release states.
Jacob has worked with many indigenous communities across the country during his time as the community garden coordinator. Jacob is also a board member for the non-profit Native Seeds Search.
Episode Notes
Lesson 1: Know Your Worth 10m 09s.
Lesson 2: Stand behind your principles unless they conflict with a greater value 16m 18s.
Lesson 3: Engage the world 18m 15s.
Lesson 4: Invest in lasting impact 22m 33s.
Lesson 5: Address issues with solutions not complaints 27m 05s.
Lesson 6: Don’t wait for change 29m 08s.
Lesson 7: Address conflict analytically to find common ground 34m11s.
Lesson 8: Don’t let fear limit what you can do 38m 53s.
Lesson 9: Follow through but know when to ask for help. 43m 06s.
Lesson 10: The greatest change I can affect is my own 47m 04s.

Guillaume Lucci - Leave the money…take the opportunity

                   
Duff Watkins interviews Guillaume Lucci this week to discover 10 more lessons to share with you. Guillaume tells us "why we should "Get ready to fail", why "Perfect is a poor target" and why you should "Leave the money…take the opportunity".
About Guillaume Lucci
Guillaume is the President and Chief Operating Officer of Prime Metroline Power Holdings (PMPH) and Prime Metroline Infrastructure Holdings (PMIH), the Infrastructure and Energy arm of the Razon Group. PMPH and PMIH are developers and long-term operators in their respective markets: Power (generation and distribution), Water (bulk water supply, WWTP).
A career focused on infrastructure development with numerous awarded projects, Guillaume brings executive management, heavy civil and industrial project development experience across five continents with a primary focus on emerging markets. Recent projects have been located in Iraq, Democratic Republic of Congo, Colombia, Mexico, Honduras, Argentina, The Philippines, and Australia, among others.
Prior to his current position, Guillaume served as Vice President and Head of Global Engineering for International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI, PSE:ICT), with global responsibility for all infrastructure and equipment projects and Capital Expenditures across 20 countries and over 30 terminals worldwide. Prior to joining ICTSI, Guillaume held several leadership roles in the Americas for Halcrow/CH2M HILL. Prior to joining Halcrow, Guillaume served as Principal VP and Director of River Consulting’s Maritime Division, a wholly owned subsidiary of Kinder Morgan Energy Partners (NYSE:KMI). As an adjunct faculty, he has taught numerous civil/structural and port engineering courses, as well as engineering economics courses at the undergraduate and graduate level.
Episode Notes
Lesson 1: Never put your reputation and financial interest ahead of your employer’s reputation and financial interests 4m 23s.
Lesson 2: Leave the money…take the opportunity 06m 14s.
Lesson 3: Get ready to fail 08m 04s.
Lesson 4: You lead by listening 09m 23s.
Lesson 5: Promote yourself at work 10m 43s.
Lesson 6: It’s not about social media it’s about social skills 12m 57s.
Lesson 7: You only have your knowledge and your reputation, and you can only lose one of them 15m 46s.
Lesson 8: Perfect is a poor target 18m 16s.
Lesson 9: If it’s earned it’s sustainable 21m14s.
Lesson 10: It’s a lonely road 22m 46s.

Bill Guy - The Hiring Process is Broken

                                       
Siebe Van Der Zee speaks with Bill Guy this week. Bill discusses the lessons he learned throughout his career in Executive Search and Consulting and shares insights into why "the hiring process is broken" and how we can "Learn to say no" and that "Good guys can finish first" as well as many more.
About William Guy 
Experienced Chief Executive Officer with a demonstrated history of working in the headhunting and consulting industry. Skilled in Negotiation, Business Planning, Operations Management, HR Consulting, and Coaching. Strong entrepreneurship professional with multiple degrees from the California college/university system; keynote speaker for numerous universities and professional societies; published author; professional board member; active philanthropist.
Episode notes
Lesson 1: The hiring process is broken 3m 59s.
Lesson 2: Interviews are not the most important part of the hiring process 05m 02s.
Lesson 3: Learn to say no 08m 39s.
Lesson 4: You can make a difference 09m 57s.
Lesson 5: Aging is self-imposed 12m 10s.
Lesson 6: Satisfaction verses excitement 14m54s.
Lesson 7: Good guys can finish first 18m 47s.
Lesson 8: I Q is overrated 19m 49s.
Lesson 9: Global Warming verses planet health 22m 41s.
Lesson 10: Blood is not thicker than water 25m 03s.

