G'day leaders. Today's episode we're talking with the amazing Paddy McDonald, leadership and life coach.
Paddy's a qualified accountant and former executive director and we talked to him about his career and journey to date
and his thoughts on humanizing leadership and being your authentic self. Enjoy.
Why did it count backwards? Oh no, we're now recording.
What? Hello captain.
What do I say?
Come fly with me, let's fly, let's fly away.
What are we going to talk about? I don't know.
So leadership, life and everything else. Yeah.
And we're live. No, we're recording. But we're live with Paddy.
Hey Paddy, welcome to the podcast mate. Thank you guys, morning.
Nice to see you guys. Yeah, you too. So Paddy, leadership and life coach.
But prior to that you had quite an extensive corporate career.
Can you give us a bit of background? Your corporate career?
Absolutely. So I guess in my former life I started as an accountant.
So when I was 17 straight out of school, went into a public practice role where got to support businesses from all walks of life.
Really like maximize their bottom line. Profitability being the primary focus as an accountant.
And that was something I did for about 15, 16 years, which really is like as boring as the stereotype of accounting is.
Like I actually got a lot of joy out of it. Really helping people just lit me up.
And as I kind of deepened into that, I started to desire to bring a sense of depth to what I was doing.
And I decided to go into one company specifically so that I could really support that company on all levels.
Rather than just getting little touch points with lots of different clients.
Okay, so you moved away from looking after lots of clients to working as an executive director of one company.
Yeah, that's right. So for a project management firm that were building social infrastructure around Australia.
Ended up being the executive director for the operations of that business.
So supporting all the different functions, human resources, marketing, technology and obviously finance as well.
And to basically give the business the structure so that the people on the ground could deliver service to the highest possible ability.
Okay, so you moved from running your own accounting firm to being an executive director, so a senior leader.
Pat, what brought about the transition then into what you do now?
Yeah, so I guess it was a continuation of that journey.
And as much as I really loved and got a lot of fulfillment out of supporting the mission of this company that I believed in so deeply.
I started to notice that there were patterns with inside myself and also the other leaders that I worked with that really influenced how our company was performing.
And also I'd seen in the companies I've been supporting previously.
And noticing that a lot of how we show up as leaders is influenced by our own emotional integration and our own ability to really show up from a place of presence.
And having done our own inner self-development work.
And so the more that I was able to bring that out in myself and the people around me, the more that I could see there were actually results coming out for the business.
And following that thread, it really just felt like a natural evolution to start to focus on that rather than the business element.
Start to focus on people being the best versions of themselves and then naturally trusting that that will flow into the results for the businesses they lead.
Yeah, that's great because part of the leadership is that the leader, it's being able to bring out the best in those around you and being self-aware as well.
How did you become self-aware in that way?
Have you always been self-aware or has there been a journey?
Was there something - a catalyst to start this?
Yeah, definitely a big journey that is very much still continuing. And for me, it was something that I went on on my own outside of business and had a bit of a spiritual journey.
But then actually noticing that really spirituality is best reflected in the way that we're relating to the people around us.
And so with business being a function of teamwork and communication, the more that I was able to improve my communication skills and ability to show up authentically as myself,
but also support others around me to be their best versions of themselves, the more that I found my spiritual journey continued, but also we got the results that we wanted to get as well.
So you've been a leader, a senior leader, an executive leader, and now you're a leadership coach. I'm sure we've got a lot to delve into here.
So I'm just going to jump into a question I ask all of our guests. We've had one so far, you're the second.
I'm so glad that you're here, but we're going to be asking this question many, many times.
A leader is somebody that you follow. A manager is somebody who has been given authority.
So a leader is somebody you follow and you choose to follow them because they lead by example.
And so we talk about the characteristics that make somebody the sort of person other people would be inspired to follow.
So thinking about that, what would make somebody the sort of person that you'd be inspired to follow?
Or what do you see as a very important character trait in a leader?
