The loss of the OceanGate submersible Titan appears to be an example of warnings ignored. “We have heard the baseless cries of ‘you are going to kill someone’ way too often,” OceanGate chief executive Stockton Rush wrote in 2018, after being told he was putting lives at risk using his experimental submersible Titan to ferry… Read more »
In 2006, the Victorian State Government ran a program called Business Continuity. The program addressed the devastating impacts a 10-year drought was having on hundreds of small businesses in regional communities. Businesses undertook a SWOT analysis, were reviewed against their strategy, financials, and then given a plan to help generate cashflow. A year later, the… Read more »
The Australian corporate landscape has had a bumpy ride over the past 24 months. From talent shortages to mass layoffs and hiring freezes, it hasn’t been easy for workers or organisations to plan with certainty for how they work, especially when the macro outlook is anything but certain. Senior management, IT teams, HR departments have… Read more »
I feel like every day I walk across the grass to my little office, and I sit down and my desk, and I fire up the laptop, and open my apps, and I wrestle with this question: “Can I save Good Empire, or should I just let it die?” And my chest tightens, and my… Read more »
It took 10 years from the time I hoped to become a venture capital investor until the time I actually became one. Ten long years of hanging by the hoops, trying to crack in, a VC desperado. It’s a fairly typical story: I studied books and articles, listened to podcasts about the greats, built spreadsheets… Read more »
Startmate CEO Michael Batko spend six months talking to 15 startup founders about leadership in order to learn how to be better in his job. “It was one of the best things I’ve ever done for my own professional development and I hated the idea of keeping all the insights to myself,” he said. “They… Read more »
As a case study in how to implement organisational change, Elon Musk’s actions at Twitter will go down as the gold standard in what not to do. Among other things, the evidence shows successful organisational change requires: a clear, compelling vision that is communicated effectively; employee participation; and fairness in the way change is implemented.… Read more »
At the age of 14, during World War 2, the then Princess Elizabeth broadcast, “I can truthfully say to you all that we children at home are full of cheerfulness and courage. We are trying to do all we can to help our gallant sailors, soldiers and airmen, and we are trying, too, to bear… Read more »
Growing a startup in any country takes a certain set of skills, but sometimes having a different perspective can be an advantage. When I founded my first software startup in the United States, I found that my Australian roots provided some unique insights. I’m currently co-founder and CEO of WellSaid Labs, the industry’s leader in AI… Read more »
Is there anything more stirring than an inspirational sports movie? Even non-sportsball people can’t resist an underdog story, especially when coupled with a three-minute training montage. (And for the record, I do believe in miracles. Thanks for asking. ) The best sports-flavoured TV and movies always weave in a good lesson or two. Today I thought it’d… Read more »
This month Airtasker turns 10. It hasn’t been an ‘overnight success’. Rather, one that has had so many ups, downs and ‘are we going to make it?’ moments. All of which have culminated in the community we have built today. I’m writing this from a WeWork office in San Francisco – the first time I’ve… Read more »
Being a great startup founder is not just about running focused stand-ups and killing pitch comps. And it’s not just about recruiting a rock-star team and letting them do their voodoo. Neither is it about closing a funding round and then ignoring your investors until it’s time to raise again. An underperforming team member can… Read more »
Stone & Chalk CEO Alex Scandurra is departing the startup hub he’s led for 6.5 years since it launched. The board chair, Leona Murphy, announced the organisation’s founding boss will finish up in a week, on August 19. Non-executive director Richard Umbers, a former Myer and StarTrack CEO, will act as interim CEO, with the… Read more »
Olympians are often seen as the epitome of human performance, with incredible physical and mental strength. And with the 2020 Tokyo Olympic games well underway, it’s hard to not be impressed by the sheer talent and determination of athletes competing from all over the world. For many of us non-Olympians, the thought of possessing such… Read more »
Startups depend on community. It doesn’t matter whether your company is selling to businesses or consumers, whether your focus is local or global. The need to build and engage with a community of people who share the same values and identity is more important now than ever before – especially if your audience is Gen… Read more »
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