Alan Haselden - Can We Just Get to the Point?

                 
 
Duff's guest this week is Alan Haselden. Alan had a long and successful corporate career before entering into local politics. Alan shares over 50 years of lessons with us such as "Identify bad actors and weed them out", "Never lose sight of the detail", and " "Can we just get to the point" among others.
About Alan Haselden 
Alan Haselden is a graduate mechanical engineer from the University of Auckland and enhanced his professional qualifications later with an MBA from the University of New England (Australia) and a diploma from the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Prior to retirement from full time work, for 16 years Alan, as Managing Director-Asia Pacific, lead the operations of Garlock, the major subsidiary of EnPro Industries (NYSE:NPO).
Since 2012, Alan has been an elected representative in Australian local government and sits on the board of Hydraulink, a trans-Tasman business in the fluid power industry.  He is also a director of the National Space Society of Australia
 
Lesson 1: Identify bad actors and weed them out 08m 51s.
Lesson 2: Identify the contributors and look after them 11m 00s.
Lesson 3: Deference, politeness and humility are universal 15m 22s.
Lesson 4: Keep looking out 20m 40s.
Lesson 5: Never lose sight of the detail 23m 57s.
Lesson 6: Be wary of acquisitions 29m 46s.
Lesson 7: Please don’t give me data without a conclusion and a recommendation 35m 11s.
Lesson 8: Can we just get to the point? 37m 55s.
Lesson 9: Try to pre-empt what your boss will ask you to do 40m 20s.
Lesson 10: Take care of the top line and you’ll end up paying less attention to the expenses 43m 05s.

Ten Lessons – Recap Ep 9-12

In this episode the four of us, Dr. Duff Watkins, Siebe Vanderzee, Jeffery Wang, and Robert Hossary review episodes that featured Alan Kilfoyle, Garry Browne, Narelle Hooper and Brad Casper. We disagree on some points but we still share with you, our audience, the lessons that resonated most with us. 

Brad Casper - Leadership is not a Title

                                   
On this episode Siebe Van Der Zee speaks with Brad Casper and learns some valuable lessons. Brad tells us  that "The best way to predict the future is to create it", that "Your career is the sum of many micro careers" and that "Leadership is not a title" among others.
Brad Casper
Brad Casper is the CEO and co-Founder of Heart & Soul Marketing, the fiercely independent boutique agency for challenger brands that uses strategy, art, science, and your unique voices to create purpose-driven business solutions, while being a positive force for change.
A leading business executive across industries, Brad has a diverse track record of success leading some of the world’s most iconic brands like Tide, Dial, Olay, Pampers, Pantene, Arm & Hammer, Trojan, First Response, and Right Guard. He has run large, well-resourced companies, as well as entrepreneurial, smaller ones -- publicly traded, private, and private-equity backed. Previously, he has served in several client-side leadership roles, including: CEO of Dogswell, a private-equity backed pet food company located in Los Angeles; Executive Chairman of Dymatize Nutrition, a private-equity backed sports nutrition business in Dallas; President of the
Phoenix Suns; President and Chief Executive Officer of The Dial Corporation in Scottsdale, Arizona; President of Church & Dwight in Princeton, New Jersey; and more than 16 years at Procter & Gamble in a variety of leadership positions domestically and globally.
Brad Casper received his Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from Virginia Tech University, where he continues to serve as an advisor on the Pamplin School of Business and Chair of the Student Engagement Committee. He has also been involved in a significant number of community roles in Arizona and remains a Board member with the Greater Phoenix Leadership (GPL) organization.
Lesson 1: Everyone is a brand…stand for something authentic and timeless 06m 19s.
Lesson 2: Believe in yourself and your instincts 10m 05s.
Lesson 3: Align your life mission with your professional one and live it fully 12m 49s.
Lesson 4: Your career is the sum of many micro careers 16m 16s.
Lesson 5: How one deals with failure rejection and disappointment is at least as important as how one deals with success 20m 17s
Lesson 6: Leadership is not a title 23m 25s.
Lesson 7: Never underestimate the importance of listening empathically & communicating inspirationally 26m 02s.
Lesson 8: Treat everyone like you wish to be treated 28m 47s.
Lesson 9: The best way to predict the future is to create it 32m 02s.
Lesson 10: People may not remember what you said but will remember how you made them feel. 33m 34s