Yeah, beautiful. Look, firstly, I wanted to say that I think that everybody is actually a leader in their own lives, first and foremost.
And so just distinguishing that between someone who's been given the opportunity and the privilege of leading others by nature of the role in the company.
And as you've identified, we wear different hats when we're a leader in a company. We may be a manager as well.
We may actually have our own role in delivering something, too.
Like when I was the executive director, I still did a lot of the work in the financial side of things because that was my expertise.
But when I'm wearing the leader hat, like what I look for in other leaders is someone who's actually taking leadership of their own lives, first and foremost, is taking responsibility.
Because there can be a temptation as humans and we all do it to really project any issues or things that we're judging outside of ourselves.
And it's easy to blame external circumstances for our problems.
But actually someone who's willing to take responsibility for their own challenges is someone who I can trust because I can see that they're not going to put that on me.
They're going to actually like really do the work to try and solve it themselves.
So they're accountable for how they turn up as a leader every day.
Yeah, 100%.
So they start with themselves.
100%.
I like that. I like that. Yeah.
So rather than focusing on projecting, like you say, our own stuff externally, you're working on your own stuff internally.
You're turning up the best possible version of you so you can be a great leader.
Yeah, that's it.
So then delving into it, what sort of character traits would you like to see in a leader besides starting on themselves and being authentic?
Yeah, look, I think it's kind of a paradox.
There are two traits that come to mind instantly at opposite ends of the spectrum.
One is a sense of like radical authenticity, like really being who they are at their core and not putting on a facade, putting on a mask, really like owning their own expression.
That might be bringing their vulnerabilities to the table, for example.
And the other side of the spectrum is having a deep sense of awareness and sensitivity for what the whole collective needs.
So, you know, an archetype I play with sometimes is that of the king or the queen, and this is someone who, in the healthy version of this, is actually considering what does the whole kingdom need.
And that includes ourselves. But it also just makes sure that we're not neglecting any particular parts of the kingdom that might later come up and bite us in the backside.
So looking after the collective.
Correct.
So that says like you're supporting everyone.
Empowering. Empowering, for sure.
What does that mean? What does empowering and supporting mean?
Yeah, so it's really like supporting everybody to be their best selves and can be a tricky one as a leader because I know for myself there's a temptation to help other people be the best version of what I think they could be rather than the best version of what they are in their core.
And so, like, I guess one way I can kind of explain this is there's, everyone knows like a corporate kind of hierarchy, like an organizational chart that's often in the shape of a pyramid.
Top down.
Top down, yeah. And I think like all the org charts I've seen tend to be in that pyramid kind of shape.
I think like one of the most powerful things we can do as leaders is actually flip that and really rather than seeing ourselves at the top and everyone else supporting our vision, it's actually seeing ourselves at the bottom supporting the whole organization and team that we're leading.
And what that means is that we're actually empowering everybody to be the highest expression of who they are in their roles, because we've brought them in for a reason, right? We've brought them in to be the person that they are to fit the role that we've designed for them.
And who are we to say what the best way is to do that? Right?
And so kind of once they're in, like, we can coach, we can empower, but when we're at the bottom of the pyramid rather than the top, we're actually harnessing the power of the whole team, rather than trying to like drive it all ourselves.
And it's easy, it actually also highlights the fact that being a leader is a huge responsibility. And I think it also acknowledges that like leaders carry a lot of weight. And I think it's important as a leader to be humble enough to realize that we need support as well.
Yeah, we can see that by flipping the pyramid on upside down, you can actually see that support that's required both from, well now the bottom, up to the team.
And we have a, I suppose what we've spoken about previously, the role of a leader is to encourage, support, mentor, coach your team so that you yourself become redundant, almost as a leader, not in a job sense, but you've supported and encouraged your team so much that they go beyond their own expectations of greatness to something that they didn't even know about.
And it may actually be greater than you. Yeah, fully agree. Couldn't agree more. I think that's a great way to describe it. Like I think any leader should really be trying to make themselves redundant.
