Experts Unleashed with Dominic Price

A computer nerd, designer, and DJ, Cameron “Cam” Adams is the co-founder and Chief Product Officer of Canva, the game-changing online graphic design platform that’s transformed how people create and share visuals. In 2012, Cam co-founded Canva alongside Mel Perkins and Cliff Obrecht, and depending on which paper you read, the company has a current valuation of about US $50bn. As CPO, Cam steers Canva’s product vision, ensuring its tools stay fresh, innovative, and user-friendly. When he’s not changing the world of design, Cam is mixing on his turntables as a DJ, exploring his creative side through music. Cam is also dedicated to making a positive impact on the world through his work with sustainability and social initiatives, including his involvement with Wedgetail, an organization focused on conserving and restoring biodiversity through sustainable investment.   During this episode of "Experts Unleashed," Atlassian's Dom Price chats with Cam about why colliding interests can bring out innovation, how to best scale an organization (gracefully), and the responsibility leaders have to leave a positive impact on the world. They discuss how to avoid “innovation theater” by allowing people to explore their interests at work, the personal growth journey of a co-founder, and how AI can help democratize the world. The stories and practice advice Cam shares of his lived experience taking a company from zero to 5,000 people over 12 years will inspire you!

A tech leader and DEI advocate, Melanie Silva drives growth and transformation at Google Australia and New Zealand. As Managing Director and Vice President, she leads Google’s operations in the region, with a focus on helping businesses navigate and thrive in the technical world. With over 11 years at Google, Melanie has held senior roles across the Asia-Pacific region, including overseeing Go-to-Market Strategy and Operations. Prior to Google, she worked at Fairfax Digital, Citibank, AMP, and ING Direct. A passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion, Melanie chairs Google’s Diversity Council for Australia and New Zealand, helping to foster a more inclusive tech industry.   During this episode of "Experts Unleashed," Atlassian's Dom Price chats with Mel about how to not confuse your inner critic for your instincts, the impact of taking back your calendar, and why being busy isn’t the same as being productive. Mel shares her hack of introducing a “Thinking Day” every six weeks to help her tackle important issues and “reclaim the membrane” as she puts it, as well as introduces Dom to how she likes to network with her Aussie Legends Curiosity Tour. Mel’s practical tips will leave you Googling for more!

Tom Goodwin, a prominent thought leader in digital transformation and author of "Digital Darwinism," joins the discussion on navigating technology disruption. He emphasizes that tech isn't changing the world as dramatically as perceived, urging a re-evaluation of our AI approaches. Tom highlights the importance of time for innovation and the lessons from stories like Netflix versus Blockbuster. His refreshing insights advocate for curiosity and empathy in tech engagement, empowering businesses to adapt creatively to ongoing disruptions.

*** The first episode of Experts Unleashed featured the legendary coach, Ben Crowe, and was originally released as a cut-down version to reduce the overall length. Well, we’ve changed our minds and are re-releasing the episode UNCUT! Watch the full Ben Crowe episode (bloopers…retakes…everything!) in this special edition of Experts Unleashed. ***   When the world's elite sports teams, performers, or execs need to optimize their performance, they turn to Ben Crowe. He's worked with No.1 tennis champion Ash Barty, Olympic Gold medalists, champion surfers, record-breaking race car drivers, and organizations like Nike. Ben uses a combination of research, psychology, anthropology, curiosity, and his own lived experience as a dad, husband, and son, to help people fulfill their potential.   In this episode of "Experts Unleashed," Atlassian's Dom Price chats with Ben about his history, story, childhood, and how that has shaped his values in how he operates today. They discuss elite performance and the relationship between sports teams and business teams, and they dig into the nuances of Ben's "Human being vs. human doing" framework, and the ways we can tap into our mindset to find incremental improvements in how we see and relate to the world.

To wrap up an incredible first season of "Experts Unleashed," Atlassian's Dom Price chats with the shows producer/director and Atlassian Modern Work Coach, Mark Cruth, about their favorite moments from season one. Dom and Mark take turns reflecting on the biggest themes of the season and share some of the most meaningful (and funny) moments from across the different episodes. Walking down memory lane never felt so festive!   In the spirit of tradition, they also discuss the "My User Manual" Play from Atlassian's Team Playbook. It's an exercise designed to help leaders share with their teams and teammates HOW they work. Think of it like this: when you buy a TV, it comes with a User Manual. But when you hire a human, there's no such helpful guidance. Mark takes us through her User Manual and shares why understanding what brings you back to center, especially during the holiday season, is so important.

