Ep115 Excellence Beyond The Finish Line

What keeps you running when winning is no longer possible? In 1964, Sri Lankan Olympic runner Ranatunge Karunananda found the answer in the most unlikely place. Lapped repeatedly in the 10,000 metres final, he kept running long after the winner had finished and the crowd had stopped laughing. He ha…

Ep114 The Hidden Cost of Small Inefficiencies

Small inefficiencies are easy to dismiss. One extra piece of paper, one unnecessary approval, one duplicate report or one additional click hardly seems worth worrying about. But frequency changes everything. When a small inefficiency is repeated thousands or millions of times, it becomes significan…

Ep113 People Resist Exclusion, Not Change

The best ideas don't fail because they're wrong—they fail because people weren't part of creating them. Leaders often spend weeks refining a change before announcing it, then wonder why they face resistance. The problem isn't the change itself; it's that everyone else is hearing it for the first ti…

Ep112 From Johannesburg to the Boardroom: Lessons in Leadership – Mike Allen

What does it really take to build a world-class factory floor? Mike Allen is a 25-year supply chain veteran who's led operations across Kellogg, a family-owned giant, and Haleon (Panadol, Advil, Sensodyne). Drawing on his time navigating South Africa's distinct operational pace and three separate a…

Ep111 Why Great Ideas Stay Hidden at Work

The greatest untapped asset in most organisations isn’t technology, strategy or even talent – it’s the ideas people never share. Ishan highlights Ferrari's transition to electric vehicles as a subtle leadership challenge: inviting celebrated external designers may broaden perspectives, but it can a…

Ep110 The NASA mindset behind world-class excellence

The biggest moments of success are rarely won in the spotlight. They’re earned long before anyone is watching. Using NASA’s Artemis program as a powerful case study, Ishan reveals why excellence isn’t built by heroic last-minute efforts, but through disciplined preparation, rigorous thinking and sy…

Ep109 Robotics, People and Process – Paul Mason

Paul Mason is a mechatronics engineer, computer scientist and CEO of Robotics Australia Group, the peak body for Australia’s robotics and automation sector. He also co-hosts the Manufacturing Tech Australia podcast and has spent more than two decades helping businesses improve manufacturing, design…

Ep108 Eliminating Complexity: The Qantas Strategy Behind Long-Term Excellence

The biggest breakthroughs rarely come from working harder. They come from removing what no longer serves a purpose. Drawing on Qantas’ remarkable Project Sunrise and the legendary Double Sunrise flights of World War II, Ishan reveals why sustainable excellence is built through simplification, smart…

Ep107 Want Better Results? Remove Friction, Don’t Add Pressure

Success is rarely unlocked by adding more. More often, it comes from removing the friction that quietly slows people down every day.  Behavioural economist Rory Sutherland has long argued that people experience the world psychologically, not objectively. One of his most famous examples involved an…

Ep106 The RED Waste: How Rework, Excess and Delay Destroy Momentum

Many organisations believe better results come from working harder, adding more resources or finding stronger leaders. In reality, the greatest barrier to performance is often hidden within the system itself.  Nature offers an unexpected lesson. Canada geese can fly up to 70 per cent further as a …