[NEW EPISODE] Moving Forward

Gain insight of how business is likely to move forward in 2022. Phillip will give background on what he is hearing from many markets.

Phillip C. Thomas has nearly 30 years as a public and private company CEO, my business leadership experience has included successful operational turnarounds, organizational reengineering initiatives, and corporate growth achievements – particularly for manufacturing, technology-oriented firms.

With a diverse background in various industry and competitive contexts provides expertise in operational leadership development, merger and acquisition activities, high octane corporate culture development, and maximization of revenue-profit goals.

Now, as CEO of Boston Business Group and Chair of two separate Boston Region Vistage Groups, he works with C-suite executives to “grow from the inside out” 

bostonbusinessgroup.com  

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Tune in for this insightful conversation at TalkRadio.nyc or watch the Facebook Livestream by Clicking Here.

Show Notes

‍Segment 1

Graham welcomes us to the first show in 2022! His guest today is Phillip C. Thomas. He is the CEO of Boston Business Group and Chair of two separate Boston Region Vistage Groups. Thomas was also a Naval Officer early in his career. He learned that just because you try something and fail in one way, doesn’t mean that changing and adapting and adopting won’t work. He says that this is something that people have also learned today adapting with the pandemic. Thomas chose to join the Navy as he liked military service and being as safe as he could. Naval intelligence, he says, is not understood commonly. He compares his interests and work as a Naval Officer to the world of business in that one is always trying to look for changes. He also compares the intel work to marketing and networking in business. Thomas also talks a bit about Vistage. He says one of the main goals is to help CEO’s and other executives to grow as well as their business.
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Segment 2

Phillip talks about the various challenges CEOs have, especially today. They also have to look at their vulnerabilities to be able to protect themselves and their businesses to move forward and stay ahead of the competition. He says that if your company has dependence on 3 or 4 accounts that only one person has access to, that is something to worry about. He says that one has to also look at the quality of living and everything else that makes the hard work and dedication worth it. People don’t quit their companies, they quit their managers, he says. This means that they quit being disrespected, taken for granted, etc. Thomas also talks about mistakes such as CEO's keeping someone in their team for too long when unnecessary and when they know for sure things won’t work out. Hire slow, fire fast, he says. Thomas also talks about asking questions and making sure about whether one’s skills and desires actually fit their roles so that they can do the job they are hired for. Graham and Thomas also speak about being a leader. Although everyone may want to be a business leader, CEO, and more, not everyone may be cut out to be in these roles. They speak about important points that can change someone from being a CTO to CEO.

Segment 3

Graham and Phillip talk about learning how to have the right balance of respecting, inspiring people, and being tough minded along with more responsibilities. He once had a company where he had a lot of stock. The mistake he made was not signing an agreement that would’ve allowed him to sell the stock when he left the company that he was in. With this example, he says having an outside resource to help makes a huge difference, which is part of the work he does currently. But he says you have to make sure this person helping you is someone you can trust, have confidence in, and that they have competence; that they will be honest and have the right character. With the work that Thomas and Vistage do is to help business leaders who are humble and teachable and gives an example of how leaders can do even better today by adapting and adopting. They also discuss the idea of “do good, have fun, and make money.” Phillip says that doing good is having fun. Phillip believes that what stops us from doing good is too much self absorption and shallow thinking. We should just be good to other people. Just be good.
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Segment 4

Phillip discusses some topics CEOs are currently talking about such as dealing with covid, finding and retaining the right people, and more. He says that people are looking for new ways to enjoy what they do. They are resigning and taking jobs that are suited to who they are. With that said, the intense part of business today is HR. They provide valuable services while adapting to the ever changing environment. They switch the conversation to…bees? Yes, Phillip loves bees! He has a dozen hives of honey bees. They “flex their flight muscles” and hover together in their hive and adapt to handle the environment around them. Bees go through different jobs in their lives, much like we do in our lives. They become foragers, store their food, protect their queen, and collaborate to accomplish a common goal. He also talks about the importance of their role in our environment. Before closing the show, Graham asks if he could start a business tomorrow, what would he do? Phillip says that one of the things he would do is work with stored energy devices. He's also very interested in artificial intelligence. Graham thanks Phillip for joining him today! Do good, be humble, be teachable, have fun and make money.

Transcript

00:05:15.480 --> 00:05:26.370 Graham Dobbin: and welcome to top radio dot nyc my name is Graham dobbin, and this is the mind behind leadership welcome this is the first live show or 2022.

00:05:26.970 --> 00:05:39.840 Graham Dobbin: And I kind of see this all the time i'm really lucky this this show is always about the guests we're really lucky enough to be able to chat with some real influencers people who make.

00:05:40.260 --> 00:05:52.800 Graham Dobbin: A huge difference either the Community within businesses i'm to those around them people's who's got ideas insights and they're going to add significant value that always do to the shore and.

00:05:53.460 --> 00:06:00.030 Graham Dobbin: I will always look about how we can tap into for being honest i'm sure me to think of a better person to kick us off this year.

00:06:00.360 --> 00:06:06.480 Graham Dobbin: than today's guest who's Philip Thomas, and let me just explain why the Philip.

00:06:06.810 --> 00:06:17.520 Graham Dobbin: Has for nearly a decade has served CEOs and other senior executives as a chair for this ditch international dig into what vestiges in a little while.

00:06:17.790 --> 00:06:28.560 Graham Dobbin: But basically it's the world's leading CEO or Development Organization is currently the Chair of to CEO groups and the trusted advisor group in the greater Boston region.

00:06:29.070 --> 00:06:43.980 Graham Dobbin: And prior to his business career Philip server distinction for 10 years as a naval intelligence officer and then consistent top 1% performance reports selection for natalie promotion and other related honors.

00:06:44.490 --> 00:06:52.440 Graham Dobbin: Again we're going to kind of maybe have a little look at that and just see why that significant in the business world and his watch words.

00:06:52.710 --> 00:07:04.080 Graham Dobbin: of life are the big feet do good have fun and make money, all the way or treating people with respect leading by example and creating a normal legacy.

00:07:04.380 --> 00:07:22.230 Graham Dobbin: In his spare time I know for a fact, because I can see his hat that we are going to be talking about and his be keeping go orange honey bee colonies and he's got over a dozen or so, in his world his way to becoming a master beekeeper via cornell university.

00:07:23.280 --> 00:07:32.250 Graham Dobbin: Philip I don't know how you've got how many hours you've got in a day that you can squeeze all this in or how old you are because you're not that all make that you've managed to get all this done.

00:07:32.670 --> 00:07:44.010 Graham Dobbin: Tell us where did all this start this is a good place give us give us an idea how did How did we go from getting into the navy and then coming into business.

00:07:44.880 --> 00:07:52.260 Phillip Thomas: Or, first of all ground, thank you for allowing me to be part of your show today it's a it's a great way for me to kick off 2022 as well.

00:07:53.490 --> 00:08:01.530 Phillip Thomas: I think that the the early years of my career, when I was a naval officer were very instructive for my business career.

00:08:02.250 --> 00:08:07.500 Phillip Thomas: When you're when you're a naval officer you're on a big ship in my case, an aircraft carrier off the coast of Vietnam.

00:08:08.310 --> 00:08:23.970 Phillip Thomas: And what you have is what you've got so if you don't if you don't have everything that you need you somehow improvise and so it's it's the business parallel today is, you know they all say you go to war with the with the you know the troops that you have.

00:08:25.440 --> 00:08:42.120 Phillip Thomas: In the business world you you're constantly trying to get better but you're trying to help your own people get better, so I think early in my naval career, I learned that just because you try and fail one way doesn't mean if you switch things and adapt.

