Blog

A trusted confidant who can act as a guide and a mentor, and who is a source of inspiration and ideas, can be a boon to any executive seeking professional and personal success. By Bina Brown

Having been thrown in the deep end when captaining the Wallabies, John Eales discovered that the art of great management is about constant training. The problem, he says, is that most managers aren't getting enough. Chris Sheedy reports.

When Richard Goyder took over the helm of Wesfarmers there was no doubt that his performance was going to be scrutinised. Scott Morgan talks to the former CFO after 12 months in the job. From his 12th floor office overlooking the glistening waters of Perth's magnificent Swan River, Richard Goyder has a great view. And yet he rarely takes a moment to admire it. As Managing Director and CEO of Wesfarmers, Australia's largest conglomerate with more than 33,000 employees, Goyder's schedule does not allow him time to stand and stare.

It's a big leap from a cushy corporate role to self-employed consultant, but plenty are taking the plunge. Jane Cherrington reports.

"One minute you're thinking about business strategy, the next you might be washing coffee cups. You can't afford to be too proud," says Brian Walker, describing the first days of a small start-up business.

Walker chose to leave the comfort and security of a senior executive post 12 months ago to run his own consultancy, The Retail Doctor.

The CEO of Fujitsu Australia, Rod Vawdrey, strongly believes that CEOs are meant to lead people and manage things. By Richard Jones

Rod Vawdrey joined Fujitsu Australia as CEO and Executive Director in 2003, heading regional operations across Australia and New Zealand. He has more than 25 years experience in the ICT industry in Asia, Europe and the US, and his brief at the time of joining Fujitsu Australia was to take this conservative computer business to the next level.

In business, successful leaders need the determination to achieve and succeed. They need to take the right people with them on their journey. One example is Diana Williams, Founder and Executive Chairman of Fernwood Women's Health Clubs.

Advisory boards can provide much needed management firepower for growing small businesses. Darren Baguley investigates this growing trend.

Managing complex long-term projects is difficult, and the results are often less than spectacular. How come we often can't get project management right? By Byron Kalies

When it comes to project management, Rod Vawdrey, CEO of Fujitsu Australia, says that generally the technology industry disappoints with its inability to deliver on promised outcomes. He dryly states: "Around 54 per cent of projects don't deliver on their promise - I am glad we are not in the airline industry."

Simplicity has emerged as one of the hot management trends of the new century. But is it really new, or just commonsense? Kate Kerrison reports.

John Fogarty, Chief Executive Officer at St John of God Hospital, Ballarat, says simplicity is paramount in his business. To him, simplicity means taking things back to basics and removing obstacles and barriers to efficiency.

"It is obviously the opposite of complexity, and most complexity is usually introduced by human intervention in simple processes," Fogarty says.

Horst von Sanden talks about how Mercedes-Benz used its traditional strengths to forge ahead in a new market, consistently delivering innovation and quality while extending its appeal to new niches. By Penny Sutcliffe

On 29 January, 1886, Karl Benz applied for a patent for his motorised vehicle. In November of the same year his Patent No. 37435a was granted and his Patent Motor Car, as this three-wheeled vehicle has since been known, received official recognition as the world's first automobile.