From her many years working with companies that range from very large global tech companies to small very small innovative start-ups, Patty saw firsthand how companies can become slow and complacent, and employees become cynics and whiners. She spent 14 years at Netflix experimenting with new ways to work and making the Netflix culture deck become a reality for the people who work there. From abolishing performance reviews to challenging the need for policies, Patty believes people come to work as fully formed adults with a desire to make an impact and be proud of what they do and she’s on a mission to spread the word that we can do this differently.    In episode nine of "Experts Unleashed," Atlassian's Dom Price chats with Patty about unlocking performance, hiring the right skills, and the gift of feedback. They discuss why there are no “best practices” in performance management (and never were!), how “nice” feedback isn’t very nice, and why we need to be more intentional than ever before with meetings. Patty is a natural storyteller and spends the episode sharing all of her amazing stories with Dom!

The Honorable Victor Dominello is a former senior minister of the NSW Government. During his 12 year cabinet career, he held a range of portfolios including, Digital Government, Innovation, Finance and Aboriginal Affairs. Being part of the leadership team that led the state through Covid, Victor drove digital solutions such as QR check-ins, vaccine certificates and dine and discover vouchers via the ServiceNSW app. Victor is recognized globally for the role he played in transforming public service delivery in NSW through initiatives such as the Department of Customer Service, Service NSW and the Digital Restart Fund. Today Victor is cofounder of ServiceGen, an organization focused on helping Governments accelerate digital service delivery   In episode eight of "Experts Unleashed," Atlassian's Dom Price chats with Victor about unlocking your digital identity, the power of customer feedback, and innovating within the government. They discuss how the trinity of trust (the who, what, and why of your identity) can help unleash new ways of working around the world, and the importance of customer feedback in shaping our future. Victor’s stories on innovation in the NSW government provide a lighthouse of hope for governments around the world!

Yemi Penn is a fearless businesswoman, thought leader, and rebel. An Engineer by profession and an entrepreneur by passion, Yemi fuses analytical thinking with creativity to create magic. Transformation is the theme across Yemi’s contributions, whether it’s opening an F45 gym in London or a café in Sydney’s South-West Suburbs, authoring a book, managing complex projects such as Crossrail and Sydney Metro, or even producing impactful documentaries on healing collective trauma.   In episode seven of "Experts Unleashed," Atlassian's Dom Price chats with Yemi about finding your identity, eliminating the fictitious box we place ourselves in, and unlocking creativity through play. They discuss how only when you’re able to be your authentic self can you avoid the exhaustion and burnout that come with having multiple identities, as well as how to trade in the box we find ourselves in for a lane of our choosing. The stories in this episode from both Yemi and Dom will pull you in!

Dan Pink is a best-selling author and leading expert on motivation, work, and human behavior. An award-winning writer, Dan has five New York Times bestsellers, including Drive, To Sell Is Human, and When, which have been translated into 46 languages. Known for blending research with practical insights, Dan’s work focuses on the changing nature of work and how to improve performance. Dan has delivered popular TED Talks (Top 25 all-time viewed!) and is a sought-after speaker on business, leadership, and creativity. In episode six of "Experts Unleashed," Atlassian's Dom Price chats with Dan about regret, a bias toward “why not”, and the power of language. They discuss how understanding regret can actually help us find our purpose in life, why cooking should become an Olympic sport, and so much more! Along the way, Dan shares a ton of fascinating data points and experiments from social psychology…just don’t ask him to share his own self-talk 😂

We have a special episode this week with not one, but TWO guests!  Dr. Bob Sutton is an organizational psychologist at Stanford University and best-selling author of eight books. He studies leadership, innovation, organizational change, and workplace dynamics. Bob’s main focus over the past decade has been scaling and leading at scale - how to grow organizations, spread good things (and remove bad things) in teams and organizations, and enhance performance, innovation, and well-being given the distinct challenges in big organizations. Dr. Huggy Rao is the Atholl McBean professor of Organizational Behavior at Stanford University and a fellow of the Center for Advanced Study in Behavioral Science, the Sociological Research Association, and the Academy of Management. He has written for Harvard Business Review, Business Week, and the Wall Street Journal. He is the co-author of the bestselling book “Scaling Up Excellence” and author of “Market Rebels.” In episode five of "Experts Unleashed," Atlassian's Dom Price chats with Bob and Huggy (the Odd Couple) about addition bias, broken silos and connections, and jargon monoxide. They discuss tips for avoiding these pitfalls, including the creation of Ridicu-lists, the Subtraction Game, and many more. Along the way, Bob and Huggy share some hilarious stories and the genuine insights they learned over the decades studying how organizations and leaders work.