Business Leader Breakthroughs

 “We’ve reached peak wellness. Most of it is nonsense.” This is the title of a recent article by the Outside group and the topic of this podcast episode. Ryan is joined by Milena Cooper, head of digital at the Breakthrough co, and they discuss how people can achieve a real state of wellness – without all the diets, potions and pills out there.  They cover the six main dimensions of health - physic...

In this week’s podcast episode, Ryan challenges you to get F’d – yes, you read that right. It’s not what you might think though. This episode is all about attitude, and how you can change your life by changing your attitude.  Ryan discusses three distinguished zones of attitude: The Frustrated zone, The Fine zone, and The Fizzed zone. He also talks about growth mindset, a well-researched concept (...

In this week’s insightful podcast, Ryan has the pleasure of interviewing Sharn Rayner, founder and former owner of business strategy and HR consultancy Pod, which is now part of AdviceFirst. Her work has always been people and performance centric, and she is a passionate advocate for removing the stigma around mental health in business. She shares her journey of founding her company and the profes...

In this week’s podcast, Mike and Ryan discuss one of New Zealand’s most successful and beloved organizations: The All Blacks. While most don’t associate a rugby team with business, the All Blacks are very much a business organization, whose product happens to be a sport. Their unparalleled success over the years, and right now with their successes in the 2019 Rugby World Cup, makes it a great orga...

In this podcast Mike and Ryan discuss the competitive tripod - a framework to help you get clear on what you need to be great at to differentiate your offer. When you focus on meeting the market in two areas and beating the market in one area, you’ll set yourself apart from your competitors. You’ll hear examples of organisations that have been successful by focusing on one of the differentiators a...

In this episode, Ryan has the pleasure of interviewing one of Australia’s top conference speakers, Matt Church. Matt speaks at conferences and runs development programs for leaders. He been named one of the top ten motivational speakers in the world and is also a prolific author having written 10 inspiring leadership books. One of Matt’s great philosophies can be summed up in one word: NEXT! Ryan...

People are truly what make a difference in an organization. This weekly podcast is focused on hiring and growing your best employees. Ryan and Mike talk about a helpful model which Ryan refers to as the 5 Olympic rings of people. These are: Career : Where do you see the employee going and where do they see themselves going? Culture & Values : Hire based on values and whether the employee will...

Ryan has the pleasure of interviewing Darren Ellis, owner of CrossFit New Zealand. He talks about his journey, where it began and what he’s achieved along the way including becoming the first CrossFit affiliate in the country. He mentions how powerful CrossFit has been in instilling a sense of community and social belonging in its members, as well as - his insights into health, well-being, fitness...

Most business owners often get trapped in the sense of overwhelm and urgency keeping up with today’s business. In this episode Mike and Ryan get you to focus on strategies for growing tomorrow's business, they share their expert advice and offer insights into growth models. From their experiences helping other business owners grow their companies to their personal experiences growing their busines...

In this powerful episode, Ryan interviews industrial and organisational psychologist, Alia Bojilova. She shares with us how migrating to NZ as a teenager shaped her future and gives us insights into the power of the mind and what she learned about working with the NZ military, in particular, the elite SAS regiments.  She shares her own experience of being kidnapped at gunpoint in Syria and how it...

In this episode, Mike and Ryan share insights into the value of board reports and external advisors. Having both chaired for other organisations and their own, they share their experiences and offer advice for listeners who might not currently have board structures in place.   They talk about the value of having external advisors and offer insights into how they bring different perspectives, unbia...

In this episode, Mike and Ryan talk about how people progress through their careers. Specifically, how they transition from employment to business ownership and eventually to an investor. They identify how people can often get trapped in the move from self-employment to business owner because the business is so reliant on them. In order to change this, they recommend a few leverage points.   First...

In this episode Ryan interviews Raelene Castle, CEO of Rugby Australia. Raelene shares her journey, where it began, and what she’s achieved along the way including becoming the first female CEO of a NRL club. Working in an industry heavily dominated by men, Raelene shares the many challenges and adversity she’s faced. Her story begins at early childhood, to eventually working with the likes of Xer...

The idea of the classroom as the sole place of learning is dead and the vast majority of money spent on training is a waste of money. In this podcast episode, Mike and Ryan discuss the issues with the traditional approach to training and learning and offer insights into a new effective approach. The current model of adult learning posits that 10% of learning effectiveness comes from content (i.e....

In this podcast, Dr Mike and Ryan cover important issues around business management. Most business owners end up in management roles having progressed through an organisation because they’ve been good at a technical role or job, and somehow they’ve gotten “manager” in their title. So, they often don’t have the necessary skill set required of a great manager.  Business owners want their managers to...

Many leaders and business owners find themselves in a state of constant frustration. Ping pong balls racing around in your head sound familiar? In this episode, Mike and Ryan share their advice on how to overcome frustration in your business by using the 7 P’s framework. A great practice they recommend in gaining clarity and awareness is a process they call the mind dump, by putting pen to paper o...

In this episode, Ryan and Mike discuss the importance of working ON the business as opposed to IN the business. Many leaders in businesses get stuck in the operational tyranny of getting things ticked off the to-do list and fire-fighting the urgent issues. Mike and Ryan suggest taking a step back and having a greater awareness of the bigger picture of where you want to take the business and what y...

In this podcast, Ryan interviews Darrell Trigg of Trigg Construction Ltd, who is also the National President of the Registered Master Builders Association of New Zealand. In this Q&A session, Darrell shares his insights on topics: The importance of personal goals: why he feels like lugging 20 kilos of equipment up the world’s highest buildings is a really good thing to do His view on the tende...

Business owners today seem to be have become obsessed with keeping busy. Creating ridiculously long to-do lists and check boxes that often lead to an overwhelming sense of busyness. Mike and Ryan question whether or not people add value in the long run, amidst all the never ending to-do lists.  They suggest a reflection on getting the most important things done as a start.  Ryan discusses a great...

In this episode, Mike and Ryan share four surprising success principles to boost your business and improve your life. Putting these principles into place, the transformation that will happen in your life and business is phenomenal.   1)      Limit your hours 2)      Development days 3)      Personal Goals 4)      Health, Relationships, Work (in that order) Links Watch the full video on YouTube her...

In this podcast Mike and Ryan use the framework, heads heart and hands to show how you can propel your business forward. They discuss the importance of aligning the heart with what you want to get done in your business and only then, will you see success. They share their personal story and show how they used this framework to generate the Business Freedom plan. Links Watch the full video on YouTu...

Mike and Ryan introduce themselves in the very first episode of Business Leader Breakthroughs. They discuss the importance of the "All In" a concept central to being able to transform oneself and business. In order to achieve this, they stress the value of being fully committed, prioritisation and the removal of low value items. Lastly, they talk about the challenges faced in achieving the "All In...

You’ll certainly be demanding a boringly, predictable, profitable business after having listened to this podcast. Ryan and Mike talk about what’s involved in shifting a business from an endless startup mode to a business that is achieving 20% revenue growth consistently every single year. The challenge that most businesses face is inconsistency. They often don’t have the systems in place and are c...