The Dynamic Leader Podcast

In this engaging conversation with Jamie Anderson, an accomplished professional with a multifaceted background spanning entrepreneurship, academia and keynote speaking, we discuss the profound significance of mentorship for leaders and individuals alike.  Hailing from Australia but currently residing in Belgium, Jamie shares his invaluable insights on the transformative power of mentorship, drawn from his diverse experiences as a hotel and art gallery owner, academic and author.  His purpose, defined by supporting individuals to strive for their highest aspirations, stems from a childhood deeply influenced by his mother, instilling in him the values of selflessly supporting others. He highlights the essence of being a role model without explicit mentorship, stressing the alignment between leadership ideals and authentic actions as pivotal for making a genuine impact on those we lead.  Jamie’s journey not only illustrates the potency of mentorship but also emphasises the subtle qualities that make a mentor relationship truly impactful and enduring. Connect with Jamie:  https://jamieandersononline.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-anderson-75657b/ TED Talk: What is Success, Really? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmc6HohWVCs Connect with Shelley: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelleyflett/⁠⁠ Work with Shelley: ⁠⁠https://shelleyflett.com ⁠

In this episode Shelley has a thought-provoking conversation with David Fish, a globally renowned strategist driven by a desire to bring simplicity to the complex and make it easier to communicate the value of any solution.  They delve into the essence of human conversations… conversations that we think about, make connections through and find relevance and emotion in. One simple take away for all communication or for creating a narrative is ‘logic is always your friend’. Starting with a clear, organised concept and systematically unpacking the details can boost comprehension by a staggering 40%. David walks us through how we navigate through the ups and downs until we get to a resolution. Grab a copy of David's book: ⁠https://www.davidfish.com.au/shop/p/what-it-takes-to-create-winning-presentations⁠ Connect with David: ⁠www.linkedin.com/in/david-fish-fishy⁠ Connect with Shelley: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelleyflett/⁠⁠⁠  Work with Shelley: ⁠⁠⁠https://shelleyflett.com ⁠

In this conversation, Shelley has the pleasure of delving into the world of transformation and strategy with Adam Bennett, the Principal of Great Change Consulting. With over three decades of experience at the forefront of navigating disruption, Adam's passion has been guiding individuals through the journey of change and transformation. He challenges that we have yet to peach peak change, drawing attention to the colossal macro forces shaping our world—climate change, population shifts, geopolitics and the imminent impact of AI on global supply chains and decision-making. Adam's insight is profound; he believes there is more change ahead of us than there is behind us. It's a perspective that challenges us to view this impending transformation as either punitive or a remarkable opportunity. Adam talks us through strategies, empowering both individuals and leaders to embrace accountability and ensure their professional relevance amidst the impending waves of change. Grab a copy of Adam's book: Great Change - The way to get big strategy done: https://amzn.to/43DXhBfGREAT CHANGE: the way to get big strategy done  Connect with Shelley: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelleyflett/⁠⁠ Work with Shelley: ⁠⁠https://shelleyflett.com ⁠

Shelley loves a random conversation. Today’s guest is Kim O’Keeffe, who she met on a plane earlier this year on a trip to Brisbane. After a great conversation on the plane, they found they had a lot in common on their thoughts around leadership, professional growth and careers. Kim, the ever-curious and optimistic spirit, is currently the State Member for Parliament for Shepparton District. A true community champion, she's devoted to fighting for her electorate's needs and supporting the people of Shepparton. Growing up in the embrace of regional Victoria, Kim's roots run deep, instilling in her a strong sense of connection to her community. It's clear that her upbringing has shaped her passion for serving her constituents and advocating for their well-being. Kim's journey, starting at the tender age of 15, was guided by inspiring mentors who encouraged her to envision a future and map out her path. Words like "good people don't stand still" were the catalyst for her entrepreneurial aspirations. The influence of others and their belief in her have been driving forces, propelling her toward seizing opportune moments. Connect with Kim: https://www.kimokeeffe.com.au/ Connect with Shelley: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelleyflett/⁠⁠ Work with Shelley: ⁠⁠https://shelleyflett.com ⁠

In this episode, Shelley speaks with Grayson James, a seasoned expert with over three decades of experience assisting Executives, Boards and Senior Management teams in enhancing their collaborative business performance. A common misconception is that effective collaboration hinges on the level of cooperation exhibited by our colleagues—a notion Grayson opposes, considering it a costly oversight. To Shelley, the term 'collaboration' is often carelessly tossed around in many workplaces. Grayson simplifies it to 'working together with other people to get important stuff done,' an essence critical to the existence of organisations. Delving deeper, they consider whether the rising emphasis on collaboration aligns with a decline in hierarchical structures. Grayson has seen a shift over recent years in the nature of interactions and expectations, steering away from the top-down command and control model, which does not fly anymore, especially by the younger generation. Embracing a collaborative leadership approach, Grayson acknowledges the necessity of command and control, consensus, or even no consensus, depending on the given context. The true challenge lies in how we discern what is needed at this time and to pivot and respond effectively in the given situation’. Grab a copy of Graysons book: Full Contact Performance: The Internal Art of Organizational Collaboration. Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Full-Contact-Performance-Organizational-Collaboration/dp/1803412518 Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/full-contact-performance-grayson-james/1142627370?ean=9781803412511 Indiebound Books: https://bookshop.org/p/books/full-contact-performance-the-internal-art-of-organizational-collaboration-grayson-james/19039197?ean=9781803412511 Connect with Grayson: linkedin.com/in/graysonjames Connect with Shelley: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelleyflett/⁠⁠ Work with Shelley: ⁠⁠https://shelleyflett.com ⁠

