A lot of us feel that burning ambition - wanting to make something of ourselves, our career, our business and our lifestyle. Having a burning ambition is one this, knowing how to harness it and turn it into something valuable is quite another. My guest in this episode is here to provide a bit of inspiration and some solid lessons from his journey in harnessing his ambition. Justin Nelson is just one of those guys who seemed destined to have enormous success in business. He started making huge money - at a crazy young age - in his father’s business. He out-shone, out-worked, out-thought and out-earned all the older heads. But he didn’t linger there for long. He stepped out on his own and went big. Despite the cracking pace he’s set for himself, I found Justin incredibly thoughtful, reflective, honest and self-aware. If you’re looking for a bit of can-do inspiration - this is the episode for you.

The ChatGPT Revolution - there’s no bigger topic for us right now. We’ve long known that AI is coming to disrupt us - and it has, of course, in so many subtle and not-so-subtle ways. But is this, ChatGPT, the big one? Is this the moment AI has penetrated our every day life, to change humanity for ever? My guest in this episode is Donna McGeorge. Donna has written a new book, The Chat GPT Revolution. It's a how-to guide for anyone who wants to get up to speed on this new technology and use it to reclaim time for what matters most. In this episode Donna will help you quickly master the use of ChatGPT for day-to-day tasks from travel planning to letter writing ... and before you know it you will wonder how you managed your life (and life admin) without it.  The future is now. Don't get left behind.

We all know that as we get older, more tied to our desk or workbench, our rate of exercise - even our basic movement - plummets to scary low figures. You might notice it in your step count if you have a fancy watch. Lots of authors and speakers sing the praises of regular movement - the importance of staying fit and active through all stages of life. But none of them, that I know of, are approaching the challenge in quite the same way as my guest in this episode. Brett Lillie is a chiropractor, a speaker and the author of a brand new book: Rediscover Your Athlete Within. Brett’s message, I must stress, is not limited to those among us whose youth was spent a swirl of sporting glory. It’s for all of us. Brett encourages you, me, anyone, to tap into the more active, enthusiastic, fitter, more competitive person we used to be, and update that view, making it a positive relevance for us today. Brett wants us to rediscover your athlete within!

My guest in this episode is author, speaker and facilitator Leah Mether. Leah’s latest book, Steer Though The Storm, is a step-by-step guide to help leaders pilot their team through turbulent times, shifting priorities and massive change agendas. Whatever the challenge, Leah maintains that it’s the soft skills that really matter. Too many leaders are tasked with leading significant organisational change without a clear understanding of the foundations of success. And in this conversation, Leah will arm you and me with change leadership wisdom to help lift the fog and steer us through the storm.

The old models of team development, that we’ve been relying on for decades, have become outdated and unsuited to the challenges of the modern workplace. We need something new. Something that is fit for the time in which we live.. My guest in this episode is author, speaker, executive coach and team development expert Adrain Baillargeon. Adrain is passionate about developing effective and harmonious teams. He has recently published a book: Teams That Swear: By each other, not about each other. He’s developed his own handy team development matrix. And he’s here to tell us all about it. GET YOUR FREE E-BOOK BY VISTING https://www.teams.guru/podcast (Offer valid until 8 August 2023)

A tornado of change has descended upon the world of work. Leaders must navigate the unknown, armed only with an outdated roadmap, bad intel and obsolete operating systems. Whilst some leaders thrive on the edge of this precipice, many others fail. But what is it that makes the difference?  Vanessa Vershaw joins us to talk about her new book, Unreasonable Ambition: Renegade thinking for leaders to create impossible change Vanessa thinks that the key to leadership success is living an ambitious and inspired life. What does it all mean? How do we go about it? Listen in as we discuss these big questions and much more.

Prepare yourself for the future of work! We’re all aware of the rate at which the world is changing - and the workplace with it. But what will it take for you and me to be successful professionally into the future? What does the future hold? And how can we prepare ourselves for it? My guest in this episode is a regular on the show - Michelle Gibbings joins us for the fourth time! Listen in as Michelle gives us some wonderful insight and helpful advice for preparing ourselves for a successful professional career now and into the future.

Master your mindset to do less and achieve more. Darren Fleming is concerned that popular self-help literature focusses too much on developing the muscle of discipline and creating habits to guide our behaviour. He fears this leads to us playing whack-a-mole with distracting thoughts and destructive behaviour. By being a slave to discipline and healthy habits, Darren says we’re setting up our day to be one long series of battles within ourselves. Instead, Darren says we might be better off learning how to deactivate what drives us to distraction so we can have greater inner peace, control and ultimately happiness in our day. Darren wants us to master our mindset. Master your mindset to do less and achieve more.

This is a topic we have not covered before on the Team Guru Podcast. Money. Or, more specifically, how to stop worrying about money. Jacqui is eminently qualified to steer us towards a world in which we no longer have to worry about the dollars. She’s had a long career as a chartered accountant and executive. And most interestingly, I think, is the work she has done over 3 decades working with high net individuals and families to manage their wealth. So how many of us worry about money? What are the most common mistakes we make? And of course, what are the tried and tested steps we can take to eliminate the money worry in our life?

