February 17, 2025 • 42 mins
In this episode of The It's All Possible podcast we hear from Rodney Carter, CEO of Dja Dja Wurrung Group who in 2024 were named the overall Telstra Best Business of the Year and Telstra Indigenous Best Business of the Year. My interview with Rodney on the purpose, vision and values that have led to the oustanding growth and scale of Dja Dja Wurrung Group is a master class in leadership when you hear how Rodney has led his the organisation. Those of you who know me, know of my passion for leadership, accountability and discipline to ensure change initivatives are successful and sustainable. Rodney and his team are living examples of this approach operating across government and private enterprise all while running an organisation that is owned by multiple families.
Under Rodney's leadership Dja Dja Wurrung has achieved sustainable development and effective management of their cultural heritage. His role encompasses harnessing skills in negotiation and team leadership to foster economic growth and social advancement for the Dja Dja Wurrung peoples which is based in Bendigo and covers Central Victoria.
Dja Dja Wurrung's efforts, under Rodney's guidance, have centred on environmental stewardship, government liaisons, and biodiversity conservation, ensuring that the cultural and historical significance of our lands is preserved and respected. With a focus on conflict resolution, we prioritize community welfare and progressive social services that resonate with their mission and values. The accomplishments of Dja Dja Wurrung Group has reached global audiences and Rodney has been asked to speak to the United Nations on what is possible for indigenous people.
If you are in leadership of an organisation of any size I encourage you to listen and learn from Rodney. You can find out more about Dja Dja Wurrung Group on Instagram @djadjawurrung online at https://djadjawurrung.com.au/ and Rodney on LinkedIn.
Under Rodney's leadership Dja Dja Wurrung has achieved sustainable development and effective management of their cultural heritage. His role encompasses harnessing skills in negotiation and team leadership to foster economic growth and social advancement for the Dja Dja Wurrung peoples which is based in Bendigo and covers Central Victoria.
Dja Dja Wurrung's efforts, under Rodney's guidance, have centred on environmental stewardship, government liaisons, and biodiversity conservation, ensuring that the cultural and historical significance of our lands is preserved and respected. With a focus on conflict resolution, we prioritize community welfare and progressive social services that resonate with their mission and values. The accomplishments of Dja Dja Wurrung Group has reached global audiences and Rodney has been asked to speak to the United Nations on what is possible for indigenous people.
If you are in leadership of an organisation of any size I encourage you to listen and learn from Rodney. You can find out more about Dja Dja Wurrung Group on Instagram @djadjawurrung online at https://djadjawurrung.com.au/ and Rodney on LinkedIn.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
The most successful people in the world all have one
thing in common. They've learned how to think big by
developing a perspective of possibility. And the good news is
we all have the potential to apply the same strategies
to achieve amazing things in our work and lives. Hi,
I'm Rob Hartnett, and as your chief Possibility Officer and host,
(00:27):
I'm here to inspire you to become the star of
your world as a person of possibility through learning how
people from all areas of life are thinking big and
chasing down their dreams. We're definitely talking about possibility and
amazing things today with my special guest.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
But first of all, let me do a welcome the country.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
Firstly, I'd like to acknowledge the Australia Aboriginal and torrest
rate ol on to people of this nation, the tradicial.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Owners here in Melbourne where I am standing.
Speaker 1 (00:54):
I'd like to acknowledge the Warrangery people both past, present
and emerging, and also the Yorder people in my cycling group,
the Knights of Suburbia actually ride for and I'm very
proud to have a Yorda Order jersey that I wear
with great pride, and I thought that would be really
interesting because today our special guest is the CEO of
jdjar Brun Group, Rodney Carter.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
Rodney, Welcome to the show.
Speaker 3 (01:16):
Thanks a lot, Rob, It's fantastic to be here. And
leading up to the interview, its great to go through
some of your previous podcasts.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
Yeah, thanks for that. Thanks for that. Ronnie.
Speaker 1 (01:26):
Were kind of like to just showcase what's really possible
in the world, and you know, so much negative and
so many people say, well, you can't do things we
like to go, you know, why can't we rather than
this is why we can't. And so it's just you know,
and having a bit of experience with meeting you through
the tells your Best at Business Awards and you know, again,
congratulations on not only winning the Indigenous section but winning
(01:47):
the whole thing. I couldn't be proud. I was so
excited for you and the team to have done so well.
So let's let's jump into it. So Djara was what
really won the Best of Business award. It tells what
is Dajara?
Speaker 2 (01:59):
Me?
Speaker 3 (02:00):
Yeah, So Jarra is juj O Woodong language and it
means people. In the last few years, we've been through
a rebranding and adopted a monolithic branding structure for the organization.
So it was important for us to review our logo.
These iconic symbols that are important to us and all
(02:24):
of our entities in parts were given Jujar Wooden language.
