Leader Scout Walter Millington

In this conversation, Jeff shares his experience in business development, starting from his early selling ventures as a child to his career in startups and smaller companies. He emphasizes the importance of direct communication and personal connections in sales, and how he achieved success by reaching out to Fortune 500 C-level executives. Jeff also discusses his leadership style, focusing on trust, delegation, and providing executable solutions to problems. He highlights the inefficiency of regularly scheduled meetings and the need for leaders to recognize and address broken strategies or personnel issues. The conversation explores the challenges faced by sales teams in the IT industry, the misconception about salespeople, the changing landscape of the industry, and the importance of building a positive company culture. Jeff shares his career journey, highlighting the lessons he learned from working for both good and bad leaders. He emphasizes the value of hard work, the importance of doing your job and letting others do theirs, and the need to take action and continuously improve.

Sam Blank shares his impressive career journey in product design, starting from studying industrial design to working at a multinational organisation that designs and manufactures toys for McDonald's. He emphasises the importance of taking advantage of placement years and being persistent in securing opportunities. Sam also discusses the challenges and rewards of transitioning from a creative role to a leadership role, including the need for empathy, effective communication, and recognising one's unique value as a leader.

Matthew Mackey shares his journey from being a project surveyor in the UK to his current role in Australia. He started as a graduate at Garner and Theobald in London, where he gained a lot of responsibility early on. He then moved to Manchester and climbed the ranks to become an executive quantity surveyor. Matthew emphasises the importance of owning up to mistakes and learning from them. He also discusses the differences between the QS role in the UK and Australia. After working at multiple companies in Australia, he returned to Turner and Townsend for a pay rise and promotion. Matthew Mackey shares his career journey as a quantity surveyor and offers advice for QS professionals relocating to a new country. He emphasises the importance of networking and building relationships in the industry, as well as taking the time to understand the market and processes. Matthew also highlights the need to be proactive and seize opportunities to drive your career forward. He suggests starting slow, but being open to new experiences and challenges. Overall, Matthew's story showcases the potential for growth and success in the QS field.

Summary



George Vatis shares his career journey, starting as a Fitter and Turner and transitioning into the family tool-making business. He then pursued his passion for photography and worked as a wedding photographer while still in the factory. George later owned and operated video stores, leveraging his people skills and focusing on customer satisfaction. As the video rental industry declined due to piracy and competition from streaming services, George pivoted again and explored a career in real estate. However, personal circumstances led him to join a distribution business, where he applied his sales expertise and learned about internet security. George Vatis shares his career journey and offers advice for those interested in cybersecurity. He emphasizes the importance of networking, continuous learning, and bringing value to conversations. George also highlights the role of mentors in his success and encourages being open to learning from others. He concludes by discussing the significance of gratitude and not judging others' stories and definitions of success.

In this week's episode, the podcast host had the pleasure of sitting down with Shane Wallace, a business owner whose journey from postman to app owner is truly inspiring. Shane shared insightful details on how he turned his passion into a thriving business venture.

One particularly noteworthy highlight was Shane's revelation of how he generated around $100,000 simply by engaging in conversations at the local pub! This showcases Shane's remarkable charisma and knack for building connections, underscoring the importance of seizing unexpected opportunities on the path to success.

Listeners are highly encouraged to tune in to this episode, as it's packed with valuable lessons and motivational anecdotes that are sure to leave a lasting impact. Don't miss out on this opportunity for inspiration!

Nick Evans started his career at Qantas in the financial management trainee program, where he gained exposure to different parts of the business. He then moved into finance business partner roles and eventually transitioned into a product role. One of his notable achievements was launching the BidNow Upgrade product, which generated significant revenue for the organization. Nick also shared his experience stepping into a leadership role and emphasized the importance of trust, empathy, and self-reflection in leadership. He discussed the value of having an accountability partner and prioritizing personal fitness. Nick Evans shares his post-COVID journey, which involved leaving his corporate job and taking eight months off to explore various opportunities. During this time, he said yes to every opportunity that came his way, including becoming an angel investor and joining a consulting company. He emphasizes the importance of continuous learning and surrounding oneself with the best in order to grow professionally. Nick also discusses the challenges he faced in his roles at Standards Australia and the importance of leadership understanding and buy-in for successful product development. He concludes by highlighting the value of being flexible and prioritizing personal and professional growth.