Narelle Hooper - Look out for Landmines

                                         
This week Jeffery Wang speaks with Narelle Hooper one of Australia's leading journalists. Narelle discusses her valuable insight that she has gleaned over her career. Listen to hear why you should "Put on your oxygen mask first before helping others" , "Everyone needs to feel like they belong" and why you should "Look out for landmines"  and more.
About Narelle Hooper
Narelle is Editor-in Chief at the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) Company Director magazine and is a non-executive director of The Ethics Centre. A former editor of the Australian Financial Review’s BOSS Magazine, Narelle has long been an advocate of sustainable leadership. She has worked across print, broadcast and digital media, including with BRW, the AFR, ABC Radio News and Current Affairs, SBS TV and Medium Rare Content Agency. She is co-author of New Women New Men, New Economy on how sustainable leadership drives performance and innovation and was founding co-chair of the Australian Financial Review’s 100 Women of Influence awards. She has previously been a non-executive director of the Tasmanian Development Board and Documentary Australia Foundation.
Don’t Open First 01:45
Everyone needs to feel like they belong 05:05
Take the road less travelled 11:53
You have the power to influence 15:34
Look out for landmines 19:03
Put on your oxygen mask first before helping others 22:37
Respect those who came before you 26:40.
Try to do no harm 28:42.
Don't lose your connection with nature 32:21.
Always have good hair ... and shoes! 34:43
 
 
 

Garry Browne - Learn to be Vulnerable

                                   
 
Listen to Duff discuss the 10 lessons that Garry Browne learned over his 50 years. Invaluable information such as: " To be the fastest doesn’t mean you’re the winner" , "Change the people or change the people"  and the cryptic "Message to Garcia" plus 7 more. 
Garry Browne AM
Garry Browne AM has extensive CEO and Chair experience across business, not-for-profit, and education sectors, including the Centre for Social Impact, Legacy, Rotary Foundation, UTS and UNSW. Garry is a highly regarded industry leader, known for his expertise in consumer branding, leadership, cultural change and business innovation.
Garry was CEO and Managing Director at Stuart Alexander & Co. for over 20 years and was appointed Chair in January 2018. One of Australia’s largest privately owned companies, Stuart Alexander imports, distributes and markets premium consumer goods in Australia and New Zealand, turning over in excess of $300 million annually. Garry has a proven record for introducing and building brands.
Garry is passionate about building community and charitable organisations through working with young CEO’s and up and coming leaders.
“Brand New Brand You” was inspired by the desire to share his learnings and experiences building reputation and maintaining relevance.
Episode Notes
Lesson 1: You can’t do it on your own 05m31s.
Lesson 2: Learn to be vulnerable 10m50s.
Lesson 3: To be the fastest doesn’t mean you’re the winner 16m27s.
Lesson 4: Reputation; It’s yours to lose 17m 59s.
Lesson 5: Disrupt yourself and your business 23m16s.
Lesson 6: Change the people or change the people 26m54s.
Lesson 7: Loyalty and competency need to be in balance 30m 54s.
Lesson 8: Failure is part of life so be prepared for it 37m32s.
Lesson 9: A job description is not a job prescription 43m 10s.
Lesson 10: Message to Garcia 46m 13s.