In this thought-provoking episode, Shelley engages in a conversation with Ella Zhang, a dedicated strategic change maker, facilitator and executive coach with extensive experience in both fortune 100 companies and start-ups. The focus of their discussion is the profound link between self-care and success, delving into the correlation between inward self-awareness and its profound impact on outward outcomes. Ella, the author of the book 'Upgrade,' passionately explores how our thoughts, emotions and actions bear direct consequences that ripple across our organisations and interpersonal dynamics. She advocates that understanding this crucial link between self-care and success is paramount for modern leaders. The emergence of self-reflection and personal growth in leadership development has gained momentum in recent years. Ella emphasises the need to intertwine professional and personal development, gaining insights into our own cognitive and behavioural patterns to prevent self-sabotage. Often the challenges we are facing are not from the outside world, but self-imposed. It is through overcoming and 'upgrading' these challenges, adjusting our habitual reactions, that we can enhance our effectiveness as leaders. She underlines the essential aspect of managing and taking ownership of our time, energy and performance to become the inspirational leaders that others need us to be. Grab a copy of Ella's book 'Upgrade': Ellazhang.com.au/book  Connect with Ella: linkedin.com/in/ellazhangsyd  Connect with Shelley: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelleyflett/⁠⁠ Work with Shelley: ⁠⁠https://shelleyflett.com ⁠

Culture is something we could endlessly explore, there are so many different perspectives and opinions. In this episode, Shelley talks with Lisa Carlin about working within your culture, as opposed to changing it. Lisa is a strategy execution specialist and the co-founder of Future Builders Group, a network of organisational development specialists.  She works with Leaders to turbo charge their transformation projects and change. Strategy execution, Transformation, Change, Projects, implementation, cultural change, digital transformation – these words all mean something slightly different and they mean something different to each individual. They all motivate a feeling of ‘let’s do something significant to move forward’. Lisa’s first step to developing her transformation journey began in South Africa the 1990's when she started working in systems development. This encouraged a curiosity in change management. Following this, she started working for McKinsey on strategy projects. The firm delivered amazing strategy work, but just like systems development, didn’t always go as planned because due to people. After moving to Australia, Lisa started working for a culture change organisation where ideas from a transcendental, meditation movement where used to developed ‘culture in the workplace’.  Culture was not used or understood in the workplace in these years and it inspired Lisa to start her own business combining all the different skills learnt over the years. Lisa's learnings in strategy, technology, culture and people work, led her to create a multidisciplinary transformation perspective. There are three stages to multidisciplinary transformation and Lisa will guide you through these during the conversation. Connect with Lisa: Subscribe to Turbocharge Weekly or 17 top transformation tips. Connect with Shelley: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelleyflett/⁠⁠ Work with Shelley: ⁠⁠https://shelleyflett.com ⁠

In this episode, Shelley speaks with Mei Ouw and Kylie Ryan, two remarkable experts in emotional leadership.  Shelley delves into the profound impact of emotions on the way we lead in the workplace and live our lives.  Mei, an esteemed executive coach and master trainer of NLP and Spiral and Kylie, the secret weapon behind elite-level coaching, particularly with entrepreneurs, are catalysts for global change.  Shelley has personally been working with Mei and Kylie on her ‘emotional’ journey and her lessons in emotional clearing and Spiral was transformative. Spiral, a practitioner-led process is a systematic series of sessions activating and awakening our inherent power bases and specific energy centres, it’s like delving into a series of filing cabinets of different issues.  In the fast-paced world of leadership, characterised by ceaseless decision-making and complexity, relying solely on the mind can lead to burnout and decision fatigue. Hence, the imperative to bring our whole selves to the workplace and every aspect of our lives.  Learn more about the school of Spiral: https://thespiral.com Connect with Mei: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mei-ouw-b14b6914/ Connect with Kylie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kylieryan/  Connect with Shelley: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelleyflett/⁠ Work with Shelley: ⁠https://shelleyflett.com⁠

In this chat, Shelley sits down for a second time with seasoned operational leader, Wayne Schembri, who has just started in a new role with RMBL after working for his previous organisation for over 17 years. At the time of this conversation, Wayne has only been in his new role for just a month, and shares some fabulous insights into his approach on culture, people, strategy, systems and processes.  He shares the discomfort of doing something different after such a long time and the benefit of taking time out between roles to rest, reflect and gain clarity on what you want next. This is a fabulous conversation for any leader transitioning into a new role. Connect with Wayne: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wayne-schembri-55a8b152/  Connect with Shelley: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelleyflett/⁠⁠ Work with Shelley: ⁠⁠https://shelleyflett.com ⁠

In this conversation, Shelley engages in a thought-provoking dialogue with Dr. Brett Lillie, a seasoned practitioner with a Chiropractic masters degree, who has spent over two decades fostering wellness in his Sydney clinic.  Delve into the realms of rediscovering your inner athlete and movement's profound significance in both life and leadership.  Brett's own journey with movement, from the wilds of his bush upbringing, climbing trees and conquering rocks, to the exhilaration of motorbikes and skateboards, followed by surfing in high school and the endurance challenges of triathlons in university, sets the stage for his insights.  A turning point arrived during the second year of his master's program, when a debilitating accident shattered his shoulder, leading him through years of arduous rehabilitation and pain. This experience shattered the youthful invincibility, giving rise to a quest for holistic answers beyond the realm of muscles alone.  As the conversation unfolds, Brett and Shelley explore the intricate connections between chronic pain, the psychological and physical facets, cultural influences, and even the interplay between the mind and body. Grab a copy of Brett's book 'Rediscovering your athlete within': ⁠https://www.brettlillie.com/the-book/⁠  Connect with Brett: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/brettlillie/⁠  Connect with Shelley: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelleyflett/⁠⁠⁠  Work with Shelley: ⁠⁠⁠https://shelleyflett.com ⁠