About Don
In pursuit of a better way to build sustainable success
I’ve begun to look for a better way to work. How can a board chair or director build sustainability for the 21st century that delivers more than just profitability? My guiding words: Longer, Deeper, Wider.
Longer – is winning the long game or the short game better? Can we do both?
Deeper – is economic profit the only measure of success?
Wider – are we just in this to benefit the direct owners?
Classical board skills that you already know remain important. But there are many new things that Boards and directors must be across. This is essential in creating organisations that are flexible enough to take on challenges thrown up in 2020 and beyond.
This is my space, and in the spirit of continuous learning, I continue to explore.
Born and raised in Brisbane
Born and raised in Brisbane, I started my career in one of the big accounting firms straight out of Uni.
Along the way, I transferred to Darwin, travelled widely across Europe and finally returned to Brisbane to take up life seriously.
I left the professional firms in favour of the commercial accounting world and have never wanted to go back.
A beautiful wife, three fabulous daughters and determination to make a difference continue to drive my life education.
Inspired by a love of community, people and nature
I learned the importance of community as a boy in the Scouts. Since then, I have been involved in many community organisations, including a continuing involvement with Scouts, the Arts sector and Education.
I have always loved the great outdoors. It is away from the city that I find the things that matter to me, including local culture, nature and wild places.
Wellness and mindfulness are important. Everything works together and I strive for a happy headspace in a healthy body. Gyms, friends and simple food.
Other happy places are the kitchen (delicious but messy!), my workshop (beauty and design in harmony) and my bike on the open road (no indoors spin classes here thanks)
What my peers say
My philosophy
We have lived through an exciting time in history, with the explosive development of technology, from the first computers in the seventies, to the Internet of Things today.
That technology has enabled cheaper and faster communication that has accelerated worldwide social development, particularly globalism.
Watching all of this happening, I started to see that as much as globalism was a force for good, there were and are problems. Not everyone was included. It was culturally Western Euro-centric. Nature and the environment were ignored. The dollar ruled.
I knew it had to be about more than just money. There was a thing called society and it mattered.
I was reading stories about organisations which paid attention to things beyond economics and how they performed. Anecdotally, they seemed to do better… which was interesting.
With the new millennium, the pace of change continued to accelerate – technology empowered more people to express opinions and start to assert their rights.
In the face of tightening budgets, governments started to demand justification why they should support organisations. Royal commissions and similar in Australia and around the world revealed awful abuses by the holders of power over Joe Citizen.
And it was not just financial – institutional child abuse, aged care etc – the list goes on.
A better way to build sustainable success
So how can a board chair or director build sustainability for the 21st century that delivers more than economic profitability? My thinking is guided by my three key words:
Longer, Deeper, Wider
What you currently know remains important – this is NOT about revolution. But there are many new things that Boards and directors need to be across. This is essential in creating organisations that are flexible enough to take on challenges thrown up in 2020 and beyond.
A holistic solution, which includes people at their best, systems to support them, and strong and ethical leadership. Measuring success beyond economic gains and connected.
Connected from end to end inside the organisation and connected to your community.
This is Board Circles … everything linked together, working together, leading together and creating sustainable futures.
Board Circles – a journey, not a place to arrive at. It is the journey for 21st Century Boards to help you build sustainability for the future.
Board Circles is a model for the way to build a sustainable future for You as a governance professional, and for your organisation.
It is something that needs to be worked at consistently, and you will never arrive at The End. It is about being able to manage continuous and accelerating change that is not going to stop. It is about 21st Century Boards and people like You.
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