Alan Kilfoyle - You Can Recover

 
                                           
This week Robert Hossary speaks with our guest Alan Kilfoyle who shares some of his valuable lessons that helped him navigate his career and life for the past 5 plus decades. He'll share why it's important to : "Be open to opportunities" and "Be resilient". Also why "The show must go on". Most importantly, no matter what happens "You Can Recover". 
 
Alan Kilfoyle
Alan Kilfoyle has had over 40 years in HR in the corporate world and private consulting. He has worked with prestige recruitment companies and also twice run his own recruitment and consulting company
Alan is qualified as a Master Coach and began 4Seasons Consulting as a sole trader, largely specialising in Career Coaching and Counselling. He has a Graduate Diploma in HR Management and is a Professional Member of the Career Development Association of Australia and has served on the Victorian State Committee.
Along the way he has been an actor on stage and screen skills he still uses in consulting and counselling. 
 
Episode Notes:
Lesson 1: Keep open minded 06m:20s
Lesson 2: Be open to opportunities 08m 16s
Lesson 3: Be Culturally aware 10m 45s
Lesson 4: Be aware of yourself as a product 15m 39s
Lesson 5: Be Resilient 19m 39s
Lesson 6: The Show must go on 24m 19s
Lesson 7: Be on top of everything but don’t micromanage 28m 36s
Lesson 8: You can recover 31m 18s
Lesson 9: Teamwork 34m 47s
Lesson 10: Listen, learn, live up to. 39m 33s

Ten Lessons – Recap Ep 5-8

                               
 
In this unique episode the four of us, Dr. Duff Watkins, Siebe Vanderzee, Jeffery Wang, and Robert Hossary will be reviewing the previous episodes and share with you, our audience, what we found most fascinating about our guests.  We will be discussing our interviews with André Alphonso, Jack Milligan, Rod Mewing and Michael Kelly. Join us and hear what we learned from our guests.

Michael Kelly - All Agreements Are With Yourself

 
Duff Watkins speaks with Michael Kelly who is a communications guru. Michael talks to us about the lessons that have been significant in his career. 
Michael Kelly
Michael Kelly is a leadership communication trainer and has been working in this domain for 20+ years.’ He is a leading body language and speech expert and holds a Master of Science degree in speech pathology. Michael is a popular media commentator and writes The Winning Voice weekly blog post on all aspects of memorable listening, speaking, and presenting.
Many leaders struggle to make an impact when delivering important presentations. Michael’s programmes help leaders communicate their ideas and vision with confidence, energy, and certainty. Leaders who work with Michael deliver influential presentations, win more pitches, and grow thriving careers.
 
Episode Notes
Lesson 1: Every person is fighting a battle that I know nothing about 05m 16s
Lesson 2: Have great respect for high intelligence and culture BUT… 07m 02s
Lesson 3: All agreements are with yourself 10m 16s
Lesson 4: We are what we pretend to be. So therefore… 13m 07
Lesson 5: Show up on time and do what you say you’re going to do 18m 04s
Lesson 6: Complete the task in front of you 20m 46s
Lesson 7: Maximise the number of positive impressions you leave 25m 33s
Lesson 8: Project Energy 31m 17s
Lesson 9: Project Certainty 33m 13s
Lesson 10: Simplicity Sells 36m 14s

Rod Mewing - Business Is Not Personal

 
                                     
