From dazzling on the skating rink as a champion figure skater to revolutionising the corporate world. Janice Elsley has become a master at transforming businesses, an expert in leadership and change. She’s built a reputation for improving businesses by unlocking human potential and driving people first performance. So is she a game changer? Let’s find out. I’m Gemma Acton. Welcome to Game Changers on location.
Well, here we are on location at Disney Studio Sydney, home to some classics like Star Wars and The Matrix. Today, we’re lucky enough to be filming the next episode of Game Changers here, and I’m thrilled to have with me, Janice Elsley. Janice, welcome to Game Changers.
Gemma Acton
Brilliant to have you down here from Brisbane for the day. Yes, let’s start with going right back to the very beginning. Before you started work, you did something that was extremely competitive and probably makes regular work seem like a bit of a walk in the park. Tell us about your life as a figure skating champion.
Janice Elsley
I did. Absolutely, so I started when I was about seven. I figure skated roller, not ice skated. I lived at the skating rink, and I skated, dreamed and breathed it every single day. I won Queensland Champions in 1997 and then went on to the nationals. It really gave me the resilience that I needed to be the best that I can be now and obviously back then.
Gemma Acton
Well, I can imagine, because it is such a relentless sport. It is all about perfection, perfect poises. It’s a lot to fail in front of a very big audience. How did you how did you get through that? What did you learn from it? What did you take away?
Janice Elsley
Well, I fell over quite a few times on my backside, on my face, and obviously there’d be hundreds of people looking at me, and I was continually being assessed with a number depending on how good the spin or the jump was. So I think what I took away from that is you really must just continue to keep going and be the best that you can be. And it was really about practice and resilience and not worrying about what other people thought about me and just being able to be the best that I could be.
Gemma Acton
Really useful lessons to take into a boardroom or a corporate environment where you spent the next 20 years after you moved on from figure skating, tell us a bit about your corporate career.
Janice Elsley
My corporate career started in the public sector, but I’ve worked in the public sector, private sector, ASX listed companies as well as SMP listed companies, in a variety of C suite roles. So director of organizational development, GM of people and HR, and I think what I took away from all of that was the people issues seemed to be the same. In every organization that I worked in, there was disengagement, there were unhappy people. And it didn’t matter what sectors I walked in, it just seemed to be the same.
Gemma Acton
So it was a fundamental human condition, which you began to recognise from place to place. There’s a big dream about starting your own business. It seems so, so desirable to be your own boss, but it’s tough as well. It takes a lot of courage and confidence. It takes an entrepreneurial spark as well. What was the trigger that pushed you away from the corporate world and the safety and security of that, towards starting your own business, your own book, your own course.
Janice Elsley
It was probably the time where I felt that, you know, you were in organisations, and some of them were toxic, and it was your job to help turn those places around. And I think it’s really the value piece and the care, and when you don’t feel like you’re being valued or cared by your bosses or the people around you, then you just sort of figure out that that’s not the right place for you to be. So, it was sort of at that turning point that I was like, ‘You know what? I think I can do better’, and I think that I can use my skills for the good of everyone else and help lift them up to be the best humans that they can be. So, about three years ago, I went on my own and opened up Harissa Business Partners.
Gemma Acton
Fantastic. And you’ve also got a book, which we’re lucky enough to have here. Let’s talk about this now. It says here in the subtitle, seven strategies everyone needs to know now, these are effectively the strategies to retain and bring on board top talent. Is it as simple as that? Can you provide people with strategies that they can apply these frameworks with?
Janice Elsley
Well, I think they work only because they are tried and tested by me for over 20 years. I’ve sort of learned as we’ve gone, and I’ve been able to apply that learning and literally put it into a blueprint, which is called Leadership Legacy. If you use the models in there, there’s a human model, there’s a care model in there, and then there’s a whole lot of tools around self-awareness as well. If you use them, you will be able to attract and retain top talent.
Gemma Acton
And so where are the big gaps you see that a lot of leaders are missing and might not be aware of?
Janice Elsley
Yeah, the gaps really are the human skills, and that connection. It really is around understanding what drives people, what are their motivators? What motivates you might be something different to what motivates one of your other team members. So, you really must be able to understand who these people are, what motivates them, and what drives them, and how you connect with them on that human level, and that’s where a lot of it’s, you know, not happening. People don’t just come to work to get paid. They want a purpose, and they want a connection, and they want to understand that what they’re doing is going to be, you know, for the greater good leadership. You described it as a new blueprint, yeah.
Gemma Acton
Is that what it really is you’ve managed to create a whole system, and that’s how we should be thinking about this?
Janice Elsley
Yeah, absolutely. And I think because for 20 years I’ve seen the same issues coming up in every single organisation, regardless of what industry it is, I’ve been able to then take that away and pop them into tools and frameworks within this blueprint or this book, to be able to then share that with everyone who wants to be an amazing leader, manager.
