The Inner Chief

"Understand there's no zero-risk option in a transaction, but there is a lot of upside, particularly if you can get everyone aligned." In this episode of The Inner Chief podcast, I speak to Natasha Mandie, Founder & CEO of EM Advisory , on the 4 Rs of M&A transactions, guiding high-stakes negotiations, and post-deal integration success. 🎧👉  chiefmaker.com/395  👂 INFLUENCE DIFFICULT STAKEHOLDERS...

" Simplicity scales, complexity fails." Chief, in today's Minisode I walk you through strategic focus for maximum performance impact, and why you should align your team to go in search of your 'gold'. There are times in business when the sheer number of things you could do becomes the biggest barrier to doing what actually matters. Projects multiply. Priorities compete. Every department has initia...

"To be highly effective and be a true Chief, you actually have to work at three levels: your level, the level below you and the level above you." Chief, in today's Minisode I walk you through the concept of leading at the right level, and why it's so crucial to building a track record that will supercharge your career progression. One of the conversations I have regularly with Heads of Talent, Hea...

"The important thing about 360 feedback is to sit down with the people who gave you the feedback and be brave and transparent about what you learnt and what you'll do with it."   This is a special episode only available to our podcast subscribers, which we call The Mini Chief. These are short, sharp highlights from our fabulous guests, where you get a 5 to 10 minute snapshot from their full episod...

" Value is not always profit; it's the outcome the organisation is designed, funded, trusted or judged to produce. And if your track record aligns to that, the more valuable you become." Chief, in today's Minisode I run you through the various ways organisations create value for their various stakeholders. In today's world, I believe that many have become distracted from the  actual core role of b...

"I was attempting to be the smartest person in the room, trying to add value to somebody else's work. It was not facilitating others' greatest contributions. In fact, it shuts people down." In this Best of Series episode, we replay a chat I had in 2019 with Tracey Burton, Executive Director of Uniting, on experiential learning, 360 degree feedback and the future of the health industry. 🎧👉  chief...

"When we sleep, a spinal fluid washes over our brain and gets rid of a peptide called beta-amyloid which is implicated in the Alzheimer dementia process. So if we're not getting enough sleep on a regular basis, we really do suffer the consequences later on."   This is a special episode only available to our podcast subscribers, which we call The Mini Chief. These are short, sharp highlights from o...

"The best annual performance reviews are built all year long." Chief, in today's Minisode I run you through how to run Annual Performance Reviews really well, so much so that they are enjoyable, collaborative and result in your people giving sustained extra effort and kicking goals for the company. I know for many of you, these meetings and processes can be stressful and you might not like deliver...

"Sales and marketing just seems to be like a lost skill  so you have to learn to be the differentiator as the human bridge." This is a special episode only available to our podcast subscribers, which we call The Mini Chief. These are short, sharp highlights from our fabulous guests, where you get a 5 to 10 minute snapshot from their full episode. This Mini Chief episode features Nick Lissette, Fou...

"When we sleep, a spinal fluid washes over our brain and gets rid of a peptide called beta-amyloid which is implicated in the Alzheimer dementia process. So if we're not getting enough sleep on a regular basis, we really do suffer the consequences later on." In this Best of Series episode, we replay a chat I had in 2019 with Executive Sleep Guru, Dr Carmel Harrington, on the myths and factors of s...

"Is your customer winning from using your product? Are they making or saving money from you? If so, how much and how is that measurable to your product?" In this episode of The Inner Chief podcast, I speak to Nick Lissette, Founder & CEO of Blackpearl Group , on Driving data into dollars, building human bridges in an AI world, and his "win or die" attitude. 🎧👉  chiefmaker.com/388  👂   JOIN THE...

"If you've got good relationships and you're building alliances around ideas and issues, you can get things done."   This is a special episode only available to our podcast subscribers, which we call The Mini Chief. These are short, sharp highlights from our fabulous guests, where you get a 5 to 10 minute snapshot from their full episode. This Mini Chief episode features David Borger, Executive Di...

"This framework is the core of what we do at Chief Maker. We join leaders' intuitive abilities with a framework and a process they can follow and repeat and really make it their own." Chief, in today's Minisode I run you through the High Performance Teams framework that is behind the Chief Maker MiniMBA Program we run every quarter for executives and other aspiring senior leaders. Recently, in Epi...

