Leap Academy with Ilana Golan - Leading Beyond the Boardroom: Finding Connection and Purpose at the Top - Athena Manley

Episode Date: September 27, 2023

How do top leaders turn challenges into drive?  Is it really lonely at the top?  Athena Manley, Chief of Strategy & Staff at Aon and Founder & CEO of @theflexibleceo, who's collaborated with top 10 ASX, Fortune 500 firms, and start-ups, shares with Ilana her passion for impact and gives insight into the mindset that keeps her driven to lead and inspire in the corporate world.  More about Athena:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/athena-manley/Instagram: @theflexibleceo About Ilana Golan & Leap Academy:Website - https://www.leapacademy.com/Follow Ilana on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ilanagolan/YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@ilanagolan-leap-academy

You can take from that the point where you could use it as a blocker, you know, for why you didn't get the grades that you wanted to get into university, for why you couldn't move ahead on certain things. Or you can take it as fuel. And that's certainly what I did, is take the early experiences I had in my life, and that was one of them, and use it as fuel and really want to go out into the world and have an impact on financial well-being, on mental health, on the connection between those things. Welcome to The Leap Show. In The Leap Show, we're here to bring experts from around the globe who share inspiring stories, concrete tips, and insight on what helped them become the best version of themselves and who they are today and create the incredible life that they wanted. Subscribe and follow us, share this with friends who are also driven and aiming for more because

you'll hear stories and tips that you'll hear nowhere else. Hi, I'm Ilana Golan, CEO of Leap Academy, which helps driven professionals reinvent Leap their careers to the next level. Now let's get started. Hey guys, thank you for being here. I have a truly, truly inspiring story for you today. I want you to listen closely because this is exactly for people like you that didn't land necessarily into success, didn't have it easy, but are determined to make true, true, true impact in the world. So I wanted to meet Athena Manley.

She is a CEO. She's an executive leader. She's done amazing, amazing things. And she could have stopped there, but she keeps on pushing. And I want you to listen to her story because her story is a story of a lot of driven people that I believe are exactly like you. And she is a speaker on leadership and how business lead. She has 20 years of banking and insurance experience. She has successfully led many departments and many

strategies, Fortune 500, ASX Top 10, nonprofit. Like she's incredible. She operated as chief of strategy and chief of staff for Aon. And she recently launched her own brand, the Flexible CEO, where she's advising companies. She's operating an interim CEO and a growth strategist. So I want you to listen to her story. Athena, thank you for being with us. Thanks so much, Alana. Really happy to be with you. You're incredible. And we met at Necker Island with Richard Branson, which was really fun. Amazing.

Wasn't it? So I want to hear a little bit. You have a very, very unique story and something that grew you to have this passion, which is, you know, really, really rare. Tell us a little bit about how you even got to this space. Why insurance? Why this? Why you? Thanks, Alana. So my real purpose is to lead and inspire businesses that improve financial well-being and mental health in society. And I wasn't one of those people who woke up as a kid and went, yes, that's exactly the industry I want to be a part of. It's something that grew over time.

And there really were some key experiences early on that drove me towards that. So I think sometimes we can have leaders that we look to and think, well, you know, they might have had this in mind all along and things might have been a pretty straight trajectory. But mine certainly wasn't that to begin with. So it was a bit challenging early days financially in my family, very challenging mental health challenges, physical challenges, all these sorts of things that many families face. And I do remember one particular situation that occurred during the late 80s and early 90s, where we had a recession. And our Prime Minister at the time said it was a recession that Australia had to have. And it was just after the stock market crash in the US. So in that scenario, we were running a small business and small business can be really tough. A lot of small businesses have cash flow issues, have certainly big clients can take a really long time to pay, which can put a lot of pressure on businesses and on the families that sit behind them.

So a lot of luxuries go by the wayside in that scenario. And at that point for our family, insurance was seen as a bit of a luxury. So we didn't have adequate cover for our house. It was the first place that mum and dad had ever owned. We'd rented before that and kind of, you know, it had been quite difficult to hold on to a place before that. But we reached this point where they got a place and then it burnt down. I was at school, I was in high school, just about to finish up. And

it was, I remember getting the call to say, look, there's no home for you to go back to. I wanted to go and have a look. And I remember the look in dad's eyes and just saying, look, it's gone. And from there, the money to support the business went into keeping the family afloat because we didn't have the insurance. And from there, you lose, you know, you lose the home, you lose the business, you lose your livelihood and the family can fall apart, which is certainly what happened in our case.