Yes. Because a leader that's self assured and knows they have value will find new ways to add value. And I think like when I think a leader is also judged on their team, a leader is not judged on just their own output, a leader is judged on the team's output.
And so if the team is actually doing more as a group, the leader now is freed up to find those new and dynamic ways to add value as well.
I think that's the pitfall. So a lot of leaders are fearful of that because their performance is measured by the performance of the team, which then leads to micromanaging, which is the exact opposite of what you're saying.
You're saying trust, empower and coach your team to be better than they think they could possibly be, to be better than you even so that you can then lead from the front and be more strategic.
But have you ever seen a leader do the opposite where they're fearful of letting go and so they start to micromanage? All the time. And I've done it as well.
I just want to acknowledge here that there's like, this is not about like there's some people that are good leaders, there's some people that are bad leaders.
This is like we all have these traits of times when we are driven by fear and we try to over control because we don't have the trust that things are going to unfold.
And there's times when we really just are able to surrender a bit more and just allow the team to really work its magic.
I like that. So how can we show that we trust people? How can we empower people? What are your thoughts on that?
Yeah, great question. Great question. Yeah, because actions definitely speak louder than words for sure.
And I think like one of the most important things as a leader is to really lead with that energy.
And what I mean by that is like people, people will follow like what they see and what they feel rather than what they're told.
And so if people want to feel empowered, I guess like it's about actually showing up as someone who's like being empowered ourselves and simultaneously like just really encouraging that individuality that's coming through them.
And so when someone's doing something differently to how I want them to do it, taking that pause, taking that breath and going like, OK, maybe, maybe this is better than I would have done it.
Like that could be a possibility. My ego doesn't want me to believe that. But like just actually allowing and seeing where it goes can be a powerful, powerful tool.
Just having the confidence to let go and let the person find the destination that you've set for them. So true autonomy, which Dan Pink in his famous TED Talk talks about that, that people want autonomy, mastery and purpose.
But he says that radical autonomy, letting them get towards the destination. You just set the destination and give them the freedom to go there. So you subscribe to that sort of model.
Definitely, definitely. And I think it's this real coming back to the concept that everybody is a leader.
Like imagine leading a team of leaders, right? A team of leaders where everybody is really taking responsibility for their role and not just their role, but the success of the whole team.
And that's not to say that everyone needs to be like in a management position or like in a position of power.
Cooks in the kitchen.
But leadership is a concept of responsibility of like, I care about where this is going and I'm going to, I'm aligned to the vision and I'm going to do my unique task to make that happen.
Guy, you've spoken about this before where you met somebody and the happiest person, he was a cleaner and he knew his role was for the greater purpose of the ultimate getting man into space or whatever it was.
Oh, that was JFK.
That was me. I spoke about a cleaner.
That whole concept of regardless of your role, it's being empowered that you are part of the greater team to get the goal, whatever that final goal is happening and you do your role regardless of how menial it may appear to others.
You are the CEO of that role and you absolutely own it and do it to your best ability.
If I could tell you Pat that story because I love this story if you don't mind.
I've meshed them.
No, you haven't. I love it.
We'll separate them.
The one that you were talking about with regards to getting a man on the moon, JFK was very famous for walking through a NASA corridor one day, saw a guy in the corridor and said, oh, excuse me, sir, what do you do?
And the man looked at him and said, Mr. President, I'm helping to put a man on the moon.
Wow.
He was a janitor.
Wow.
I was doing a team building workshop and I insulted somebody and I didn't realize I'd insulted them until later on in the day.
So you're going to see my immaturity at the time.
So I met this guy and he was the happiest person I've ever met, Pat.
And he was in a team of people and he was a cleaner.
Right. So these were people who looked after large buildings in the CBD and he was the cleaner and he was on this team building day.
And I took him aside and I said, why are you so happy?
Can you hear the insult?
