Gloss september 2013

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SEPTEMBER 2013 ISSUE

Founder & Editor in Chief Janine Garner | janine@littleblackdressgroup.com.au EDITORIAL Managing Editor Kate Stone| kate@glossmagazine.com.au Contributing Editors Helen Treloar Nikki Fogden-Moore Guest Writers Chris Allen Matt Church Dr Tim Cooper Adrian Morgan Creel Price Clint Salter David Solomon Nils Vesk ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES ads@glossmagazine.com.au EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES editorial@glossmagazine.com.au Published By: LBDG littleblackdressgroup.com.au MEMBERSHIP ENQUIRIES AND FEEDBACK www.littleblackdressgroup.com.au info@glossmagazine.com.au Š LBDG 2013 All material is strictly copyright and all rights are reserved.

Reproduction in whole or in part without the written permission of LBDG is strictly forbidden.

The greatest care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of information in this online magazine at time of going to press, and we accept no responsibility for omissions or errors.

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A Message From Me Hi all

This month we have had the most incredible opportunity - to share with you the thoughts and advice of some of Australia’s leading male thoughtleaders and champions of change.

Some people may say ‘why would you have an issue of GLOSS full of men? Isn’t LBDG all about secret women’s business?’

Well, no. It’s not.

Yes, LBDG is a place for women of worth.

Yes, it is a place for women who are excelling - or just starting out - as entrepreneurs, or in the corporate arena - to netweave, to connect, to find support and stength and encouragement.

But one thing that all women within LBDG recognise is this.

The journey towards achieving equality in the workplace, in the way we want to live in the 21st century - is not a journey we can take by ourselves. It needs to be shared with men of equal worth and intelligence and strength, who are willing to stand up and say ‘this isn’t the way things should be’ - who want to see women succeed on their own terms and in their own right.

The men who have given their time and their insights in this issue - whether it be on how to succeed in business, how they feel about our future generations, how they feel about their place in the feminist debate - every single one of them has done it because they believe in two things.

The message of LBDG, and the value that women bring to both partnerships at work, and in life.

Sexuality is irrelevant in terms of the debate on men and women working together. This is not necessarily about partnerships in terms of home life; this is about partnerships in terms of driving change. But I will say this - personally, my own husband is one of those men who champions me every step of the way, and I am truly thankful for his support and I want to say that here - Happy Father’s Day to a wonderful partner.

On that note - Happy Father’s Day to all those amazing men who support their wives, their daughters, their grand-daughters; who are actively making a difference in the way government and corporate Australia views the role of women at work.

And thank you again to Adrian, Clint, Matt, David, Tim, Creel, Chris and Nils. You are an inspiration.

If you would like to write for GLOSS, or are interested in advertising with us, please contact us via editorial@glossmagazine.com.au

Contents A MESSAGE FROM ME

THE LEADING EDGE

BODY & SOUL

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Janine gives her run down on this month’s issue.

Find out more about our regular columnists and the expertise that they bring to GLOSS every month.

What’s on this month’s LBD schedule...

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Creel Price examines how we could be doing Gen Z more harm than good - without even realising it.

Clint Salter had big dreams very early on - and thankfully didn’t listen to those who tried to quash them.

Here he tells how to keep dreaming big.

David Solomon’s sage words of advice for women in business

A Message From Me

Killing Our Kids...

Contributing Editors/Writers

Your Dreams...

Events Calendar

How To Achieve Your Best

Q&A

NEWS & REVIEWS

LOIS LANE LIVES

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Chris Allen explores how his love of strong female characters in classic TV led to a a determination to chagne the way we work - in real life.

Matt Church speaks out - and

Huh? Yes, you heard right - and it makes sense. Adrian Morgan, a truly enlightened man, shares his

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Nils Vesk explores the need for women to innovate in business in order to effectively drive change.

We talk to Dr Tim Cooper about the tech start-up space and what it means for female entrepreneurs.

Managing Editor Kate Stone examines what her father has meant to her in this special male thoughtleaders’ issue.

Thunderbirds Are Go!

Innovation + Driver

It’s Not Just Talk check 1,2 at the Big Day Out...

Femimanism

life.

Q&A

Lois Lane Lives

Contributing Editors

Helen Treloar

Nikki Fogden-Moore

Helen is a small business owner, coach, trainer, mentor and keynote speaker who utilizes her proven experience in business and qualifications in Life/ Business Advanced Coaching, Master Practitioner of NLP, Timeline Therapy, Matrix Therapy, Training and Public Speaking to enable others to live life on their own terms.

Nikki Fogden-Moore is all about practicing what she preaches – and what she preaches is balance. Balance between work, home and maintaining your personal best.

Working with individuals, teams and organisations, Helen transforms mindset and results for those who are committed to change. With a successful history as a CEO of 3 companies and product innovation expertise in school backpacks, she left corporate to commit herself to fulfilling her own vision of success in 2010. Specializing in executive transitional coaching, small business development and leadership training, in addition to general life coaching, Helen’s passion is to enable others.

“Ultimately health, vitality and getting the most out of life do not have to be last on the list. It’s about finding the best information, tools and support that suit your own goals and needs. We are here to inspire, educate and help people stay motivated, with practical tools and information enabling them to make the best decisions for long term health and wellness – My motto: CREATE THE LIFE YOU WANT”

Helen is also the Founder and MD of FMC Leadership Academy for kids. FMCLA bring kids from 7 to 15 and beyond together to learn how to develop their own self-esteem, confidence, compassion and courage.

“By owning our own thoughts, emotions, choices and behaviour, we own our results and our non results. Our future is on our own hands.” forwardmomentum.com.au fmcleadershipacademy.com.au

She uses nature as her playground – and wants all LBDG members to do the same.

The owner of Life’s A Gym, Nikki is a motivational speaker, trainer and all round powerhouse who will help you to bring your body and soul together.

Connect with her on twitter @nfogdenmoore or visit lifesagym.com.au

Guest Writers CHRIS ALLEN

Before penning his series of best-selling Alex Morgan espionage thrillers, Chris Allen served as a Paratrooper with three Commonwealth armies; undertook humanitarian aid in East Timor; joined the Australian Protective Service; protected Sydney’s iconic Opera House sails post 9/11; and as Sheriff of New South Wales, held one of Australia’s oldest law enforcement appointments.

Chris’s first novel in the Intrepid series, Defender, was self-published before being re-released by Momentum Books along with his second novel, Hunter, at the end of 2012. Both novels rocketed to the top of the charts on iTunes and Amazon with Hunter becoming a bestseller and there is a US film / TV franchise based on his novels in development. His third title, Avenger, will be published next year.

Chris blogs about cult action TV shows and films from his youth at intrepidallen.com/blog.Defender: Intrepid 1 is on Amazon.com: http://amzn.to/15jGQr4 ; Hunter: Intrepid 2 is on Amazon.com: http:// amzn.to/12lQIhV

MATT CHURCH

Matt Church is one of Australia’s most enduring motivation speakers. He has been named educator of the year by the National Speakers Association and has been awarded pretty much every accolade his peers can give. He is generous with his knowledge and is the name behind many of the worlds leading non fiction business authors and professional speakers. Matt lives in Sydney Australia and continues to write, speak and teach the art of oration through his Speakership programs to aspiring Amplifiers.

In 2001 he founded an international education business Thought Leaders Global dedicated to helping clever people be commercially smart. He is the chairman of the business and spends his time developing curriculum and inspiring great thinking and great conversations.

Find him at http://mattchurch.com

CREEL PRICE

A serial entrepreneur, Creel has achieved a level of business success and knowledge beyond his 36 years. He had launched eight businesses by the time he left school and a further two at university, and at age 25 he co-founded Blueprint Management Group with just $5,000 in capital and sold it a decade later for over $100 million.

Creel built a unique company culture of 800 employees though a revolutionary leadership style that included taking his employees to climb Mt Kilimanjaro and ride bikes from Bangkok to Saigon.

Blueprint achieved a host of industry awards as one Australia’s fastest growing and most dynamic businesses.

Creel Price now spends his time teaching, speaking and writing about business. He runs Accelerate Global with Rowdy McLean, a service which helps businesses fast-track their growth through the three stages of income, profit and value. He is one of the Founding Directors of Global Ethics Australia that launched Love One Water, a bottled water company where 100% of the profits fund Play Pumps in Africa. And he is the founder of the Kidpreneur Foundation, a social enterprise committed to assisting youths start and grow their own micro-enterprises in order that one day they may choose entrepreneurship as a career.