So, you know, this story is, sadly, it's not uncommon. It's something that happens each day around the world. And so, I think you can either take from that, you can take from that the point where you could use it as a blocker, you know, for why you didn't get the grades that you wanted to get into university, for why you couldn't move ahead on certain things, or you can take it as fuel. And that's certainly what I did, is take the early experiences I had in my life, and that was one of them, and use it as fuel and really want to go out into the world and have an impact on financial wellbeing, on mental health, on the connection between those things, so that more families don't have that scenario, can be more resilient. And that's what led me to financial services in the first place,

to have that stability and to give that to others. Oh my God, which is so incredible. I remember when I read this story, I was like, okay, this is incredible because again, every single person can decide whether they now going to live in that victimhood, right. Or are they going to be a victor and you somehow, not only that you snapped to become that victor, but you took it as your life purpose to keep on taking those steps to create even more and more impact, which is rare. Um, you know, how are your, you know how are your you know parents see that growth and how you're you know moving along and how you're you know keep on leaping to bigger things how are they seeing it yeah well my my dad uh had incredible work ethic and uh still does, retired now, but still does to this day. And I think it does,

certainly they look at that and go, well, they don't need to feel so hard on themselves about things that may have happened in the past because everybody does the best that they can at that time. And they gave everything to get myself and my sister and brother the life that we could have. And we've been able to take that platform and I've been able to take that platform and help a lot of other people along the way. So I think that they would be proud from that perspective. That's incredible. is that fueling you to the flexible CEO and yes, to dealing with mental, to dealing with growth, to dealing with all the things that CEO needs to deal with. Talk to us a little bit about that. Yeah, the flexible CEO is a concept that came to me through kind of the burnout that can happen

with a lot of leaders of whether you're an entrepreneur, whether you're a corporate leader, and the desire for a lot of people to give more in their life than purely a single corporate role. So there are people out there who are brilliant CEOs who are looking for ways to work more flexibly, to lead differently and to create a different kind of a world, a world that's not so much about burnout, it's about impact, it's about contribution, and so working differently to do that. So I've been meeting more and more people who are at that particular life stage, and some of them are dealing

with issues like ageism, where they're seen as they've got brilliant experience but they're not getting the roles that they could possibly get. The other side of that equation is really around businesses that are wanting to scale. They could be mid-market or even larger businesses that are wanting to take the next level in terms of their success, but can't necessarily hit the price point to attract the top talent. But they could on a fractional basis. And so it's bringing those conversations together.

And sometimes it's people doing a board and governance role. So I would love to do an executive role again and lead an organisation forward. What they could do in two, three days a week to grow an organisation is phenomenal. So pairing them with the organizations where they find that talent and also doing some selective strategy consulting work as well, both in pro bono space and also in private clients. Which is amazing because we just had an episode with Kobe, who is leading a billion dollar company in Australia and Israel and, you know, across the oceans. And, you know, we just had this discussion of how the CEO is like the loneliest place in the world, you know, like you're so alone on all the decisions and all the stress

and all the burnout, which is so easy to get to. So when you're kind of… And I think more is expected of CEOs today too. The way that you interact with your stakeholders, the number of stakeholders that you have, the role that organizations need to and want to play in society more broadly is bigger, let alone the technological advancements as well

that we need to be across. Right. So tell me again, and Athena, I mean, you've, if that's okay to ask, right? I mean, you've been, I mean, chief of strategy, chief of staff at Aon and huge company, super successful. Like you can just, you know, cruise there, be comfortable, do your thing, get your salary. What gets somebody to say, you know what, I want even more impact. I want to create even bigger things. I want a bigger purpose. I want to create this portfolio career. Like what gets somebody to want to leave the comfort zone and to

say, I need more? I think there's a few things that happen along the way. When, if you reach a state in your career where you feel like you are cruising, and I know that we've spoken about that before, that can be a time when you ask yourself a lot of questions. And I think through 2020, a lot of people ask themselves a lot of questions. And you reach different stages in your life where you do that. I've always been someone who's wanting to continue to grow, to continue to achieve. And I've always had that fire in me to be able to want to make a difference. And now it's about, well, I've done that within a single organisation.

How can I do that across more broadly? How can I have that bigger impact and help more organisations and therefore the families that sit behind them? And I don't think that the CEO role, it can be very lonely, but I don't think that it has to by its very nature. I think that we can do things through our networks, through having the right team around you to make a big change to that and some people to run alongside you,

trusted other professionals to run alongside you throughout your career and really help you to take that next level. So I think of it a little bit like my favourite sport, which is Formula One racing. And so you can have the best car there. It can be in the best condition. You can have a great driver, but you constantly need to be involving and you need that pit crew around you. They've got to be skilled. So, thinking about who those people are around you. Early in my career, I needed to take control of the situation and turn things around. And so, I became very much you only rely on yourself. And as you go through your career, if you continue to have that mindset, it's really limiting. If you can get the right people around you, then you can

make a much bigger difference in the world. And that little voice that you have when you're a teenager saying, hey, you could do something bigger, you could help more people. I think throughout your early career, it might seem to be an impossibility. But if you really think about it, you really can. And that little voice that was there is right. That is so powerful, because the truth is, you're right, like, I would not be here without my coach. I know, you know, most of the Leapers will not be and Leapers are our clients and Leap Academy, they would not be here without us. Right. And I agree with you. It doesn't have to be as lonely. At the end of the day, yes, the buck stops here. You make a lot of the decisions. But can you help and can