What sits also with Jara now as the Jujar Wooden
Clant's original corporation is Balaki Walker, which means giving to community,
and it's very fitting of the corporation's principles.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
And what I really like about Jarra and I like
about just the way you bring things down. You spoke
to be a bit of language there, but I love
the emails I get from you and your team always
have an explanation of the language. And it's one of
the languages I've struggled with wanted to know more. And
I know there's many many languages and dialects also within
within the group, but I just love the way you
(03:06):
go the extra effort and put down what this means
to say goodbye, what this means to say hello.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
And what do this means to say community? Because you know,
for someone.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
Like me and I'm going learning all the time, and
I really love that extra little bit. You don't have
to do it, but it's so nice when you do,
when you do do it, that's you're coming to us
from you're from Bendigo today.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
Is that when we got.
Speaker 3 (03:25):
Based in our new headquarters, the new headquarters Lanan Gurak,
which is our place.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
Excellent. So now now Jara covers the land.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
It comes really central Victoria and based he just said
the new headquarters in Bendigo.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
How far north, south, east and west does it go.
Speaker 3 (03:42):
Yeah, So what we call jan Dak is country, our
homelands is easily defined by some of the geologies. So
to the south you've got the Great Dividing Rains to
around the Massidon area. To the east you've got the
Colobon and Capasby River system. So then you head north
(04:07):
to around sort of Rochester, you start getting into sub
Malee type of environment, granite outcrops. So then there's a
geographical line that heads east to west over to near
Donald Lake, Bulloak and then you head upstream along the
(04:27):
Avon Avoca Richardson system south to the Great Dividing Range.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
Again, it's an enormous area and las and gentlemen, if
you're listening to that not knowing Victoria that well, it's
actually probably the size of some European countries is what
you're talking about. It's actually phenomenal area, know what I'm
familiar with, but it's quite It is quite a big area.
And one of the things I noticed in here, and
I just want to talk about this for a second,
that you're now managing something like.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
Six parks in that area as well.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
Now, tell us a bit about how that came about
what managing the parks means.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
Yeah, I think we're able to be so present and
represented it. Ten years ago we did a commercial contract
with the State of Victoria as a sovereign entity called
the Recognition Settlement Agreement, and part of that agreement was
to afford management responsibility to juj O Wardong. The Traditional
(05:24):
Settlement Act allows the divesting of lands that we would
call public lands to the jujar Wodong. So these parks
now are under what they call aboriginal title. As great
as that sounds, ju j O Wardon aren't allowed to
sell that land or also leverage against it in terms
(05:44):
of equity or an asset. So we're responsible for six
parks in central Victoria. We invest two million dollars of
our own money each year as we want to jarrify.
That's a word we use to describe our presence at
country and repurposing, restructuring the campgrounds, picnic areas, day visitation areas,
(06:08):
and signage.
Speaker 2 (06:09):
Yeah, and the signage you're doing is fantastic.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
I've seen some of it as well, and I really
like the way that you've really taken ownership of those parks.
And I think, and you know, jarrifying, I think is
a really great terbrets where we're just.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
Embeded, you've inbeded.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
I love that jarifying it because if other people jarified
as much as you guys do, the parks will be
so much.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
More accessible and useful.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
Now you touch on a second again, talked about about
ten years ago, because I want to talk about that
as well. You talked about jar Jaburon Country plan was
developed around twenty thirteen twenty fourteen.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
But it actually is a really interesting plan.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
Because it's twenty and forty into twenty and thirty four,
which is a long time in some languages and not
in yours obviously, but going forward having a twenty year
vision is actually difficult. I don't see many people do it.
Why did you develop this twenty year vision? What was
the importance behind that.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
Yeah, I think within the plan Roberts, it's really largely
hearts and minds in a sense. And then in terms
of documentation, and it's been fit for actioning as a
planning tool. It was really important for our plan, the
del Kuna jar which means healing country, to be simple,
(07:20):
practical and achievable. It's a thematic document, has nine themes
again in terms of things that are important to judj Abarung.
So that document then we thought, you know, if it's
good and useful in particular now with its longevity, I
think to project your thinking, your thought into decades and
(07:44):
generations is the cultural thing to do, but it's also
I think a really practical thing to do if you
don't want to be distracted from maybe some focused top
activities that are really good. And so one of those
for us is around Gatchen which is water, healing water,
and also jar Jabod I'm being involved in the regulation
(08:04):
around water, so that that is really sensible then to
take a long term approach given that we understand that
were affected through climate change, contaminations and whole range things
around water and it's complexity, so I think it's a
sensible thing to be doing that.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
Yeah, I agree.
Speaker 4 (08:24):
I think it's I think which more people would do it,
But I also wish more people do those three great
words you mentioned as simple as I think it was simple, practical,
and achievable, and I think, God, that's.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
A really interesting way of thinking about it. And also
sometimes you need to take that long term view and
it is culture.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
I agree with you.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
Probably the people I've seen do this the most was
Japanese and having I remember working with some Japanese and
they had multi generation like you just mentioned, goals they
were doing. And even in corporations there were some research
departments in some of the big companies like a Sony
and Sanyo that are talking to one particular leader and
he said, I won't finish this in my lifetime. This
(09:03):
is the project of mine. I'll be handing this to
the next generation. You don't hear about that in Western
sort of leadership. It's like it's all short term KPIs
OKRs and knocking things off.