Guest Writers ADRIAN MORGAN

Adrian Morgan has over 15 years experience within Voice and Contact Centres, providing business and customer facing solutions for large enterprises. He brings significant experience in the financials vertical at NAB and ANZ, and a strong focus on working with business groups to define objectives and develop strategy.

A high degree of technical knowledge and experience with the major vendors across the Unified Communications, Telephony and Contact Centre industry allows him to combine his business knowledge and employ an independent approach to analysis and recommendations and provide exceptional outcomes.

A Tough Mudder veteran, he is now off on the adventure of a lifetime with his wife and two young children, undertaking the never done before challenge of photographing and making a documentary about the entire coastline of Australia from a yacht.

Follow their adventures at http://facebook.com/picturethecoast

CLINT SALTER

Clint Salter is an award winning speaker, trainer, consultant and mentor. With an engaging, authentic and energetic attitude and vast experience with individuals and organisations, Clint has become an expert in helping people go from Surviving 2 Thriving in both life and business.

Clint founded Make The World Move (MTWM), a company that celebrates all aspects of life and inspires people across the globe to lead extraordinary lives. Since its birth in early 2013, MTWM has become a leading resource in the areas of happiness, inspiration, personal growth, relationships, spirituality and well-being.

Additionally, Clint has a number of keynotes, workshops, mentoring programs and consulting services focused on helping individuals and organisations get to a place where they are jumping out of bed in the morning because they are excited about their life and their business. He is currently running a highly sought after 90 Day Engagement Program for Business Owners.

Get in touch with him at http://clintsalter.com or clint@clintsalter.com

DAVID SOLOMON

David is a pragmatic business strategist, coach and mentor who helps women in business to build a Higher Purpose Business – a business that serves their values by working for them, not them working for it.

His mission is to help women in business unlock their magnificence, with the objective being to help build businesses that are rewarding for the heart and for the purse - thereby economically enabling and empowering women (and enlightened men) to help heal the world.

Find him at http://quidditybusiness.com.au or email david@quidditybusiness.com.au

Guest Writers NILS VESK

Nils Vesk is an Innovation Architect, he is the founder of the consultancy Innovation Blueprint and regularly runs Innovation Programs for many of the fastest growing companies in the world.

Nils is also the author of a number of books including his latest - Ideas with Legs- how to create brilliant idea and bring them to life.

For more information on Nils’ latest innovation book visit http://www.InnovationBlueprint.com.au/ and to download a free Innovation process map visit http://Get.InnovationBlueprint.com.au/.

DR TIM COOPER

Tim is more a computer scientist and software developer than anything else.

He and his brother own Edval - software designed for timetabling Australian high schools. It has powerful algorithms for automatically or semi-automatically constructing timetables (scheduling lessons, staffing, rooming, elective line construction, staff replacements and so on).

Edval Timetables ( www.edval.com.au ) is the company which (a) supports Edval, and (b) constructs optimal timetables on behalf of schools (consulting). Tim has been working with schools since 1993.

View his Help East Timor page here - several exciting philanthropic projects listed.( https://sites. google.com/site/helpeasttimor/ ) Tim can be contacted as tim @ edval.com.au

Events

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CANBERRA EXCLUSIVE DINNER SERIES

THURSDAY

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“We must use time wisely and forever realise that the time is always ripe to do right.” - Nelson Mandela

THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO!

Chris Allen

Looking for an appropriate start point from which to tackle the issue of gender equality in the workplace, I decided to look back to my childhood and therein, my earliest recollections of women enjoying equal status in what my young mind associated with being realistic, professional situations. So, where better place to begin than Tracey Island and the world of International Rescue.

That’s right, I’m talking about The Thunderbirds.

Fear not, we’re not about to head off on some selfindulgent tangential reminisces about whether Scott was cooler than Virgil or if Thunderbird 1 could out fly and outmaneuver Thunderbird 2 (which, of course, it could). No, we are concerning ourselves with that doyenne of pre-pubescent male influence, Lady Penelope.

It’s no secret that for many years, the utterly superb Lady P represented everything I aspired to in my ideal partner, so enduring was her impression. Let’s face it, she was exquisitely dressed and immaculately groomed with impeccable

manners, enjoying only the best champagne while summarily dispatching bad guys with her fiercely loyal, jewel-thief-turned-chauffeur, Parker, at the wheel of a machine gun toting pink Rolls Royce.

There Is Nothing Like A Dame Years later however, while philosophically pondering the most important of issues over the last Scotch of the evening – what’s the difference between a Lady and a Dame (within the context of the British honours system, of course) – the inequalities of Lady P’s back story begin to maddeningly present themselves. Think about it: a Lady may only be a Lady if she happens to be married to a chap upon whom the incumbent monarch had bestowed a Knighthood, therein said chap becoming Sir while the Mrs becomes a Lady...

However, if a woman was (and still is) to be recognised for accomplishment in a field of endeavour of her own selection and achievement, she is not bestowed with the title Lady. No, the title

bestowed in this situation is Dame. And as we all know, there’s nothing quite like a Dame. Aren’t we accustomed to associating the title with risqué, femme fatale type creatures of gangster or spy folklore? Even tracing it to the origins of the word we find ourselves at the word damsel, meaning young girl, maiden, one of gentle birth. It’s hardly the ideal moniker for women who excel in their field, and certainly not as deferential or appealing as the alternative.

A poster girl for 60’s Feminism

Dame.

Strong female familial influence Now, this may all seem rather flippant at face value, adolescent reminiscences of a foxy blonde puppet and a leather-clad Bond girl, but I’ve deliberately used these examples to highlight the impact that seemingly innocent memories from childhood have on forming and in many ways programming our earliest perceptions, as boys, of you – the fairer sex.

Are you surprised?

Fortunately, I grew up in a family with a mother, nanna, two older sisters and a veritable Battalion of strong, forceful and not-to-be-messed with aunties who wouldn’t stand for any nonsense from a wetbehind-the-ears boy whose idea of Sunday morning fun was to dress up as a soldier and coerce a mate to assist in covertly procuring a bunch of 44 gallon drums, ladders and planks – that my dad used for painting the house – rolling them out into the middle of our street and setting up a road block, just as I’d seen done the night before on COMBAT. So, I Damsel-in-distress Emma Peel was not: far from it. grew up with a healthy respect for women and, I’m Portraying the character with incredible verve and pleased to say, it is a quality that I reinforce in my conviction made young British actress Diana Rigg own sons. a household name. She was considered the poster girl for 60’s Feminism and popular images from the Merit-based advancement in the workplace time would involve her being leather clad from topto-toe, brandishing a gun or in suitably threatening So it is that I’ve never truly understood the martial arts pose which involved karate-chopping inequality in the workforce/salary equation. As we know, ignorance is not always bliss and I’ve the bad boys. been somewhat shielded from it inasmuch as Sadly again, despite her forceful portrayal and the government service has set grades across various iconic nostalgia associated with this character, pay levels – for executives, managers and staff. scratching the surface reveals a harsh reality. In this world, colleagues, regardless of gender, Incredibly, despite her huge popularity and the achieved promotion and advancement based on enormous success that the show enjoyed as a result individual merit… didn’t they? Unfortunately, there of her performance and the public’s association with is always some sort of loophole that can be exploited her as Emma Peel, Diana Rigg was paid less than a by those wishing to maintain control or influence cameraman, an issue that was only rectified by the for personal reasons. I didn’t realise the extent of producers when they realised she’d found out. Even this problem until I became senior enough to see the character’s name was a deliberate contrivance. the wood for the trees. Sadly, these loopholes were The producers wanted ‘Man Appeal’, which early traditionally exploited by men. in script development was listed against the as yet un-named female lead character as ‘M Appeal’. M Now, it would be careless of me to quote chapter and Appeal = Emma Peel. It should come as no surprise verse about the actual jobs I was doing when I came that a couple of decades later, when the British across these situations. In fact I really can’t. Suffice to establishment decided to recognise Ms Rigg for her say that I have first-hand experience of identifying great services to the Arts, they bestowed upon her workplace practices in a number of locations and that ultimate testament to female accomplishment: organisations in which small but influential cliques I turned my attention to probably the next most enduring fictional prototype (in this writer’s humble opinion) for a contemporary, strong, intelligent and resourceful woman, namely Emma Peel of the British TV series, The Avengers. For the uninitiated feel free to Google ‘Emma Peel’ and you will discover exactly where I’m coming from. The quintessentially English Mrs Peel, as she was reverentially referred to by her spy-craft partner, John Steed, eschewed the female stereotypes of the time and previously.

comprised of men dominated workforce culture to a point where they could exert pressure via seemingly innocuous strategies to bring about a closing of the ranks to reduce the risk of infiltration by, dare I say it, women.