00:08:42.750 --> 00:08:53.520 Phillip Thomas: which obviously with Cobra in the last couple years adapting and adopting new ideas, adapting to a changing business environment and adopting new ideas.

00:08:54.000 --> 00:08:58.980 Phillip Thomas: has been more or less the name of the game, so I think there's some direct parallels between.

00:08:59.670 --> 00:09:14.040 Phillip Thomas: My early naval training and improvising and making things work and figure it out alternative solutions were very instructive for today's changing business environment, where it was more or less adapt adopt or die.

00:09:15.330 --> 00:09:16.860 Phillip Thomas: wow i'm.

00:09:17.670 --> 00:09:29.760 Graham Dobbin: will come back to that will come back to how we adapt and adopt and kind of maybe how we're making probably decisions in business, how it's changed in the last couple years now, who is maybe a little bit closer to what you've been high either navy.

00:09:31.500 --> 00:09:33.540 Phillip Thomas: Well, you know they had the best uniforms.

00:09:36.870 --> 00:09:37.740 Graham Dobbin: Reason is any.

00:09:38.280 --> 00:09:42.360 Phillip Thomas: yeah I mean they were really good chick magnets back in the 70s, so um.

00:09:42.840 --> 00:09:50.220 Phillip Thomas: It was it was really quite good, the marines were pretty good too, but that was a little too straight laced for me, but no the navy.

00:09:51.450 --> 00:10:00.840 Phillip Thomas: I could have chosen meaning, you know different alternatives, but I kind of liked the idea of being on a ship off the coast of Vietnam, rather than.

00:10:02.430 --> 00:10:12.030 Phillip Thomas: On the ground, in Vietnam, or even flying an airplane over and trying to you know drop something so it was military service but safe.

00:10:12.960 --> 00:10:15.210 Graham Dobbin: it's just the all the all white uniform, is it.

00:10:16.260 --> 00:10:24.060 Phillip Thomas: yeah yeah what color choker really dressy and like Tom cruise and top gun, I mean they definitely have the best uniforms.

00:10:24.210 --> 00:10:28.500 Graham Dobbin: say I just think I think of frank's a natural strolling around New York in the top of the tone.

00:10:28.980 --> 00:10:30.300 Graham Dobbin: that's kind of where to cover.

00:10:30.420 --> 00:10:37.290 Graham Dobbin: So um, how do we go from being a naval intelligence officer into business How does that work.

00:10:38.040 --> 00:10:51.300 Phillip Thomas: So naval intelligence intelligence in general is not well understood commonly if you go to the CIA, they talked about the collection production and dissemination.

00:10:52.050 --> 00:11:03.090 Phillip Thomas: of intelligence, so what happens is in the Intel Community there's a lot of collection of raw data from lots of different sources people satellites.

00:11:03.390 --> 00:11:14.700 Phillip Thomas: underwater sensor systems lots of different sources just raw data is collected, then the production piece is turning that information that that data that raw data into usable information.

00:11:15.360 --> 00:11:27.900 Phillip Thomas: drawing conclusions making sense of it and then communicating that to the decision makers at and so that's that's kind of the intelligence cycle collection production dissemination.

00:11:28.620 --> 00:11:35.850 Phillip Thomas: In the business world, we have much the same idea, you know we're we're constantly searching out in the market per new needs are being met.

00:11:36.420 --> 00:11:50.100 Phillip Thomas: Assessing competition and their contributions, taking a lot of data points congesting them all together into a rational plan and then going and implementing it, so there are some distinct parallels between the two.

00:11:50.610 --> 00:11:57.390 Graham Dobbin: yeah I can see that right away when we look at collection production and communication i'm.

00:11:58.920 --> 00:12:09.630 Graham Dobbin: The first question that jumps to mind i'm just checking my equation, but the first question that jumps to mind is, where does it fall down sometimes visit most most common we fall down there is a lot going on there.

00:12:10.020 --> 00:12:14.670 Phillip Thomas: Well, you know there's a lot of examples of how the right hand wasn't talking to the left hand.

00:12:14.670 --> 00:12:22.560 Phillip Thomas: And nothing's happened, which is always that was a that's been the case, a lot, not as much lately we're getting better at that.

00:12:23.040 --> 00:12:33.480 Phillip Thomas: yeah but there's a lot of complexity I don't know how many people realize there's about 20 different units that are involved in what's called the US intelligence community.

00:12:33.810 --> 00:12:36.330 Phillip Thomas: So there's a lot of information being gathered.

00:12:36.570 --> 00:12:44.310 Phillip Thomas: Some of its shared some of its just being analyzed so it's it's a major major part of the national budget.

00:12:45.330 --> 00:12:53.040 Phillip Thomas: And of course it's a major part of businesses budget of assessing the competition seeing how you stack up where you're vulnerable.

00:12:53.880 --> 00:13:05.910 Phillip Thomas: The whole SWOT analysis strengths weaknesses opportunities and threats yeah this is, this is all kind of part and parcel to the The thing that goes on in West referred to as the world's second oldest profession.

00:13:08.520 --> 00:13:11.790 Graham Dobbin: What would they ask you for what the top one is so um.

00:13:13.350 --> 00:13:14.430 Graham Dobbin: You mentioned competition.

00:13:16.050 --> 00:13:29.880 Graham Dobbin: Which again immediately leads me to is that external or internal competition so, in other words, when we're talking about all these different agencies, all these different places, you know my guess is that a little bit of posturing that a little bit of.

00:13:32.160 --> 00:13:40.620 Graham Dobbin: of making sure that we're all our own self interest of taking care of and all that happens in business i'm curious what happens in Canada, when in the intelligence side of it.

00:13:40.740 --> 00:13:48.600 Phillip Thomas: there's a certain amount of that, but I think the real true Intel professionals, or people who are focused very much on the threat.

00:13:49.560 --> 00:13:56.640 Phillip Thomas: And a correct assessment of the various threats that you know that can do damage to the US and our interests.

00:13:57.360 --> 00:14:04.230 Phillip Thomas: So and there's a lot of give and take there's Well, this is what that information that data tells us and suggest this.

00:14:04.650 --> 00:14:10.470 Phillip Thomas: And, and someone else's well you know from our perspective, it means something completely different there's.

00:14:11.400 --> 00:14:18.150 Phillip Thomas: there's a rank called nio national intelligence officers with these are some of the cream of the crop.

00:14:18.600 --> 00:14:25.560 Phillip Thomas: analysts and thinkers who gather a lot of this information and take a lot of information and consolidate it down.

00:14:25.980 --> 00:14:31.380 Phillip Thomas: into what's called national intelligence estimates and that sort of thing this would be similar in the business world to.

00:14:31.710 --> 00:14:42.660 Phillip Thomas: You know sales people gathered a lot of information when they're on the road marketing getting some input from the website other kinds of things that consolidating all that down and then making sense of it and going to the CEO and say you know what.

00:14:43.740 --> 00:14:49.530 Phillip Thomas: xyz company is kicking our butt out of here because we don't have one of these that or the other, and we need to do something about it.

00:14:50.190 --> 00:15:01.530 Phillip Thomas: So that there are like I said there's the business world and and components of the US, you know Intel Community have very similar roles just a different mission.

00:15:03.000 --> 00:15:16.740 Graham Dobbin: i'm going to kind of jump into what you're what you're doing no i'm fill it with this stage because I can just hear this, that this calming drive people shedding interests, keeping ideas going in a row, and that that kind of sounds like.

