Name: Adam Vivian

Title: CEO

Organisation: Unidex Consulting Group (Frontline Human Resources, Unidex Healthcare, Luxford Dunn Consulting)

Skilled leader with accomplishments in Professional Services & Consultancy, Industrial & Employee Relations, Banking, Finance & Insurance Sector, Human Resources, Not-For-Profit and the Sporting Industry space.

Responsible for new business acquisition, start-up management, industrial relations, dispute resolution, net revenue growth and profit performance by developing, implementing and measuring strategic, sales, commercial and governance plans.

With broad domestic, Asian/Oceanian duties that require the leveraging skills developed in Industrial Relations, Negotiations, Strategic Development, Sales, Service, Strategic Account Management, Business Development, Marketing and Financial Strategies required to build a strong professional portfolio coupled with strong stakeholder relations.

A voice in the media on career transition in both sport and the corporate environment, industrial relations and well-being matters, as well as broader issues like gender equity, and personal & professional development.

Ensuring the uniformity of procedures, policies and systems affecting operations. Attributes include strategic planning, conceptualising, coordinating, organising, negotiating, economic and financial analysis, measuring, evaluating, training and leadership.

Some key professional achievements include:

- Held numerous board positions within Australia, Asia and on a global level

- Developed Governance Policy within a private corporate environment

- Member of multiple National Leadership Teams

- Former Chair of FIFPro's Asia/Oceania division

- Former member of FIFPro's Strategic, Finance and Member compliance committees

- Assisted in negotiating 3 professional sporting industry common law Collective Bargaining Agreements

- Notably secured the first ever 'whole of game' agreement for the code of football (Soccer) in 2015

- Successfully lead numerous industrial disputes to positive resolution

Thank you to the 2,000 leaders who’ve generously done the 7 Questions on Leadership!

I hope Adam's answers will encourage you in your leadership journey. Enjoy!

Cheers,

Jonno White

1. What have you found most challenging as a leader?

Balance due to the need to juggle various responsibilities and priorities. Striking a balance between being assertive and empathetic, making tough decisions while considering the well-being of the team, and managing personal and professional commitments can be quite demanding.

2. How did you become a leader? Can you please briefly tell the story?

There is no specific moment or story to tell. I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have been surrounded by amazing leaders, both professionally and personally, that have all provided me guidance and mentorship.

I worked hard on cultivating effective communication skills to ensure I could articulate ideas clearly and inspire (for lack of a better term) others to be the best version of themselves.

3. How do you structure your work days from waking up to going to sleep?

It’s important to note that my daily routine can be unpredictable, and there’s always a need to be flexible to handle unforeseen circumstances or urgent matters. Additionally, with a young family, my priorities have to change regularly to ensure I have balance in all facets of life.

A ‘typical’ day would commence at 5.50am. I try to get to the gym in the morning where I’ll get a 45 minute workout in.

En route, I listen to podcasts and spend time on self-development.

After a workout, I’ll head straight to the local cafe near the office and meet with some of the senior leadership team in a casual setting to plan the day and discuss any pressing matters.

From there, into the office and a quick ‘whip around’ to say hello to the early starters then straight into emails, calls and meetings.

1st meeting everyday is generally with finance to do a pulse check on numbers.

Once on top of pressing matters, I move to strategic decisions and employee engagement in the form of unstructured discussions and I generally try and join some colleagues for lunch.

Post lunch, I try to check in with employees that work remotely to ensure they’re feeling supported and to genuinely check in with them.

The afternoon is generally spent focused on challenge handling and addressing issues that have occurred throughout the day.

I try to speak to my wife just before school pickup and we message throughout the day.

When I leave the office, I always check in with 1 or 2 company directors to ensure open dialogue with stakeholders. Last call before arriving home will be with one of the divisional heads.

Evening wind down is a time for reflection and I usually do this while supporting my kids with their personal goals (at the moment that’s very sports oriented for my youngest with 3 nights of training and a weekend filled with sport and for my eldest it’s about fostering and supporting his creativity).

My evening time with family is focused on quality and being present but I’m the first to admit that this is an area for improvement for me. I can do better.

My wife and I alternate with putting the kids to bed before we relax together before going to bed.

4. What's a recent leadership lesson you've learned for the first time or been reminded of?

I was reminded recently at a conference of the importance of leading by example. As a leader, your actions and behaviours have a significant impact on your team. When you demonstrate the qualities and values you expect from your team members, you inspire trust, respect, and commitment.

By being authentic, accountable, and dedicated, you create a positive work environment that fosters productivity and encourages your team to give their best effort. Leading by example sets a powerful tone for the organisation and establishes a strong foundation for success. Actions speak louder than words, and as a leader, my behaviour sets the standard for others to follow.

5. What's one book that has had a profound impact on your leadership so far? Can you please briefly tell the story of how that book impacted your leadership?

The First 90 Days by Michael Watkin. At one stage in my career I found myself as the solution, or ‘fix-it’ person, position. While this was a great skill to have and to share, it also meant I was in a transient phase of moving from project to project or between divisions within a business to help assist in trouble shooting and problem solving.

With these transitions, I found The First 90 Days helped guide my own roadmap to being effective and establish myself in a new role/team.

6. If you could only give one piece of advice to a young leader, what would you say to them?

One piece of advice I'd give to a young leader is to embrace continuous learning and never stop seeking knowledge and self-improvement. Leadership is a journey of growth, and there is always room to learn and develop new skills.

Stay curious, be open to feedback, and seek mentorship from experienced leaders to gain insights and wisdom. The more you invest in your personal and professional development, the better equipped you'll be to face challenges, inspire your team, and achieve your goals as a leader.

Learning is a lifelong process, and it's a key driver of successful leadership. I spend 45 minutes every day on deliberate/structured learning and it’s been invaluable.

7. What is one meaningful story that comes to mind from your time as a leader, so far?

Meaningful leadership goes beyond just achieving business goals; it involves inspiring, empowering, and supporting others to reach their full potential.

Leaders have the power to influence the lives of their team members, shaping their careers, and fostering personal growth.

I don’t have any one meaningful story that comes to mind, I have a list of names. The names of people I’ve seen grow, develop, carve their own pathway to success, grow their families, support their colleagues through good and bad times.

Just a huge amount of admiration for those that have crossed my path and provided me with the privilege of their time, their skills and friendship.

One quick story - I remember a time early in my career when I worked back to impress the CEO. I knew they were in the boardroom for a late afternoon meeting and I was eager to impress and be visible when they’d finished their meeting.

At 6.15pm, the CEO left the boardroom and walked down the hall with 3 or 4 other staff with them. The CEO stopped by my desk and asked my name. “Adam Vivian” I said proudly, having felt validated for hanging around.

The next morning I had been enrolled in a time management course by the CEO with a note to tell me that it wasn’t their expectation that I’d be at work at that time of the evening and they wanted to help me to ensure I could effectively manage my day!

Never forgotten that lesson and it’s something I value to this day.