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speaker

George
Liacos

Inspiring organisations to lead with Purpose

Profile

George's contagious energy sparks insight, inspiration and change in others.

As one of Australia's most sought-after speakers and commentators on purpose and trust, as well as change and transformation, George has spent 20 years advising Not-For-Profit, Government and Commercial organisations on strategy, business models and system transformation.

During this time, George was the National Lead Partner for Transformation at Grant Thornton, Program Director for the Department of Premier and Cabinet as well as Chairman and Non-Executive Director on a number of technology and service businesses.

Today he runs his own consultancy called Spark Strategy, considered the most innovative social sector consultancy in Australia.

George's clients commend him for his strong practicality, keen commerciality and a commitment to creating uniquely tailored

approaches that render maximum practical benefit.

George's presentations include stories and learnings about:

· Growing and selling a multimillion private sector business (in a country where he didn't speak the language)

· Starting up many professional service businesses and ending up a partner in a big firm

· Developing Purpose driven organisations, building and leading Spark Strategy'

George's fun, highly energetic and engaging approach becomes a talking point at every event he speaks at. His audiences walk away with practical tools they can implement immediately, and new ideas that create ripples of change both in their own lives and in their organisations.

Expertise
Talking Points

The Mind of the Changemaker

In researching his upcoming book, George has been interviewing leaders of change from across society. The conversations have focussed on uncovering patterns, experiences attributes that drive the greatest agents of change. When this research is combined with George's 20 years of direct experience working with hundreds of CEOs and leaders, a range of interesting insights emerge. These have changed both the way he works, and the way other leaders are changing our world for good.

This keynote provides insights into the minds of change makers as well as personal stories and a model that helps organise these insights. It culminates in practical tools that audiences can use in their own journey towards changing the world.

Purposeful

Over the past 20 years, George has worked with hundreds of leaders to help them deliver on their organisation's strategic and social purpose. The last five years have seen the zeitgeist of purpose emerge and become the new aspiration for many at work. Indeed, purpose is a factor (and increasingly the key) in attracting and retaining talent. Purpose is also about people taking back control of their lives and redesigning the purposeful life they aspire to.

George's interest in purpose goes beyond current trends. He has seen the difference between individual, team and organisational purpose that authentically works¦and purpose washing. Further, in this keynote, George debunks many of the current myths about purpose through personal stories and helpful tools, which makes the concept of purpose more accessible and actionable.

The Purpose and Trust Dynamic

Something special happens when we shift from focusing on me' to us'. The quickest way to build trust is to build a common purpose. But this shared purpose has to be authentic. Too many CEOs and leaders think they can purpose wash their way to trust. When we genuinely connect through purpose, we create a super-highway between people as they pursue their common goal. This is how we move from a zero-sum game culture to true win-win. If you want a culture that truly thrives and innovates, then genuine purpose is your secret weapon. In 20 years of working with great leaders, George has found the key levers to craft genuine purpose and build this highway to trust.

This keynote provides tools and stories to help people, teams and businesses realign their work and who they work with in a way that drives outstanding behaviours through purpose and performance through trust.

The P word: A jarring journey in a shifting landscape

This is a keynote about power and its shifting nature from one man's perspective.

George grew up as a migrant son of a single mother family at a time in Australia when neither was understood or welcomed. As research for his upcoming book has shown, for many successful business people and change makers, adversity often fuels drive which in turn fuels achievement. Excluded as a boy for not being considered white, from a broken family and not of the right religion, George learnt how to be a chameleon to fit in and how to live in the cracks between groups. He also learnt how to create and gather the power to do the work he has dedicated his life to do.

Now in midlife, George is reflecting on the shifting landscape he sees associated with the gender- and other equality-based changes today he passionately supports. A landscape shift he wants to actively support, but sometimes doesn't know how. This keynote is about an ongoing journey. One that is filled with personal stories and conversations with others. It is targeted at men who possibly don't understand what's happening and as such are either passively or actively resisting. It is equally about celebrating those men that are making a positive difference in this space.
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