00:15:17.940 --> 00:15:29.700 Graham Dobbin: A lot of what you do at the moment, and certainly your careers, be the venue but you get up in the same space just did in in in different contexts, can you explain just give us a barefoot banker, and what sophistic.

00:15:30.180 --> 00:15:36.840 Phillip Thomas: So, so I am very fortunate that i've had a military career business career and now more or less a coaching or mentoring career.

00:15:37.470 --> 00:15:45.150 Phillip Thomas: Because there's a lot of CEOs out there, and you know the old sayings tried and true but it's still true it's lonely at the top, a lot of CEOs.

00:15:45.900 --> 00:15:51.120 Phillip Thomas: need someone to talk to bounce ideas off of and say you know this is kind of what it sounds like to me, but what do you think.

00:15:51.540 --> 00:16:00.600 Phillip Thomas: And having a relationship of trust with someone who has been a CEO like I have i've been a CEO half a dozen times, public and private companies both.

00:16:00.990 --> 00:16:11.040 Phillip Thomas: I made a lot of mistakes along the way i've learned a lot along the way, and now i'm able to share some of those perspectives and some of the experiences i've had with some of these CEOs and so.

00:16:11.490 --> 00:16:20.640 Phillip Thomas: that the whole thrust behind vestiges seo company development, so we can better make better decisions better serve our employees our vendors our customers.

00:16:22.200 --> 00:16:22.590 Graham Dobbin: and

00:16:24.060 --> 00:16:27.930 Graham Dobbin: One of the things you mentioned ella was about threats we talked we talked about.

00:16:29.100 --> 00:16:36.960 Graham Dobbin: threats we see competition we see competition may be coming with it on market they've got something or we lose we lose a project and a bit of business.

00:16:38.160 --> 00:16:53.700 Graham Dobbin: And how do we react to that how did you also keep up and keep ahead, what kind of things again, have you learned from one side to the other rather than on the reaction site, which I think we're going to come to no because because that's probably covering and meeting making mistakes.

00:16:55.050 --> 00:17:00.210 Graham Dobbin: We should have done a few of um, how do we keep ahead, how do we keep one step forward.

00:17:01.080 --> 00:17:15.090 Phillip Thomas: But you know I have this conversation with a lot of CEOs and say you know what are you doing in terms of, for example, ransomware attacks, what are you doing to protect your information.

00:17:15.180 --> 00:17:23.040 Phillip Thomas: Your critical data I just had one company who experienced a ransomware attack not long ago and.

00:17:24.510 --> 00:17:35.370 Phillip Thomas: They learned a lot from it and they now have boosted their systems, but they they were a little bit behind the power curve and then they wish they weren't so we have to constantly be thinking of.

00:17:36.540 --> 00:17:46.050 Phillip Thomas: And this is one of the things we do envisage, how can I Graham, how can I put you out of business, we sort of have our own tiger teams, where we talk to one another and say okay.

00:17:47.160 --> 00:18:00.660 Phillip Thomas: Where are your where are your vulnerabilities and here's how I would explain what it appears to be a vulnerability, so we have these sort of emissary teams which help to identify weaknesses in how we do things, and then we go out and fix them.

00:18:01.980 --> 00:18:11.640 Graham Dobbin: unfilled we're gonna we're gonna take a quick break when we come back from the bit i'm really curious about kind of what are the most common things of how somebody could be a business so that's a fantastic question to ask anybody at this.

00:18:11.970 --> 00:18:24.390 Graham Dobbin: right away with soon as you said, I begin to get nervous when i'm thinking about my business and you're listening to the talk I do the mind behind leadership on talk radio, the nyc with Philip Thomas we'll be right back after these.

00:20:43.980 --> 00:20:45.150 Graham Dobbin: Welcome back to the mind.

00:20:45.240 --> 00:20:47.010 Graham Dobbin: Behind leadership we're speaking with.

00:20:47.010 --> 00:20:48.750 Graham Dobbin: Philip Thomas who just throw.

00:20:50.430 --> 00:20:59.520 Graham Dobbin: A question or got an emotional reaction from me right away, Philip, how can I put you out of business water questions asked a business owner.

00:21:01.080 --> 00:21:07.080 Phillip Thomas: yeah it does kind of get your attention and we we think that's better for you be having those conversations with.

00:21:07.080 --> 00:21:08.130 Phillip Thomas: friendly CEOs.

00:21:08.160 --> 00:21:08.520 Graham Dobbin: Then.

00:21:09.300 --> 00:21:16.170 Phillip Thomas: The subject of that it's just a matter of you know, the CEOs today have plenty to think about now they have koba they.

00:21:17.490 --> 00:21:26.190 Phillip Thomas: They have competition they have no regulatory problems they have inflation, they have supply chain issues, but you know.

00:21:27.270 --> 00:21:42.360 Phillip Thomas: Everyone has to every CEO has to carve out some time and say what were our vulnerabilities you know what, how can we, you know, protect ourselves and protect what we're doing and keep moving forward, so I don't know if how many people realize it but being a CEO.

00:21:44.550 --> 00:21:49.080 Phillip Thomas: it's pretty sophisticated job it's a pretty complicated job and.

00:21:50.070 --> 00:21:57.270 Phillip Thomas: I know a lot of CEOs make you know 10s of millions of dollars and that sort of thing, but the average CEO you know doesn't do anything nearly like that, but.

00:21:57.870 --> 00:22:08.400 Phillip Thomas: They all have the same basic responsibilities of putting forth the message, putting putting a great team together executing on a great plan and staying ahead of the competition.

00:22:09.600 --> 00:22:11.400 Phillip Thomas: So there's various ways of doing that.

00:22:11.880 --> 00:22:17.880 Graham Dobbin: yeah I will come to how how we keep a head because i'm really curious about how ricky by specially know and.

00:22:18.570 --> 00:22:24.960 Graham Dobbin: It kind of feels like any discussions i'm having it the board with businesses it's always about how do we make decisions.

00:22:25.290 --> 00:22:30.450 Graham Dobbin: Not even necessarily the right decision, but how do we make a decision and we're not we're not flowing but i'm.

00:22:31.200 --> 00:22:41.340 Graham Dobbin: Just coming back to the that, how can apply to business, what kind of things are make businesses vulnerable or more vulnerable, what are the kind of common things we should be looking out for.

00:22:41.760 --> 00:22:49.260 Phillip Thomas: Our, for example, someone comes in hires away your top sales guy and he or she takes their key accounts with them.

00:22:50.310 --> 00:22:59.880 Phillip Thomas: And that really is so if your company has a 30 40% dependency on two or three top accounts and the person who's responsible for those accounts disappears.

00:23:00.270 --> 00:23:09.210 Phillip Thomas: you're very vulnerable and you should proactively, you know, do something about that then there's a variety of ways of dealing with that that's just fine.

00:23:11.700 --> 00:23:26.010 Graham Dobbin: Now it's one that i've read my background in sales that's kind of what i've seen it's always been restrictive covenants within contracts it's always been trying to stop people doing things what which foots what's your take on this.

00:23:26.460 --> 00:23:39.000 Phillip Thomas: Well, you know in California and other parts of the country non competes are basically worthless, so you really have to figure out ways of creating a culture of of.

00:23:40.080 --> 00:23:57.990 Phillip Thomas: uniformity and compassion and service and all the things that make the quality of life around what you're doing worth all the turmoil that you put through, and I know it sounds old fashioned, but people don't quit companies they quit their managers.

00:23:58.140 --> 00:24:06.390 Phillip Thomas: yep they quit the environment because it's toxic they're not being shown the respect that they think that they deserve.