you bring the right people into the table to help you make it better, which is very substantial. So but you said something about that, you know, kind of that voice. Right. So is that what what do you wish someone told you when you were younger? Is that part of it or is it there is something else that you wish somebody would just kind of say, you know what to to progress your career in in the corporate world it can feel like you're playing by certain rules to achieve and once you're able to be at the table you've got to remember that you make the rules and you can make positive change you can make things more inclusive and better focused on outcomes and

change some of those mindsets that have sat in the corporate culture for a long time that are no longer helpful in the world that we're living in, in the world that we want to build. And so you can change those pieces. I think also I would have probably told myself to relax a little bit. I think I was very, very serious. I'm very serious about what I do. But yeah, I could have potentially lightened up a little. And I love that because I think one of the things that I always talk about is how stubborn I was that I have to figure this out on my own. And I'm just going to persevere through it.

And if only I would have asked for help a little sooner and ask more. I absolutely agree. So tell me about a proud moment, because again, you're doing such incredible things. You're speaking in amazing events. You talk about leadership. You talk about growth. You talk about all these amazing things, you talk in the UN, right? Like you're amazing. I want to hear a little bit about some proud moments that you're proud of. I think from a leadership perspective, seeing people in your team succeed and achieve, and seeing light bulbs of realization go off for a person and within an organisation is that's really my proudest moments. And when you see the work that it takes for an organisation to go through a transformation programme, for example,

or bring in a brand-new innovation that's never been done around the world and actually make a success of it, I love standing there with the team and being able to feel that sense of achievement and see the growth in those people that are around you. Because I do fundamentally believe that businesses can do well and do good and that you can help organizations do that in a greater way. So that's what I'm going to keep doing. And I love that. And Athena, I think we even talked a little bit about something that I call portfolio career, right?

Which is kind of that you can do multiple things. I think we used to think about a career as just like only corporate or only a startup or, you know, but there's actually like some kind of interesting mixes that can create this bigger impact. And you could speak and you could do this and you could do advising. You could be a CEO and you could be... There's a way to combine these two into this bigger reach, bigger impact. What gets you to start looking at these different portfolios and doing these bigger things?

Talk to me a little bit about that. I think the coaching and reflection is really helpful to be able to get into a place where you can stop seeing the world through a really traditional mindset and see the opportunities open up for where you could really add value with your particular type of skill set. And there are a lot of ways out there. I think depending on the group of people that you're surrounded by, you start to see it more and more. So a lot of the people that I work with today and that I've met recently, CEOs, are taking this direction now. They're not considering their career in purely a single role. They're considering more broadly their purpose and how they live into that purpose. And that's really what's been the turning point for me. And I spent

a bit of time in a Harvard leadership program really digging into that purpose. And I didn't at first see how I could make that happen. But over time, you stay, you stay, you keep, you keep that image in your mind and you start to build out ways that you could do it. And you'll find that there are multiple opportunities. There are great people out there who all want to achieve what you want to achieve and you can find them, link up and create that portfolio oh this is so good so for people who are listening when should they reach Athena how should they reach out when should they reach out tell me a little bit yes well anyone can find me and follow me on LinkedIn that's my my primary on the socials I've also got a on Insta you can find me at the socials. I've also got a, on Insta, you can find me at the flexible CEO.

So I've just gotten that one launched as well. And there'll be websites coming in the next month or two. I love it. And we're going to have all the links out there. Athena, I think seeing how you kind of, you took this really, really hard childhood memory and built this to the incredible leader, inspiring CEO that, you know, is changing lives and changing businesses.

To me, it's a really, really, really inspiring story. You know, any anything else that you would wish, you know, for our for somebody who is listening to this, what would you say? I would say if you were if you were a geeky kid who might be a bit a bit shy, withdrawn, you know, going through some challenges. Be do be kind to yourself. You can and will do amazing things and you'll be so happy to look back, but you will also be so happy to look forward to what's to come next and the awesome people you can work with and what you can achieve around the world. Athena, thank you so, so, so much for the time, for being with us, for sharing this incredible story, all the tips. To me, again, it's really about just not just continuing and living with that purpose and knowing that there's brighter days, even if something is dark. Yeah.

Yeah. And do do reach out for help. Do have those important conversations for for your own health for those around you um and it can be just one small conversation like that that can really help someone through a tough time and one small reach out to someone else for you in a tough time that can take you um in a positive way to build your way from that i love that so maybe a takeaway for you who is listening to this, listening to this inspiring story, listening to Athena, think about somebody that maybe needs

your help today. Maybe reach out, maybe check how they're doing, check if they're feeling okay, if they're lonely and what they're doing, maybe you can help them. And if not, then probably somebody else can help. So definitely reach out. Athena, thank you can help them. And if not, then probably somebody else can help. So definitely reach out. Dina, thank you so much for this. Thanks, Alana. It's wonderful to speak with you. Thank you for listening and hope you enjoyed this show. Don't forget to subscribe, follow, share this with friends. I'll see you in the next Leap Show.