Destabilising an entrenched male culture Some of these male cliques had cunning plans designed to keep women out of the plum jobs. So clever and canny were these groups of influencers that it was almost impossible to unequivocally prove what we thought had been occurring. Yet, it was evident to anyone who cared to look at the situation objectively, that they had achieved the desired outcome. Therefore, and despite best efforts to prove the theory, the only thing to do was to outwit and outmaneuver these stubborn obstacles, mere clods. Needless to say, it was time for a shakeup.

We decided to adhere to the letter of the law with no room for any personal interpretation or connivance in order to destabilise this entrenched male clique. As a start point, we re-assessed the suitability of roles and responsibilities to determine whether or not they still reflected the goals and aspirations of the organisation.

Mostly, they did not. Organisations and expectations of key stakeholders should absolutely evolve over time but if individuals are left in the same role for too long (in some cases, decades) their outdated job descriptions under which they perform can actually reflect an organisation’s goals and aspirations from twenty years ago.

So, how could we ever hope to truly evolve without even basics like up-to-date job descriptions in place?

Commitment, support, time and patience Tackling entrenched cultures takes commitment, support, time and patience because they become part of the very fabric of an organisation: you simply can’t unpick them without unraveling the entire thing. Setting clear objectives and expectations of what the future will look like is the start point and lets everybody know what the vision is for the future. That vision must clearly define which opportunities are available to all on the basis of genuine merit, regardless of gender, and that abuses of power and influence will not be tolerated.

I have had the privilege of championing the careers of incredibly talented women. These are women who have gone on to lead the charge in terms of reform and cultural evolution where, in the previous team structure, it could not have happened. To me, that is one of the most important and enduring achievements I could have striven for. I couldn’t have managed, hadn’t the women concerned had personal courage in spades, the ability to not only persevere and endure obstructive people and cultures, but also to take them head on when given an opportunity and the support to do so.

I guess what I’m trying to say is this: gender equality is, in my view, going to be best understood and hence realised if we work on it as a partnership. In order to achieve our individual career goals as well as transform organisations, working on equality in the workplace as a true partnership and an immediate and ongoing priority will be the key to our shared success.

It’s Not Just Talk Matt Church

Leaders today need to go ‘old school’—they need to get back to those original base actions of meeting, talking and inspiring the people around them. They need to get out from behind their strategy and bring leadership to life. They need to be able to make a difference personally. Their very role as leaders, the purpose of their existence, is to make a difference and the difference they make is one of amplification.

Great leaders need to be able to make more out of what is going on around them—they maximise what is working. Great leaders amplify the messages that matter; they amplify the commitment to getting things done; they amplify the positive mood in a culture; and they amplify the results they get. Amplifiers are those leaders who make a difference at all levels within a business, a community or a family.

The challenge is that being an amplifier is a choice you make, more so than a promotion you get or a set of capabilities you develop. It’s the choice you make to be a motivational leader, to make a positive difference to the human condition in and around you.

A memo or a slide show are all well and good, but they are minnows when stacked alongside the whale that is motivational leadership. Motivational leadership is the ability to influence culture and drive change. It can be applied powerfully at home, in communities and organisations everywhere.

We desperately need leaders who can lead. We need amplifiers— those leaders who can reduce fear and replace it with confidence, and reduce confusion and replace it with clarity, mobilising us all in pursuit of a better future. Motivational leadership is not a ‘nice to do’: it’s a necessity, and one that becomes increasingly needed as we move further into a technological age where we find ourselves time poor and information rich.

We need leaders who can take this data deluge and provide meaning, engagement and relevance around all the stuff that matters.

We need amplifiers.

That need is critical now as the world faces an unprecedented rate of change. In his essay The Future

of Work, Jeff Brennan, futurist and designer from Apollo Ideas, says: ‘we are teaching our kids to prepare for jobs that have not been invented yet, solving problems we don’t even know we have yet’.

This era of massive disruption requires less long-term know-how and more immediate do now! Now more than at any other time in history we need to be able to adapt quickly; we need to shift what we are doing at a moment’s notice, take in new information and make well-informed, rapid decisions.

In their book Decisive: How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work, brothers Dan and Chip Heath, change management consultants, share a framework for making decisions in this new world order. They believe that we need a process that saves us from ourselves when it comes to making great decisions. They describe a range of ‘villains’ that prevent us from making good decisions: If you think about a normal decision process, it usually proceeds in four steps: t :PV FODPVOUFS B DIPJDF #VU OBSSPX GSBNJOH makes you miss options. t :PV BOBMZ[F ZPVS PQUJPOT #VU UIF DPOĂśSNBUJPO bias leads you to gather self-serving information. t :PV NBLF B DIPJDF #VU TIPSU UFSN FNPUJPO XJMM often tempt you to make the wrong one. t 5IFO ZPV MJWF XJUI JU #VU ZPV MM PGUFO CF overconfident about how the future will unfold.

And what we’ve seen is that there is a villain that afflicts each of these stages: Amplifiers are discerning, they spend time helping people make better decisions. Creel Price, author of The One Thing (to Win at the Game of Business), calls leadership ‘decisionship’ because, in his entrepreneurial experience, making decisions is the essence of leadership.

Amplifiers support decision making as a business and leadership imperative. Decisions lead to actions, actions lead to results, results lead to beliefs, which then go on to affect choices. It’s critical to make motivational leadership be about what gets done—otherwise it really is just talk.

We need change makers not change managers.

Amplifiers are absolute change makers. They agitate and stir the ponds of complacency and communicate vision in a dynamic, engaging and relevant way so that all are on board, in the right seats and heading on the same journey.

Strategy, it seems, is failing many, as it is almost impossible to create solutions for futures further out than 12–36 months. History may end up recording this current era as the Age of Disruption: computer companies are killing music companies; disintermediation (the removal of the middle man) is destroying brokerage businesses; and geo-arbitrage (low-cost labour) is killing age-old ‘safe’ careers, like accounting and law. We are most definitely living in interesting times.

Make no mistake - strategy is critical. It’s simply not all that it’s been made out to be. It is an analytical idea and as such lives in the left hemisphere of the brain, where culture is less specific and lives in the right hemisphere.

The famous statement by US general George Patton sums it up: ‘A good plan, violently executed now, is better than a perfect plan next week.’ Strategy is a great start, it is simple a good plan though if the culture that implements it lacks the ability to execute.

Cynthia Montgomery, in her book Strategist: Be the Leader Your Business Needs You to Be, makes the case for the synergistic relationship between leaders and strategy. Montgomery’s concern is that strategy has been outsourced to experts and advisers, to the detriment of business. She suggests that the fixed nature of strategy that most organisations adopt is flawed: ‘What’s been forgotten is that strategy is not a destination or a solution. It’s not a problem to be solved and settled. It’s a journey. It needs continuous, not intermittent, leadership.’ Motivational leadership—amplification—trumps strategy every time. Boston Consulting, in their Creating People Advantage report, reference the power of culture and people management as the ‘single biggest issue facing business leaders today’. This theme is picked up again and again in leadership texts. Corporate anthropologist and author of Finding True North, Michael Henderson, a global culture expert, states that in his research they have found ‘culture to be eight times more powerful than strategy’.

In other words, the wrong people doing the right stuff is significantly less important than the right people doing the wrong stuff. In a logic-filled, post-industrial world it’s easy to see why the head of business (strategy) has been given a lead role. It’s time for the heart of business and society (culture), to take its place.

Amplification—motivational leadership—is the link between the two. It acts like the corpus callosum in the brain—a thick band of axons (nerve fibres) that connects the right hemisphere to the left hemisphere.

Motivational leadership, or amplification, is the missing

link between strategy—what we know we should do, and attitude (the willingness to do it)—and execution (getting it done).

Motivational leadership is the quality we need to see in the conversations taking place everywhere, from the office corridors to the classrooms in schools, from the boardroom to the ballrooms in business, and from the bedrooms to the kitchen table in homes.

Someone has to lead.