00:24:07.350 --> 00:24:22.710 Phillip Thomas: And so, when good people leave there's always a whole, and if no one's indispensable that it really can wreck havoc on on companies if there's those kinds of dependencies that are really hard to tell, I see that all the time.

00:24:24.120 --> 00:24:36.780 Graham Dobbin: it's interact I do hear that so okay we've gotten covered the not allowed to do this and it's such a difficult thing to enforce and by the time you've been forced it if that's where you want to do this, even even though we've been forced.

00:24:37.860 --> 00:24:38.880 Graham Dobbin: It is kind of this.

00:24:40.680 --> 00:24:49.740 Graham Dobbin: A very for me a very negative what we were talking in business because it's not collaborative if we're trying to enforce something like that, but it takes to do it so i've gone.

00:24:50.850 --> 00:24:53.070 Phillip Thomas: Right well you know i'll.

00:24:53.160 --> 00:24:55.050 Phillip Thomas: give you a quick little story gram.

00:24:56.190 --> 00:24:58.110 Phillip Thomas: I always like talking about American football.

00:24:58.170 --> 00:24:59.070 Graham Dobbin: yeah please.

00:24:59.580 --> 00:25:06.720 Phillip Thomas: And we just had a game, you know this weekend Dallas barely lost to San Francisco.

00:25:07.740 --> 00:25:17.820 Phillip Thomas: And there was a real controversial play right at the end of the game and it didn't work out so well for Dallas and a lot of people said oh this and all that everything.

00:25:18.420 --> 00:25:27.450 Phillip Thomas: Jerry Jones who owns the Dallas cowboys said we should never have been in a situation where that kind of what that kind of ending could actually occur.

00:25:27.930 --> 00:25:29.490 Phillip Thomas: So i'm not going to comment on it.

00:25:29.760 --> 00:25:43.290 Phillip Thomas: it's just that you know the game was last long before that, in other words, so the the story being look if you're having to resort to legal means to try and enforce you know what you're trying to protect you kind of already lost the game.

00:25:45.090 --> 00:25:59.160 Phillip Thomas: And that's just a fallback you start to have a good legal you know be prepared, if you need to but fundamentally you should try and avoid that stuff and there you know by being more proactive and and and having the right culture and the other things, we talked about.

00:26:02.160 --> 00:26:11.610 Graham Dobbin: We just got a little bit of a shaky connection we should have issued into mind so just just so you're aware of that i'm aware of it and we'll we'll try to do something about it and i'm.

00:26:11.820 --> 00:26:12.210 Phillip Thomas: Sure it's.

00:26:13.230 --> 00:26:17.160 Graham Dobbin: Probably on my end up so i'll always take the blame and.

00:26:19.170 --> 00:26:34.080 Graham Dobbin: What kind of mistakes, you see, you said that you've made mistakes i'm sure, without any names obviously we're going to protect the guilty and what kind of what kind of mistakes have you seen that kind of common within business when we're when we're beginning to make these decisions.

00:26:34.380 --> 00:26:43.320 Phillip Thomas: Or you can probably identify with some of these are you know there's how many times have you heard the story of someone was fired and then other people come up to the CEO and say what took you so long.

00:26:44.820 --> 00:26:45.600 Graham Dobbin: You know that.

00:26:45.660 --> 00:26:51.210 Phillip Thomas: We needed that person was not a player and wouldn't wouldn't be a good fit here, you know, six months ago.

00:26:51.780 --> 00:27:05.580 Phillip Thomas: yeah I see that happening, and I think people sort of fall in love with the fact that oh we'll we'll work through this well we'll make it work and no so the old saying hire slow fire fast there's some merit to that.

00:27:06.810 --> 00:27:07.800 Phillip Thomas: The other thing is.

00:27:08.910 --> 00:27:15.750 Phillip Thomas: People who don't think things through and there's various personality types like red personalities one go go go go.

00:27:16.140 --> 00:27:18.840 Phillip Thomas: Go lose or the detailed persons who asked a lot of.

00:27:18.840 --> 00:27:31.890 Phillip Thomas: Questions and so red scare blue personalities, because they they don't take all the data into account that are blue what to make a decision, they just make a decision let's do this let's keep going so you have to create and.

00:27:34.410 --> 00:27:39.480 Phillip Thomas: Patrick Lindsey is coming out with a new book in this area it's really brilliant six types of genius.

00:27:40.560 --> 00:27:47.670 Phillip Thomas: There are different personality types in your organization and you have to make sure that the job and the personality type go together.

00:27:48.180 --> 00:28:04.230 Phillip Thomas: You can't ask a visionary to be a detailed person, they just don't we're not wired that way, so I think when let's see when it comes out with this book, which is the near future, the next 30 days or so it's going to be really popular because it gets down to the nitty gritty of.

00:28:05.370 --> 00:28:15.210 Phillip Thomas: you've got to you've got to put people in places where they can succeed, just because they can succeed in one thing doesn't mean they're going to succeed in another so you've got to understand.

00:28:15.600 --> 00:28:27.480 Phillip Thomas: The people around you the people you're leading and make sure that their skills match the kind of jobs that you want them to accomplish the military is the same way, by the way.

00:28:28.650 --> 00:28:29.160 Graham Dobbin: Have so.

00:28:30.210 --> 00:28:46.890 Phillip Thomas: Well, because you know they do a lot of testing in the military as to your attitudes your interest that sort of thing not everybody can be an emergency medical technician I think under pressure and keep track of data and make quick decisions, not everyone can fly a jet aircraft.

00:28:48.330 --> 00:29:02.130 Phillip Thomas: You know the pressure is too much so there's a lot of testing there's a lot of shaking out along the way before people get to be kind of a pilot of a high performance aircraft getting shot off the end of an aircraft carrier.

00:29:03.300 --> 00:29:09.480 Phillip Thomas: So there's certain aptitudes are certain things you can be taught and there's just sometimes it's just an algorithm.

00:29:11.850 --> 00:29:19.710 Graham Dobbin: That takes me to another thought I love with it, how this is going fill up the kind of this is evolving because it takes mentor.

00:29:20.880 --> 00:29:23.160 Graham Dobbin: I hear so many things to everybody wants to be a leader.

00:29:24.780 --> 00:29:34.500 Graham Dobbin: And you know there's this I get that the cultures change in the last 1015 years that everybody thinks are going to be an entrepreneur wants to be an entrepreneur everybody wants control, which again.

00:29:34.890 --> 00:29:42.960 Graham Dobbin: And that's kind of where we end up with doing such a variety of different things in life that everybody should be a leader.

00:29:44.670 --> 00:29:48.210 Graham Dobbin: And that's that's that's a recipe of everybody wants to be a leader.

00:29:48.570 --> 00:30:01.530 Phillip Thomas: And not and not everybody's cut out to be a leader, I am a client who they've been around for 10 years they raise $50 million to have a terrific product headed up by this young engineer he's more of a cto than a CEO.

00:30:01.770 --> 00:30:11.370 Phillip Thomas: And he i'm working with him to try and help him understand why things have been jailed the way that they had planned 10 years ago and what part of it.

00:30:12.600 --> 00:30:22.800 Phillip Thomas: rests on him and how he leads and how he communicates and that sort of thing, but sometimes people just think just another so close to it, they don't see it that's why a third party.

00:30:23.340 --> 00:30:29.880 Phillip Thomas: who's kind of been there, done that made the mistakes been in that that seat for, for you know years on end.

