Cambell Holt

With the release of Joe Astons’ book on Qantas, and the recent ructions at WiseTech, there will no doubt be a new round of governance discussions on how boards can better deal with a "dominant" CEO.   Many of these ideas will be around more distance between management and board, and greater independence by directors.   I am about to make a suggestion (and it will run counter to convention) – that instead we should examine having more non-independent directors.   In a recent Harvard Business Review, leading Canadian academic Bryce Tingle, KC sets out the many benefits of having non-independent directors https://lnkd.in/guFnmbys   Having more insiders on the board, like senior executives (be it the CFO, COO or business unit heads), seems completely at odds with corporate governance. Yet, rather than entrenching CEO power, insider directors do the opposite. Tingle says: “In their capacity as directors, insiders become the CEO’s boss. They have unfettered and confidential access to the rest of the board. This actually makes them a rival power centre inside an organisation that the CEO must respect”.   Companies with insiders on the board are much less likely to be dominated by a powerful CEO personality, and they are much more likely to have the views of a wide range of groups in the company, represented in board discussions.   Inside directors bring advantages that are tough to find elsewhere. They are not dependent on the CEO for their information about the company and have a deep understanding of the company.   As I read Tingle’s research, I could not help but think of the strapline of Dr Strangelove - how I learned to stop worrying and love non-independence.

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Early engagement with your superannuation fund significantly boosts confidence in retirement. Increasing regular contributions, financial planning, and effective money management increases optimism about life after work. When did you first engage with your super? What made you start engaging?How is your superannuation fund engaging with its members early on? https://lnkd.in/gzTHQq-Z

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Helping companies elevate a customer lens in their business strategy deepens brand connections and accelerates integrated organisational impact and value-based outcomes. Pretty exciting. https://lnkd.in/gYPRvDQt #customer #customerexperience #digital #value #strategy

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A massive week in the legal tech and practice management space with the ALPMA: Australasian Legal Practice Management Association Summit in Brisbane, Wednesday through Friday at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre. For those of you coming, drop in and say hello at the Lawganised booth (Stand #32) in the exhibition hall. We've got our usual cache of superior merch, and with a couple of surprises this year. Can't wait to see colleagues from far and wide, and an amazing array of speakers. See you there!! #altacon #alpma #legaltech #law #lawfirms #bestadvice

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In Australia’s dynamic financial market, customer engagement and loyalty programs are crucial to boost retention and drive growth. Are banks doing enough to reward loyal customers? Learn why it’s important to ensure customers feel valued and how this benefits Australian banks. skp.link/5yz #CustomerEngagement #LoyaltyPrograms #AustralianBanking #CustomerRewards #LoyaltyInBanking

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Great reflections Gerald Marion GAICD. The big question for me is whether #Boards and #Executive teams have the will and ability to move fast enough to stay relevant for their customers and talent, because change is accelerating and the risk of disruption is also accelerating. #innovation #AI #global #growth #leadership #disruption #risk #opportunity

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I love this from the 40 Lessons From Michael Dell’s Extraordinary Career published in Inc. Australia today! 19. Don’t fear debt. Carrying debt can be considered risky and burdensome, but business debt isn’t the same as an individual’s credit card debt. “Debt as an integral part of corporate transactions isn’t always completely understood, even by sophisticated business commentators,” Dell writes. “When used thoughtfully to finance the purchase of productive assets, debt is an important and necessary part of how the economy works, and it can create tremendous growth and opportunity.” https://lnkd.in/gFNNNaAT

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I recently had the opportunity to contribute to the MYOB guide on effective change management. Key takeaways include: ✅ Clear Communication: Transparency and early communication reduce resistance to change by addressing fear and creating ownership. ✅ Engaging Stakeholders: Including diverse voices ensures that both leadership priorities and end-user needs are balanced. ✅ Thoughtful Planning & Risk Management: A detailed implementation plan, coupled with proactive risk mitigation strategies, is essential for smooth transitions. ✅ Feedback & Continuous Improvement: Regular feedback loops and a commitment to incremental, sustainable change are game changers. ✅ Celebrating Milestones: Recognising progress boosts morale and underscores the positive impacts of change. Change is no longer just about adaptation—it's about transformation. With the right mindset and approach, businesses can turn challenges into opportunities for growth. #ChangeManagement #BusinessTransformation #MYOB #Leadership #TrailblazerConsultingGroup