Because you're a cleaner.
It was the worst thing I've ever said to a human being.
That night when I reflected on it, I thought, are you?
I call myself all sorts of names.
Yeah.
But the answer I got from him was just amazing.
He said, why wouldn't I be happy?
I travel on the train for a couple of hours every morning to come to work.
And I look out the window and I think about my family and I think about my children and I come to work and I make this place a beautiful building.
And I'm good at what I do.
And while I'm doing it, I can think about my soccer and my family in Argentina.
And every month I get to send them money to help them.
And they looked me dead in the eyes with a serious face and said, you tell me why I wouldn't be happy.
And I'd met the guy who had clued into life.
And that was the most beautiful thing.
And he was a leader in his role.
He turned up to work, cleaned the building, cleaned the bathrooms, cleaned the windows and he did it to the best of his ability.
And that lesson will stay with me for the rest of my life.
Just reflecting what you were saying, he was a leader in his position.
I guess, I don't know what his leaders were like around him, but he'd chosen to be a leader.
Yeah, I love that.
I love that.
And I think it really speaks to the fact that being in a leadership position is not what everybody wants.
And I personally catch myself sometimes thinking like that because I want to be in a leadership position that my team all wants that.
And I noticed how that wasn't true.
And along with that comes the subconscious belief that being a leader is better than not being a leader.
And I feel like the example you've just given is a great example of how fulfillment doesn't come from success.
Fulfillment comes from like a moment to moment experience of life and choosing to show up in that with like full presence and gratitude and joy like this man was doing.
And I think it's a great thing to remember because when we're leading our teams, it's about helping them be the best version of themselves,
not about trying to help them ascend through the ranks or anything like that.
It's just supporting this man to have that life.
Like helping him to really like have the life where he can do those things, connect with his family, like be in the moment.
When you were saying about your energy leading with energy, I can think immediately comes to mind people I've known or met,
even past in a building that had this presence and this energy and you can't help but smile and even walk a little taller when you're around them.
And so you find yourself drawn to them. You want to hang out with them. It doesn't matter what they do.
You may not even know what they do. It's just this you feel this real connection.
And I must say, I feel that when I'm around you, you have this energy. So can you speak to that?
I don't know if we're asking too personal question, but how do you turn out the way you turn up?
Because it is there is like a power and energy behind you.
Thank you. Firstly, pleasure. Yeah, let me just feel into that.
So I guess like like I really prioritize my state. I prioritize like my energy.
So like preparing for this podcast, the hour before this, 10 years ago, I would have spent like reviewing notes and like trying to like get all like the words right.
Actually, what I did was when I sat by the river and got into a state of meditation,
because like for me, being in a state of presence is more important than like having it all figured out because I trust that what's meant to come up will come up.
And any preparation I did do for this, like is out the window now. Like that's like that might not even be spoken about.
So just I think like for me, the biggest thing that's helped me in life is just facing it's actually is going to sound really weird.
And what I'm going to say is that building a relationship with death has been the biggest thing that shifted my life.
And by death, I mean like allowing my identity to die and allowing any sense of like feeling like I have it figured out, feeling like I've got it under control,
just dropping all that and just being in the moment and trusting that whatever comes up is what's meant to come up.
I like that. You're still a very young man. You're thinking about death early.
I like the effect it's had on you if that's what's happening. I like that.
Would you say that was like an ego dip or you're looking at the whole?
Yeah, I think they're related. I think they're related.
So when we realize that we're all eventually going to die, like it makes us really consider why we're here.
Why we're here if not to actually connect and like feel love for fellow humans and for the planet and for the animals in the world.
Why are we here if we're not meant to just be living in a state of joy?
And that's more important to me now than any outcomes or successes.
I like that.
And paradoxically, that's actually allowed so much magic to come up in my life.
It's very much like the Tibetans. The Tibetans have got a culture where they're very connected to death.
So very early on in a child's life, they learn about death and they don't fear it.