00:30:31.170 --> 00:30:37.200 Phillip Thomas: that's where they get the real you know insights that to change change their behavior and be more effective.

00:30:38.970 --> 00:30:49.170 Graham Dobbin: And is there some, it is about one thing that a low Sunday to flip over from being a CT or to see you how did they kind of develop that and what happened.

00:30:50.520 --> 00:30:58.020 Graham Dobbin: To two point question and feel what happens when somebody is the founder the cto the brilliant to the not the leader.

00:30:59.430 --> 00:31:08.490 Phillip Thomas: yeah they have to have an emotional intelligence quotient that allows them to be realistic and and focus on what does the company need not do what do I want.

00:31:09.180 --> 00:31:11.760 Phillip Thomas: Because the needs of the company should be preeminent.

00:31:12.480 --> 00:31:23.940 Phillip Thomas: And, and sometimes that's not the case it's like well, I was the founder of course I should be the CEO know, maybe you're the exact wrong person to be the CEO But there is another over here that you would be much better at and let's focus on that.

00:31:25.680 --> 00:31:30.450 Graham Dobbin: And we're going to go for a break, I think we've become about what let's let's think about.

00:31:31.680 --> 00:31:37.950 Graham Dobbin: Was maybe discuss how do we give up those little parts of the business because, as a leader as a CEO or we can do everything we've.

00:31:38.070 --> 00:31:46.830 Graham Dobbin: got trust enough team and also i'm going to definitely come back to your your your watch watch do good have fun and make money.

00:31:47.550 --> 00:31:52.830 Graham Dobbin: i'm really curious which ones are really the big challenge when we become under pressure.

00:31:53.310 --> 00:32:10.680 Graham Dobbin: As we have, and when things change as they have done over the last couple of years you're listening to the mind behind leadership a life here on talk radio dot nyc we are really lucky we got Thomas here, who is a an advisor to see yours and the chair of this stage up in Boston.

00:32:11.700 --> 00:32:13.530 Graham Dobbin: And we will be back right after these.

00:34:23.160 --> 00:34:29.400 Graham Dobbin: Welcome back, we are speaking with Philip Thomas of fill it when we're talking about CEOs we're talking about experts in the field.

00:34:30.120 --> 00:34:45.750 Graham Dobbin: People who maybe create a business raise a lot of money raised a lot of money, people are you know bought into the expert, is it doesn't meet them a good seo they'll hold hold hold the you kind of bridge that when when it's not kind of discussion that needs to be hard.

00:34:46.200 --> 00:34:47.400 Phillip Thomas: On you know CEOs.

00:34:48.510 --> 00:34:52.140 Phillip Thomas: there's good bad and five star force star three star CEOs.

00:34:54.810 --> 00:34:57.690 Phillip Thomas: And it takes time to learn how to be kind of the.

00:34:58.920 --> 00:35:02.220 Phillip Thomas: Had the right balance, respect for people.

00:35:03.360 --> 00:35:07.470 Phillip Thomas: inspiring people appropriate level of detail.

00:35:09.540 --> 00:35:16.590 Phillip Thomas: being tough minded when you have to be there's a lot of responsibility on CEOs and they don't always get it right.

00:35:17.220 --> 00:35:24.930 Phillip Thomas: And that's why I think you have to have a good strong team, maybe outside independent advisor who can who can kind of step in and.

00:35:25.560 --> 00:35:36.720 Phillip Thomas: tweak the program a little bit on occasion and I found for the last 10 years i've been doing that and it really is helpful I wish i'd had that when I was a young CEO because I think it makes a big difference.

00:35:37.230 --> 00:35:39.930 Graham Dobbin: What what kind of difference you think it could have made for you.

00:35:40.260 --> 00:35:46.770 Phillip Thomas: Well, for me, for example, once so I had a company, and it was a public company, I had a lot of stock in the company.

00:35:47.790 --> 00:35:48.270 Phillip Thomas: and

00:35:49.560 --> 00:35:52.680 Phillip Thomas: I decided it was time to move on to another company and.

00:35:55.290 --> 00:36:01.140 Phillip Thomas: When you're a public company you can't really sell stock as an insider yet wait 180 days or so and.

00:36:02.820 --> 00:36:05.010 Phillip Thomas: I made the mistake because I had no one to talk to.

00:36:06.360 --> 00:36:15.570 Phillip Thomas: of signing a standstill agreement, so therefore I couldn't sell my stock for a couple of years, well, I had I had someone to talk to who is knowledgeable experienced.

00:36:16.830 --> 00:36:25.650 Phillip Thomas: They said don't do that and as it turned out, two years later, the stock wasn't worth anything near what it would have been had I been able to start selling it.

00:36:26.400 --> 00:36:38.760 Phillip Thomas: Within 60 hours 180 days after I left so you just there's just a wide variety of aspects of business that CEOs don't have any prior experience with typically.

00:36:39.840 --> 00:36:57.450 Phillip Thomas: And they're kind of blind blind so having having an outside resource who's kind of been there, done that made the mistakes learn from them, who is someone you know, like and trust makes a huge difference, a lot of little things that accumulate together that make the difference.

00:36:58.620 --> 00:37:10.680 Graham Dobbin: I said we you know you open we talk about making mistakes of always so one one of the things that helps me put things into context, whether we're training or coaching or do do whatever we're doing.

00:37:11.190 --> 00:37:25.230 Graham Dobbin: is made tons of mistakes, you know that's part of kind of who makes us off, what do you think and some of the common myths are alone, being a mentor or an advisor or a coach.

00:37:26.040 --> 00:37:36.660 Graham Dobbin: I see so many people coming into this space and have done, probably for the last kind of 1015 years, what do you think the common myths up and people look from the outside, in.

00:37:37.140 --> 00:37:42.450 Phillip Thomas: What now you're kind of getting into an area that I sometimes have to grind my teeth on a little bit because.

00:37:43.650 --> 00:37:45.960 Graham Dobbin: I get to your system let's go for let's.

00:37:46.200 --> 00:37:49.710 Phillip Thomas: Go on the web, you pay 150 bucks now you're certified life coach.

00:37:49.740 --> 00:37:52.410 Phillip Thomas: that's like what How does that work.

00:37:54.810 --> 00:38:09.420 Phillip Thomas: Everyone has their own life and their own experiences, and it is what it is, but being a certified life coach can tell the people out around their life that's a really big responsibility, so I think you have to really get to know and like I say know like and trust.

00:38:10.950 --> 00:38:21.090 Phillip Thomas: The person who you're going to be allowing inside your head, you have to be able to feel like they have the right character and the right competencies.

00:38:21.660 --> 00:38:27.330 Phillip Thomas: which, taken together, equals trust you can read the book speed of trust by Stephen m R covey.

00:38:28.260 --> 00:38:38.490 Phillip Thomas: i'll put us in character that's what it's all about it's competence, meaning you've been there, seen it done it made the mistakes learn from it you're really smart about these things in your character is such that.

00:38:39.090 --> 00:38:47.910 Phillip Thomas: you're not gonna you're not gonna you're going to be honest you're going to be diplomatic and you're respectful you can be honest and you're going to have the right character that will then.

00:38:49.830 --> 00:38:52.830 Phillip Thomas: create more credibility around who you are, as a person.

00:38:53.910 --> 00:38:56.460 Phillip Thomas: Listen Those are the two big things competence in character.

00:38:57.780 --> 00:39:10.380 Graham Dobbin: is interesting, you said I remember having someone who came on one of my programs, a few years ago and set up their own consultancy business, I think, genuinely a good business background behind them.

