What We Think

To perform at their best, employees need to feel they belong. The concept of diversity and inclusion (D&I) has been around since the 60s and it’s excellent to see how it has matured. Some organisations are extending diversity beyond gender and culture into ways of thinking, risk profiles and leadership styles.

Maximus • 5 minutes Reading Time

Mandy Johnson, Co-Founder and Ex-Director of Flight Centre UK, shared her insight with Maximus into achieving success during times of unprecedented upheaval. We call on leaders to consider how their organisation pivoted during this period, and to contemplate the characteristics of businesses that thrived.  

Maximus • 5 minutes Reading Time

Leading in times of crisis and uncertainty is something with which many organisations are grappling. In this article, we challenge you to think more deeply about individual and organisational leadership through the tragic case of the Mann Gulch Fire before outlining six leadership development lessons that you can use now to improve your leadership capability.

Maximus • 5 minutes Reading Time

Now is the time to exercise our muscle of foresight. Operating in the midst of a health and economic crisis has challenged and continues to test our ability as leaders. We have been tasked with providing clarity and hope for our people, to repair and reimagine the future for our organisations and society, and to balance long term impact with short term survival. Instead of operating at a pace which incentivises short-termism thinking, what if we used this as an opportunity to engage long-term thinking, unlock opportunities and act on behalf of the future?

Maximus • 4 minutes Reading Time

The art of persuasion is fundamental to effective leadership. However the 20th century has seen the communication skills required undervalued and persuasion underutilised. At Maximus we’ve pulled together 9 tips to help you master the art and enable you to sell ideas or generate support.

Maximus • 4 minutes Reading Time

Dr Kimberley Norris, Clinical psychologist, and Associate Professor at the University of Tasmania spoke with Maximus, sharing her views on adaption in a rapidly changing environment and the implication for leaders preparing for re-entry during COVID-19.

Maximus • 5 minutes Reading Time

When I ask for examples of ‘creatives’ in a business context, most CEOs refer to graphic designers, advertising copywriters or jingle writers. They never consider that they could be — and should be — creative thinkers themselves. They are surprised when I tell them that leaders who abdicate responsibility for creative thinking to a few people in defined roles are limiting the potential of their organisations.

Maximus • 3 minutes Reading Time

At Maximus, our business aligned to a set of tightly held truths. One of those truths is what we call being “all in”. To us, being all in is about being purposeful, immersed and great at delivering on promises.

Maximus • 5 minutes Reading Time

If you and your business stand still, neither will survive. The only way to keep up is to have an enterprise mindset. Leaders with an enterprise mindset treat their organisations’ functions, geographies and systems as interconnected and interdependent parts of a cohesive structure with one goal: delivering what their customers want

Maximus • 2 minutes Reading Time

Visionary executives create energy by pulling the future forward and forging their own pathway to the future. Continuing our Black Swan series of livestream events, Maximus Directors Mark Sowden and James Keeler are joined by Charmaine England, Managing Director Johnson & Johnson Consumer Health ANZ, and, Chris Sullivan, Former Executive Group Director, Coca-Cola Amatil to the discuss the opportunity to refocus and mobilise energy across an organisation by connecting people with an enhanced purpose. A must as we continue an uncertain and asynchronous re-entry across the country.

Traditional corporate learning doesn’t leave much to the imagination. The usual classroom-led courses and 70-20-10 mindset are familiar reminders of what corporate learning means to most employees. During these learning experiences, we hope that employees take away as much knowledge as possible and utilize it to not only make them better performers, but also better human beings.

Maximus • 4 minutes Reading Time

Australian oligopolies are falling under the onslaught of offshore alternatives, digital offerings, and more nimble competitors. Learn from organisations that are successfully disrupting themselves, even while they are still at the height of success.

Maximus • 4 minutes Reading Time

As industry experts, Maximus knows strategy. So, we have compiled a list of 19 books we recommend, to change the way you think about strategy and develop your leadership capability.

Maximus • 5 minutes Reading Time

Human resources has gotten caught up in a flurry of systems and processes. That overzealous desire for order and regulation belongs anywhere but in an organisation’s social hub. Excuse the psych jargon, but this is a prime example of Stratified Systems Theory. In other words, processes that are fundamentally human are getting policed with too much structure and complexity, making them disorienting and ineffective.

Maximus • 3 minutes Reading Time

Wellbeing is attracting increasing attention and investment, whilst trends such as an increasingly global competitive market and rapidly changing technology pose significant threat to our wellbeing. In this white paper we provide evidence-based suggestions for leaders to cultivate a a thriving organisation, ensuring they stay globally competitive.

Maximus • 3 minutes for introduction article; 15 minutes for Whitepaper (linked) Reading Time

Commencing our Black Swan series of events, Maximus Managing Directors discuss the criticality of purpose, conviction and culture as we navigate asynchronous re-entry across the country. Joined by guest speakers Alva Devoy, Managing Director at Fidelity Australia, Ben Pollack, CEO Urbis, and Amy Brown, Deputy Secretary, Strategy & Delivery for Department of Premier and Cabinet (NSW), our livestream lifts the hood of organisations, bringing truths and insight from the real world.

Algorithms are replacing relationships and instinct in talent management, but not every CEO likes the idea of using digital tools to make people decisions. Of all the decisions a CEO makes, ensuring the right people are successfully recruited, retained and rewarded has the most impact on business growth. Unfortunately, it’s getting harder to find those people.

Maximus • 3 minutes Reading Time

Vanessa Gavan, Maximus’ Founder & Joint Managing Director, features in QANTAS Magazine, alongside Chief Officers and Partners from McKinsey, Boston Consulting Group, Deloitte and EY, in a special business and technology report.

Maximus • 10 minutes Reading Time

Employee engagement doesn’t just mean making every worker happy or getting high scores in staff satisfaction surveys. It means ensuring everyone is invested in the company’s success, understands the part they play in it and is willing to do their best. Find out how.

Maximus • 6 minutes Reading Time

All the main indicators show that our economy is slowing down. With social, political and technological disruption impacting markets around the world, challenging times lie ahead for Australia.

Maximus • 5 minutes Reading Time

It’s time for Australian companies to take a more disruptive approach to developing new-economy leaders. The first in this 3-part series highlights the need for more innovation.

Maximus • 5 minutes Reading Time