Gemma Acton
Do you truly believe that anybody can be a leader with the right training in the right direction?
Janice Elsley
Absolutely. It all starts with yourself, though. You’ve got to start on yourself. So, if you have really high levels of self-awareness and you continue to work on yourself. everything else falls into place.
Gemma Acton
Fantastic. Now we know you have one very high-profile supporter, Richard Branson. Tell us about your experience with Richard.
Janice Elsley
Well, I’m not sure whether he’s, my supporter. I absolutely adore him in terms of his philosophy, his leadership, values, the way he puts people first. So, you know, the entire time, he’s always put people first, and his business acumen is just amazing. But I did reach out to him several weeks ago, and I’d asked him to do the forward for my book. He was really busy at the time, so he couldn’t commit to writing the forward, but he did write me a beautiful note of encouragement. And what that note did, you know it is in the book, in the first few pages, but what it showed us was that it doesn’t really matter who you are. His leadership skills are so amazing. He didn’t know who I was, where I was from, but he still had the kindness to be able to come back to me and say, here’s a note of encouragement and support. Janice, you know, ‘go for it’. And so, I think that just shows you how much of a leader he is. He could have just ignored my message and not talked to me at all.
Gemma Acton
It does. And I think that’s an appropriate example of what we’re talking about today, how as someone who’s so high profile, as someone who’s a leader, being able to give a small bit of encouragement can make such a difference to the person on the receiving end of that. Do you want to talk to us a little bit about that, about how leaders sometimes don’t realise how much power they must make or break somebody’s day?
Janice Elsley
They really do. And I mean, just specifically talking about my situation, you know, Richard sent me a little note as well in the mail. I will be putting that on my wall with a copy of the book, because it’s just that little note of encouragement that’s kind of made me go, ‘wow’. You know, someone kind of really cares and he doesn’t know me. And, yeah, it just feels amazing that people can do that.
Gemma Acton
Another big part of your life is being a mother. Tell us, has that changed you as a person? Did it change your attitude to work or leadership? It’s certainly a very important type of leadership. I’m rearing a couple of kids, as well.
Janice Elsley
My kids are aged 16 and 14, so they’re in those beautiful teenage years. I think what they’ve done is softened me, but they’ve also strengthened me. And part of the reason why I’ve written the book and my beautiful leadership programs that I’ve built is I want to be able to when I leave this world, I want to leave it in a better place, and I truly mean that. And I want to be able to give my daughter, for example, and my son, the confidence to be able to do whatever they want to do, and whatever they can do, and I want them to be kind. And I think in the world now, there is a little bit of a lack of leadership. I don’t like to talk about politics or anything like that, but I really want the books and the program to be able to impact people, to make them better than they were yesterday.
Gemma Acton
Is there someone who’s been a mentor to you?
Janice Elsley
Yeah, I’ve had a few mentors and coaches. So, I’ve got three mentors now, and one business coach. They’ve and the reason I have a few of them is because I don’t think you can get something just from one person. I think that you can kind of take from a few different people, which sort of helps make you more well-rounded. So, I’ve got John, Penny and Sandy. They’re all a lot older than me, and then I’ve got my business coach, Darren Stephens.
Gemma Acton
So, do you think it’s important for anybody who is hoping to become a leader or hoping to improve their leadership skills, to find role models and coaches?
Janice Elsley
Yes, mentors, absolutely, because you only know what you know, and every one of us has different experiences. They’ve worked in different organisations. They’ve got different skills. And so, we talk about collaborating with each other and not competing. So, the more that we can collaborate with each other, the more we’re going to grow and develop as individuals, but then as teams and as groups as well.
Gemma Acton
Janice, you spend all day long working with people. Does that sometimes get heavy in terms of helping people work through problems they’re having or difficulties? How do you personally make sure it doesn’t impact your home life, your family life?
Janice Elsley
Yeah, I’m qualified in human design as well. So, I’ve got a neuroscience, Psych background and HR and human design. And so, part of my human design profile is I’m a projector. And for anyone who knows anything about human design, projector is someone who guides and helps people. So, it’s kind of in my DNA, in my energy blueprint. So, to answer your question, it doesn’t really affect me. I mean, I still must, obviously not own people’s problems, but my job is to help people become more self-aware, to then understand, what can they do, and how can they move themselves forward if they’re stuck.
Gemma Acton
In terms of having the confidence to do what you do; it’s a bold thing. You’re speaking to CEOs. You’re speaking to the heads of small businesses, but also very major listed companies as well, and giving them advice, and sometimes very personal advice. How do you have the self-awareness to move through that and do that with confidence?