00:39:11.430 --> 00:39:23.280 Graham Dobbin: But on the website was a huge me 20 our business consultancy certificate that's That was a qualification and it just did them so much damage, because I actually pulled away from experience that they had.

00:39:23.910 --> 00:39:26.400 Graham Dobbin: You had some good experience but felt that they needed this.

00:39:26.400 --> 00:39:28.350 Graham Dobbin: badge for some reason.

00:39:29.880 --> 00:39:37.290 Graham Dobbin: So thinking about kind of the conversations that need to be hard that needs to be often it needs to be honest, that needs to be directed can be respectful.

00:39:38.310 --> 00:39:42.090 Graham Dobbin: But definitely needs to be respectful but somebody needs to be direct and.

00:39:43.440 --> 00:39:56.580 Graham Dobbin: Do you see any common factors and people that engage with you and with vestige they you know that is a common trait there are a number of trades that allow them to conduct heat it and be able to take action on it.

00:39:56.940 --> 00:40:13.290 Phillip Thomas: But one of the things about what we do is not only do we have an eye i'm a private coach for about 35 different CEOs in and around Boston, but I also have groups of CEOs that meet together once a month for a full day and one of the hallmarks of that is.

00:40:14.340 --> 00:40:21.420 Phillip Thomas: A humility and a teachable newness and saying you know i'm kind of lost on this, I need help.

00:40:22.320 --> 00:40:30.480 Phillip Thomas: A lot of CEOs you know the old impression is oh i'll see ya you know, he or she knows everything, no, you know you can come to our meetings and just like.

00:40:31.200 --> 00:40:39.870 Phillip Thomas: I have no idea what I supposed to do and and to be humble and teachable that's that's where you're going to get ahead.

00:40:40.200 --> 00:40:52.620 Phillip Thomas: I can think of one of my clients who was really effective with covert started up, they were doing events they were doing lighting for vince companies, you know big weddings and capable ceremonies and.

00:40:53.160 --> 00:40:54.180 Phillip Thomas: All sorts of things.

00:40:54.270 --> 00:40:54.720 um.

00:40:56.070 --> 00:41:05.490 Phillip Thomas: They had to you know the bottom part of their market, and you know he came to me and say you know I, I have no idea what to do this is all i've ever done in my whole life.

00:41:06.180 --> 00:41:19.530 Phillip Thomas: Today, a year and a half later he's stronger making more money and revenues are back on track, but he's making more profit than ever before, because he adapted and adopted and he was able to allow other people.

00:41:20.940 --> 00:41:21.630 Phillip Thomas: To help him.

00:41:23.130 --> 00:41:28.290 Phillip Thomas: And that's I think that's a big big thing being humble and teachable.

00:41:29.460 --> 00:41:29.850 Graham Dobbin: and

00:41:31.260 --> 00:41:40.410 Graham Dobbin: really interesting you've used that are working with a global organization at the moment in manufacturing household name new brought kind of up our.

00:41:41.880 --> 00:41:42.600 Graham Dobbin: leadership.

00:41:43.770 --> 00:41:46.200 Graham Dobbin: forum kind of an approach to leadership.

00:41:47.340 --> 00:42:03.210 Graham Dobbin: For for all the kind of global mid managers upwards, and they kind of bring bring bring two traits and talk about being humble and confident right so with confidence if you're not humble, you can become arrogant.

00:42:03.900 --> 00:42:18.510 Graham Dobbin: right if you're too humble you make an A sit back and wait for him, this is having that balance, I thought that was it was so clever just having almost that paradox are bringing that to life and shown that it could be used.

00:42:19.350 --> 00:42:25.830 Phillip Thomas: yeah Patrick Lindsey any once again has in his new book coming out he talks about come humble hungry and smart.

00:42:27.150 --> 00:42:35.790 Phillip Thomas: And if, when you're when you're interviewing people for key, especially for keep jobs most any job ask yourself is this person humble hungry and smart.

00:42:36.270 --> 00:42:49.590 Phillip Thomas: Because if they are that's a real plus humble hungry and smart that's that's a really compelling kind of set of personality traits humble hungry and smart and you combine that with you know.

00:42:51.180 --> 00:42:55.380 Phillip Thomas: Being trustworthy and be competent wow you better hang on to that person.

00:42:57.930 --> 00:42:59.490 Graham Dobbin: You seem to know a lot about this book.

00:43:01.050 --> 00:43:10.140 Phillip Thomas: Visits has a relationship with him and it's he's a really amazing author and you know we've learned a little bit about some of the things that are coming down the Pike very soon and.

00:43:10.920 --> 00:43:20.970 Phillip Thomas: it's a I I first I was like Oh, this is just another, but the when I got into it, I realized, there are some deep and insightful.

00:43:23.340 --> 00:43:28.620 Phillip Thomas: thoughts in here that more and more people, and especially CEO should hear like.

00:43:29.310 --> 00:43:44.190 Graham Dobbin: genuinely never filter amazed, how many companies and how many business owners are CEOs and leaders don't read or can have a weekend and the amount of people that don't know the five dysfunctions and the book and it's probably one of the one of the most clever books i've ever read.

00:43:44.490 --> 00:43:52.380 Graham Dobbin: yeah or even listen to, because it's a story it's just this is what happens when you don't do these things, and when she only has.

00:43:53.490 --> 00:44:01.170 Graham Dobbin: you're more than welcome to introduce me to fill up at any point in time he's more than welcome to be a guest on here and he's based in New York and.

00:44:01.440 --> 00:44:15.300 Graham Dobbin: I can do that, but but but but but certainly i'm patch it went your news six types of genius I think you mentioned, it is um so do good have fun and make money.

00:44:16.890 --> 00:44:19.500 Graham Dobbin: Which one which one drop so.

00:44:22.590 --> 00:44:31.080 Phillip Thomas: my daughter said well that's not quite right, I mean, and she said it's do good have fun spend money.

00:44:33.510 --> 00:44:43.350 Phillip Thomas: Okay, just from our perspective it's a lot more fun, just to be spending the money so you're good yeah have fun yeah but spend money that's where Am I is.

00:44:43.380 --> 00:44:43.920 Nice.

00:44:44.970 --> 00:44:48.870 Phillip Thomas: So bless her heart, she is a she's a wonderful young woman and.

00:44:50.160 --> 00:44:53.730 Phillip Thomas: I think I did a pretty good job with my wife and trying to bring her on.

00:44:55.650 --> 00:45:08.880 Graham Dobbin: When when we look at doing doing good and having fun kind of the making the money let's kind of put that that's the technical side and selling that we need to keep the focus on that, no matter what we do in business, if we don't make money there's no business let's.

00:45:09.150 --> 00:45:16.080 Graham Dobbin: right but do good and have fun, I have seen so few people having fun over the last two years.

00:45:17.220 --> 00:45:19.680 Phillip Thomas: I always say if you don't have fun you're doing something wrong.

00:45:20.160 --> 00:45:20.550 Graham Dobbin: hmm.

00:45:20.850 --> 00:45:34.410 Phillip Thomas: And when when you're doing good it's not just like contribute to the boys and girls clubs of America that's that's fine that's good that's one level or going out and serving at a soup kitchen that's great.

00:45:34.710 --> 00:45:48.780 Phillip Thomas: But i'm talking about doing good all the time, I used to go into airports and I, and I would watch for opportunities to help somebody you know they're struggling with this, the other you just help them, and you smile, and you know just do good.

00:45:50.370 --> 00:45:51.000 Phillip Thomas: Always.

00:45:51.510 --> 00:45:52.830 Graham Dobbin: What does that do for us.