 
This week Jeffery Wang speaks with Rod Mewing. Rod looks back at his significant career and shares lessons that were significant in his career.
ROD MEWING BEng (Mech)
Rod Mewing has over forty years’ experience in senior executive and management roles. His most recent role prior to leaving Telstra Corporation Limited was as Principal Business Consultant within Business and Enterprise Marketing. This role supported strategic customer engagement programs with particular focus on the implications of new technology trends and developments on enhancing competitive differentiation. He is currently providing strategic consulting services in addition to executive coaching, mentoring and peer group facilitation with The Executive Connection (TEC).
Rod has previously been Managing Director of David Jones Australia Limited, CEO of Tempo Services Limited and Group General Manager of AWA's Services and Distribution Divisions.
He has served on numerous industry and community boards and councils including Tempo Services Ltd, Woolworths Ltd, David Jones Limited, Retail Traders Association of Australia, Retailers Council of Australia, the Centre for Workplace Learning (NSW), Australian Student Traineeship Foundation, Ravenswood School for Girls, The Sydney Committee Ltd and the NSW Economic Strategic Development Committee.
Rod is also immediate past Chairman of HammondCare and HammondCare Health and Hospitals Limited.
 
Episode notes
Always under promise and over deliver 2:01
Think like a customer 5:04
Listen and understand the customer’s needs 11:04
Business is not personal 15:06
Consistency is key to effective team leadership 18:51
Know when to transition from captain coach to side-line coach 23:09
Self-awareness underpins humility 27:59
Good judgement is both inherent and comes with experience 30:36
Always treat the business assets as if your own 34:18
Be patient, persistent and positive 36:52

Jack Milligan - Shine Your Shoes

                                                       
This week Siebe Van Der Zee speaks with Jack Milligan. Jack is an Author, Lecturer, Business Leader, HR Professional and Community Leader. Jack is passionate about all things HR and shares 10 lessons with us that he has learned throughout his leadership journey.
Jack Milligan SPHR, GPHR, SHRM-SCP
Jack Milligan is a founding partner of Leathers, Milligan & Associates (LMA) a Human Capital consulting firm headquartered in Phoenix.  He recently sold his interest in the business which continues to thrive serving global clients from offices in Phoenix and Tucson.  He spent over 20 years with ITT in HR positions all over the globe and then served two years as Corporate VP of HR for a publicly traded multi-national firm in California, before starting LMA. 
He continues to teach Human Resources courses for two local universities, and he has taught the HR Certification Institute preparation class for over 20 years.  He is now semi-retired but still leads his own HR consulting firm (The HR Academy) focusing on business and HR strategy, assessment, coaching, talent selection and executive compensation.   
He has been a proud and active member of Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) since 1970.  In 2003, the SHRM Arizona State Council awarded him the Professional Excellence Award and again in 2015 SHRM honoured him the Lifetime Achievement Award.  Both of these are given to only one HR professional in Arizona each year. His new book on salary negotiations titled Make More Money! was published in July 2016 and is available on Amazon.   
Jack is active in his community and has served on the United Way board, various Mayor’s committees, the East Valley Cultural Alliance and the advisory board of the Desert Samaritan Hospital.  For the past six years he has served as Chairman of the Board of Directors for Goodwill of Central Arizona.
Jack has obtained the SPHR, GPHR and SHRM-SCP professional certifications, and he holds two certificates in Employee Relations Law.  He earned a master’s degree in Human Resources and Organizational Behaviour and a Bachelor of Science degree in Labour Economics from California State University at Northridge, CA.  He is a past president of the Valley of the Sun HR Association (VSHRA) and a past State Director of the AZSHRM State Council. 
Jack and his wife Trisha, have three grown daughters, two granddaughters and have lived in the Phoenix area since 1980.  He is an Army Brat, Vietnam Veteran and still donates his time to veterans’ re-employment issues.
 