Speaker 2 (09:13):
In the short term.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
And it was so refreshing to go now, this work
needs investment, it needs thinking through.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
It is for the long term.
Speaker 1 (09:21):
So I really thought that was really impressive, and I
love the way you've got the there's the nine goals,
and they're not only in the nine goals. Within the
plan also goes into like three strategies underreach and so
I really like the thinking that's gone into that. Was
was that an easy thing to do to do that
twenty year vision to get people on page thinking that far?
Speaker 2 (09:40):
Or was there some short terminism?
Speaker 3 (09:43):
Yeah, what we found early on say three ten years ago,
it's important to have forms of document evidence that you
sort of know what you're doing, and then that information
is more easily transferable to people. You know, and you know,
all of us in a form now need documentsary things,
(10:04):
and there's degrees of knowing and understanding what do I
really understand as a document? So for us was really
important to people. How do you create the collective mind?
You know, you always appreciate individuality and you empower that
sort of stuff, but it's also got to have a
degree of alignment, because then it makes things more practical
(10:28):
and achievable. So there are the things largely that lad
this document what we have done. Robert can just mentioned
if the Healthy Country Plan, which is fromed around an
international standard in conservation management planning. So Healthy Country plans
come from that if our country plans are parent. Over
(10:51):
the last three years, we've created a suite of strategies
that now I think one hundred years on from what
we're currently doing, and I'd like to think that they're
the children and they give us, i think, a greater
diversity under the themes of the country plan. So there's
jan deck Wi, which is giving fire country fire, do
(11:13):
old Kungangu Gatchen our water strategy, upside down climate looking
it the way that we tackle some of the climate
Chin's issues, NAW with Muchika, which is to respect to
keep the sun, which is our renewable energy strategy, and
so on.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
It's quite remarking. I really like that thinking out.
Speaker 1 (11:35):
It's so refreshing to hear some of going out that
amount of time, which is the reality of what you
actually have to do. But it is empowering for succession
planning and extra generation is coming through to keep going
with these because they're not to jump onto the next
silver shining new toy or the next thing, which can
be sometimes you have to react to trends obviously, like
you mentioned, but you still go okay. But these are
(11:55):
the principles and theeds of what we're going, how does
it affect these particular nineties working on or these long
term you know, fifty sixty one hundred years out.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
I really like it.
Speaker 1 (12:07):
You report into a board of directors and which is
which is made up?
Speaker 2 (12:11):
Correct if I'm wrong.
Speaker 1 (12:12):
It's made up of two members of eighteen families which
make up the board. How do you go that seems
like a lot of people one, How do you get
the family aligned?
Speaker 2 (12:21):
And how does what's that mean for you in terms
of communication?
Speaker 3 (12:24):
Yeah, so there will be diversity in family needs of
that intimate, more closet natural family representation. We're not necessarily
a skills based board, and I'm not suggesting that the
directors don't have skills the principles around a communal family representation,
so they're family directors. We have a director and an
(12:47):
alternate director. The ultimate director is there to support the
director giving them. There's many engagements that we do at
a family level, regional, and then as the the board.
The board comes together meets once a month generally over
the year, has a number of committees, and I guess
(13:09):
that's where the circular type discussions are. Creative and collaborative
discussions take place in the committees to the corporation board,
and then the board meets goes through all the legal
decision making things that most boards sort of need to do,
so generally you would think too rob in governance. The
(13:31):
sweet spots ten twelve, maybe eight people in a sense
for a board, we've got some necessity, so we've had
to do the right thing. There's out of a potential
eighteen families, there's eleven families that are active at the moment,
so we've got nineteen sorry directors at the moment, which
(13:56):
are ten directors and nine alternates.
Speaker 1 (13:59):
Right, And I love the old and it's as well,
like the way you said, you have the directors and
the oldness to support the directors. And I think that's
again that the refreshing thinking. You know, certainly you know
my role as are you know, a state judge. It's
this kind of stuff.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
I loved. It just jumped out.
Speaker 1 (14:14):
Compared to not only to not only against who else
was in the category you're in, but just I'm comparing
you against world class, right, So I'm not yes, yes,
I was doing that when I'm.
Speaker 2 (14:26):
Judging, I'm obviously judging a certain quantity.
Speaker 1 (14:28):
But for my head space, it was like man, this
is this is really smart, Like this is really cool.
There were just things jumping out of me which just
are so good lessons for the rest of our organizational
and corporate growth.
Speaker 2 (14:39):
It just makes sense.
Speaker 1 (14:40):
You've also you started in twenty thirty with five staff
and you're now about something like round two hundred stuff
in ten years. That's a massive amount of growth. Tell
me through that journey. What have you learned the most
through that growth phase? What's been the bit learning for you?