00:45:53.910 --> 00:45:57.060 Phillip Thomas: I think our soul, I think it makes us feel more.

00:45:57.060 --> 00:46:15.120 Phillip Thomas: Human I think it makes us more sensitive to other people and people who have differences from us makes us more tolerant, so it also plays into having fun because it's actually fun doing good and helping other people, and this ties into servant leadership and everything else so.

00:46:16.440 --> 00:46:28.560 Phillip Thomas: Do good have fun make money is really kind of the encapsulation has lots of you know tentacles that go out from there, but doing good is having fun, in my opinion we.

00:46:29.160 --> 00:46:41.280 Graham Dobbin: got a few seconds before we go to a final break and we'll talk about bees and what's a big parts of Europe things at the moment after the break but what's the, what do you think stops us from doing good.

00:46:42.600 --> 00:46:47.220 Graham Dobbin: is something we should even have to say, rather than it just something that's instinctively done.

00:46:47.640 --> 00:46:55.080 Phillip Thomas: Unfortunately there's too much prejudice out there there's too much self absorption there's too much shallow thinking.

00:46:56.220 --> 00:47:06.090 Phillip Thomas: We just need to let go of ourselves and stop you know and just be good to other people, you know this, stop the nonsense and just be good.

00:47:08.070 --> 00:47:18.240 Graham Dobbin: And when we come back with a January order talk about the beast by that's a passion for you, but also kind of what the trends, what are the things that we're talking about the moment is you know i'm based in the she'll get the moment.

00:47:18.450 --> 00:47:22.770 Graham Dobbin: we're seeing things that are different part of the curve i'm really curious about what you're seeing.

00:47:23.070 --> 00:47:33.780 Graham Dobbin: across in the US you're listening to talk radio dot nyc my name is Graham dobbin we're on the mind behind leadership and we are so lucky we have Philip Thomas with us today we'll be back after these.

00:49:03.420 --> 00:49:12.000 we're listening to talk radio nyc at www talk radio dot nyc now broadcasting 24 hours a day.

00:49:39.180 --> 00:49:41.520 Graham Dobbin: Welcome back we're speaking with Phillip Thomas Philip.

00:49:43.200 --> 00:49:48.780 Graham Dobbin: what's at the forefront of the discussions at the moment what's kind of changing business for CEOs talking about.

00:49:50.100 --> 00:50:03.360 Phillip Thomas: Well there's three big things that that we see a lot here have one is ransomware attacks and hacking from third parties internationally typically supply chain issues.

00:50:05.040 --> 00:50:16.140 Phillip Thomas: Dealing with coven and I guess the fourth would be finding and retaining the right people that's consuming so much time and the hearts and minds of most business leaders today.

00:50:17.760 --> 00:50:28.110 Graham Dobbin: But when we're talking about i'm kind of finding talent attracting the best talent keeping the right talent, it is this link to the great resignation, that is not kind of just a post it's not just just something is thrown over.

00:50:28.680 --> 00:50:38.910 Phillip Thomas: You know it's interesting November there was like 4.5 million resignations but then later on the data came out sure there are 7.1 new hires.

00:50:40.200 --> 00:50:57.360 Phillip Thomas: So what we're seeing here and I don't know if it's the same or Australia or New York or wherever, but people are just opting out for a new experience they're looking at ways of improving them their position and there's maybe a lot of pent up you know, like you know.

00:50:58.710 --> 00:51:02.760 Phillip Thomas: i'm not going to do this anymore i'm going to find a job, where I make more money, and I can work from home part time.

00:51:03.270 --> 00:51:17.400 Phillip Thomas: And I really enjoy the the the mission of the company and the people i'm around so a lot of people are just not just designing and going on nature walks all day they're actually designing and taking jobs elsewhere that are more suited to who they are.

00:51:19.650 --> 00:51:23.670 Graham Dobbin: In essentially a good we're coming back full circle, but how you make decisions.

00:51:24.780 --> 00:51:34.740 Graham Dobbin: And, and you know I suppose the CEOs and business leaders and business owners, we need to be a little bit smarter than in not just jump into making decisions at the moment there.

00:51:35.670 --> 00:51:45.570 Graham Dobbin: is almost a panic, one of the things that we're talking about here we're behind the curve ever so slightly and in Australia, because of what's happening, we can see what's about to happen.

00:51:46.320 --> 00:51:53.010 Graham Dobbin: And then looking logically there's going to be the great correction right where people have jumped jobs in the grass isn't always greener.

00:51:53.580 --> 00:52:07.260 Graham Dobbin: Where people hire people and spend an extra 25% salary in real life and look at the value of it, so that just feels like we're again we're going to be kind of into this and if we can avoid that by good decision making up front, then we should be in a much better place.

00:52:08.400 --> 00:52:15.870 Phillip Thomas: That exactly right ground they're the most intense area business involvement today is hr.

00:52:17.430 --> 00:52:29.340 Phillip Thomas: For a lot of different reasons, like training programs and retention and recruiting the right people and having the right processes in place to filter through all the different people that are looking for a new situation.

00:52:29.940 --> 00:52:39.810 Phillip Thomas: And so HR is really moving to the forefront compared to you know, two or three years ago when HR was just kind of a department that sort of managed stuff along the way now they're more or less.

00:52:41.040 --> 00:52:53.610 Phillip Thomas: embedded in into a whole lot of different things that are affecting the company, so I think that you know, I have several HR professionals, that I work with and they are super busy.

00:52:54.450 --> 00:53:02.670 Phillip Thomas: And and they're providing some very valuable services in terms of government programs and funds that are available from the government here in the United States.

00:53:03.120 --> 00:53:15.570 Phillip Thomas: From a coven policies, I mean it's a constant changing environment, as you know, so HR professionals today are making more money and be much more valuable than they have been in the past.

00:53:16.230 --> 00:53:20.100 Graham Dobbin: it's interesting because some of the best companies we're working with at the moment.

00:53:21.240 --> 00:53:29.820 Graham Dobbin: isn't about tell retention it kind of the top end it's about how do you bring through graduates the thinking know five years down the line, already.

00:53:30.090 --> 00:53:35.370 Graham Dobbin: Whatever they're doing if they're good, and you can use system in place, they know it's probably too late, if they've not had that.

00:53:35.910 --> 00:53:45.510 Graham Dobbin: And that ongoing culture and philosophy anyway so it's, how do we bring in the best talent and graduates who everybody wants and how do we make sure that he in five or 10 years time.

00:53:46.020 --> 00:53:57.090 Graham Dobbin: So there's a real forward thinking so there seems to be a bit of a debate i'm i'm kind of watching of time I know we've only got probably about five minutes left, and I want to be speaking about these bees.

00:53:58.500 --> 00:54:00.780 Graham Dobbin: This I noticed in a passion of your store.

00:54:01.980 --> 00:54:02.820 Phillip Thomas: You know, is interesting.

00:54:03.510 --> 00:54:03.990 Why.

00:54:05.190 --> 00:54:17.820 Phillip Thomas: I just love their so interesting I mean I went outside the other day it was 20 degrees us as a bundle them a scarf coat gloves I stuck a meat thermometer inside the hive at seven degrees.

00:54:19.500 --> 00:54:23.430 Phillip Thomas: The bees know how to keep warm they FLEX their flight muscles and they.

00:54:23.820 --> 00:54:31.200 Phillip Thomas: They kind of share but it's really warm in there, and if I had gone into that because they're all huddled together and a big ball in the middle of the hive today.

00:54:31.680 --> 00:54:40.410 Phillip Thomas: And the Queen is in the very Center and it's it's right over all the babies because they're starting to raise broad now in in March February, March.

