Favourites with John Meacock FAICD

Candid conversations with directors on the interests and insights that have shaped their careers. 

John Meacock FAICD is chair of Centerstone Capital and 6clicks, non-executive director of Garvan Research Foundation, Clear Dynamics Pty Ltd and the University of Sydney finance committee. 

Favourite early career lesson?

I remember reading an article about the seven things a CEO should know. While I can’t remember what the first six were, the seventh was that you can have all the power in the world, but the minute you use it, you lose it. That was incredibly valuable. It’s about how you build relationships and influence, and encourage people, because if you use power to order people, you’ve lost them forever. That’s important at both a board and an executive level.

Career risk that paid off?

When I was 27, I started my own advisory business, thinking I was well-connected. Once I got out there, I realised that just because I’d met someone or knew someone, it didn’t mean I had a relationship with them. That was quite pivotal in learning that I had to build relationships — and that relationships are built around points of mutual interest, trust and having great conversations. 

Future of leadership?

We can’t lose sight of the human aspects of leadership. The art of true inspirational leadership and clarity of direction remain the most important factors for an organisation and I worry we’re not giving them the attention and development we should be.

When I was at Deloitte, the executive team would pick an issue we thought needed to be improved in the business, find the leading business school that was strong in that area, then do a week each year at places like Harvard, Kellogg and MIT. It was an extraordinary privilege, but also a big signal to the organisation that the leadership journey is never over. Your learning is never over.

Top-of-mind governance issue?

There is an extraordinary lack of strategic clarity in many organisations. People talk about strategy, but in many cases it’s just a PowerPoint deck that doesn’t mean a lot. Clarity around competitive differentials — the strategic capabilities of an organisation and the fact that the executives have a clear set of integrated choices of a strategy that the board then signs off on — is sorely missing.

Philosophy on work-life integration?

You have to enjoy your work, that’s the cornerstone. As tough as it gets from time to time, you have to make sure to have a laugh every day. There has to be some element of humour and some enjoyment you can get, even in dark times.

Favourite contemporary artist?

I was the chair of the Brett Whiteley Foundation for eight years and the arts have always been interesting to me. In terms of contemporary artists, I admire the work of Adam Cullen, who won the Art Gallery of NSW Archibald Prize in 2000. Richard Bell and Dr Christian Thompson AO do some very interesting things.

Favourite exercise?

I used to do a lot of running. I now enjoy a lot of walking and try to walk 80–100km a week. I took up golf about 18 months ago, which I find incredibly enjoyable and incredibly difficult. It takes you to some fantastic places.

Favourite travel destination?

Chile — I’ve been to places like Patagonia and the Atacama Desert where you can stay in beautiful accommodation and then go on extraordinary walks during the day. I really enjoy South America and would love to go to Machu Picchu.