Speaker 3 (14:57):
I think not being able to keep your head across
everything that's sort of going on in an easier fashion,
and the executive CEO has to have their finger on
the polls in a sense. But I think creating delegation,
shared responsibilities, accountability within that structure, empowering people to act
(15:22):
independently with individual flair, but I think common purpose. One
of the things we've had to do ROB because we're
a significant employer again over the last three years, is
make a few organizational structural changes and invest a lot
(15:44):
in people and culture. The corporate business services areas, so
we meet all the legislative and statutory requirements, but we
also want to help people be the best they can be.
And you can do that if you've got really good
personnel management skilled staff. In that era, we've had to
(16:06):
automate a lot of the things that we do. I
remember when I when I first started logging into the
bank and having to do payroll transactions and handling paper timesheets.
All of that stuff now is or done through technology platforms.
Gardner Ballack, which is managing people, is their HR platform.
(16:30):
So LEAVE requests, annual performance plans, reviews by supervisors and managers,
smart devices for time sheets, for incident management control. Yeah,
so that's probably been the most significant thing that we've
had to do amongst just all the other cool work
(16:50):
things I think that we do.
Speaker 1 (16:52):
And how was empowering and delegating and letting go for you?
Was that something that you found easy or did you
find that hard to do as a leader as you've grown.
Speaker 3 (17:03):
Yeah, look, I found it unusually easy. And I think
what happens is, you know, I'm not old over the
hill hopefully, but as you sort of get older a
bit wiser, it's really nice to sort of step back
and watch younger people are the people speaking with this
common purpose about ja Ja Wuung and who and what
(17:25):
we are within that Rob I think this idea for
people how they comprehend and understand who and what you are.
Repetitive and consistent messaging is actually really courteous and empowering
to people to understand what is it in this message
so that can happen internally and then externally when we
(17:47):
touch on our branding marketing, what is the color of
the visual representation the triggers now a thought or a
membory of people about ja Jaboung. Yeah, it's been usually easy, Rob,
And I tell you what really satisfying when you see
other people being able to share the joy of what
(18:09):
we're doing.
Speaker 2 (18:10):
Yeah, well, I.
Speaker 1 (18:11):
Say, you know, clarity is kindness, and so I think
you've brought that right down to your branding all the
way through.
Speaker 2 (18:16):
But I like your messaging as well about being consistent,
clear and consistent with that.
Speaker 1 (18:21):
And I think there's another CEO one of the major
banks in New York, a guy called Jamie Diamond heads
up JP Morgan, and he made a really interesting point
and they've talked about the communication and he's been a CEO,
I think only twenty five years, which is pretty amazing,
and he said that one of the things he's learned
is to be really consistent in messaging and consistent. And
(18:42):
he says, I feel like I sound like a broken record.
But if I change my message between what I say
in the LA office to what I say in the
Hong Kong office, if I slightly go off message, all
of a sudden, it creates mayhem across the organization.
Speaker 2 (18:56):
And he said, I've just I've.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
Learned over years to just be you clear, clear of
what we're saying, clear of what we're doing, whole people accountable,
hold my self accountable.
Speaker 2 (19:04):
And he said, that's just simplifying it.
Speaker 1 (19:07):
Down, but being really clear each time and not going
going off script.
Speaker 2 (19:11):
It's a really interesting way.
Speaker 1 (19:13):
Sometimes you want to be creative, change it up, but
for your people, and as you're managing, you know, two
hundred people now in the group, that's a lot of people,
and they can all have they're all individuals as well,
you know, but they're all I think from.
Speaker 2 (19:24):
What you're saying now, which already like is they've now got.
Speaker 1 (19:26):
A collective view, a clear vision of who they are,
what they mean, and you can just look at the branding.
Speaker 2 (19:31):
And get it.
Speaker 3 (19:33):
Yeah, I'm like going to to your music, what what
what's the acoustic version. You know, what's the ballad? What
what's the symphony? You know, it's still the same song. Yes,
it's how you present it, and I think to make
it usefully entertaining two people. So then you're invoking a
form of pleasure amongst others. You achievement and to the
(19:58):
purposes us been so wrap with the Telstra Award. It's
sort of like the bouquet, right of these flats of
these beautiful romans, scent colors that sort of now beautifiers,
this this stuff that you work really hard for.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
I love that music analogy too, ro on.
Speaker 1 (20:18):
I love that that you might have a sympathy talking
to it, but we just pair it back to the
acoustic you know, acoustic version. It's still the same message
and it may even resonate more, but it's still the
same core.
Speaker 2 (20:29):
Measures of the same feeling that you're getting from. I
love that one of you. We'll talk about a couple
of goals.
Speaker 1 (20:34):
Goal one you have is our people are happy, healthy
and securing their identity, livelihood and lifestyle. And I think
that's kind of I think why you've had the success
of being able to delegate as easily as you have,
because if you have that as your number one goal,
have happy, healthy and secure in their identity, livelihood and lifestyle.