They see it as a reminder that life is to be lived, as you've just said, to turn up authentically and be the best leader you can.
And the concept that I think comes from, like I build a relationship with through Buddhism and meditation is around attachment.
And so, for example, bringing it back to a more practical thing, we might be attached to how our company performs, for example.
But realizing that one day this company is going to end might be a thousand years in the future, but like it's not permanent.
So like it might feel like the biggest issue in the world in the moment.
And that's so valid. But taking a bigger perspective and just like relaxing a bit into it can help not only our experience of being in business be a lot more easeful and joyous,
but actually can help those results come better because we're not trying to force things that are meant to be.
I like that because I'm going to piece this together for me.
Yeah, please.
Maybe I'll find the people as well. So you started out as an accountant. So very much it's about profit. It's about numbers.
But now you're saying that you're very interested in getting the things out of the way, the ego things,
the personal things that may stop you from being able to achieve those sort of profits.
So you're looking at it from a very holistic perspective now rather than just a purely numbers and business and data perspective.
You're bringing in the human element.
Yeah, which is the best metaphor I can probably give for it is that of a tree.
And so it's really acknowledging that like those numbers and business results are important.
They're definitely important. And if we think of that as like the fruits of the tree, they're the fruits of our labor.
Like we want to get those results. But those fruits of the tree are inextricably linked to the branches.
And the branches are all the different ways that comes out.
Right. The trunk of the trees is our own sense of who we are. It's our why. It's our mission.
It's our solid sense of self and like being like really strong in knowing who we are.
And then the roots of the tree are the concepts like spirituality and emotional awareness and self-love.
And really the roots of the tree are what makes the whole tree healthy.
So if the roots of the tree are healthy, the fruits will just naturally grow.
You know, you don't need to go and like you don't water the fruits, do you? You water the roots.
Yeah. And then but the fruits are important because they hold the seeds for future trees.
So the whole thing is interconnected.
But for me, I personally find the most long term value in focusing on the roots and just trusting that everything else will grow organically.
That's great.
You touched on animals before.
Yeah.
So what you're saying, and I've had conversations with you before, your relationship with animals and the animal world kingdom nature and taking leadership lessons from them.
Can you explain a little bit more what you mean by that?
And I want to hear the story about Dingo.
Yeah, look, I feel like as leaders and as humans, we can take lessons from anything.
Right. And ultimately, if you just trace it back, we are part of nature.
Humans are one of the forms of animals on this planet.
And there are so many other animals out there that have lessons that we can listen to and receive guidance from.
The Dingoes for me are so interesting to study because as an Australian, they're the example of the apex predator.
So if we think of it like the organizational chart of Australia, the Dingo is the leader of the whole ecosystem.
And actually, like having spoken to some experts on Dingoes and having spent a lot of time volunteering at a Dingo sanctuary,
the Dingoes actually consider the whole ecosystem in how they operate.
And so they'll actually manage the populations of the animals that are directly under slash above them in the pyramid.
And if there's an overpopulation, then they'll bring that down.
If there's an underpopulation, they'll actually protect those animals as well.
And it's interesting because at the moment, we've got a policy and a culture of seeing them as pests.
And we've removed them from the ecosystem.
And it's actually had dramatic effects where kangaroo numbers have exploded, which has led to overgrazing,
has led to soil degradation, deforestation, all of these problems.
And feral cats and foxes have also exploded, which is actually taking more livestock than the Dingoes would ever have taken in the first place.
So now she's got a way of balancing things out.
But then we interject our thoughts on it and start to do things that then put it out of balance.
But the Dingoes are, I guess, the kings and queens of our environment.
I believe so, yeah. I believe so.
And I think we actually treating them in that way will allow us as humans to actually bring that into our lives as well.
And if we can model our own way of living and organizations on nature,
then I think we'll find a much more harmonious balance and way that we can build sustainable businesses that last lifetimes.
That's deep.