Episode Notes 
Lesson 1: Live a goal directed life of accomplishments 07m 52s
Lesson 2: In your professional life understand your industry 11m 25s
Lesson 3: When people report to you. Hire them with care, treat them with honour. 14m 38s
Lesson 4: Be a developer of human talent 19m 30s
Lesson 5: Stay Humble, maintain a servant mentality and remember to say thank you 23m 16s
Lesson 6: Admit your mistakes, be reliably honest and promote trust 24m 54s
Lesson 7: Prepare anticipate and think 29m 44s
Lesson 8: Communicate with crystal clarity what you want, and expect & it tends to happen 32m 17s
Lesson 9: Shine your shoes 36m 15s
Lesson 10: You have trouble with your boss…you lose! 37m 57s
 

André Alphonso - Collect Adventures Not Things

                                               
In this week's episode, Duff Watkins speaks with André Alphonso. André shares his 10 lessons with us and his unique philosophies about life, business and fulfilment. 
André Alphonso
André Alphonso is an entrepreneur, owner and leader of multiple businesses, published author, executive coach and keynote speaker who uses storytelling as a way of communicating his message.
Australia is his base and he works in the US, Europe, and Asia. He is the Managing Director of The Ariel Group in Australia, an organisation that combines best practices from actor training, adult learning, and common sense. Their unique methodology develops presence and influence: the ability to connect authentically, communicate effectively, inspire action and build the relationships that help them achieve results.
André is also Founder and Chairman of The Forum Corporation in India. An organisation he went and set up in 2008 where he says he had “a corporate adventure of a lifetime.”
Andre’s singular focus is to enhance the personal presence of all individuals, be they leaders, salespeople, professionals or individual contributors in all types of organisations. He is passionate about helping people think bigger and be bolder than where they are in their world so that they can claim their value. He will tailor his keynotes to the client and conference outcomes to deliver a session that will engage your people from the start to the end and they will walk away with communication tactics that will be used for life.
He is the co-author of Strategic Connections – The New Face of Networking in a Collaborative World released worldwide in 2015.
Episode Notes 
Lesson 1: Don’t eat your lunch on the way to work 07m57s.
Lesson 2: Hand craft your personal solar system 12m 48s.
Lesson 3: Banish psychic vampires 17m 14s.
Lesson 4: Engineer a halftime pause 20m 45s.
Lesson 5: Collect adventures not things 28m 30s.
Lesson 6: Dare to be curious…Dare to be present 33m56s.
Lesson 7: Let light entre through your wounds 39m 37s.
Lesson 8: From Cavemen to Neuroscientists 45m 27s.
Lesson 9: Use noise cancelling headphones to filter out the dirty noise 53m 12s.
Lesson 10: Burn your masks 57m 37s.

Ten Lessons - Recap Ep 1-4

 
In this unique episode the four of us, Dr. Duff Watkins, Siebe Vanderzee, Jeffery Wang, and Robert Hossary will be reviewing the previous episodes and share with you, our audience, what we found most fascinating about our guests. 
 
We will be discussing our interviews with Ligia McLean, George Bradt, Matt Bai and Duff Watkins. Join us and hear what we learned from our guests.
 