Janice Elsley
Really listening and connecting and trying to repeat back to them what you’ve heard, to make sure that you are both on the same page is, I think, a big key thing. And you also must pick and choose your moments. You know, with CEOs, obviously, they’re busy. You need to be able to understand where that turning point is, because if you push a little bit hard, they sometimes, they’ll walk away But you also need to be have the courage to have those conversations, to be able to call out certain behaviours that may be happening, and maybe, you know, stopping their growth as well.
People tend to avoid difficult conversations, and that can be something that goes wrong sometimes with leadership, because bad situations foster.
Gemma Acton
Any advice for people about how you learnt yourself how to tackle and lead difficult conversations?
Janice Elsley
This is part of neuroscience, so if we were having a difficult conversation with someone, we would make sure we prepped them as well as we could, so it would be more around. You know, ‘Gemma, Do I have your permission to give you some feedback?’ So, when I’ve asked you that, I’ve asked your permission for me to give you feedback. Now you’re generally going to say ‘yes’, right? But by doing that, I’ve flicked a switch in your brain that you don’t know I’ve done, and I’ve put you more into a reward state, not a threat state. So, what that means is that when I have that conversation about your performance, or whatever it may be, that difficult conversation, you’re going to be more receptive to hearing what I’m saying, instead of getting it back up and being defensive. So, there’s some little things around language that we can do that that really helps.
Gemma Acton
That’s fantastic to hear. Tell me. What advice would you give your younger self, looking back now and thinking about yourself in the roller-skating rink, having to cope with all those eyes bearing down on you?
Janice Elsley
Yeah, I think the advice would be, just really be who you are. And, you know, capture those strengths, capture those weaknesses, really learn who you are, really have high, strong self-awareness and emotional intelligence. And don’t let people tell you that you can’t do anything and always just keep striving and pushing ahead. And sometimes I look at life like a chessboard. Sometimes you’ve got to take two steps backwards or sidestep before you can go a step forward.
Gemma Acton
I’m a big believer in confidence, helping people move forward in life, but it can just take one or two very major confidence knocks to throw somebody who would otherwise be very successful off course. What’s your best advice for somebody to get back on the horse if they’ve had a shock to their confidence?
Janice Elsley
Yeah, depending on what the situation is. But really, it does come back to that human design piece, which is understanding who you are. So, first of all, if you understand your purpose in life and why you’re here and what that journey is, you can then structure your roles, your relationships, all of that around that. And once you understand that then, then the sky’s the limit, really.
Gemma Acton
Janice, you’re obviously a very thoughtful person, very analytical. And every time you’re meeting someone, talking to someone, I’m sure your brain’s going full, full swing. What do you do for fun? How do you relax? How do you get away from all this?
Janice Elsley
Obviously, I still roller skate now, and I still have my skates many years on. I do like skiing. We do go skiing every year in Canada, which is beautiful. And I do like, obviously, going to the beach and relaxing. I also like to look at the wellness side as well, which is important.
Gemma Acton
Janice, a lot of accomplishments in your life. What are you most proud of?
Janice Elsley
Gemma, I’m pretty proud of my book, Leadership Legacy. I never thought that I would write a book in my lifetime. And obviously I have.
Gemma Acton
Janice, the term wellbeing gets thrown around quite a lot as something that leaders need to do to ensure that their teams are healthy. It can be a bit gimmicky sometimes. What is it that’s important about wellbeing that’s not gimmicky? What does it mean to you?
Janice Elsley
Yeah, I think Gemma, that’s a really great question, because wellbeing is really our superpower. If you’re not well, you are not going to perform as a leader and even as an individual. And that means showing up at work. I mean showing up at home as well. So well-being really, is about that holistic approach, the mindset. It’s, you know, the physical it’s all of it.
Gemma Acton
You recently launched a podcast. Tell us about that.
Janice Elsley
Yes, our Legacy Leaders podcast. So what that talks about is obviously business success. It’s wellness. It’s personal confidence. It’s leadership. It’s mindset. So again, it’s that holistic kind of offering.
Gemma Acton
Podcasts are a very popular way these days to really connect with audiences. What are other ways in which people can connect with you?
Janice Elsley
The podcast is one of them. I also do speaking events as well. My book Leadership Legacy and I’ve got some beautiful programs as well. I’ve got the Leading Edge Mastering Success, which is for men and women. I’ve got the Leading Edge Women, which is obviously for women only, and there’s also First 100 Days of Leadership.
Gemma Acton
Janice, the term legacy has come up quite a few times during our conversation. It’s right there in the title of your book. It’s part of the podcast. What would you like your legacy to be?
Janice Elsley
Gemma, I really want my legacy to be able to help people and leave them in a better place than what they started with. I want people to be really self-aware and really connected and have amazing relationships, enjoy life and want to be here.
Gemma Acton
A very worthwhile, Janice. Thank you so much for joining us today on Game Changers.
Janice Elsley
Thank you so much, Gemma, you.