That's easier to say, though it harder to do. How
(20:56):
do you do that on a daily basis?
Speaker 3 (20:58):
Yeah, So I think having internally for the organization corporately
having accountability across the hierarchy and the management structure in
the care of looking after people. One of the things
I prodded myself on as the leaders the CEO is
a parental approach to the way that your care and
(21:23):
nurture your employees as you would with your children, and
then the importance of impairing them but also holding people
to account within that structure. So there's a really important
human nature I think for intersections as opposed to interventions
or on days, weeks, months, on what happens now when
(21:46):
we translate that to jar jarbong people and for their
life to be better and for us there to be
increasingly wealthy and prospers as an organization is to disperse
that wealth and we do it through a program called
the Community Support Program, So that will focus on education,
(22:07):
support for parents to get kids through school, health and
well being, sport, recreation, bereavement, funeral fund celebrating life with
people from sixty years on, the support for significant celebration events,
(22:30):
micro financing for entrepreneurs, that stuff. And of course there
are many many sort of provert events that we do
as a family, a pretty big family now. But the
events we also do across community that are public events
that people can participate in. So you get to do
(22:53):
that almost family recreational thing at a private level and
then a community and a public level. And what happens
is when you're really good at running those sort of
advance people have fun and they just take a greater
degree I think of pride in themselves and what we're
all doing and contributing to, and so that improves people's
(23:15):
emotional wellness.
Speaker 2 (23:17):
It's so important.
Speaker 3 (23:19):
Roder.
Speaker 1 (23:19):
I can't tell you how much gold you just dropped
in that lust. It's just it's unbelievable what you said.
A couple ofies want to pick up on. I just
thought it was fascinating. I mean, I had someone saying
the other day, robbing your leadership programs, you're going to
run well you cover wellness, and I'm like, how the
frick do you not cover wellness when you're doing if
you're a leader. But this was like there was literally,
(23:41):
we're doing a wellness program, we're doing leadership and no no,
I said, you did together like they're handing love.
Speaker 2 (23:47):
But the SUM organizations that's not true.
Speaker 1 (23:49):
And you just talked about the importance of wellness of parenting,
so you're taking that parental view and having wellness is
part of it.
Speaker 2 (23:56):
There's really part of your goal. One I thought was
really interesting.
Speaker 1 (23:59):
The other one was account built, which is really strong,
and we see it, I genuinely see a lack of that.
We see some point people getting powered but without the accountability.
And I like the fact that it's yin and yang. Right,
there's the accountability side. And the last one you talked about,
which is you know, one has been really gone quite
passionate about is having fun. And you know, I've been
(24:20):
studying high performance people organizations across whether it's sport or
business or culture, and the one of the six things
I distill what they do. They do about six things
all the time, these people, but one of them is
have fun. And it doesn't matter. I mean, Richard Branson
just did a post about this the other day, talking about
the importance of having fun. I was just I just
(24:42):
read a post from the former Moto GP world champion,
Pecko Bagnio handed the batonov to his biggest competitor and said,
and he wrote to his biggest.
Speaker 2 (24:52):
Competitor saying, it was a great year.
Speaker 1 (24:54):
You pushed me to new levels I've never been to before,
and we had so much fun doing it. And if
you start to look at people because the reason why
the fund is there, if the fund is not there,
you can't get passionate about it, right, And if you
can't get passionate about saying, then you're not gonna have
fun with it.
Speaker 2 (25:10):
And that that fun and leads the.
Speaker 1 (25:12):
Passion, which leads to the extra effort, which leads to
the whole thing about what you're doing at Jarrah.
Speaker 2 (25:18):
And I think that's such an important part.
Speaker 1 (25:20):
You do have fun with it, and I think that's
a really important partner. And a leader drives that too,
and I think you should be complimented even more so
for driving that really important principles.
Speaker 2 (25:30):
Make sure we're still having fun while we're doing this,
because it's just.
Speaker 3 (25:33):
Thank thanks Rob. I think pleasure is something you know,
we're all conscious of. We have enjoyment, fun, entertainment as
an element of that. But I've just got so much
pleasure from helping others, and it's kind of weird. I think,
oh god, that's self serving, probably the amount of people.
(25:56):
And I feel really good out there and for them
if you can help people and you see there's a
real benefit, you know, you know, significant in a fashion,
and that's helped me in really good stead and weirdly
like my kids. So to me, you don't seem to
(26:18):
be personally is happy, you know, in fun or whatever
it is, because I'm a bit driven to focus whatever
available time i've got on others in community. But I'm
getting the kick out of it.
Speaker 2 (26:32):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (26:32):
Well, and it's so good.
Speaker 1 (26:35):
Yeah, And I think he's just again, you know, you're
dropping words around you which are just fantastic. And I
love talking to people like you because sometimes what you
do naturally is such a revelation to other people, but
it is innately who you are and that can be learned.