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Galvanising Change: Reflections from the Women Rising Book Launch! 👏🌍❤️ Honoured to have been part of the “Women Rising” book launch authored by Megan Dalla-Camina in Sydney last night, where we dove deep into what it really takes to lead change. The conversation, brilliantly facilitated by Tracey Spicer AM GAICD was a powerful reminder of the work ahead of us and the opportunity. Some of my key takeaways: - We need galvanisers who can unite and push for change. - The fact that only 10.4% of Fortune 500 CEOs are women is a stark reminder of the work left to do. - It’s time to step out of the patriarchy and into our own light. - We explored paradoxes around empowerment, confidence, leadership, and visibility—challenges we must navigate with nuance. - Change happens in the middle, and we must engage male allies in these crucial roles. - Understanding resistance and listening with empathy are critical. - Male allyship is the next frontier—we need to find and engage the men who believe whom other men respect. - The different archetypes we encounter at work, like the people pleaser or the overachiever, are shaped by the system, yet we have the tools to rise above. - We need to show compassion for the patriarchal female leader—it’s been a struggle, and they need support too. Let's continue to celebrate women supporting other women, honour ourselves, work together and find space in stillness to reflect on our visions. Together, we all rise! #womenrisingbook #Leadership #Empowerment #MaleAllyship #WomenSupportingWomen

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🚀 Unlock the Power of Funding for Your Startup! Join me for an exclusive webinar with Tim Clark from Hyper Startup Studio! In this session, we will be unpacking and guiding you through: 🌏 Navigating Australia’s Grants Landscape – Discover what’s available, how to apply, and which grants are best suited for startups and scale-ups at every stage, from pre-seed to high-growth. 🔍 R&D Tax Incentive 101 – Get a clear understanding of how the Australian R&D Tax Incentive works, eligibility criteria, and top insider tips to maximise your claim and drive innovation. 💡 Maximise Your Funding Potential – Learn strategic, actionable tips to secure grants and incentives that can fuel your growth journey and set your business up for success. Whether you’re in the early stages, heading to market, or scaling up, this webinar is packed with essential insights to help you harness grants and incentives for your startup’s advantage. Don’t miss out! DM me to get the link to access the webinar.

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Some NZ first research into medium sized businesses. Find here what the challenges are, and follow for future insights as to how to overcome these predictable and solvable challenges.

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79% of CEOs surveyed in Australia are optimistic about growth over the next 3 years. But what are they doing about it? The Australian Industry Outlook 2024 by Ai Group reports that Australian industry leaders are concerned about the year ahead, with uncertainty, inflation, and weakening demand being the main risks for 2024. It also mentions that 38% of businesses expect to face falling demand and 34% of businesses expect to face increased costs. Having an efficient, effective and empowered sales team has never been more important. A clear well executed plan for your sales team driven by high performers is the greatest insulators to the headwinds in the next 12 months. Where to start? I can help with an initial Sales Performance Assessment that sets the base for initiatives that will have a positive effect on your sales performance. Expected outcomes from an assessment include: 🎯 Increased Sales Performance: Improvement in sales team efficiency and effectiveness, driving higher revenue and market share. 🎯 Strategic Alignment: Alignment between sales activities and the corporate strategy, ensuring all efforts are directed towards common business goals. 🎯 Leadership Excellence: Development of strong, effective sales leadership that supports a positive, high-performing team culture. 🎯 Actionable Insights: Real-time feedback and comprehensive insights into sales execution, enabling continuous improvement. 🎯 Sustainable Growth: Implementation of quick wins for immediate impact and a long-term strategic plan to ensure ongoing, sustainable growth and success. This isn't a classroom lecture to your sales people, it's getting into what makes your team perform at their best and help you make the right decisions to support your growth. At the end of the Sales Performance Assessment, you and your leadership team will have a clear path forward to achieve growth in the next three years and beyond. Contact me for a chat about an assessment, or if you know someone who could do with some help with sales, send on this post. References KPMG CEO Outlook 2023 | Australia Australian Industry Outlook 2024 | Ai Group Research & Economics February 2024

