John Atkins (C) with scholars Neil Thomas (L) and Thomas Williams (R)
As part of the Leadership Series of Fireside Chats, John Atkins from ANZ challenged the UWA Fogarty Scholars to access and take opportunities, extend and invest in themselves and to access a mentor to mould thinking.
With a wide range of business and community interests and a portfolio of different careers, John emphasised that the basic leadership tenet is the need to bring others along with you as leadership is about change not management of operations. In terms of leadership styles, John went on to say that one can effectively lead from the front, within and from behind with supporting and directive roles.
After successful careers in varying professions, John’s philosophy was to “always do the right thing in the organisation in which you work and to get the moral compass properly set to your values.”