Now resonating with that model, I like it that you see yourself as creating an ecosystem.
Yes, yes.
Where all areas in the business are functioning to their peak.
Yes, yeah.
But you don't have, you know, you're not culling certain areas.
I could imagine if you culled your sales team because they were overpopulated, then two years down the track,
you don't have enough coming down your sales funnel.
Yeah, yeah, OK. Sorry. I'm just trying to get my head around that analogy.
It's a beautiful analogy for leadership, isn't it?
Yeah. And I think it really comes down to as well, like, why are you doing what you're doing as a leader?
Like, are you building a legacy? Are you building something that's going to stand the test of time?
Because if you are, you need to think, play the long game, you need to really think about like,
what's going to have all of the downstream effects that you're going to have?
And for me, when I start to think super long, it gets way too complicated to try and control it in terms of the actual specifics.
And so what I come back to is principles, which is values as well.
And so that value of harmony, balance, these kind of things that are so important in nature,
I feel like is a great example for us to follow as leaders as well.
Yeah, I like that. I talk a lot about how businesses will often have a list of values on the wall,
but very little, I guess, follow up with regards to how they not enforce them, but encourage them and make sure.
So one of the things I love talking about, and we're going to do a whole podcast on this in the future,
is that every organization I have ever worked with has innovation as a core value.
But it's the leadership behavior that stops it. And so I've got a few examples. We won't go into it now.
But how, as a leader, can you make sure that your organization is encouraging and living those values?
Living them yourself, firstly, is the obvious answer.
Setting the example.
I actually think that's the only answer.
I like that.
Yeah. I feel like if you're embodying it as a leader, it will naturally emanate out to the people around you,
and then they will embody it. And because they won't feel like they've been manipulated into doing it,
they'll just like, they'll trust you and want to follow you into battle.
And so they'll just actually model their behavior on you because they respect you.
And then because they're doing that, the people that are following them will do the same.
And this might not be an overnight thing.
So it's why it's hard actually to have the courage to do it because we want the quick results.
But it's the only thing that works long term is just starting. Any change comes from within, right?
Mahatma Gandhi, be the change you want to see in the world. It all starts from within.
And so, yeah, that's the answer.
Walking the walk, not just talking the talk.
100%. Yeah.
So as a leadership coach, how do you work with your clients? How do you help your clients?
What do you bring to that engagement?
Yeah. So coming back to that metaphor of the tree, I help leaders water the roots.
So there's things that are often under the surface that we don't have awareness of that are actually controlling everything we do.
Maybe they're showing up in ways that are just subtly affecting our relating,
whether it's with our team members or with our partners or with the people we're reporting into.
If we've got these shadows that we haven't addressed or faced,
then they might come out in a sense of irritability or us trying to over-manipulate the situation.
And so if we think about someone working with a team member,
if I haven't fully developed a sense of safety and security with him inside myself,
I might actually be trying to see my team member struggling with something.
And I think that they need to be rescued.
I need to take things off their plate so that I can do it for them because they're not able to do it.
But when I actually realize that I'm perfect as I am and so is this other person in my team,
then that actually allows me to show up in a way that really helps everything around me blossom naturally.
So I personally feel like focusing on our own emotional health really flows into all of our interactions.
And what is business other than a set of human connections and interactions?
So whilst communication is one of the core skills to work on, all communication comes from our own emotional health as well.
So working on the roots of any issue is what I find to be important for leaders.
I like that. So you're helping them address how they turn up when somebody's struggling, how they turn up.
Self-responsibility. Because it's so easy to be triggered, right?
When someone else is having a reaction, it can be easy for me to feel like it's about me.
It's not about me. It's just they're having a reaction and I can hold the space for it, but I don't need to fix it.
So you're giving them skills and it sounds like a different mindset to be calm under pressure to be composed,
which again is something that's vital in leadership. If the leader is composed, the team is going to be composed.
Yeah, okay. That's it. So what transitions have you seen with some of your clients? What have you noticed?
