#218: Bruce Lyman - Inspirational Business Transformation Leader

Bruce was born and raised in New Zealand where the outdoors was inherited as part of his DNA. His first leadership experience was as a thirteen year old ‘leader in training’ understudy at school holiday camps for boys held in the country side of the south of the South Island.

After his family moved to Australia where he finished his high schooling Bruce worked on a dairy farm before joining the Royal Australian Airforce. He served in the RAAF as an intelligence officer. After two decades of service in government in which he received the usual formal leadership training, and opportunity to exercise it he set up a software company in the technology bust period of the late 1990s. This remains the most testing crucible of leadership for him as he strove to attract and retain talent in a down market and with no money.

The company listed on the Australian Securities Exchange and was later sold. During this period Bruce reenergised his connections with the outdoors and led groups to Kokoda (Papua New Guinea), Hong Kong (volunteer programs in aid and development), Nepal, Kilimanjaro, Peru, Alaska, New Zealand and across Australia. The opportunity to mentor, coach and apply leadership insights and lessons is a key and witting part of these adventures.

He has worked for an aid and mission organisation, for private enterprise in Afghanistan (while living in the suburbs of Kabul), and since 2015 has been consulting in Sydney. In that consulting work he delivers a comprehensive leadership program designed to introduce leaders to the concept of values based leadership and to otherwise encourage leaders to actively develop their own leadership style.

Bruce has accepted an offer to take up a senior leadership role as CEO of an international firm which he will commence in October 2022.

Bruce is the father of four children and seven grandchildren, has one dog, writes when he can, treks and climbs as a sport, is handy with the tools so finds himself on renovation projects not his own (though there is a long list of projects around his own house), and enjoys kayaking with his wife in their handbuilt sea kayaks.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.