The Inner Chief

Greg Layton

The Inner Chief is a leadership podcast for managers and leaders who want to accelerate their career and build high performing teams. Every episode is dedicated to helping leaders rise above the pressure of work to establish a more meaningful career and life. Through a series of CEO interviews and minisodes, listeners are guided through practical leadership strategies, executive performance habits, career tips and business advice. https://www.chiefmaker.com/connect

  1. #385 I AM GREAT: The exact framework you need for executive mastery [Minisode]

    2 DAYS AGO

    #385 I AM GREAT: The exact framework you need for executive mastery [Minisode]

    "What I noticed was that a lot of the self-help material out there really just didn't give you a sense of how to build the high performance system in order to achieve excellence and flow." Chief, in today's Minisode I am going to give you the background on how I developed the I AM GREAT framework for executive mastery, and how I've evolved it over time. As a leadership and executive coach for nearly 20 years, I have witnessed the extremes of performance: what makes teams succeed beyond their capacity, and what causes them to fail spectacularly. Over time, I've developed and iterated a framework which I believe is crucial to implement if you desire to lead a high-performing team. Today, I give you the step-by-step actions you need to take in order to rise above the pack, inspire your people, and leave a legacy. 🎧👉 chiefmaker.com/385 👂 WANT TO BE A SOUGHT AFTER, IN-DEMAND EXECUTIVE? DISCOVER THE NEXT STEPS YOU SHOULD TAKE TO BUILD TRUST, GAIN RESPECT AND ACCELERATE YOUR CAREER: chiefmaker.com/IAMGREAT In this episode, I'll break down for you: ✅ Why I developed the GREAT Method for achieving excellence in your career ✅ The evolution to I AM GREAT and why this difference matters, and ✅ How this framework fits into building a High Performance Team. Stay epic, Greg Follow Chief Maker 📝 Get my Finish Strong monthly newsletter with insanely valuable career tips 👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn or Instagram 📃 Grab one of the many FREE Leadership Resources 📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA 🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses 🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts 🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify 🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel 🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

    34 min
  2. Mini Chief: Using AI to price your products competitively, with Jamie Kristow, CEO of Cotswold Outdoor Group

    3 DAYS AGO ·  BONUS

    Mini Chief: Using AI to price your products competitively, with Jamie Kristow, CEO of Cotswold Outdoor Group

    "Consumers are rightly demanding more transparency from retailers on price, so we're using AI pricing tools and the results have been pretty instant in terms of uptick on where we're competitive ." This is a special episode only available to our podcast subscribers, which we call The Mini Chief. These are short, sharp highlights from our fabulous guests, where you get a 5 to 10 minute snapshot from their full episode. This Mini Chief episode features Jamie Kristow, CEO of Cotswold Outdoor Group. His full episode is titled Optimising the retail value chain, adapting your pace of leadership, and championing AI innovation. You can find the full audio and show notes here: 🎧👉  chiefmaker.com/384  👂 DOWNLOAD THE CHIEF MAKER GUIDE FOR SENIOR LEADERS ON HOW TO HAVE DIFFICULT PERFORMANCE CONVERSATIONS: chiefmaker.com/difficult Jamie is the CEO of Cotswold Outdoor Group, a leading outdoor clothing and equipment retail group based in the UK. His career has spanned more than 25 years globally and includes direct-to-consumer retail experience across Australia, UK, Canada and South Africa. Jamie has led incredible merchandising transformations for big brands like Target, Myer, Woolworths, Hudson's Bay and Sussan Group, while championing innovation such as a retail media network.  He is just a wonderful operator with a brilliant track record of delivering results through data-driven decision-making, empowered teams and customer-first thinking. In the full Retail Masterclass, we talk about: ✅ A wonderful explanation of the busy and complex retail value chain, and how to optimise for each component. ✅ Following the "rivers of money" and building product range through evolution not revolution. ✅ Why time in store and walking in a customer's shoes are vital to turnarounds, and ✅ How shifting search behaviour, retail media and AI pricing are reshaping retail growth. Stay epic, Greg Connecting with Jamie Kristow You can connect with Jamie via LinkedIn. Similar Episodes on retail Julie Mathers, Founder of Flora and Fauna and CEO of Snuggle Hunny, on Being adventurous, bootstrapping a business, and first mover advantage Angus McPherson, MD Australia of Diageo, on Creating momentum, difficult conversations, and simplifying your message Cliff Gale, former Managing Director of Lite n' Easy for over 20 years, on Leading with passion, respect for your people and keeping the soul alive in your business Follow Chief Maker 📝 Get my Finish Strong monthly newsletter with insanely valuable career tips 👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn or Instagram 📃 Grab one of the many FREE Leadership Resources 📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA 🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses 🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts 🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify 🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel 🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