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Some very insightful takeaways from a recent Sales Leaders Summit hosted by Seismic in APAC. 💡

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Such a positive insight into building social value and improving student and academic skills in the real world. With progress this can make the smart country the smart in the right ways to stimulate growth and engagement value. Well done.

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The recent research commissioned by Prospa reveals significant challenges faced by Australia's SMEs, including economic pressures, supply chain disruptions, and rising labour costs. Despite these hurdles, short-term business confidence has seen improvement. Prospa emphasises the resilience of SMEs and stresses the importance of adopting streamlined processes and automation to navigate these challenges effectively. How do you think SMEs can best adapt to these evolving economic conditions? Let me know in the comments. 👇 #leadership #GrowthMindset #Businessowners #Resilience

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𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 At Desirable Futures, we’re not your typical consultants. We’re real-world practitioners, uniquely positioned to help organisations change how they work. We’ve led transformations for some of Australia’s most renowned brands across banking, insurance, telecommunications, energy, and education. We believe our combined product expertise, technical knowledge, and hands-on experience, are what sets us apart. ✨ Alidad Hamidi is a strategic thinker with a sharp focus on adaptive organisational design. He thrives on helping companies navigate change through innovative, human-centered strategies. Alidad’s expertise lies in designing dynamic structures where teams can flourish. ✨ David Witney brings his unique ability to cultivate high-performing, creative teams. A passionate leader, Dave excels at fostering environments that prioritise people and collaboration, ensuring that transformation initiatives aren’t just successful but sustainable. ✨ Ross MacIntyre is the visionary behind systemic change. With a background in self-managing teams and value-driven leadership, Ross is committed to transforming organisations by dismantling outdated structures and empowering teams to take radical responsibility for outcomes. We’re moving beyond rigid frameworks like ‘agile’ and toward networked teams, radical responsibility, and delivering real, measurable change that sticks. To find out more about why we believe the future of work is already here and how you and your organisations can not just evolve alongside it-- but proactively co-create what that future looks like, 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫 on Monday, 16 September at 12.15pm AEST for a deeper look into how these principles can create lasting change. 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞: https://lnkd.in/gaSXCK2V Or drop us a comment and we'll get in touch. #FutureOfWork #HumanCentric #Webinar #WorkplaceInnovation #RemoteWork #Leadership #EmployeeEngagement #Workshop #DesirableFutures

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📈 BUSINESS INSIGHTS | The latest ANZ - Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence Report is out, revealing essential insights for small and medium-sized businesses. Discover what these trends mean for you and how to strategically respond to them. Plus, our team provides actionable strategies to make the current market work to your advantage. #DoMore #WinMore #GrowMore #Ausecon #BusinessFinance #MarketingInsights #Payables #Inflation #ConsumerInsights

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Excellent information from the Australian Institute of Company Directors Essential Director Update 2024 in Sydney. Thought provoking keynote speeches from Christine Holman and Bruce Cowley followed by an excellent panel discussion joined by Peeyush Gupta AM FAICD Gupta, and moderated by Louise Petschler. Key themes of generative AI, cybersecurity concerns, mandatory climate reporting, building culture, performance and succession planning as well as changes for Not-for-Profits, and financial resilience. Practical tips shared such as ensuring a companywide AI policy and the guardrails to safeguard adoption (don’t ignore, and don’t be left behind). The importance of having a documented cyber incident response plan and actively practice response plan implementation in mock-crisis simulations. Culture as a critical governance issue and where possible, engage with people throughout the workforce and listen for and observe signals about organisational culture (beyond survey data). #ArtificialIntelligence #CyberGovernance #ClimateGovernance #AICD #Lantian Photo credit: Louise Petschler

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