Famous motivational speaker the late Zig Ziglar highlighted the impermanence of motivation during an interview with an adversarial journalist. The journalist, keen to establish the moniker of hype-merchant on Mr Ziglar asked, ‘Mr Ziglar, this motivation thing you peddle - it’s not permanent is it?’

To which Zig replied, in his Texan drawl: ‘No son, motivation is not permanent, but then again neither is sanitation! And based on the proximity of our corporal selves in this interview and the absence of a noticeable stench, you must have washed today? And that being the case it is highly likely you will do so again, tomorrow and the next day?

Occasionally you miss a day but you are quick to resume the habit. Motivation is most definitely not permanent and that’s why it’s critical you get into the habit of using it daily.’

If you are responsible for others, you may as well leave the shower running continuously. If not, you will develop an attitudinal odour, a stinking thinking, and the people you lead will require a ‘check up from the neck up’ to cure the organisational infection that steals hope, belief and fortitude. (Channelled a bit of Zig in that last line, I reckon.)

Get really good at being an amplifier: it’s not just talk and you do make a difference!

The problem is that while the principles of motivational leadership are simple, the application of them requires some art, some finesse and no small amount of courage. It takes courage to stand up and shine a light. It is way too easy to leave that to others. There will always be cowards in the dark who take pot shots at those who shine a light on the path of others. One thing though is universally true—you cannot hold a torch to light another’s path without also illuminating your own.

Noun(coll): Femimanism - a man who supports women. Like.

Adrian Morgan

Recently I have noticed in the paper an unending stream of opinion letters, editorials, and articles asking the question: ‘Can women have it all?’

As many of the enlightened readers of this magazine would know, any article title that ends in a question mark means the answer is no. And yes, after working our way to the bottom of these articles, they invariably conclude, no, women can’t have ‘it’ all.

Who does have it all, and what is ’it’ anyway?

‘It’ the article contends, is the perfect balance of all things that make up being a woman. ‘It’ is the mother, the

lover, the career woman, the friend, the confidante, the chef, the carer, and so the list goes on. And on. And on - an unending stereotype of yet another ideal any women has no chance to live up to. Nope women can’t have it all.

And - neither can men.

As an enlightened man (a title bestowed on me by the Managing Editor of this magazine of which I am most proud) I struggle daily with the balance of being all those things too. A parent, a role model, a partner, a career focussed bread winner (although now being gluten free this term needs to change - and therein lies another struggle, particularly as we are about live onboard a yacht for six months), an adventurer, and the list goes on. I struggle when my work takes me away from my family. I struggle balancing the role of work with my home life. And really, it is only since I have turned 40, that I am able to relax about who I am. It is only now that I can comfortably say, this is me. This is me with all my flaws and problems, and strengths and weaknesses. It is only now I argue with my wife without being 100% defensive, because I can finally say, this is me and I want and need this.

Growing up most of my life I was an only child - until 12 when my sister came along. I distinctly remember my mother talking about how my father never changed my nappy, yet was changing my little baby sister’s breakthrough! It was something I didn’t understand. How could my father have not changed a nappy? Apparently it - a man changing a nappy - was not the done thing back in 1972. During the 70s my father worked and was the breadwinner. He did his master’s degree, developed his career and did everything he was supposed to. By the time 1984 came around he was allowed into the birthing suite and help mum through birth. He was changing nappies and getting up at night.

It took a while for feminism to sink into society and I primarily believe that whilst the feminist movement did lots for women, it did nothing for men and set up a battle field. It seeked to redefine the role of women within society, to break down the barriers of inequality which was absolutely required, and replace it with equality. At the time women were so oppressed, economically and socially there was no other way to do it. Whilst women were breaking down the idea of what it meant to be a women, it fought, not redefined men.

Still today the stereotypes and gender roles of man and women exist. Can we really be ourselves? Can we really exist as the individuals we want to be?

Ask yourself, are you really fulfilling the role YOU want to and need?

Now don’t get me wrong. I would say I am a feminist (if you can accept a man can be a feminist - maybe a femimanist? There’s that question mark again). I see the patriarchal stereotypes in my daily life. I recognise that as a feminist women still are not getting paid equally. They still bear the major responsibility for children in society.

They are still challenged when all they want is equality. But is it equality anyone actually wants? It’s a start, but surely the next step is to break through the gender roles and actually have real conversations as individuals about what we want. Not having it all, but having what we want as individuals. The humanist perspective asks us to ask others how do you want to be treated? How do you want to act?

The only “it” I wish for everyone is the “it” of being able to discuss what we truly want without being pushed towards particular stereotypes where we compromise ourselves. Don’t want to be the career woman - or man?

Then don’t be. Want to stay at home looking after the kids? Then go for it. Discuss it.

And please everyone. Don’t judge others about their decisions. As long as we are being true to ourselves, then who cares about a woman - or man - who chooses to stay at home, chooses to be a career woman, chooses to be a blend all of these options.

This myth of “it” is just that - a myth - an unobtainable mirage across the horizon. I am lucky to have a wonderfully supportive partner where we can discuss what we want. Where we can have real conversations about our hopes and dreams and aspirations. Where no matter how crazy the ideas we both have, we support each other and grow.

So femimanism - count me in. And get rid of the having it all. Let’s just have a life.

Killing Our Kids With Kindness Creel Price

I find myself confronting two very different emotions when I think about the future and our children; I have both a niggling fear and a quiet optimism. The fear comes from witnessing the year-by-year, generation-bygeneration disempowerment of our youth. The optimism? Generation Z are developing an amazing awareness of global issues and are incredibly eager to make a visible and constructive difference.

Let’s cover the disempowerment first. One of the best books I have ever read is The Logic of Failure, where Dietrich Dorner demonstrates through real life case studies how often what seems to be the logical solution can turn into disaster. For me, this is exactly what is being played out with modern parenting. Yes, it seems logical in theory to give our kids more attention than we received; to give them the best opportunities for development with a plethora of extra-curricular activities. And because we love them, we wrap them in a cloud of cotton wool protection.

It seems logical to mortgage ourselves to the hilt to give our kids the best educational opportunities. We think that’s the only way to success. And yes, of course it’s logical and rational to have the 20 something ‘child’ at home – why should they leave when it means they can save money for a house of their own?

Logical measures. Well thought out plans. There is no doubt we are acting out of care and love. But are we in fact slowly killing our kids with kindness? Are we producing a generation who not only don’t know how to think for themselves, but expect everything to be handed to them on a silver platter and require constant stimulation to keep them amused? We seem to be developing a world in which, despite ultra-competitive alpha parents, children are taught that ‘you don’t have to succeed to be a winner’.

In a work environment, this translates to employees who aren’t prepared to do the tedious jobs, and don’t understand they need to earn the right to greater responsibility and progression. Churning out employees who aren’t risk takers and can rarely think for themselves – who constantly need to be told what to do when. Where will we find the risk-takers, the innovators – those who will future-proof our planet – if we don’t allow children to fail and learn to do things the right way, not the easy way?

In contrast to this – luckily – Generation Z are developing an incredible world-view where they want to make a positive impact on the planet. They seem to have a weird collective consciousness of unspoken frustration to fix the broken world that their parents and grandparents are leaving them. They aren’t burdened, nor are they enamoured, with Gen X’s myopic need to achieve (or their guilt), nor Gen Y’s hypnotic interest in the inane and themselves. Instead? They appear to be hell bent on sustainability, collaboration and ethical actions.

This is why I still hold optimism for the future.

And yet... this opportunity to create an amazing era where ‘do-gooders’ will actually do good is in serious jeopardy unless we cease our helicopter parenting and critically overhaul our outdated education methods. We need more risk takers. We need more creative minds not hindered by the ‘system’. We need unfettered imagination. We need self-starters and misfits far more than we need order takers and MBAs. In my view we need more entrepreneurs – or specifically, more social entrepreneurs – those who can combine commerce with doing good.

It is with the intention of helping this new generation use their powers for good rather than the mundane that I founded Club Kidpreneur. It’s a social enterprise which uses business as the platform to inspire under 12s with tangible ways to make a difference – not to mention developing crucial financial literacy skills. This month we launched our most ambitious project to date – the Fifty Dollar Challenge. This is a six-week program where 2,000 young leaders from over 200 Australian primary schools will launch their own micro-businesses, with the aim of raising at least $50 for the charity of their choice.