As you said, you've got a little bit. You're not
over the hill or anything, but you've got wiser and
more mature. And one of the words that you said
(26:56):
them I thought was really wonderful. You said, I want
to be really happy for them, So as opposed to what.
Speaker 2 (27:01):
Can I get from them?
Speaker 1 (27:03):
There's a big difference when you say what do I
want for this employee or for this particular team, not
door one from them, right, and that just it's a
big shift.
Speaker 2 (27:11):
And you're thinking.
Speaker 1 (27:11):
You often put people in workshops and go what do
you want for these people? And they're like, oh, I
want them to do you know, I know what you want.
Speaker 2 (27:18):
Them to do?
Speaker 1 (27:19):
What do you want for them? And sometimes it takes
them a good god thirty minutes. You can see their
brain fighting it. It's like the subconscious is fighting it,
but the conscience gets it and know what I'm saying
is right, But the subconscious goes, I don't know that
kind of work for me. I want stuff from them?
Okay for them, and you really have to take them
on a journey. And so I think the language you
have around there is what makes it so much easier
(27:41):
for you to do it, because your first thought is community.
Your first thought is what's great for them? What can
I do for them?
Speaker 3 (27:46):
Well, it's an ancient thinking too. I think sometimes for
us as humans it's a species whatever and their origins.
We get to maybe caught up in the modernistic sort
of a none of us with technologies and stuff around it.
But look, we're all indigenous people. All of our ancestors
(28:09):
were hundreds and gatherers at one point of time, you know,
for us as humans, So you don't hunt for self,
you don't gather for self as much as you need sustenance.
You actually do it for others. So to apply that
culturally and you're thinking to modern context, I've just found
(28:30):
it to be really rewarding.
Speaker 1 (28:32):
Yeah, that's a that's a really great way of looking
at it. And one of the other goals I wanted
to pick up. And this was interesting because when I
saw you after you won the awards that you probably
you're probably it's actually a big night. I remember it,
but I said to you, it's so excited you won,
and said, I've just been I've been in Castlemaine the
last two weekends in a row. And you said to me, oh, great,
you've been back on country and it was kind of
like I really felt, yeah, I was.
Speaker 3 (28:53):
I was.
Speaker 1 (28:53):
I was actually sailing on the waters up around that area,
and I was on country for a couple of weeks.
And I must say, just a quick sidebar here walking
around Castle Maine, especially, my wife said to me oh look,
there's this Jarra brand, this jar Wrong brand, and she
was noticing all the great things you do in that community.
And just so your brand's really strong. And there's my
wife met you on that night, but she was noticing
(29:15):
all this stuff a couple of weeks earlier. They are there,
and they're over there and they're doing that bit there
and that shop's got funding from there, and I thought
that was good. But one of the things I thought
was interesting was your goal six of your nine goals
was our upside down country is healthy again.
Speaker 2 (29:30):
And that particularly resonated with me. Tell me you can
you just explain.
Speaker 1 (29:33):
What that what goal six is about our upside down
country being healthy again?
Speaker 3 (29:37):
Yeah, it's sort of a creative way to describe that
soils materials have been turned upside down. So really what
that's talking about, Rob is I think the impacts of
the gold Rush in Central Victoria, which is a really
significant international event that took place for all of us
here at Central Victoria, in a couple of other players.
(30:00):
Is around Australia. There's certain contaminants that others might understand.
Rob that a president in all soils, but what happens
with a lot of the methods around gold mining is
an activity inivertently create a concentration of those contaminants and
(30:22):
then they get to levels that are not really good
for us as humans. So naturally occurring arsenic is one example.
So there's a lot of they call it mulley keeps
mounts heaps around a country. So you know, we have
some processes around how do we decontaminate areas. We can't
(30:43):
immediately apply technologies at this point in time, but we're
working towards it. So we want to actually move materials
around landscape the contaminants are centralized at nodes. As a
way to start cleaning up country and making it safer
for people to be a country, We've come up with
(31:05):
a couple of food cool ideas where we can probably
use previous mind tunnels those excavated areas to put things
back in country disappointingly at a while concentration that we
would like. We're working with some of the local governments
and water tables which have been effected from mining and
(31:26):
that sort of stuff, desalination of sealeone waters to be
able to put them back in creeks and streams. So yeah,
upside down country.
Speaker 2 (31:38):
It makes so much sense. I just never thought of
it like that.
Speaker 1 (31:42):
But then you know, when you know what a market
looks like and you're driving around anywhere in Castle Maine
and Tuden Dalsford and Moulden and about to Bendigo, it's
like everywhere. It's incredible because there was so much, As
you said, it was an international event that happened, and
when you see how much is on top of where
it should not be there and returning it, it's a
(32:04):
big job.
Speaker 2 (32:05):
It's a massive job.
Speaker 1 (32:06):
And I think that seeing putting it back and you
know it's basically like a series of tunnels on Central Victoria,
I think makes so much sense. So I really like
that that goal and I think and just the way
you've done it, and I mean, I think it's a
really crowdy way o upside the uncountry is healthy, and
I just think that's it makes so much sense.
