Over the holidays, I have been working hard on my latest book, The CEO Book.

At the heart of effective leadership lies the art of managing oneself.

My latest book navigates the twelve habits of highly successful CEOs. One of the twelve habits is to Manage Your Personal Effectiveness. This chapter has three sections: Prioritise Self-Care, Balance Work and Life and Cultivate Support Networks.

In the section under self-care, I returned to the poignant findings of Peter Attia's 'Outlive,' which outlines three distinct health futures that we may embark upon at any age.

Peter’s paths are a sober reminder of the power of choice.

The default path, reminiscent of my grandparents' journey, is a stark example of how habitual inactivity and average daily routines can lead to a stark decline in health after 40, often resulting in a life that ends too soon.

In contrast, the path of advanced medical intervention, as experienced by my father, demonstrates how even with a sedentary lifestyle,...

Doing leadership differently requires self-awareness. In this way, we can know ourselves as leaders and better understand others.

This week, the amazing community leaders at the Rotary Club of Paddington invited me to be their guest speaker on the topic of Conscious Leadership.

Together we learned about the three basic instincts that drive our thoughts and behaviours. As a speaker, I often find that both the entire audience and I can learn a great deal from brave audience members. Wherever possible, my goal is to bring courageous volunteers up on stage to be shining examples of the human spirit.

For instance, this week, we all learned that Debra has amazing contextual intelligence and a strong sense of purpose. As we peeled back her sweet layers, we discovered the playful, curious and creative instincts that make up Mish. Finally, the ever-reliable and loyal Steve shone through as a wonderful example of someone who is grounded, earthy and practical.

A big thank you to Debra, Mish,...

In a world where conscious leadership is a rare phenomenon, this week it was refreshing to speak with a new generation of conscious leaders.
 
As we pass multiple irreversible global climate tipping points, it's disheartening to observe numerous unconscious government leaders in both the western and eastern worlds continuing to offer rebates to greenfield fossil fuel sites. Simultaneously, greedy bank CEOs persist in financing perilous coal, oil and gas developments.
 
By contrast, the extraordinary community leaders of the future at Brisbane Rivercity Rotaract were truly inspiring. Their many charitable endeavours include cleaning up our planet's beaches. A special thank you to  Alexandra Simmons for orchestrating such an enjoyable event. Additionally, a big shout-out to BDO for graciously hosting us.
 
#ConsciousLeadership #BDO #Brisbane #Rotaract #RiverCity #TheStrategyGuy

For the first time in ages, my event calendar is filling fast.

Even more stages are opening in 2024.
Some conferences have not been held for 5 years!

Face-to-face engagement, entertainment, strategy facilitation and education are back.

Whether you are a corporate, government, not-for-profit or business chamber client from before, I look forward to sharing future trends, strategic thinking and digital business models with your leaders and teams.

Click below for my keynotes and workshops: 
www.halecg.com/keynotes 

#thestrategyguy 
#thestrategybook 
#johnhalespeaker 
#conferencespeaker

This week, I am off to ‘St Stradbroke’ on Stradbroke Island to inspire and collaborate with the island's community and business leaders.

We will be learning how to foster a strategic mindset to strengthen tourism resilience and pave the way for a brighter future, while capitalising on the power of the island's existing infrastructure and natural attractions.

Recent events, including the closure of sand mining operations and the challenges brought about by COVID-19 lockdowns, have had a significant impact on Stradbroke Island's local economy. Nevertheless, one of the island's inherent strengths lies in the deep connections between its businesses and people.

Looking ahead, it's evident that there is an urgent need to accelerate tourism development, with a special focus on nature-based activities and tours. Additionally, we will explore opportunities to increase investments in education, training, and infrastructure projects to generate new employment prospects for the...

This week, I enjoyed sharing with Rotary Hamilton how a strategic mindset can be used to increase hope and create a brighter future. Although I love working on big stages with hundreds of people, speaking with small and passionate groups of leaders focused on being useful to their communities is equally rewarding.

When Gordon R. McInally from Rotary International Events announced the theme for the 2023-24 Rotary year, “Create Hope in the World,” Gordon explained that the goal is to restore hope to help the world heal from destructive conflicts and to help achieve lasting change.

One of my audience members, Marcel, sent me a kind message today:

'I want to express my sincere appreciation for your presentation last night at the Rotary Club of Hamilton. It was nothing short of inspirational, and your storytelling, particularly your narrative about your mountain adventure, served as a brilliant guide throughout the evening. Your inclusion of the mysterious skull,...

Recently over lunch, I discussed with a woman named Sally, her critique of Rotary's patriarchal 'boys club' culture. While some of her points were valid, it was disheartening to see many men within Rotary unfairly targeted.

Often, discussions on 'toxic masculinity' reflect the behaviour of an elite male minority, not everyday men. Many men in service organisations like Rotary find much of their worth tied to their Rotary roles.

By contrast, modern talented women like Sally seem to have many other avenues to find usefulness and worth in society.

More than a decade ago, I founded Everyman, a monthly men’s group at Broken Head. Back then, self-worth issues were recurring. Over five years, hundreds of men came along. Many were burdened by depression and addiction, and some with suicidal thoughts. Indeed, analysis of suicide notes reveals words like 'useless' and ‘worthless’ being used most often.

In the safe environment of the men’s group, dozens of men...

Why is leadership authenticity elusive?

Being a leader is a role we play. Authenticity is something else entirely.

Today, many leadership coaches and advisors are trying to condition their clients to be more ‘authentic.’ These clients simply nod their heads, but have no clue what that means.

Being authentic to oneself offers us freedom, beyond conditions and conditioning.

Authenticity is akin to beingness. In this state, we are like an unfettered majestic bird with unclipped wings, soaring high.

If we slow down, rest, stay present, calm our minds, and observe closely, we can come to the realisation that our true nature is way beyond our personality.

OUR CHILDHOOD

Children from all cultural backgrounds carry a degree of emotional wounding and bodily closure - a spiritual sense of loss, which few of us escape from until the end of our lives. In that precious moment when death comes calling, we no longer need our personality to save us.

All children slowly gain an inner...

Scenic Rim Business Awards 

I am honoured to be appointed as a Judge for the upcoming Scenic Rim Business Awards, an event that celebrates business excellence across the Scenic Rim.

Queensland’s Scenic Rim is renowned for its breathtaking scenery, wineries, art galleries, bushwalking trails, equine facilities, agriculture, horticulture and welcoming rural communities, which include Beaudesert, Boonah, Tamborine Mountain, Kooralbyn, Beechmont, Kalbar, Aratula, Canungra, Rathdowney, Harrisville and Peak Crossing.

Here is a list of award categories along with past winners:

Excellence in Tourism and Accommodation: Tamborine Mountain Distillery

Excellence in Hospitality - Food and Dining: Scenic Rim Brewery

Excellence in Retail: My Country Escape

Excellence in Trades and Construction: Hobbs Building and Interiors

Excellence in Transport, Logistics, Manufacturing, and Mining: Joint winners Australian Lawn Concepts and RV Tanks Australia

Excellence in Professional and Community...