Today we are joined by Stephen Scheeler! Former Facebook and Instagram MD for Australia and New Zealand, Senior Advisor at McKinsey & Co and TEDx Speaker.

Stephen and I sat down at the Sydney office of McKinsey and Co to have a fascinating discussion going back to Stephen’s childhood in small town USA. And, how he longed to go to university in Europe, yet was awarded a Scholarship to study in Japan, and how this introverted young man became the American everyone wanted to know – from fellow students to the local mayor. We hear how Stephen’s study of east Asian history and with little interest in tech, he found himself entering the world of tech juggernauts.

We discuss the obsession of the likes of Facebook in being THE employer of choice, requires putting staff contentment at the top of strategic priorities. And, how staff incentives from free food for staff and families, to the option for female staff to freeze their embryos have become the norm in Silicon Valley, to take the distractions away from a high performing team. We explore the importance of a vision staff can truly believe in and thrive towards. And, the fine line between a strong culture and cult like faith in such young, wealthy and almost magical leaders.

You can find Stephen via stephenscheeler.com.au

And his TEDX talk …

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Real People is a podcast hosted by Jason Dunstone, the founder and managing director of Square Holes, 25 years conducting research and interviews with average and not so average people, as well as interviews with key leaders such as innovators, politicians, scientists and experts. He has have been lucky to meet such wonderful and intelligent people, and have such fascinating discussions, but these are often largely deciphered down to research findings, insightful quotes, statistics et cetera for reports. Real People opens up such conversations for people like you

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