"I remember being a young bloke as Lord Mayor and I was almost reticent to ask my small team to do the job. I felt guilty. Over time I realised that delegating is actually giving people opportunities." In this episode of The Inner Chief podcast, I speak to David Borger, Executive Director for Business Western Sydney and former NSW Politician, on Building alliances with your enemies, finding your e...

"What I noticed was that a lot of the self-help material out there really just didn't give you a sense of how to build the high performance system in order to achieve excellence and flow." Chief, in today's Minisode I am going to give you the background on how I developed the I AM GREAT framework for executive mastery, and how I've evolved it over time. As a leadership and executive coach for near...

"Consumers are rightly demanding more transparency from retailers on price, so we're using AI pricing tools and the results have been pretty instant in terms of uptick on where we're competitive ." This is a special episode only available to our podcast subscribers, which we call The Mini Chief. These are short, sharp highlights from our fabulous guests, where you get a 5 to 10 minute snapshot fro...

"Understanding how the customer journey is changing and how you adapt is going to radically change retail in the coming years." In this episode of The Inner Chief podcast, I speak to Jamie Kristow, CEO of Cotswold Outdoor Group , on optimising the retail value chain, adapting your pace of leadership, and championing AI innovation. 🎧👉  chiefmaker.com/384  👂   DOWNLOAD THE CHIEF MAKER GUIDE FOR S...

" When we talk strategy, we mean let's get through the next 12 months. Have a three year outlook, but be prepared to change it in six months' time if we have to."   This is a special episode only available to our podcast subscribers, which we call The Mini Chief. These are short, sharp highlights from our fabulous guests, where you get a 5 to 10 minute snapshot from their full episode. This Mini C...

"  I want people to walk away from any engagement they have with me saying that I'm not a bad bloke, that I was keen to listen, and that I wanted to help."   This is a special episode only available to our podcast subscribers, which we call The Mini Chief. These are short, sharp highlights from our fabulous guests, where you get a 5 to 10 minute snapshot from their full episode. This Mini Chief ep...

"Imagine if you could. You need to imagine a future. You need to imagine growth. You need to imagine what success looks like." In this episode of The Inner Chief podcast, I speak to Paula Martin , Executive Director, Regional NSW and Visitor Economy at Business NSW, on learning from everyone, adapting to shorter strategy cycles, and genuinely receiving feedback. 🎧👉  chiefmaker.com/383  👂   ARE...

" It's never about Paul Nicolaou; it's about other people, because you want to appreciate and show your passion towards them and helping them achieve an end result." In this episode of The Inner Chief podcast, I speak to Paul Nicolaou, the Executive Director of Business Sydney on the 3Ps of building an insanely valuable network, daring to be different, and making people happy. 🎧👉  chiefmaker.com...

"  Let's create an army of light and just  get out there and be a positive force in the world." Chief, welcome to 2026. In today's Minisode I am going to share with you my tips for being the leader that the world needs right now. If you've felt the weight of the negative news cycle, the anxiety of the unknown and the relentless pace of change, you're not alone. Therefore, it's time to be a positiv...

" It all starts with a good night's sleep. There is very clear research that cognitive performance declines when we're sleep-deprived. "   This is a special episode only available to our podcast subscribers, which we call The Mini Chief. These are short, sharp highlights from our fabulous CEO guests, where you get a 5 to 10 minute snapshot from their full episode. This Mini Chief episode features...

" A setback is that reinforcement that this is your opportunity to be the best of yourself. That's really exciting. It's the next step, the next day, the next week, the next season."   This is a special episode only available to our podcast subscribers, which we call The Mini Chief. These are short, sharp highlights from our fabulous guests, where you get a 5 to 10 minute snapshot from their full...

" Resumés don't actually have that much useful information; your experience as a candidate can vary wildly based on the environment that you're in and your motivations to perform. "   In this Best of Series episode, we replay a chat we had in 2019 with Psychometrics Guru, Justin McNamara, on improving recruitment selection, performance prediction and acing psychometric tests.   🎧👉  chiefmaker.co...