Gearing for Success series

There's always another Mountain: the diverse experiences of a contemporary leader

Paul Gardner (BBus (Mktg) 1982), Monash graduate, Chairman of Grey Global, Chairman of Melbourne Football Club and Chairman of Malthouse Theatre - presented to an enthralled audience at the Gearing for Success breakfast seminar at the Grand Hyatt on May 30.

Paul shared a very personal and entertaining journey through University life (and the distractions of the race course!), professional challenges, career success and the privilege of contributing to the wider community.

His presentation concluded with six key lessons he has learnt along the way:

1. Persevere. You will have ups and downs, all the time. You will have ten knockers for every fan. You will never experience smooth sailing the whole time. You will not have one company or one job or one task or one destiny for life. Don’t worry about it…embrace change, crave it, and get excited about it.

2. Guard your reputation - you will carry it for the rest of your life. A respected name and not-so-good title will always beat a respected title and not-so-good name.

3. Make and take opportunities. Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte once said “Ability is of little consequence without opportunity”. When you hire someone with real ability, give them a chance to use it. I had never been a copywriter before someone gave me a copywriter job…I had never been an Account Director, or a General Manager or a Managing Director, or a Chairman or run a football club or a theatre…until someone gave me a go. So if you are in the fortunate position of being an employer, you are charged with your employees’ future. They do not work for you, you work for them to create the very best environment in which they can maximise their potential and fulfil their destiny.

4. Stand for something … and lead. It makes you different, it defines who you are. The overwhelming majority of leaders (88%) cite ‘the ability to bring about change’ as being the best part of the job. Leadership used to be about maintaining the status quo and championing ‘what works’. Now, it’s clearly about change. Homer once described a leader as a “maker of speeches and a doer of deeds”. To me, this simple line sums up a true leader, a person who can inspire by words yet also back them up with actions. Words without action is rhetoric, action without words often lacks reason.

5. Make a difference. If you reach the heights that give you clout or strength or press exposure or influence, use it to help people less fortunate than you are. Have a charity, donate your time and guidance and wisdom. You can’t save the world, but you can make it slightly more palatable for a lot of people.

6. Gamble with your career, not your family or your money.

Download Paul's audio presentation (41,844 KB)

Pictures from the breakfast

Paul Gardner presenting
Paul Gardner presenting
MC: Kaylene O'Shea President of Monash Alumni Association
Breakfast guests
Breakfast guests

Register your interest for the next Gearing for Success breakfast to be held on the 26th September 2006.

About Paul Gardner

BBus (Mktg) 1982

After a two year stint with the Commercial Bank of Australia (now Westpac), Paul Gardner went into advertising eventually joining Grey in 1992 after holding both senior creative and account service positions at a number of Australia's leading agencies including Young & Rubicam and Luscombe & Partners.

He was promoted to Group Chairman, Grey Global Australia from National Managing Director, Grey Worldwide in 1999, and is currently Australian Group Chairman of Grey Global Group and part of the Asia Pacific Operating Group for Grey.

Outside of Grey, Paul is the Chairman of the Melbourne Football Club and the Malthouse Theatre. He is a former Director of both Open Family (a charity that provides support to street kids) and International All Sports Limited and a past Chairman of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology's Advertising Industry Advisory Committee.

A person who seeks a challenge, Paul has travelled extensively through Africa and Asia; achieved his black belt in karate, a Bachelor of Business from Monash University and a Certificate of Securities from the Australian Stock Exchange; climbed Mt Kilimanjaro; and in July plans to tackle the Kokoda Trail.