Matt Bai- People Make YOU Feel the Way THEY Feel

     
 Hear top US political reporter MATT BAI explain why, “People make YOU feel the way THEY feel”, “Life is in the re-write”, “Look away from the ball”, and 7 other lessons for career and life on 10 Lessons It Took Me 50 Years to Learn.  Making the world wiser place, lesson by lesson.
MATT BAI
Matt Bai is a nationally known journalist, author and screenwriter. Starting in 2002, he covered three presidential campaigns for the New York Times, where he was the chief political writer for the Sunday magazine and a columnist for the newspaper. He then spent five years as the national political columnist for Yahoo News. In January 2020, he became a contributing columnist for the Washington Post.
Bai’s most recent book, All the Truth is Out: The Week Politics Went Tabloid(Alfred A. Knopf, 2014) looks back at the ruinous scandal involving the presidential candidate Gary Hart in 1987 and how it shaped the political and media culture. It was selected as one of the year’s best books by NPR and Amazon and was one of 10 books long-listed for the PEN Faulkner Award in nonfiction. 
Bai also co-wrote, with Jay Carson and Jason Reitman, the feature film adapted from the book, titled “The Front Runner.” The film, directed by Reitman and starring Hugh Jackman as Hart, debuted in theatres nationally in 2018. Bai and Carson have co-written two other feature films that are currently in production. 
Bai is also the author of The Argument: Billionaires, Bloggers and the Battle to Remake Democratic Politics (Penguin Press, 2007), which was a New York TimesNotable Book for 2007. He contributed a personal essay to the anthology I Married My Mother-in-Law: And Other Tales of In-Laws We Can’t Live With—And Can’t Live Without, published by Riverhead Books in 2006. 
Bai has appeared frequently on NBC’s “Meet the Press” and played himself in a recurring role on season two of the Netflix drama “House of Cards.”  
In his early twenties, Bai was a speechwriter for UNICEF, where he worked with Audrey Hepburn during the last year of her life. He began his journalism career as a city desk reporter for the Boston Globeand spent five years as a national correspondent for Newsweek. His international experience includes coverage from Iraq and Liberia. 
Bai is a graduate of Tufts and Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism, where the faculty awarded him the Pulitzer Traveling Fellowship. He has been a visiting fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars, Harvard, the University of Chicago and Stanford. He serves on the board of the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts. 
A native of Trumbull, Connecticut, Bai lives with his wife and two children in Bethesda, Maryland. He rarely misses a Yankee game or a Timescrossword. You can follow him (occasionally) on Twitter at @mattbai.
 
Episode notes 
Lesson 1: Life is in the rewrite 11m 17s
Lesson 2: there is no such thing as abhorrent behaviour 16m 15s
Lesson 3: listen to the things people say about themselves 18m 57s
Lesson 4: Don’t fight with someone you don’t know 23m 26s
Lesson 5: Have the difficult conversation 28m 20s
Lesson 6: People always make you feel the way they feel 314m 04s
Lesson 7: Know what you don’t know 33m 32s
Lesson 8: No one really likes surprises 36m 37s
Lesson 9: Choices are everything 39m 27s
Lesson 10: Look away from the ball 48m 30s

Ligia-McLean- Turn an obstacle into an advantage

                                           
On this episode, our host Siebe Van Der Zee speaks with Aerospace professional Ligia McLean. Ligia shares valuable lessons she learned that have helped her advance her career.
About Ligia McLean
Ligia has been in the Aerospace industry since 1982. She has led strategy and international partnerships for Boeing and McDonnell Douglas and now heads her own Aerospace consultancy.
She has a Masters in International Management from the Thunderbird Graduate School (ASU) and a Bachelors degree in Business Management.
Ligia shares with us 10 lessons that she has learned that have helped her succeed in business and in life.
Episode  Notes 
Lesson 1: Relationship building is the most effective skill that will help in your career 5m 56s
Lesson 2: Know your Audience 7m 19s
Lesson 3: Prioritise giving back 12m 42s
Lesson 4: Complete your efforts; Deliver Results 19m 50s
Lesson 5: Be resilient 22m 34s
Lesson 6: There are things that you may not be good at on your first try… 25m 44s
Lesson 7: Celebrate successes and learn from disappointments 27m 41s
Lesson 8: Focus on your strengths and get help on your weaknesses 33m 02s
Lesson 9: Keep things in perspective 37m 26s
Lesson 10: Turn an obstacle into an advantage 41m 37s

George Bradt -There are only three interview questions and you need to know them.

                                             
 