    6 min
  3. #384 Optimising the retail value chain, adapting your pace of leadership, and championing AI innovation, with Jamie Kristow, CEO of Cotswold Outdoor Group

    23 MAR

    #384 Optimising the retail value chain, adapting your pace of leadership, and championing AI innovation, with Jamie Kristow, CEO of Cotswold Outdoor Group

    "Understanding how the customer journey is changing and how you adapt is going to radically change retail in the coming years." In this episode of The Inner Chief podcast, I speak to Jamie Kristow, CEO of Cotswold Outdoor Group, on optimising the retail value chain, adapting your pace of leadership, and championing AI innovation. 🎧👉  chiefmaker.com/384  👂   DOWNLOAD THE CHIEF MAKER GUIDE FOR SENIOR LEADERS ON HOW TO HAVE DIFFICULT PERFORMANCE CONVERSATIONS: chiefmaker.com/difficult   Jamie is the CEO of Cotswold Outdoor Group, a leading outdoor clothing and equipment retail group based in the UK. His career has spanned more than 25 years globally and includes direct-to-consumer retail experience across Australia, UK, Canada and South Africa. Jamie has led incredible merchandising transformations for big brands like Target, Myer, Woolworths, Hudson's Bay and Sussan Group, while championing innovation such as a retail media network. He is just a wonderful operator with a brilliant track record of delivering results through data-driven decision-making, empowered teams and customer-first thinking. In this Retail Masterclass, we talk about: ✅ A wonderful explanation of the busy and complex retail value chain, and how to optimise for each component. ✅ Following the "rivers of money" and building product range through evolution not revolution. ✅ Why time in store and walking in a customer's shoes are vital to turnarounds, and ✅ How shifting search behaviour, retail media and AI pricing are reshaping retail growth. Stay epic, Greg Connecting with Jamie Kristow You can connect with Jamie via LinkedIn. Similar Episodes on retail Julie Mathers, Founder of Flora and Fauna and CEO of Snuggle Hunny, on Being adventurous, bootstrapping a business, and first mover advantage Angus McPherson, MD Australia of Diageo, on Creating momentum, difficult conversations, and simplifying your message Cliff Gale, former Managing Director of Lite n' Easy for over 20 years, on Leading with passion, respect for your people and keeping the soul alive in your business Follow Chief Maker 📝 Get my Finish Strong monthly newsletter with insanely valuable career tips 👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn or Instagram 📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA 🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses 🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts 🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify 🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel 🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

    55 min
  4. Mini Chief: Adapting to shorter strategy cycles, with Paula Martin, Executive Director, Regional NSW and Visitor Economy at Business NSW

    16 MAR ·  BONUS

    Mini Chief: Adapting to shorter strategy cycles, with Paula Martin, Executive Director, Regional NSW and Visitor Economy at Business NSW

    " When we talk strategy, we mean let's get through the next 12 months. Have a three year outlook, but be prepared to change it in six months' time if we have to."   This is a special episode only available to our podcast subscribers, which we call The Mini Chief. These are short, sharp highlights from our fabulous guests, where you get a 5 to 10 minute snapshot from their full episode. This Mini Chief episode features Paula Martin, the Executive Director, Regional NSW and Visitor Economy at Business NSW. Her full episode is titled Learning from everyone, adapting to shorter strategy cycles, and genuinely receiving feedback. You can find the full audio and show notes here: 🎧👉  chiefmaker.com/383  👂   ARE YOU GIVING THE RIGHT FEEDBACK? LEARN HOW TO EMBED EFFECTIVE FEEDBACK IN YOUR CULTURE: chiefmaker.com/feedback   Paula is the Executive Director, Regional NSW and Visitor Economy at Business NSW, where her focus is to champion growth through collaboration with government, industry and business. She leads Business NSW's regional office network, shaping policy that reduces red tape and creates employment opportunities. Paula also founded the award-winning Australian Business Consulting & Solutions, delivering innovation, commercialisation and programs for SMEs. Under her leadership, Paula achieved many firsts including the set-up of an operation in Shanghai to help Australian SMEs find genuine, authentic buyers in China, as well as the design of leading HR Management System, HR Advance. In the full Business Growth Masterclass, we talk about: ✅ Why "stable ground" matters to achieving operational excellence and sustainable business scaling. ✅ The one thing a mentor said to her that changed how she embraced continuous learning. ✅ How shorter strategy cycles are key to navigating an era of uncertainty and volatility, and ✅ Being truly present and vulnerable when absorbing feedback so as to unlock better decision-making. Stay epic, Greg Connecting with Paula Martin You can connect with Paula via LinkedIn. Similar Episodes on strategic planning Minisode: The AAR Method of Strategic Planning Angela Tsoukatos, CEO and 20 years executive team member, on How to manage key priorities to ensure focus on core business David Knoff, Antarctic Expedition Leader, on Being adaptable around your mission Follow Chief Maker 📝 Get my Finish Strong monthly newsletter with insanely valuable career tips 👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn or Instagram 📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA 🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses 🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts 🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify 🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel 🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