They receive a Business in a Backpack, with all of the raw materials to create one of five businesses together with business cards, a registration certificate, shopkeeper’s apron, I Can Build A Business Handbook and more. The aim of course transcends business, and is about embedding crucial life skills of initiative, imagination and resilience.

These are the skills our future world-changers are in desperate need of developing because of our spoon-feeding approach to their upbringing and education.

This is a rare generation. We have a once in a millennium opportunity to get this right – and only time will tell if empowerment programs like the Fifty Dollar Challenge will help swing the balance from bland to brilliant.

This article was first published on Influencers on LinkedIn.

Your Dreams Are Yours, Not What Others Tell You They Are! Clint Salter

What an evening! It was my Year 12 graduation and my entire future was ahead of me. I’ll never forget that night because I was sorry to see the great years that I had in school drop by the wayside but I was equally excited about stepping into the “real world.”

Our school principal took to the lectern and started talking about achievements of various students. He got to my name followed by “Oh, and Clint Salter… with your dancing and singing around the place… the only place you’ll end up is doing a one-man show at the local RSL.” Needless to say he was attempting to be humorous but the sound of the crickets chirping in the silence said it all. I also knew that my mum was doing everything she could to restrain herself from running down the aisle and body slamming him into the stage!

Well, it’s been 10 years since that day and I can look back with pride knowing that he missed the mark by a country mile! I’ve created and sold two businesses, worked overseas and been a part of some amazing

companies! My point is not to try to impress you here.

My point is that, like me, you need to open your eyes to what is possible!

You see, if the boy from the suburbs who was raised by a single mother in housing commission can breakthrough and live with a purpose...why can’t you?

Over the past ten years I’ve been inspired (and been held accountable!) by the amazing women I’ve been lucky enough to share my personal and professional journey with. From my mother to my friends, colleagues, mentors and advisors, these ladies have impacted my life on an unbelievable level and in ways I couldn’t have imagined on that…shall we say…unique graduation day.

Today I’d like to take a moment to share some of the tidbits of knowledge I’ve collected over the years that has allowed me to design a life and business that is not only fulfilling but has me operating at my maximum

capacity 7 days a week.

You will be judged As a society we judge each other no matter who we are and what we do. There is simply no escaping this fact of life. People talk about developing a “thick skin” to deal with the slings and arrows. I have a different approach! Instead of listening to the judgments…plow through them and keep charging ahead as if they’re not even there! Ignore the white noise on the periphery. When you’re not looking forward then you can easily go down the wrong path.

Be a limited edition!

You’ve heard the old saying “You can’t please all of the people all of the time.” How true that is! Another truth is that out of all of the people in the world, there is only one “you.” No one looks, acts or feels the way you do, so it’s time to take ownership of your unique skills and abilities and make them work for you! This is the only way for you to be true to yourself. When you’re true to yourself then you’ll find your true fans will step forward and make themselves known!

Add a little sparkle wherever you go!

We’ve all seen those people who can do nothing more than walk into a room and instantly a crowd is drawn to their energy and “presence.” There’s no reason at all that person couldn’t be you! Make a point of leaving a little “sparkle” that unexpectedly makes someone’s day, inspire them to take action or simply let them enjoy your company! Amplify your personality and you WILL make a difference!

Life’s under no obligation to give us what we expect!

There are no guarantees in life, especially if you’re waiting for something to be given to you. When you’re born there is no signed document to say that life will deliver you what you expect. Instead, life gives us the opportunity and freedom to create our own moments. Remember this when you wake up each morning and you will find that you will stop looking for what you want to have “given” to you and focus on making the things happen that need to so you will get what you want!

Fail better!

Another common phrase is that “We all learn from our mistakes.” In order to learn from them, that means you have to take some risks in order to try and fail. If we’re not failing in life then we’re certainly not living! What’s important about failure is that you get better at it. You spend less money, get back on your feet quicker, learn more lessons and move forward faster onto your next journey. Just as in a sales environment where “every NO gets you one step closer to a YES,” in life you must fail in order to get you that much closer to success.

Results or excuses, you chose!

We all have the ability and power to make our own decisions and take action. In the same respect we also have the choice to make excuses or create results. Make the decision to start creating results in your professional life today. There’s no guarantee that there will be a tomorrow…so what are you waiting for! Drop those excuses at the side of the road and make sure you’re working on results!

You can’t go back, only forward!

Even if you wanted to, you cannot go back in time and change something that happened in the past. No amount of thinking, talking or stressing over what’s been done will change what’s happened. The good news is that you can move forward without attaching emotion to that memory and focus all your energy on what’s ahead. After all, isn’t that truly your only option?

How To Achieve Your Best David Solomon

Achieving your best is a personal thing. In the same way that success for you really should be defined by your lifestyle, family, financial and other goals – rather than what society says success “should” be – being “your best” works the same way. This applies whether we are considering being your best in your business or someone else’s business.

We know that measuring success simply by material possessions isn’t very holistic. Clearly there are other very personal things like health, happiness, peace and love that count as much or more.

And if we fall into the trap of defining “achieving your best” as how close we can get to being the “perfect woman” i.e. being the perfect provider, parent, carer, partner, friend or even global change agent, we go down the same slippery slope of unrealistic standards and expectations (cue Superwoman Syndrome).

So what is the secret to achieving your best when it is

so different for everyone? I think Leonardo da Vinci was on to something when he said “Make your work to be in keeping with your purpose.”

In every person is planted the seed and the capability to make a difference. This seed is your purpose, mission, calling, genius or life’s work… And when you say yes to your calling and start taking the appropriate action, you attract the resources so you can keep doing it.

There is a revolution happening right now – the “Greed is Good” mantra of Gordon Gecko is now very hollow.

There is a definite shift in global consciousness and awareness - away from greed, win/lose competition and accumulating for accumulation’s sake towards authenticity, integrity, compassion, connection and being of service. Everyone is part of this shift, some more conscious of it than others.

Within this context work stops being “work” and becomes simply the way you want to spend your time.

It inspires you, gets you up earlier and keeps you up later because it revolves around your personal values and aspirations. It also tends to be the place where you exhibit your genius. It frees you up to work on the areas of weakness that are holding you back and it also helps you play to your strengths so you can work in your sweet spot - to get into flow. This is the place where you can achieve your best.

And working at your heart’s desire, at the best you have to give, will often be your greatest source of profitability - financial, emotional and spiritual. How much more personal can you get?

“To tap the tremendous unrealized potential that exists in all of us, we must think of meaningful work as an essential ingredient of a fulfilling life. We can move past success to significance when we realize our purpose is found in serving others. Then we connect to something that goes far beyond the bottom line.”

- Laura Cardone The ancient Chinese view of symmetry is expressed via the concept of Yin and Yang. It is expressed for example in the dualistic nature of day and night, fire and water, active and passive, masculine and feminine.

According to the Taoists all things have both Yin and Yang properties and business is no exception. And yet, modern business clearly exhibits very strong masculine (Yang) essence or energy. We see it manifested as a bias for action, goal setting, measuring results, hitting targets, dominating markets, beating the competition, carving up territories, etc. This is primarily because the “game” of business is a game created by men.

However one of the inspiring things that women have brought to the world of business has been a much more overt examination of purpose and meaning. They will often join or even start businesses around their personal values, their families, their causes, their desired lifestyles, their passions and their natural gifts.

The key to achieving your best in this revolution is a new model of heart based business and work which integrates both masculine and feminine. This is the essence of Yin Yang – unity not duality – where the masculine contains the feminine energy and the feminine contains the masculine energy.

Politically, economically, in business, sport and at home we are seeing a rebalancing of masculine and feminine energies. Feminine energy is the intuitive, creative, heart centred approach that brings flexibility and flow.

Masculine energy is the rational logic that gives the structure needed to make money and support yourself whilst you do what you do.

We need both. And of course all of us inherently have both. Tapping into both is probably the biggest secret to achieving your best!

And like most things, it’s the balance that is important.

It is vital to embrace both who you are and your femininity. Use your feminine strengths wisely such as your strong empathic skills and amazing ability to collaborate. And at the same time – without trying to be masculine – learn to apply masculine skills such as structure, focus, discipline, assertiveness and a fiscal focus.

Here are my Top 6 specific strategies to be your best: 1.

Resist the urge to be Superwoman and trying to live up to someone else’s unrealistic standards.

2.

Keep a holistic attitude about being your best and about success. It’s all very personal. If in doubt, see #1 again.

3.