On this episode, our host Dr Duff Watkins speaks with best selling author, Forbes.com columnist and onboarding guru George Bradt. George shares lessons for how to secure that dream position and how to succeed and lead like a professional. 
About George Bradt
George has led the revolution in how people start new jobs, engendering the structure, leverage, and confidence new leaders and teams need to get done in 100 days what normally takes 6-12 months in complex situations, reducing 18-month failure rates from 40% to less than 10%.
Author/co-author of 9+ books on onboarding and leadership:
"The New Leader's 100-Day Action Plan" (Wiley, 2016 4th edition)
"Onboarding: How to Get Your New Employee Up To Speed in Half the Time" (Wiley, 2009)
"The Total Onboarding Program" (Wiley/Pfeiffer, 2010)
"First-Time Leader" (Wiley, 2014)
"The New Job 100 Day Plan" (GHP Press, 2012)
"Point of Inflection: Frameworks and Tools to Accelerate Team Results" (GHP Press, 2019)
"CEO Boot Camp: Frameworks and Insights from 15 Years of CEO Boot Camps" (GHP Press, 2019)
"The New Leader's Playbook" (GHP Press, Volumes I-IX 2011-2019)
"Executive Onboarding" Volumes I-IV (GHP Press, 2020)
+ "Influence and Impact - Discover and Excel at What Your Organization Needs From You The Most" (Wiley, 2021)
Author of over 650 articles for Forbes:
"The New Leader's Playbook" weekly column on Forbes.com (February 2011-present)
Co-creator of iPad app:
"New Leader Smart Tools"
Prior to founding PrimeGenesis, George had twenty years of experience in sales, marketing and general management around the world at companies including Unilever, Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola and J.D. Power and Associates' Power Information Network as chief executive.
Currently on board of directors for PrimeGenesis, CEO Connection, Curtain Call theatre. On several advisory boards. Has served on various fiduciary, advisory and non-profit boards around the world through the years.
Episode Notes 
Lesson 1: Fit in! 9m 12s
Lesson 2: Deliver 10m 15s
Lesson 3: Adjusting never ends 16m 03s
Lesson 4: Adopt a 90/10 position 18m 58s
Lesson 5: Differentiate what you will talk about; what you will do; and what you will not do 24m 54s
Lesson 6: Avoid the consultant’s roller coaster 28m 31s
Lesson 7: There are only three interview questions and you need to know them. 31m 39s
Lesson 8: Prepare answers for the three questions from THEIR perspective 35m 53s
Lesson 9: They don’t care about you. They care about what you can do for them 38m10s
Lesson 10: Avoid the 100 day interview trap 42m 39s

Dr Duff Watkins - Never Engage in Civil War

                                       
 
Our host Robert Hossary explores the wisdom of author and executive coach Duff Watkins. Duff shares 10 powerful lessons that will make you think.
About Duff Watkins
Duff Watkins is Director, ExecSearch International - Australia, with more than 25 years’ experience in conducting searches across Australia, New Zealand, US and UK.
In addition to executive search, Duff conducts Executive Development Programmes for senior executives to enhance their skills, while on-the-job, through a specific and personal plan of action.
Duff obtained his - BA at Centre College of Kentucky - Master's Degree at Yale University and - Doctorate at the University of South Africa (in group psychotherapy).
Duff Watkins is a former group psychotherapist. He's past President of the Yale Club in Australia, a long-time Governor of the American Chamber of Commerce in Australia. He hosted the international podcast "How Business Really Works" and is a founder of this podcast, 10 Lessons It Took Me 50 Years to Learn. Though born and raised in the USA, he is an Australian citizen.
Episode Notes
Lesson 1: Life’s a persuasion 03m 15s
Lesson 2: Style is not to be despised 06m 44s
Lesson 3: Don’t cling 09m 40s
Lesson 4: Most people can't support themselves emotionally. Let alone you 14m 46s
Lesson 5: Husband your attention 17m 09s
Lesson 6: Every person is a foreign country.26m 48s
Lesson 7: Just tell yourself the truth 30m13s
Lesson 8: Never engage in civil war 34m30s
Lesson 9: Above all else, do not panic 38m30s
Lesson 10: You deserve happiness as much as any person on this planet 42m34s

Pilot Episode - What is this podcast about and who are we?

This episode introduces the podcast hosts; Dr Duff Watkins, Siebe Van Der Zee, Robert Hossary and Jeffery Wang. They discuss what this podcast promises to deliver and how each week they will interview some of the worlds leading executives, celebrities, academics, leaders and ordinary people and bring to you 10 lessons that it took their guests 50 years to learn.