    10 min
  5. Mini Chief: The 3Ps of building an insanely valuable network, with Paul Nicolaou, Executive Director of Business Sydney

    2 MAR ·  BONUS

    Mini Chief: The 3Ps of building an insanely valuable network, with Paul Nicolaou, Executive Director of Business Sydney

    "  I want people to walk away from any engagement they have with me saying that I'm not a bad bloke, that I was keen to listen, and that I wanted to help."   This is a special episode only available to our podcast subscribers, which we call The Mini Chief. These are short, sharp highlights from our fabulous guests, where you get a 5 to 10 minute snapshot from their full episode. This Mini Chief episode features Paul Nicolaou, the Executive Director of Business Sydney. His full episode is titled The 3Ps of building an insanely valuable network, daring to be different, and making people happy. You can find the full audio and show notes here: 🎧👉  chiefmaker.com/382  👂   JOIN THE COUNCIL OF CHIEFS. Break the isolation and stretch your thinking with a network of like minded C-Suite executives and business owners: chiefmaker.com/councilofchiefs   Paul is a highly experienced executive leader and board member, having been Executive Director for Business Sydney since September 2021. Prior to this, he was Director for the Business Leaders Council, Membership and Events for the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) for seven years.  He is a Board Member of the Estia Foundation, and Ambassador for both Vinnies CEO Sleepout and Start Up Australia. Paul has held several senior roles in his distinguished career, such as at UNSW and UNSW Foundation, the CEO of the Australian Hotels Association of NSW, the NSW President of the Marketing Institute of Australia, and he served as Executive Chairman of the fundraising and business engagement arm of the Liberal Party in NSW. In the full Networking Masterclass, we talk about: ✅ How he has built incredibly reliable and insanely valuable networks using the "3 Ps" model. ✅ Leading with energy and daring to be different. ✅ Why his daily KPI is making people happy, and ✅ Cutting through red tape to run a business without being superhuman. Stay epic, Greg Connecting with Paul Nicolaou You can connect with Paul via LinkedIn. Similar Episodes on networking Minisode: How to Think Like a CEO: Leveraging your network Ted Prodromou, America's #1 LinkedIn Coach, on Perception, connecting properly with purpose, and standing out online Steve Sims, the Concierge to Billionaires, on How to gamify life and work, going for stupid and building priceless relationships Follow Chief Maker 📝 Get my Finish Strong monthly newsletter with insanely valuable career tips 👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn or Instagram 📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA 🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses 🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts 🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify 🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel 🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

    10 min
  6. #383 Learning from everyone, adapting to shorter strategy cycles, and genuinely receiving feedback with Paula Martin, Executive Director, Regional NSW and Visitor Economy at Business NSW

    24 FEB

    #383 Learning from everyone, adapting to shorter strategy cycles, and genuinely receiving feedback with Paula Martin, Executive Director, Regional NSW and Visitor Economy at Business NSW

    "Imagine if you could. You need to imagine a future. You need to imagine growth. You need to imagine what success looks like." In this episode of The Inner Chief podcast, I speak to Paula Martin, Executive Director, Regional NSW and Visitor Economy at Business NSW, on learning from everyone, adapting to shorter strategy cycles, and genuinely receiving feedback. 🎧👉  chiefmaker.com/383  👂   ARE YOU GIVING THE RIGHT FEEDBACK? LEARN HOW TO EMBED EFFECTIVE FEEDBACK IN YOUR CULTURE: chiefmaker.com/feedback   Paula is the Executive Director, Regional NSW and Visitor Economy at Business NSW, where her focus is to champion growth through collaboration with government, industry and business. She leads Business NSW's regional office network, shaping policy that reduces red tape and creates employment opportunities. Paula also founded the award-winning Australian Business Consulting & Solutions, delivering innovation, commercialisation and programs for SMEs. Under her leadership, Paula achieved many firsts including the set-up of an operation in Shanghai to help Australian SMEs find genuine, authentic buyers in China, as well as the design of leading HR Management System, HR Advance. In this Business Growth Masterclass, we talk about: ✅ Why "stable ground" matters to achieving operational excellence and sustainable business scaling. ✅ The one thing a mentor said to her that changed how she embraced continuous learning. ✅ How shorter strategy cycles are key to navigating an era of uncertainty and volatility, and ✅ Being truly present and vulnerable when absorbing feedback so as to unlock better decision-making. Stay epic, Greg Connecting with Paula Martin You can connect with Paula via LinkedIn. Similar Episodes on strategic planning Minisode: The AAR Method of Strategic Planning Angela Tsoukatos, CEO and 20 years executive team member, on How to manage key priorities to ensure focus on core business David Knoff, Antarctic Expedition Leader, on Being adaptable around your mission Follow Chief Maker 📝 Get my Finish Strong monthly newsletter with insanely valuable career tips 👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn or Instagram 📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA 🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses 🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts 🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify 🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel 🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

