It all comes down to attitude

Is it right to say you are a career banker?

Yes – about 30 years now!

Bank Australia – you’re the good guys, right?

Yes, we are the good guys – we are the country’s first customer-owned bank, with a focus on positive economic, personal, social, environmental and cultural impact. We have a strong purpose around how we serve the community and reduce the impact we have on the planet. Not just us – helping our customers to lighten their impact as well.

Does that make the job of management harder than in a commercial entity?

I think for us as managers working in a values-based bank, the decision-making process is more complex because if you apply a very commercial lens, which is basically maximising profits to reward external shareholders, it can drive behaviours and outcomes that can put one stakeholder’s interests above those of other stakeholders. We try to get a balance between all the stakeholders in the business. To remain profitable and still maximise benefits for our customers is a really fine line and I think for us the decision-making becomes a little more complex. We operate in ‘grey’, so to speak, more than I would think some other organisations do.

Which programme did you do and why did you choose LBS?

I did the Senior Executive Programme (SEP). I actually did quite a lot of research into where I might go. I looked at America, Europe, Asia and the UK and came up with a shortlist. I wanted it to be international and also diverse in terms of subject matter, with an element of both personal development as well as professional development. A lot of the programmes I looked at in America were very planning- and execution-focused and seemed very narrow. They seemed to suffer from being in ‘the American bubble’. I was drawn more towards the European and UK programmes, in terms of the international aspect. Also, what I liked about the SEP programme was that, while strategy was a cornerstone, it was not just about strategic planning and execution – there were a number of other elements to it. It just had that breadth of content that I found attractive.

What were your expectations of the programme?

I was open-minded, really, and didn’t have any set goals. I think I had some expectation that I had to be more self- aware as a leader and how I might leverage that self-awareness moving forward, but the things that I liked and took away were surprises for me – the things around challenging your assumptions and moving into critical ways of thinking and exploring different sorts of paradigms. That was a breath of fresh air for me and has served me well in recent times in terms of being able to adapt rapidly. It has also served me well in relation to my leadership team and encouraging them to think differently and not assume that they know everything – to constructively challenge, to understand that we are going through rapid change, to understand that we may get things wrong, and that that’s ok as well.

Did anything surprise you about the programme?

One of the aspects that really appealed to me was the diversity in terms of both age and experience of the other students who, with some exceptions, were mainly younger. [Damien is now in his mid-50s]. I found it really refreshing to be around people who were younger than me because they brought different perspectives to the table and I think that is really valuable, as opposed to just being stuck in a room with other CEOs.

Did any teachers stand out for you?

All the teachers brought something unique to the table, but two who stand out for me are Costas Markides and David Lewis. Costas [stood out] for his very engaging and, at times, entertaining teaching style. The themes he explored really resonated with me and provided the glue for the other teachers and subject matters, like ‘The 100-Year Life’ with Andrew Scott and ‘Leader as Performer’ with Susan Henry. With David, I not only found him engaging in his teaching style with the student cohort, but I also found he invested time in students individually. He also encouraged us to challenge our assumptions, developing a positive challenge (generative behaviours) and cognitive diversity. David invested time in me personally (he encouraged me to have an enquiring mind – really to maximise the benefit of doing the SEP) and evidenced his theory that generative behaviours support quality interactions and foster a generative working environment.

What were the biggest takeaways for you?

I would highlight five things: attitude determines what we do and how we do it; thinking about business disruption as both a threat and an opportunity (it’s about how you frame the circumstances, linked back to the attitude you bring to the table as a leader; questioning your assumptions (it sounds simplistic but realising my biases were determining the way I led an organisation and people was a game-changer for me – I needed to shift to enable questioning in our business and help my executive managers question things we cannot see, like our assumptions; to get people to actually change their behaviours, you have to make the need for change personal and emotional; and the value of bringing all the themes together to discuss strategic leadership (our attitudes and behaviours as leaders).

Did you form any relationships at LBS that you have kept up?

Yes, very much so. As a group we are still on WhatsApp and in touch regularly, and I would say the vast majority participate. As the world moves through this pandemic it has actually elevated the conversation, with people exchanging knowledge and ideas and sharing experiences. That is at group level; at individual level I also chat with people regularly and if I travel to their part of the world, I will message them and say, ‘I’m going to be in South America or Asia or Europe’ and we’ll meet and catch up in person.

So the network is thriving?

Absolutely, and it’s a very generous network – the way people are prepared to share their personal experiences and their learnings, but also sharing ideas about rapid change and adaptation and how people and organisations are responding to the pandemic. They will readily share that information, which is fantastic.

Do you do anything differently as a result of doing the course?

Interestingly, I think one of the greatest benefits I got from it was elevated confidence in myself as a leader. I’m not bad as a leader, but I think that you can always develop and grow as a person and I have got affirmation that I had the respect of my peers and the board. It was a financial and time commitment to spend so much time at LBS, but the board gave me the opportunity and the payback was really quite immediate. I came back into the business with more of a quiet confidence and self-assuredness – not only in terms of my own personal development but in the way I engage with a bunch of stakeholders, and I think people see that; it was evident for them that I was doing much better at listening and applying critical thinking, asking the questions and not assuming that I know everything.

What advice would you give to people thinking about doing the SEP programme?

To be fully committed and invest the time upfront in preparing for the course – arriving at LBS having done the pre-reading is really helpful. When you come to the workshops and lectures, really be prepared to step into that environment. It’s also helpful when you are in the workshops and lectures that people are respectful of one another and give everyone a voice. Providing that space for everyone to contribute is really important. There is an important social side to it, too, spending time with your colleagues and participating in some of the social elements strengthens the experience, so make sure you have time to spend with your peers. And you need to leave your daytime job at home – don’t just finish your class and spend the evening on emails and telephone calls, effectively trying to do your full-time job remotely, because it’s not practical. I put measures in place for my deputy to be in charge while I was away from the business and while I was on the course I really freed myself up so I could immerse myself in the programme.