“Australians have sunk to a new level of complacency not seen before.”
“There are warning signs, to be sure. Wages are stagnant and productivity has been flat. Young people find it hard to break into the big city housing markets and there is rising underemployment too. But it seems few people look at horizons and see dark clouds. No world wars for more than two generations, no depressions for even longer. The upshot of all this good fortune is that Australians have sunk to a level of complacency not seen before.” Janet Albrechtsen, The Australian 2019.
Being locked-in at home in Melbourne for the past months has forced me to witness the ever present high level of complacency that seems to be accelerating at an alarming pace locally and globally and threatening our existence. It seems no one of any importance is listening to the warnings from outstanding leaders like David Attenborough and Andrew Liveris (Chairman/CEO Dow Chemical Co and Director IBM) .
Recently, I watched Andrew Liveris tell the National Press Club luncheon in Canberra that Australia needs a new model of leadership that fits the demands of this century and David Attenborough wondered why our local and global leaders are not listening and acting on the climate change evidence because tomorrow is too late to save the world. My confidence in the future took another blow when I watched the Trump/Biden press conference. Inspirational leadership was nowhere to be seen or heard in the chaos. Trump has failed to make America great again! (Good strategy – Poor leadership/implementation in my view.)
I have just finished writing my first book on leadership so I am familiar with the subject. My book is called ‘How to Fly’ and I share the leadership lessons I learned working with 20 of Australia’s top entrepreneurs and business leaders over my 60 year career. I learned the power of silence from Kerry Packer, Christopher Skase taught me how to be audacious, Robert Gottliebsen demonstrated that resilience was imperative and Bob Jane proved that making your vision a reality can become a reality.
When it comes to complacency this is one attribute that my great mate Dennis Merchant did not possess. Dennis changed the media landscape when he took on the media giants and multinational agencies and pioneered the independent media buying agency. (Harold Mitchell takes credit for this but he had nothing to do with it. I should know. I talked Harold into going independent, gave him rent free in my offices, two months fees in advance and introduced him to my clients and to Dennis. Big mistake). My book reveals the true story of how Harold Mitchell got his start and why the story he tells in his book ‘Living Large’ is not true.
Perhaps the most important lesson I learned working with the twenty leaders and entrepreneurs was the importance of humility in great leadership. I first encountered this with Saul Same (GloWeave) and discovered that this powerful attribute was evident, but often hidden from view by many of the leaders I worked with. Humility is linked to quiet achievers who get the job done without fanfare or self-praise. The lifetime achievements of Saul Same, Tony Schiavello, Craig Sinclair and Garry Emery are to be admired because I don’t think they had ever heard of the word complacency.
Prepare to be inspired and motivated. Find out how to be a Leader, not a loser.
The demand for leaders will soar in the post Covid19 economy and I share the personal stories of my working relationships with 20 of Australia’s top business leaders and entrepreneurs and how I discovered the importance of self-efficacy and how archetypes can provide guidelines for leaders to identify with.
There has never been a better time to become an entrepreneur and wealth creator as Covid19 changes almost everything.
Andrew Liveris could not be called a fan of complacency. His global achievements at Dow Chemical and his recent speech inspired me to re-galvanise my personal action plan to eliminate any hint of complacency and begin my mission to help Australia become a ‘can-do’ country once again with twenty leadership lessons from Australian legends in my book ‘How to Fly’.
You can reserve your copy now by registering your details at www.howtofly.com.au. Read it and you will never become a member of the Complacency Club and never be average, overlooked or live a lifetime in poverty if you practice the leadership lessons I have learned.