A new challenge

Ad Astra spoke to Michael Johnson (OGC 1999), newly appointed CEO of the Committee for Geelong.

I wasn’t entirely sure what I wanted to do when I finished school. I basically fell into law.

My law degree wasn’t planned, and I certainly never planned to practice. But it seemed like a pretty good path to go down while I figured it out.

Fast forward 10 years and I had finished a commerce/law double degree, had completed an articled clerkship and was working in commercial law in Geelong. I knew that wasn’t for me, so I pursued a career change. This took me to Canberra where I landed a role in federal government with the Australian Sports Commission (ASC).

My time at the ASC was terrific. I was at the forefront of driving industry reform in governance and integrity across Australian sport. I was fortunate enough to progress internally and ended up in a branch head role and spent time in an acting role on the executive.

After nearly a decade I made the jump across into sport administration, joining Hockey Australia as Chief Strategy Officer & General Counsel. I was also fortunate enough to spend six months as Interim CEO following the Tokyo Olympics.

Following this opportunity I felt ready for a new challenge, ideally closer to home in Geelong. By the end of the year, I had been appointed CEO at the Committee for Geelong.

So while law has been a constant theme throughout my career, I’m now onto my fourth career since Uni.

My time at the College gave me a leg up in roles in sport administration and government, as it helped me develop strong connections with people. The sense of community at College is something that is instilled into you; you make strong personal connections. Much of my career since leaving school has been in people-facing roles, where any success was based on the strength of my relationships.

Understanding complex environments is another skill set I’ve needed to succeed in my career. As simple as it sounds, the House structure at College was a great pre-cursor to operating in federated environments.

I would suggest developing these skills to any current College students contemplating a career in sport administration, or government. There are a surprising number of similarities between the two industries. Understanding the environment, and forming strong relationships to navigate your way through it, is really important.

The biggest challenges in my career have been patience and belief. Sometimes it can be hard to be patient. I was in a hurry when I started out, wanting progression and advancement. In government, I found performance was enough and things came to me pretty quickly. Outside of government has been more challenging. Selling myself sits less comfortably with my personality, but I’ve continued to work on this.

I have been fortunate throughout my career to have had opportunities to reflect on myself and my leadership style. I take any opportunity for personal and professional development and throw myself into it. By understanding who you are, how you work, how you respond in conflict, and what support you need, you can present the best version of yourself. Taking time to reflect is critical. Celebrate your successes. Identify where you can improve and hold yourself to account. The more I have learnt about myself, the more equipped I am to lead others.

That results in a pretty open style of leadership. I share with my team, I empower them to make their own decisions. I engage with key stakeholders and bring them along on the journey. I seek to add value where I can. I’m bringing this style of leadership to the Committee for Geelong and it is being well received.

The role of CEO at Committee for Geelong felt right as soon as I saw the job ad. It brought together a range of skills I’d developed over 15 years. Now three months in, I am developing a clear picture of the role I see the Committee playing in the Geelong region and the initiatives I want to pursue.

A big part of this centres around community leadership. The Committee was formed by community leaders in Geelong. We have been developing community leaders through our Leaders for Geelong program for 17 years. We need the next generation of community leaders in Geelong to step forward. To this end, I look forward to expanding our role in developing community leadership, including engaging with high school students.

If the Committee is going to advocate for Geelong and design its best future, it is imperative we have input from the generation that will be leading in 30 years.

The skills I’ve learnt from being involved in sport have positively shaped me and my career in many ways. One of the great things about The Geelong College is its sports program, and the fact everyone experiences it. As an Old Collegian, it’s exciting to see the school’s ongoing commitment to sport through the new Sports and Wellbeing Centre.

Sport and physical activity are so crucial to our health, both physically and mentally. People with higher levels of physical literacy are more likely to perform well academically, have better mental health, and develop a lifelong connection to physical activity. Team sports help us connect with people; and strong relationships are a key driver to success in your field.