Speaker 2 (32:24):
Talk about as you've grown grown, Jarrah.
Speaker 1 (32:28):
One of the things you've done is got really serious
about enterprise and having various enterprises. And you've got three
separate enterprise brands. Now can you talk us to a
little bit about what those three brands are and what
they do.
Speaker 3 (32:40):
Yeah, So the first brand we developed was under an
enterprise structure, so we have a proport limited judge our
wood on enterprises. And then now it has three three
trusts that sit with under that. So what is jandek
which is an environmental services science who is natural resource management,
(33:02):
delivery of fire management, delivery of forests, landscape management. And
also now they have a design team so landscape architectures
and architects and that sort of stuff. The second enterprise
we created or sorry and Jandak means country, so we're
aligning language again with purpose of the enterprises. Doom a
(33:27):
wall is an engagement between two people. It can mean
shake hands, so two individual shake hands, and that's our
creative industries enterprise. So it does tourism. It supports entrepreneurs.
The micro financing we spoke about earlier supports people to
(33:47):
be engaged by doomal wall that might provide the accounting
administrative services that soul traders or small businesses don't like
or don't have the skills that necessarily deal with So
a lot of the arts, grafts, imaging programs, education programs
(34:08):
or run through duma wall. And jakich is our lads,
which means dining room. Not dining room as one word together,
dining as an eating and room as a reference to
a spatial So I say to people, you put a
really big pause in between the dining room. It's dining room.
(34:30):
And Jakich is our food sciences, food futures and is
doing a significant aguaculture project where we've got nearly all
of our ponds filled up for the biggest yabby farm
in the Southern Hemisphere. And we're also the most sophisticated
(34:54):
kangaroo grass agronomous farmers now in Australia. So we've got
a significant prop of kangaroo grass out at our farm
at Lockington.
Speaker 2 (35:07):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (35:07):
So I think these brands are and we'll give we'll
give people a bit of a link where they can
find out more about them.
Speaker 2 (35:12):
But they're really nice, like the way that the three
are structured.
Speaker 1 (35:16):
Tell me about that that you won that, tell us
your best business award, the overall price? What are the
tails to judges at the National there, Why do you
think they picked Jarrah?
Speaker 3 (35:29):
I think they were able to probably understands it's pretty complex. Wrong.
I mean we're sort of having a I still have
these light bulb moments and I said, oh, my goodness,
I'm well and off words and stuff, and others are
listening nod on their head, don't know. People are getting it.
So when we went to the judges within, being humble
(35:52):
and pride was important. We took our strategies along at
least to give a taste visually of what we say
that we do. We actually are doing it. An annual
report which celebrates achievements over twelve months each year, and
(36:13):
I think, you know, we put information in the public domain,
and so when people actually have a look and think
about I think this actually is a really big entity.
It's sophisticated, it's contributing to community wellness, it's contributing to
the wider community through our participation in economic stimulus. I
(36:38):
think when you start putting all those elements together, Rob
and you get it, I think, geez, look, I don't know.
A week ago, I didn't know about this business. Now
I know about this business. Yeah, they're probably due some recognition.
Speaker 1 (36:51):
Yeah, I think that's right. And I think you know
a lot of stuff we've talked about here. So a
lot of organizations have an ESG department or the talk
about ESG. You are ESG right, or ESG in a profitable,
commercial and a healthy way.
Speaker 2 (37:07):
And I think that's the bit.
Speaker 1 (37:09):
I mean, I spoke to a couple of judges I know,
and they were like, wow, this organization, this is like
blew them away, like we didn't know about it, like
the way they've done so much good stuff and you're
accountable to it and you're and.
Speaker 2 (37:22):
It's in the public domain, so it's not like you're
hiding it.
Speaker 1 (37:24):
It's kind of it's all there, and I think that's
one of the great things about it. But hey, you've
been recognized and you were you you were telling you
off here that you've been asked to speak at the
United Nations.
Speaker 2 (37:35):
Yeah, tell me about that. What have they seen and
what have they got you this? What do they want
you us to speak on?
Speaker 3 (37:40):
Yeah? So look, it wasn't immediately from the award. Over
the years and our achievement, Rob there's international interest in
juj A what I And I was always a little
bit dumbfounded. Why aren't Australians or Australia a bit more
interested in Victorian So we've spoken about our strategies in Paris, France,
(38:02):
We've spoken about our heritage management and our sciences. Recently,
trip to Cambridge University with the Duckworth Institute. We've traveled
to Canada where people who are interested in our approaches
at an international tourism conference. You know, we've been speaking
(38:24):
to people in Indonesia and Hong Kong over a number
of years. So I think it's really now just about
us continuing this thread of messaging about who and what
we are, and the judges asked this question, you know,
what is the future and maybe other economic elements. I
(38:45):
think for us is to tap into our recognition, our
ability to do things, the products and services and seek
other forms of investment now that are offshore and part
of our part of the world Southeast Agent, and we've
already been doing an engagement around that and in all
(39:05):
the reports, people are pretty impressed with this and actually
having fun working with which is pretty good.