    53 min
  7. #382 Executive Director of Business Sydney, Paul Nicolaou, on the 3Ps of building an insanely valuable network, daring to be different, and making people happy

    10 FEB

    #382 Executive Director of Business Sydney, Paul Nicolaou, on the 3Ps of building an insanely valuable network, daring to be different, and making people happy

    " It's never about Paul Nicolaou; it's about other people, because you want to appreciate and show your passion towards them and helping them achieve an end result." In this episode of The Inner Chief podcast, I speak to Paul Nicolaou, the Executive Director of Business Sydney on the 3Ps of building an insanely valuable network, daring to be different, and making people happy. 🎧👉  chiefmaker.com/382  👂 JOIN THE COUNCIL OF CHIEFS. Break the isolation and stretch your thinking with a network of like minded C-Suite executives and business owners: chiefmaker.com/councilofchiefs Paul is a highly experienced executive leader and board member, having been Executive Director for Business Sydney since September 2021. Prior to this, he was Director for the Business Leaders Council, Membership and Events for the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) for seven years. He is a Board Member of the Estia Foundation, and Ambassador for both Vinnies CEO Sleepout and Start Up Australia. Paul has held several senior roles in his distinguished career, such as at UNSW and UNSW Foundation, the CEO of the Australian Hotels Association of NSW, the NSW President of the Marketing Institute of Australia, and he served as Executive Chairman of the fundraising and business engagement arm of the Liberal Party in NSW. In this Networking Masterclass, we talk about: ✅ How he has built incredibly reliable and insanely valuable networks using his "3 Ps" model. ✅ Leading with energy and daring to be different. ✅ Why his daily KPI is making people happy, and ✅ Cutting through red tape to run a business without being superhuman. Stay epic, Greg Connecting with Paul Nicolaou You can connect with Paul via LinkedIn. Similar Episodes on networking Minisode: How to Think Like a CEO: Leveraging your network Ted Prodromou, America's #1 LinkedIn Coach, on Perception, connecting properly with purpose, and standing out online Steve Sims, the Concierge to Billionaires, on How to gamify life and work, going for stupid and building priceless relationships Follow Chief Maker 📝 Get my Finish Strong monthly newsletter with insanely valuable career tips 👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn or Instagram 📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA 🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses 🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts 🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify 🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel 🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

    57 min
  8. #381 Doing damage to darkness together in 2026 [Minisode]

    4 FEB

    #381 Doing damage to darkness together in 2026 [Minisode]

    "  Let's create an army of light and just  get out there and be a positive force in the world." Chief, welcome to 2026. In today's Minisode I am going to share with you my tips for being the leader that the world needs right now. If you've felt the weight of the negative news cycle, the anxiety of the unknown and the relentless pace of change, you're not alone. Therefore, it's time to be a positive leader who brings light, energy, and direction when others feel overwhelmed. Yes, you can't pretend the world's perfect and you can't ignore hard realities. But you can choose to impart a contagious culture of positivity and light. 🎧👉 chiefmaker.com/381 👂 BREAK THE ISOLATION. Discover the benefits of C-Suite networking for shared learnings, innovation, and business growth: chiefmaker.com/councilofchiefs In this episode, I'll break down for you: ✅ Why this matters in the world right now ✅ The 3 actionable principles you need to get moving quickly, and ✅ Protecting your energy fiercely. Here's to hitting 2026 out of the park, Chiefs! Stay epic, Greg Follow Chief Maker 📝 Get my free Finish Strong monthly newsletter and podcast drops 👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn 📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA 🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses 🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts 🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify 🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel 🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

    11 min

About

The Inner Chief is a leadership podcast for managers and leaders who want to accelerate their career and build high performing teams. Every episode is dedicated to helping leaders rise above the pressure of work to establish a more meaningful career and life. Through a series of CEO interviews and minisodes, listeners are guided through practical leadership strategies, executive performance habits, career tips and business advice. https://www.chiefmaker.com/connect