Invest in your growth. Get a mentor/coach/advisor, ideally someone who understands you but is also different from you. Also look for people who are further down the same track that you can learn from, model and be inspired by. Remember, the definition of a blind spot is that you can’t see it! Having someone to show you the way really helps.

4.

Maintain an attitude of learning at all times. Make sure that you balance your work on both your weaknesses and your strengths.

5.

Remember to nurture yourself. You already know that you need to put your own oxygen mask on first before helping others – this applies on the ground as well. Whether you are a busy career woman or building an entrepreneurial empire, you still need to make time for self-care. And leave the guilt at the door please – it’s an investment in yourself.

6.

If you’re not already, get clear on your personal Higher Purpose and integrate that into whatever you do. Know that you have something of great value to offer the world.

“We are all capable of greatness when we know without any doubt that we are directly connected to a higher purpose.” (Andrew Cohen)

INNOVATION + DRIVER = SUCCESSFUL WOMEN IN BUSINESS Nils Vesk

Many people believe that men need to be the driver behind creating change for women in the business environment. While I don’t disagree that men can play a huge part in helping drive change, I believe that it’s more important to focus not on the ‘who’ but the ‘how’ to drive change. As an Innovation Architect I believe that innovation is a key ‘how’ driver to change for women in business.

While we could spend a few weeks debating what are the actual ‘changes’ women are looking for, I’ll take a wild guess. Women may be looking changes in equality, be it in remuneration, recognition, opportunities or position. The media commonly report on these inequalities and the short straw that women in general seem to draw.

In today’s economy where ideas are increasingly becoming the currency for success, the ability for a business woman to innovate can be a driving force to achieve success and change. While achieving business

success may not necessarily change everything for every woman, it can allow one to transcend the seemingly unbreakable biases, prejudices and hardships that one can face being a woman.

I’ve met some extremely successful women in my life - from billionaire Anne McKevitt to one of my favourite heroes - my own mum Dr. Maret Vesk (I talk about my mum a lot in my innovation talks and her prowess in experimentation). More often than not the successful women I have met, rather than dwell on the inequalities, get innovative on dealing with the challenges they face.

So what are some quick ways that women can empower change through innovation? Actions tend to speak louder than words and the same applies when it comes to innovating. The startling reality is that average business is relatively poor at innovating.

This means they have a lack of idea generation and problem solving sessions, they are reactive to

than being proactive and therefore tend to imitate rather than innovate, and finally the average business has a culture that doesn’t embrace innovation.

Whether you are in business for yourself or working for an organisation, commercial ideas are one of the secrets to business success. Here’s a key list of ways to become more commercially innovative: − − − − − − − −

Run an idea generation session Catch people doing good things Be honest about where an idea has come from Create metrics around the ideas Speak up, yet be Zen in how much you say Become a behaviourist Use technology to help you leverage your efforts Create a tribe

Run an idea generation session Change only happens when we start to behave and act differently. Thinking differently about the challenges we have, and the way we do business is as simple as creating an idea generation session around a specific part of the process. For example - If you think the meetings you have in your business are disadvantaging women, then innovate around the meeting itself. Ensure the focus is not just about women, include other ideas that will increase the value to all people. Could you look at meeting ideas that save time, reduce post meeting work and drive outcomes?

Being proactive in running idea generation sessions (make sure you execute) puts you in the driver seat for change, and you will be at the forefront of helping to choose any new direction the business needs to take.

Catch people doing good things I remember once being told if you want to have more friends, be a friend. The same thinking can apply if you want more of a particular behaviour. Demonstrate that behaviour consistently and catch other people behaving that same way.

Be honest about where an idea has come from Idea cannibalism can be a big thing in corporate word. You can come up with an idea and then someone else takes the credit for it. The reality is ideas are worthless unless we execute it, so no matter who comes up with the brilliant idea; it’s the execution that will make the impact on the bottom line. Ensure that if you or other women come up with an idea that they can be involved in the execution piece and that they understand this importance. Name who started the idea, yet also mention the various parties whom ‘piggy back’ and contribute to the idea as well.

Create metrics around the ideas Generalising I would tend to say that men like to go straight to solution based thinking in business (Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus- illustrates this concept very well). This often means the solutions aren’t always innovative. It can also mean there is a bias for men to look for a quick solution that has a direct commercial impact.

To ensure you’re still in the drivers seat, keep in mind the commercial return of an idea. Think of the probability of success, difficulty to execute and the potential returns. Ensure you can also prototype smaller iterations of your idea, in order to minimise risk whilst increasing your knowledge of what will succeed.

Speak up, yet be zen in how much you say I had the good fortune of working with Michael Grinder (who is arguably the world’s best non verbal

communication experts) and learnt a big insight into one of the challenges for women in communicating in a male dominated environment.

The insight that Michael shared was that most women will talk more in a meeting to ensure they are heard and get their point across. Unfortunately this works against them as it waters down the point they are actually trying to make. I watched in awe as the women in our group literally had to bite their tongue to reduce the amount of talking they were doing. As they did however there was a noticeable increase in the impact of the comments they were making. Less is more.

Become a behaviourist The better we are at observing the behaviours of users, fellow team members and our customers/ clients the more insights we can gain. This in turn leads to fresh ideas and commercial innovations. There is great commercial value in being able to understand a user group or target market (just think how much an advertising agency will charge you for their strategic work). Create an archetype that includes demographics such as age, sex, where they live, work etc. ensuring you dentify their needs, desires and their aversions. Gaining an insight into what your customer or fellow workers need, want and avoid is a competitive advantage.

Use technology to help you leverage your efforts Technology is a great way of transforming a soft skill into a hard skill. While I believe innovation is a hard skill, many may perceive it as a soft skill. Have you ever noticed the respect gained by a woman who masters the hard skills? For example a female chief information officer (CIO).

Applying some technology to your innovation turns it into a hard skill. Consider tools that will capture ideas from the business, tools that enable you to manage projects, show progress and track success.

Create a tribe Culture comes from values in action. Every business has a culture, a way of doing things. If there are ways of doing things that aren’t happening and you want them to happen, you need to identify what those values are, you also need to get others to list the values they are looking for in the business and agree on the values that cover all of them in the best way possible. You need to recognise those values as behaviours and celebrate them so that people know what they are. It’s no point having a value of ‘everyone’s input is equal’ if no one is seeing it or recognising it.

So what’s next?

Change starts with one person. Why not be the person who starts that change by applying innovation?

The Leading Edge: ALONE, NATURALLY Helen Treloar

“Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn,” said Clark Gable in ‘Gone with the Wind’. This movie quote is well referenced and is the catch cry for the underdog, the misfits and misunderstood.

This statement evokes feeling and gives volition to ‘going it alone’.

The pack, so we have been told by a myriad of social commentators in business and beyond, is mediocre.

To be successful, truly successful and happy, we must step out of the pack, lead the pack, zig when the pack zags, and not give a damn when the pack rejects.

The rejection of the pack is a sign, a sign we are on to something or ahead of our time or more willing to do more or risk more than the pack. The pack will hold us back. To be in the pack will limit or stunt our success.

And so the ziggers zig whilst the zaggers zag. Then comes the flat spot (specifically but not exclusively for women), ‘so why do I feel that I am not appreciated, or acknowledged or connected or fulfilled or…?’ What am I really zigging for? Do I have to zig away from the zag to achieve my goals? Eventually the pack re-connects and accepts or validates or follows. No matter how they hook up, they indeed hook. (Mandela; Luther-King.)

Humans are pack hunters. We need belonging and connection and without it we are floating and searching. Relationships and social engagement are crucial to our sense of happiness, love and development. Countless research projects show us that those who connect and engage with communities in a physical manner tend have less stress and depression and more happiness and fulfillment than those who do not. In today’s technological age of global online communities the way we connect and with whom we connect has changed. We comment, LIKE, debate and educate on a daily basis through Facebook and other social media pages. We blog our thoughts and create articles to engage. We are constantly positioning ourselves to be noticed and build awareness of our brand. We seek to lead the pack and give them a brand to follow and belong to. We can state our ‘I don’t give a damns’ in relative safety. Whilst doing all of this we are in danger of being busy not belonging, of disconnecting from those we could lead and learn from.

According to Antonio Damasio, a director of the University of California’s Brain and Creativity Institute, empathy and compassion are linked to neural processes that are “inherently slow.” In other words, if we are constantly busy and distracted we not only have less time for others, but we have less time to connect with moral and ethical questions relating to other people’s psychological states. We know what’s going on around the world thanks to 60-second news updates available on any digital device but we may have no idea what our neighbours are called or what they are really thinking.

