The High Flyers Podcast with Vidit Agarwal
00:02:03 · Robert Nason, Vidit Agarwal, Neil Plumridge
[00:02:03] S2: My first real job was a tally clerk on the Melbourne Waterfront for a timber company. I can tell you what a tally clerk does if you're interested, but that was a really fun job. Today I run my own private consulting practice and this author role has taken a lot more of my time than I anticipated and that's what I'm focusing my attention on. [00:02:30] S0: Neil, where were you born and where do you live now? [00:02:33] S1: So born in Melbourne, live in Melbourne. I've got a farm about two hours outside of Melbourne to the east in an area called Gippsland, so I spend 30 or 40% of my time out there when I can. [00:02:45] S0: And work. What was your first job and what do you do now? [00:02:49] S1: So first real job was as a trainee accountant of a local television station and I now, with Robert, co founder of The Rain Group. It's a business development learning program or business that helps partners and directors of consulting firms around the world lift performance. [00:03:10] S0: And that's RAIN with a Y. A [00:03:12] S1: y n. That's right. And a quick fun fact is Robert are and Neil, and the Y is silent for rain. So that's how the rain came up with.
00:03:12 · Neil Plumridge, Vidit Agarwal
[00:03:12] S1: y n. That's right. And a quick fun fact is Robert are and Neil, and the Y is silent for rain. So that's how the rain came up with. [00:03:24] S0: Oh, is that how... This is the first time I'm hearing that backstory. That's great. That's a good, very creative way of coming up with a name. And as both of you know, the purpose of this show is to reimagine the concept of a high flyer, to celebrate the people that are doing great things but perhaps don't get the recognition, particularly beyond their job title. Robert, can I start with you? Is there anyone you know who you feel hasn't got the recognition they deserve?
00:03:24 · Vidit Agarwal, Robert Nason
[00:03:24] S0: Oh, is that how... This is the first time I'm hearing that backstory. That's great. That's a good, very creative way of coming up with a name. And as both of you know, the purpose of this show is to reimagine the concept of a high flyer, to celebrate the people that are doing great things but perhaps don't get the recognition, particularly beyond their job title. Robert, can I start with you? Is there anyone you know who you feel hasn't got the recognition they deserve? [00:03:50] S2: Well we come from an industry which is full of people that meet that description. Consultants rarely get the recognition of their achievements, their silent achievers if you like. But there's a couple that sort of stand out for me. One is my sister Jennifer who's got a similar background and experience to me, but she was... Took herself to New York and became the global leader of JPMorgan's investment banking business in a career that spanned thirty five years. She's just retired, but I'm extremely proud of her ability to cut it in a very difficult business and achieve huge success while bringing up four kids. And one other that I do recognize because of his humanness is David Thodie, the CEO of Telstra, who I worked for. He got lots of accolades for what he achieved at Telstra. But having been there and been an employee working for him, I saw the impact he had on 50,000 people and how he changed the culture of an organization. That is something I think everyone who was there at the time recognises but few outside recognise that level of impact that he had.
00:03:50 · Robert Nason, Vidit Agarwal
[00:03:50] S2: Well we come from an industry which is full of people that meet that description. Consultants rarely get the recognition of their achievements, their silent achievers if you like. But there's a couple that sort of stand out for me. One is my sister Jennifer who's got a similar background and experience to me, but she was... Took herself to New York and became the global leader of JPMorgan's investment banking business in a career that spanned thirty five years. She's just retired, but I'm extremely proud of her ability to cut it in a very difficult business and achieve huge success while bringing up four kids. And one other that I do recognize because of his humanness is David Thodie, the CEO of Telstra, who I worked for. He got lots of accolades for what he achieved at Telstra. But having been there and been an employee working for him, I saw the impact he had on 50,000 people and how he changed the culture of an organization. That is something I think everyone who was there at the time recognises but few outside recognise that level of impact that he had. [00:05:14] S0: Both great names and David might be coming on the podcast soon so stay tuned. He and I been in discussions and I'm trying to convince him it's been a two year process that he eventually might agree to, so let's see. And Neil, I feel like you are the high fly in terms of my definition who likes to stay under the radar, think in the time I'm going to know you, but I'm curious, are there people that you've come across your journey that you want to recognize?
00:05:14 · Vidit Agarwal, Neil Plumridge
[00:05:14] S0: Both great names and David might be coming on the podcast soon so stay tuned. He and I been in discussions and I'm trying to convince him it's been a two year process that he eventually might agree to, so let's see. And Neil, I feel like you are the high fly in terms of my definition who likes to stay under the radar, think in the time I'm going to know you, but I'm curious, are there people that you've come across your journey that you want to recognize? [00:05:38] S1: So there are many, Vidar, and I would do someone an injustice if I didn't call their name out, but I'm not going to. I'm going to call that a cohort inside the consulting business. And the cohorts are the senior managers and directors, so one or two levels below the partner. I think they or that cohort or that level is often underappreciated. They're under the most pressure. They have partners often demanding high expectations. They have client delivery issues. They have teams that they've got to keep busy and engaged. And they're also often in life changing moments. They're moving house. Something's going on in their own personal life. So it's a really difficult group. For me, the senior manager and director cohort in consulting firms are the real high flyers.
00:06:27 · Vidit Agarwal
[00:06:27] S0: Back to the episode in a moment. Something I've heard a lot from business owners and leaders is that speed only matters if you still feel confident in the output. And it's particularly an important point in this world of AI. Xero's answer to that is Accountable Intelligence. AI that shows you what it's doing and works from your own real data and is designed to keep you in control before anything happens. As Xero puts it, most AI asks you trust it. Accountable intelligence shows you why you can. And that's how it works with JAX, Xero's in platform AI finance partner. So whether you're running a business, advising the client, or working with your board, JAX ensures that you get the upside of automation without giving up any of the control. If you want to see this practice, head over to xero.comhighflyers for 90% off your plan for the first six months. Terms apply and go to the website that's xeroxero.com/highflyers. Now back to the episode. Now before we get to the book, The Rainmaker and the work you both are doing with your business, I would love to set some context in each of you. And as I said to you before I found this process fascinating because I discovered things about both of you that I didn't know and I thought we'd gotten to know each other a bit over the last little while. Robert, I was blown away to discover that apparently you dropped out of high school when you were 15. Is that a true story?