You don't have to obviously name names, but what sort of successes have you seen?
How have you been able to move somebody into a different mindset or give them different skills as a leader?
Yeah, beautiful question. So one example of give is a client who was having relationship issues actually,
and that was causing them to just be quite scattered when they showed up at work because all our life is interconnected.
And even if we feel like we're putting things to one side, it can actually like energetically, we're not going to be our best selves.
And people feel that. And so when we dug into that relationship issue, it actually turned out to be related to something from their childhood.
So something that they'd not even really been aware of for decades.
And by going back and like readdressing that and like seeing that situation in a new light,
they were able to like love that part of themselves that had been suppressed for so long and helped that person really feel the grief
and the anger as well that came from that and the self-judgment and start to bring a sense of self-love and compassion to that,
which then enabled them to show up in their relationship in a way that actually brought a lot of harmony to that.
And then by having more harmony in their relationship, then naturally they showed up as a better leader
because they weren't like distracted by this important part of their life.
An accountant who helps save marriages and create better leaders. I love this.
The journey that you've been on has been quite extraordinary.
Starting out as an accountant, becoming, having your own accounting firm, working as an executive director and now finally helping people be leaders.
I feel like I'm just at the beginning.
Yeah, but the journey has been quite amazing. I look forward to hearing more about what you do in the future.
Patty, how can people find you?
Yeah, so best way is Instagram or LinkedIn. I'm sure you'll put that in the show notes.
Yeah, absolutely.
People can reach out. I love connecting with people. So if anyone wants to shoot me a message and start a conversation, please feel free.
Hosting a retreat in a couple of months in June called The Integrated King. It's actually a men's work retreat.
Can you tell us more about that?
People can reach out and have a conversation. But at a higher level, it's about really what we've spoken about here.
So it is about leadership, it's self-leadership, first and foremost. And that will then flow into all areas of their life.
So integration for me, like really embodying or bringing in all parts of ourselves so that we can show up as our higher selves is the intention of this retreat.
And I also do one-on-one coaching. So that means if any leaders out there would like support really just harmonizing their own experience of life, then I'd love to have a conversation.
Well, speaking personally for any leaders listening, that every leader listening, that when you spend time with Patty, time stands still. It's just this cocoon of safe safety.
And you really feel connected. So it's amazing. And every conversation I have with you, I walk away feeling like I've learned something, not only for leadership, for my work, for self-sense, but my whole life and my family.
And just this buzz. I'm really feeling empowered every time I walk away from spending time with you.
I appreciate that.
I concur. I concur.
I appreciate that.
Any last words on leadership, life or anything else? Because that's our tagline.
Life, leadership and everything else.
Yeah, I think just really, really tuning into why you're doing what you're doing. Like we have one life, right? Maybe more. But as we know it, we have one life.
In this form.
Yeah. Let's be conscious of actually how we show up and what we want that to be about. And for me, my values are things like humility, love, gratitude. And I try to really make that the anchor for everything I do.
And so just encouraging people to find their own form of that. What's life actually about? And just go on the journey of deepening, bringing that into every action, every conversation, because leadership is not about these massive world changing projects or outcomes.
Leadership is about the moment to moment way we show up. And the accumulation of those over a lifetime is what makes a leader really powerful.
That's beautiful.
I love it. Patty McDonald, thank you so much for joining us on the podcast.
Absolute pleasure.
Thank you for what you're doing. Yeah, love it.
Thank you so much.
Thanks, Patty.
This podcast is brought to you by New Memory, providing professional development training to a global audience for over 20 years. New Memory specializes in leadership development programs, as well as time management, communication, presentation skills, customer centricity, and much more.
Help your staff become their best self. Download the course catalog from newmemory.com.au and let them exceed your staff training objectives. That's newmemory.com.au
Well that was fun.
That was fun.
You're such a clown.
I'm a lady captain.
And who's going to listen to this?
Maybe our mums.