00:54:41.070 --> 00:54:51.210 Phillip Thomas: But they can handle heat, they can handle airflow if they have enough honey to last them to the winner that they stored last summer they've got food they've got air they got warmth.

00:54:51.780 --> 00:55:03.090 Phillip Thomas: And then come spring i'll tell you one of the most exhilarating moments is to walk out and you see all these bees flying out of your hive going about their business and they made it to another winner it's really great.

00:55:04.260 --> 00:55:04.440 Graham Dobbin: But.

00:55:06.210 --> 00:55:11.190 Graham Dobbin: I know there's been a number of books written about kind of the analogy, that the the.

00:55:12.330 --> 00:55:23.580 Graham Dobbin: The Association when we can bs and how they work at home, businesses, what can listen, what do you see but what's what was the things that you recognized within how these communities get kind of get together.

00:55:24.180 --> 00:55:34.830 Phillip Thomas: But, unlike some of the movies that come out of Hollywood these go through different jobs during their life most most people don't understand diesel I live around six or seven weeks honeybees and.

00:55:35.490 --> 00:55:36.900 Graham Dobbin: Maybe seven weeks.

00:55:37.380 --> 00:55:38.670 Graham Dobbin: Correct wow.

00:55:39.120 --> 00:55:42.780 Phillip Thomas: and during that time they go through being a nurse, be a janitor be and.

00:55:44.220 --> 00:55:52.290 Phillip Thomas: You know, different than at the end, towards the end and then therefore gerson there forger bees, they actually have multiple jobs during their careers, much like we do.

00:55:52.950 --> 00:56:01.650 Phillip Thomas: And they all collaborate and work together, they have a common goal survival first and second is food.

00:56:02.370 --> 00:56:12.420 Phillip Thomas: You know, so they make their own honey and they know that winter's coming eventually it's like game of thrones winter's coming, and so they store away their food, and they protect the Queen.

00:56:14.880 --> 00:56:24.690 Phillip Thomas: And it's it's a it's a it's a collaborative environment of people focused on a common mission in this case honeybees.

00:56:25.530 --> 00:56:28.170 Graham Dobbin: So queen bee six weeks or longer.

00:56:28.650 --> 00:56:31.650 Phillip Thomas: Sick queen queen bees can last a couple of years, because once they.

00:56:31.650 --> 00:56:32.400 Phillip Thomas: Go out make.

00:56:32.730 --> 00:56:35.670 Phillip Thomas: They come back and they don't ever fly again they stay with the babies.

00:56:36.090 --> 00:56:46.950 Phillip Thomas: it's the bees are out for June around three or four miles sometimes and what happens is they're flying with their wings and the friction on their wings actually wears down the trailing edges of their wings.

00:56:47.280 --> 00:56:56.580 Phillip Thomas: After a while they can't fly anymore, so they become grumpy garvey's at the entrance to the hive and that's why you get stuck because you know they're just kind of ticked off.

00:56:57.480 --> 00:56:59.490 Graham Dobbin: So become the grumpy security guard there.

00:56:59.790 --> 00:57:00.540 Exactly.

00:57:02.130 --> 00:57:03.720 Graham Dobbin: I mean, how you see how I mean.

00:57:04.170 --> 00:57:12.300 Phillip Thomas: It doesn't yeah and you know in Australia now but there's a great little business down in Australia that started a few years ago that I mentioned to you.

00:57:12.300 --> 00:57:13.200 Graham Dobbin: Earlier yep.

00:57:13.320 --> 00:57:26.310 Phillip Thomas: They did a crowdfunding and they wanted 100,000 bucks to sell the ended up raising 12 million bucks and they've been a great success story and it's changed the way beekeeping done it's really it's really a terrific story.

00:57:27.660 --> 00:57:44.520 Graham Dobbin: um it's actually interesting because there has been a lot of importance on bees and for the environment for for general living and people are becoming a little bit more aware of it and i'm kind of i'm a little bit and bonus I didn't realize only six weeks oh.

00:57:44.970 --> 00:57:57.600 Phillip Thomas: yeah honeybees so other bees, the last longer, but the honeybees or you know perpetual workers keep in mind, Graham that one in every three bites of food is a result of pollination and largely honeybees.

00:57:58.470 --> 00:58:13.050 Phillip Thomas: And so we need honeybees we need that for our own selfish reasons and so people should make themselves more aware of of the role of honeybees and protect them or, in my opinion there.

00:58:15.060 --> 00:58:24.540 Graham Dobbin: This takes you into something else because i'm really curious, let me ask this question without without any any pretense that kind of last question will go for it, and if you could start a business tomorrow.

00:58:25.740 --> 00:58:29.700 Graham Dobbin: You can start a business tomorrow you're coming into this fresh What would it be.

00:58:30.000 --> 00:58:30.480 Ah.

00:58:31.560 --> 00:58:39.450 Phillip Thomas: sauna unwrapped through with artificial intelligence and how that's changing the world it's it's fascinating field.

00:58:39.930 --> 00:58:54.540 Phillip Thomas: there's a famous state saying by seth early it's there is no Ai without I a there is no artificial intelligence without information architecture, how you structured data so that the Ai can do its thing so Ai is a huge one.

00:58:56.310 --> 00:59:04.290 Phillip Thomas: Inner stored energy devices, is another one, I really think there's a lot of exciting things going on the area of stored energy and pretty soon.

00:59:04.710 --> 00:59:13.080 Phillip Thomas: we're going to have our own little power station and outside our backyard or up on the roof we're not going to have power coming from the distributed network, just like when computers.

00:59:13.470 --> 00:59:20.550 Phillip Thomas: You know we're all kind of bundled together and he had to go down to the computer room in the basement now everybody has their own computer their own desk.

00:59:20.970 --> 00:59:29.400 Phillip Thomas: we're not going to rely on power stations we're going to have our own local power station So those are just too many areas that are fascinating going forward I.

00:59:30.120 --> 00:59:37.230 Graham Dobbin: think you you just reminded me I read something I think it was over Christmas, when I was watching an old an old video on YouTube.

00:59:38.100 --> 00:59:44.220 Graham Dobbin: If you still call them videos or whatever they are no but anyway i'm about how people laughed at we'd all have a computer.

00:59:45.030 --> 00:59:53.520 Graham Dobbin: yeah and we can have we can never predict what's going to happen sorts or kind of being flexible and just being open to fill it Thomas.

00:59:54.000 --> 01:00:06.090 Graham Dobbin: Thank you once again we're going to have to have you back on i'm really curious now you've got me Patrick lynch yawning six types of genius come out just a couple of things that jumped out humility.

01:00:06.540 --> 01:00:13.080 Graham Dobbin: And being teachable which will obviously brings a not vulnerability for the CEO and some of the biggest things that they.

01:00:14.610 --> 01:00:27.060 Graham Dobbin: are moving forwards within the within the business community at the moment that we're discussing is all about talent and doing the right thing, so do good have fun spend money that's.

01:00:27.420 --> 01:00:29.550 Phillip Thomas: My wife my wife and our experts.

01:00:30.570 --> 01:00:34.770 Graham Dobbin: hey phil it Thank you so much, great to see you again um.

01:00:35.370 --> 01:00:44.490 Graham Dobbin: What our charts hopefully we can have you on again you've been listening to the mind behind leadership you're live on top radio dot nyc, we will see you next Tuesday for PM Eastern you bye.

01:00:44.880 --> 01:00:46.320 Phillip Thomas: Thank you bye bye bye.

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