I’ll be so bold as to say that we are all in the pursuit of happiness. For those who have happiness, the pursuit

may be to maintain it. So what has happiness and the ‘pack’ got to do with giving a damn?

Martin Luther King Jnr said ‘Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be.’ Within these words are so many layers of human evolution and learning to be found. What I indentify with is how to change the collective thoughts and beliefs of the masses we must identify and connect with them not reject or remove ourselves from them. We must have courage to stand up with our own voice whilst acknowledging the voices of others. We don’t need to agree any more than we need to disagree instead we need to listen and hear and discuss. To enable others to shine enables self. To enable others to grow enables self. Simply put, to enable others enables self. We are in the best position to enable others when we are our true self and we stand up for what we believe to be true without any connection to that truth being right, with no need to defend or protect that position as it is not necessarily that of the other person’s right now, and that’s OK. Wherever we speak our own truth we will find a pack that connects with our message just as quickly as we will find those who reject it. In business I would always say to my sales people, convert your complainant into your best customer and you have learned the art of sales and service. I get that Brad Sugars says speak to those who listen rather than waste your time on those who won’t, and yet a converted foe will speak louder and with more gusto about their conversion than a ‘yes’ man. For me it comes down to least resistance or quality. Neither opinion is wrong and both have proven validity. Give a damn that someone has a gripe with your product or service and look for the truth to utilize and you have power to make a difference.

As an executive coach I spend the greatest proportion of my professional time working with leaders. To be present at the moment in time when they come to understand and know that their best leadership qualities are within who they are being rather than what they know is a gift. In my humble opinion, the greatest leaders inspire, enable and enjoy the journey of empowering others. They are comfortable being part of the pack they lead in some or many parts. They are willing to learn from the pack as well as educate them. They give a damn about how the pack perceives and receives them whilst being true to who they need to be to lead the pack through challenging times.

How many of us say we don’t care what others think of us and yet have that hook into negative thoughts of self doubt or emotion when a Facebook post questions

us or disagrees with us or seemingly judges us? We all give a damn and to not do so would possibly render us somewhat psychopathic! To live in a world where we are operating purely for self appreciation and self comfort where no one gives a damn is a place I would rather not live. I’ll go so far as to say that it is ok to do what you do with an intention for it to be liked and for people to like you as long as you are not doing it to BE liked. Approval is not required when giving a damn.

Success and giving a damn are not mutually exclusive to each other. Being a change agent and giving a damn are not mutually exclusive to each other.

Janine Garner’s blog this month following her involvement at a Matt Church training speaks to this articles theme beautifully. I quote: “Every day, I see incredibly talented women who simply don’t know how to be visible. As a result – their achievements are constantly overlooked. And I hear the same refrain all the time – ‘oh, I don’t think I should say anything… after all, it’s just me. I am nobody special’.”

Quantum physics puts a different light on the subject and in my words and a grossly simplified structure, we are all one bound by energy. When I reject the pack I reject self, when I accept the pack I accept self. When I stand up and speak with my truth I give the pack to speak their own truth. When I give a damn about the pack they will give a damn about me. Giving a damn is not agreement either.

Consider for a moment the hypothesis of: ‘We are all one. I know you based upon how I know me. I judge you by the limits and boundaries of my own experiences. I reject you so you will not challenge me and I will remain safe (small). I interpret you through my own beliefs. I accept you for the similarities that I find in common with the boundaries of me.’ To me this means we never need to stand apart from the pack but instead represent the pack. The best representation of the pack is to be the very best version of self. I will shine for me and as I shine for me, you shine also.

As women we are excellent simulators. We generally decide who to be based on the expectations and needs of those who matter to us. We are nurturers and care givers. We can feel compromised as busy business women as we notice the unmet needs of our family, and we again re-set our boundaries and behaviours to meet the needs of others. In truth, the needs of others are the same as self. The needs of our family are the same as the needs of the pack. The needs of the pack are the same as the needs of the leaders. We want to love and be loved; to be accepted and validated; to be

important to someone else; to grow and develop; to connect to something greater than self; to belong.

So what if we did give a damn and proudly said so and aimed to be liked but was OK with being rejected?

What if we set the intention of empowering others before self rather than at the expense of self? What if we accepted that the pack we wish to lead will also lead us to greater experiences when we open ourselves up to learning rather than knowing? What if we focused even more on how we can add value wherever we go regardless of brand, position, and achievements to date? What if we believed; truly believed, that we can be no greater, no more worthy, no more valuable, no more important, no more able than we are right now? What if we knew that nothing we can collect externally can add any more happiness to us than what we have right now?

Happiness comes from connection and giving value to those who we connect with. Serving something greater than self gives us a sense of fulfillment.

Knowing that self is served when serving others in a resourceful way and giving a damn about how we are perceived and received widens our states of compassion and connection.

Frankly my dear I give a damn, and it shows.

Life is not a dress rehearsal. Make every day count.

Warmest regards, Helen

Body & Soul: Myth Busting Mini Workouts Nikki Fogden-Moore

DDo you want to create a healthy living platform that enables your best body ever without turning your life upside down? Would you love to hear that it’s not complicated?

Since I am not in one place longer than 48 hours over the last year, I truly know what NOT having a routine feels like. I’ve had to tailor my own fitness and nutrition to fit life on the road. So you’ll be hard pressed to give me an excuse I haven’t got an answer for…

In this series of express workouts we’ll look at 2 myths per issue - usually these are statements I hear most often.

Myth Busting: Myth: GO HARD OR GO HOME - Training till you can’t breathe or feel sick is good for you Fact: If you are training each session till you feel you have to keel over this is not going to get you the results you want. Like anything in life fitness is about brining balance into your body and your type of training. A good PT is not defined by how hard they make you work but by the result they help you get. It takes a tailored and wellrounded approach. Working out till you pass out is not necessary – especially if you put all your expectations into 1 or 2 sessions per week. I recommend taking a step back, doing exercise you love and find a combination of elements to provide total fitness.

Myth: TIME IS EVERYTHNG: If you don’t work out for an hour it doesn’t count Fact: In order to increase your overall wellbeing you need to ensure your heart is working effectively (cardio) i.e. it’s ability to pump fresh oxygen efficiently. Your heart is also a muscle so training your heart in different zones is key rather than just a monotone workout for an hour or busting yourself in just 2 sessions a week. It’s about quality training not quantity.

For cardio conditioning you need to focus on 20-40minutes at least for a quality session. Intersperse this with high intensity and interval sessions, even own body weight exercises help elevate your heart rate. Long term results come from consistency not binge training twice a week.

INTERVALS are proven to be more successful at burning fat than just steady aerobic exercise on it’s own. MIX it up – keeping you and your body on your toes.

Let’s start busting both myths with the first of my 3 express workouts.

Why keep it simple?

Body weight workouts and daily focused sessions kick start your metabolism and get a range of additional muscles activated. By focusing on great technique this express pre slopes session can help you achieve: 1.

Improved posture 2.

Improved abs, core strength and lower back support 3.

Protection for ligaments by strengthening muscles around your knees and ankles

4.

5.

Furthermore plyometrics get you jumping -squat jumps, bench jumps, skipping and alternate lunges are all fantastic for burning fat.

Combine stretching WITHIN the workout means you’re more likely to actually do it – and this is essential for flexibility and agility on the slopes.

Eventually you’ll need some basics such as hand weights and a Swiss-ball if you want to ensure you mix up your results and give your workouts some extra oomph!

This workout is ideal to do before a cardio session or just on it’s own as part of a weekly routine.

Tip: use an interval timer like GYMBOSS to help get your heart rate up with our warm up repeat the circuit and you’ll be ready for the resistance section without having to use a lot of space. Ask a friend to join you or a family member.

NIKKI’S EXPRESS SESSION 1 1 Warm Up 4 Exercises Warm Up Back to school with polymeric: 50 star jumps, followed by 40 body weight squats, followed by 20 squat jumps.

Repeat x 3 (If you’ve had enough after just that – no worries choose a stretch and build up each week with adding more of the below to your routine) Exercise 1: Single Leg Squats You don’t need to do a massive movement to activate your ankles and knees along with your calf and quads for this exercise. As you stand on one leg and go into a squat position - extend your arms on the way down and bring them back to your sides for the return to standing.

A beginner version is shown here.