Jade Green joins me in this episode to share her passion for helping human’s thrive. As leaders we play a huge role in the overall wellbeing of the people we work with. It's a massive responsibility that we should be acutely aware of. We must have a clear plan for how we positively impact the lives of the people we lead. Jade's talks us through her 7 humans needs of employees to ensure they’re productive and profitable plus a lot more! Enjoy!

BURNOUT! Sadly, the beast of burnout is one of the most relevant topics of our time. If you are not feeling the effects of burnout yourself, chances are you know someone who is. It’s important we are able to recognise the signs and understand what we can do to prevent it reaching a crisis point in our life. In this crazy modern world we’ve created for ourselves - lightening paced work environments, increasingly complex social obligations and our ubiquitous consumption of information - the old homo sapiens brain often struggles to find balance. We need to stay vigilant. We must be aware of the signs and understand the potential impacts. Most importantly, we need to know what steps we can take to ensure we beat the beast of burnout.

This episode is right in the sweet spot for the Team Guru Podcast. Moving into a management - or leadership - role is a significant step in your career. It requires a whole bunch of new skills, new things to focus on, relationships to be formed. Managing someone is a big deal - and you want to do it well. So - you’ll love my guest in this show. Dominic McLoughlin has just written a book called - Be a better manager in 5 minutes a day. Dominic is full of wonderful, clear, practical advice for those of us who are stepping up into a management role - and for people who just want to be better at. Dominic is a serious guy - he has a PHD in building trust within organisations, he’s a lecturer at UNSW and has done a bunch of research into what really makes an effective leader.

Part-time work is an essential ingredient for the modern workplace. Why has it suffered such a jarring reputation in the workplace? And most importantly - how can we design part-time roles so they are a valuable experience for employees and organisations.

After more than 7 years of podcasting, this might be the most important episode Team Guru has ever produced. Raising tech healthy humans is the biggest challenge parents face today. Technology is an unavoidable part of life. It’s difficult to raise kids who experience humanity in its fullness - because the online world has a gravitational pull. It’s like being caught in a riptide. "The pull of culture is to draw us into being constantly online - particularly our kids. If we don’t do anything our kids will be sucked out to sea." Our challenge is to raise humans who have a love of life - a life that includes the tech world - but goes beyond the tech world. It’s hard for parents to find that balance. That’s the grand challenge.

How do you tell your life story in a way your family can keep forever? If your family is anything like mine - the older generations share stories and experiences to the kids, who barely seem interested. By the time we're mature enough to develop a keen interest in our family's past, it can be too late. The older generations have passed and family stories fade and eventually evaporate with the years. I want to do something about that. I've created Your Story Pod to help people tell their life story. We record it in quality audio and create a sound package they can share and keep in their family - forever. In this special episode of the Team Guru Podcast I want to tell you all about it and share some snippets from the first few interviews I've done. Real people. Real stories. For families to keep forever. Check it out: https://yourstorypod.com.au

How can reading fiction make you a better leader? This is a topic we have never covered before on the Team Guru Podcast - how reading fiction can contribute to our development as a leader. Not only is it a convincing thesis - reading great stories really can help our personal development - but it was also a wonderful opportunity for me to geek out with a fellow lover of reading. Melanie Bell is indeed a lover of literature. She is also a leadership expert who has honed in on this powerful concept. We had a fabulous chat.

How to reclaim your life from the hysterical demands of the modern workplace. If you feel like your job is grinding you into dust - you are not lone. An alarming percentage of us feel like our work is keeping our anxiety levels disturbingly high, keeping us from doing the things we love and spending quality time with the people we care about. Our work is knocking our lives out of shape. Sometimes it feels like we humans have taken a wrong turn somewhere along the way and we’re following a path where priorities are completely out of whack - the important things are pushed to the side for the hysterical demands of the modern workplace. And often - and this is the worst bit - we accept it as just the way things are. And we struggle on. It’s wrong and know it. My guest in this episode is Mel Kettle. Mel knows about a life knocked into the wrong shape as well as anyone. But she’s done something about it. Her brand new book is called Fully Connected - How great leaders prioritise themselves, reclaim their energy and find joy.

Scott Stein joins us in this episode to discuss his newly updated book, Leadership Hacks, which now includes a comprehensive section on leading hybrid teams —something that has become a fresh challenge for a lot of organisations since the pandemic forced many of us to work remotely. Nuggets of gold: 1. Always remember the three types of activity (i.e. work activity, recharge activity, relax activity), this ensures productivity and avoids burnout. 2. Be clear about how you want to lead 3. Anywhere you go, anyone you meet, increase the use of visuals to help others easily understand your message Read the complete show notes here: http://www.teams.guru/podcast/episode-186-scott-stein/

For Rowena Millward, growth is an outcome. It’s an outcome of going through a series of challenges, despite the fear, as an attempt to better and “reinvent” ourselves — not only for us, but for people we care about. Rowena shares the formula on how to move past the fear and own your growth through her book, Uncomfortable Growth. Nuggets of gold: 1. You own your growth 2. Don’t let fear hold you back! 3. Always be kind to yourself Read the complete show notes here: http://www.teams.guru/podcast/episode-165-rowena-millward/

How do you make it work long term, both for your team and your business? In the new book, Homeforce (Publish Central, $29.95), employment law specialist Jo Alilovic has written a practical guide to building a connected, engaged home-based team.