Exercise 2 Reverse Plank Start sitting on the ground with your back at 90 degrees and hands behind you – fingers facing your toes. Tighten like a tiger and lift your entire body off the ground to create a reverse plank.

Body straight, long lines with your hips towards the sky.

Release as you lower and repeat.

Exercise 3: Side Plank Raise Take a side plank position with hips on the ground and upper body is extended. Weight on elbow and forearm with palm of your hand on the ground. Lift your hips off the ground keeping the elbow and arm static. Focus on your obliques. Once you have done your reps on one side change over to the other side.

Exercise 4: Front Prone Start with your body flat on the ground. Tighten every muscle, flex your feet and lift your feet and your upper body off the ground – with your hands out in front to start then finishing with wide arms. Bring your hands back to the front before you lower to the ground and repeat. Its imperative you lock your abs and gluteus to prevent lower back strain.

Nikki’s Top Tip For The Month: Fitting Exercise Into Your Week: These two simple tips worked for my clients that are just juggling so many roles during the week = keep it simple.

Weekdays: Conscious Consistency: Use the weekdays for shorter targeted sessions – aim for 10 minutes body weight exercises every day (morning is best if you can)

as a ritual. Then add some social/family or personal time sessions if you can of yoga, swim, a group class or PT session. Can’t afford to take an hour out then do 30 minutes every second day and 10 minutes EVERY DAY. Weekends: Long and Relaxed: Use the time on the weekend for longer sessions that enable you to work on your cardio fitness and just enjoy. Ensure you’re doing an activity that raises your heart rate for at least 75% for no less that 20mins. For example an hour walk, run, cycle or swim starts off slow, build up the pace to increase your heart rate so you’re not keen to chat a lot – then ease back off for a cool down.

Quickness & Answer Kate Stone

This month, with the concentration on our wonderful male champions of change, I was very privileged to chat to the partner of one of our most active and energetic LBDG members - Renata Cooper, CEO of Forming Circles. Dr Tim Cooper currently owns Edval, which designs software for timetabling in Australian high schools. He is passionate about practical philanthropy in East Timor, and like myself is fond of a chat about all things tech-related - bear with us both, please!

Q: Is the tech space typically somewhere that women - especially in senior roles - tend to concentrate on?

Not really, no - for example, when we were looking for a CEO for a past company, we were not presented by the consulting recruitment firm with a single female candidate for the position. Whether this was down to there being no women qualified for the role, or simply that the recruitment firm didn’t have the foresight to think a woman would be interested in the role, I am honestly not sure about - but it does show the dearth of women in the sector.

Q: Do you feel that women are attracted to tech start-ups as entrepreneurs?

Tech start-ups tend to have a typical ‘story’ - they are driven by two blokes - one (at least one) with programming ability and one with business acumen who understands the strategy of what they want to achieve.

In my time within the tech space, I have not witnessed a single start-up happen with a woman at the helm. This is a shame, because women bring great skill sets to the tech sector. With female management, pressure and stress is reduced, and the workplace is far more harmonious.

Women and men working in tandem in management are much more effective at problem solving than men alone.

I’d like to share the story if I may of our own company, Edval’s, Business Manager, Kathy Elliot-Jones. At the age of 46, as a mother of 5, this former high school teacher - with no experience in business, or software, may I add - asked to join our company. She was so keen to try something new and to change her life that she offered to work unpaid while she learned!

Kathy displayed, incredibly quickly, a level of mathematical and emotional intelligence I have not seen

in any man. Being a former teacher, she understands the ins and outs of the school system - and deals with the programs as well as the business strategy. As for being the ‘third leg’ of a company run by two brothers - Chris and I are always arguing - she gets the final say most of the time - and runs everything from HR issues to opening new markets and spearheading geographic expansion.

So - should women be attracted to tech, and start-ups?

Ask Kathy perhaps!

Q: What do you think the area of tech start-ups have to offer women in general - especially younger women who are incredibly tech-savvy?

The best place to start - if you are lucky enough to be Sydney based in this instance - but check out similar spaces in other cities - is FishBurners. This is a co-working space and entrepreunerial community, where people with very new start-ups or want to start-ups can rent for a very low price working space, get involved in social events, meet like-minded entrepreneurs and develop apps. It also has a job ad board.

Tech is incredibly welcoming - it is a nurturing environment which needs more driven, dynamic women on board with an eye for detail and great perspective.

News & Reviews

Featured This Month BOOK: Nearly Impossible Dreams & Other Poems by Tara Finn. A joint initiative by Forming Circles and The Green Olive Press, this is a beautiful and incredibly moving collection of poems written between the ages of 9 and 10 by Tara Finn, a young Sydneysider. This is a part of Forming Circles’ move to encourage literacy amongst Aussie kids. You will adore it. http://www.greenolivepress.com/nearly-impossible-dreams

BLOG: Box of Crayons (apart from the really cool name) is just - well, sensible. Their business message is clear and concise - and positive. Much like Nike - it’s all about one thing - just do it.

Enjoyable. http://www.boxofcrayons.biz/blog/

WEBSITE: Simply because it’s Father’s Day on Sunday... Happy Dad’s Day all gorgeous Dads out there! Gadgets galore. I am SO there... http://www.thinkgeek.com/

Mark Webber

Lois Lane Lives: It’s A Man’s, Man’s, Man’s World... But I’d Rather Be...

Kate Stone

“Life is not a game of Solitaire; people depend on one another.

When one does well, others are lifted. When one stumbles, others also are impacted. There are no one-man teams—either by definition or natural law. Success is a cooperative effort; it’s dependent upon those who stand beside you.”

Jon M. Huntsman Senior, Essential Lessons on Leadership

When Janine and I were planning out GLOSS for the rest of the year, we had one of those ‘Eureka’ moments which apparently used to only happen to old men in bathtubs who then ran down ancient Greek streets scandalising the inhabitants (or giving them vicarious thrills, who knows?)

Now I am not equating either of us to Archimedes, but the idea to have the September issue of GLOSS - in conjunction with Father’s Day - dedicated to our amazing male champions of change was, I think you’ll agree, a pretty nifty one.

The topics that they have covered are relevant, timely and incredibly wide ranging. Whether you are a parent, male, female, entrepreneur, in corporate - there is honestly something thought provoking and challenging for you to read.

I particularly enjoyed Adrian Morgan’s article, because this is something I struggle with on a daily basis. Am I a feminist? In some ways, in strict adherence to the term, possibly not.

I don’t think that women should be given positions on anything other than merit - there shouldn’t be a ‘ratio’ system in play. By the same token, sometimes employing said ratio is the only way to effect change in the first instance.

What I do believe in - like Adrian - is this.

There are incredibly good men out there. There are some idiots as well - but there are also women who don’t do their own sex any favours by pulling each other down and not supporting and strengthening, and being fearful of younger women’s success.

The men that I know and love are amazing. They support my business. They understand that I work ridiculous hours because I want to succeed. They are willing to help in any way they can for me to achieve my goals.

And in no way do they expect me to be any kind of Super Woman, with dinner dished up on the table, and a ‘how was your day dear?’ and a perfectly made up face.

This is possibly because they know they would get a laptop in the side of the head, but that’s beside the point.

I would like to say I am incredibly proud to be a woman in 2013. I know that I support as much as I possibly can other women who want to become ‘themselves’ in business - whatever I can give I will.

But more importantly I am proud of the men that I know.

And as this is the September GLOSS issue, and yes, as it is centred to some extent around Father’s Day, this starts with my own father.

Who never told me ‘you can’t do that because you’re a girl’.

Who let me fiddle with car engines.

Who encouraged me to build things.

Who gave me Lego and Meccano.

Who took me fishing, and shooting, and never, ever stopped me from doing anything my brother did.

Who pushed me towards maths and physics and actually made them sensible rather than stupidly boring.

If you start with a male role model like that - then later on, you are always going to seek out those who are enlightened men.

Because you will recognise that spark of leadership and the value set which was instilled in you - if you were very lucky - as a grubby, t-shirt and jeans wearing, short-haired tomboy with grease stains on her knees.

Thank you Dad. It may be a man’s world still in many respects.

But I am very thankful you made me a woman you can be proud of - and who sees men as people to work with, not to fight against.

Save the Date: October 23rd Sydney - Business Seminar not to be missed.

LBDGs do the Charleston for Aim for the Stars - all of the Sign up for October GLOSS yet another groundbreaking issue - for your mind and body.

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