Speaker 1 (39:12):
Yeah, And I think that's a testament to you as well,
for putting yourself out there and making those trips and
getting over there, and there's definitely you know, you're going
to be sometimes comfortable being uncomfortable. I think it's been
building up to where you've got the attention of United Nations,
which is kind of bizarre because that did actually happen
before itself to business Award, as you mentioned. So I
(39:34):
think that's one of the great success stories Rodney.
Speaker 2 (39:37):
I think it's fantastic.
Speaker 1 (39:38):
Where can people find out more about Jara? What's where
we'd be the most obvious place? What's the most obvious website?
Speaker 3 (39:44):
Yeah, well the main landing page or web page. There's
some integration across entities. People are able to sign up
to the public newsletter around what we do. And we're
based in Golden Square now at a new headwalk headquarters
(40:06):
that's for Jarra doing. My wall is located in the
hard Graves Mall of Bendigo, which is a shop front
and a venue for the programs they run there. So
I think maybe doing a bit of background sort of
reading stuff in that rob and then we hope to
intersect with people. For professional people, we've got what's called
(40:30):
a business incubator and a new headquarters that's an opportunity
for professionals actually to be immersed and based with ja
jar Woodung to get an experience in itself, but maybe
even collaborate with us on doing projects.
Speaker 2 (40:45):
Yeah, fantastic.
Speaker 1 (40:46):
We're going to put all those all the links that
Roddie talked about in the addresses and detail. It'll put
those in the show notes. Everybody say, have the show
notes to pick those up there. Ronie's been fantastic. Thank
you for taking your time to join us today. It's
been really I'm going to have to go through this
and listen again this. You drop so much goal during it,
and really congratulations to you. And I know it's about communities.
(41:08):
I know there are a lot of people involved in
the award, and you definitely spoke about the Tolsial Business Award,
but just all the things you're doing. I mean that's
one award and there's a huge award. There were huge things.
You know, a huge amount of effort goes into putting
all the materials together. I know how much goes into it.
But just well doing everything you're doing, and for you
as a leader, I just think the way you operate
so many people can learn from it and there's learning
(41:30):
in there.
Speaker 2 (41:30):
But just some of the ways the community feel.
Speaker 1 (41:32):
The way you talk about four what gonn to be
four people rather than from people, I think is really interesting.
The wellness being incorporated and just the goals you have.
And I think the big a word that you use
several times today, which is missing a lot I find
which is this is accountability and holding it. I mean,
you hold yourself accountable. I know you're highly principled. Holding
yourself and holding your team accountable has been fantastic. So
(41:55):
thanks so much for joining us on the.
Speaker 3 (41:56):
Show that pleasures all mine.
Speaker 1 (41:58):
Right, I hope you enjoyed this episode of the It's
All Possible Podcast. You can contact me at Rob at
Robhartner dot com or my website Robharton dot com, or
on LinkedIn. Remember to check out the previous seasons and
episodes of the podcast and the show notes for more
details on this episode's guest. For more inspiration, remember to
(42:22):
check out the All Possibility Players on Spotify, which contains
a collection upbeat, positive music I use for inspiration in
my live performances. Until next time, Live with Passion had
a perspective of possibility.
The most successful people in the world all have one
thing in common. They've learned how to think big by
developing a perspective of possibility. And the good news is
we all have the potential to apply the same strategies
to achieve amazing things in our work and lives. Hi,
I'm Rob Hartnett, and as your chief Possibility Officer and host,
(00:27):
I'm here to inspire you to become the star of
your world as a person of possibility through learning how
people from all areas of life are thinking big and
chasing down their dreams. We're definitely talking about possibility and
amazing things today with my special guest.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
But first of all, let me do a welcome the country.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
Firstly, I'd like to acknowledge the Australia Aboriginal and torrest
rate ol on to people of this nation, the tradicial.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Owners here in Melbourne where I am standing.
Speaker 1 (00:54):
I'd like to acknowledge the Warrangery people both past, present
and emerging, and also the Yorder people in my cycling group,
the Knights of Suburbia actually ride for and I'm very
proud to have a Yorda Order jersey that I wear
with great pride, and I thought that would be really
interesting because today our special guest is the CEO of
jdjar Brun Group, Rodney Carter.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
Rodney, Welcome to the show.
Speaker 3 (01:16):
Thanks a lot, Rob, It's fantastic to be here. And
leading up to the interview, its great to go through
some of your previous podcasts.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
Yeah, thanks for that. Thanks for that. Ronnie.
Speaker 1 (01:26):
Were kind of like to just showcase what's really possible
in the world, and you know, so much negative and
so many people say, well, you can't do things we
like to go, you know, why can't we rather than
this is why we can't. And so it's just you know,
and having a bit of experience with meeting you through
the tells your Best at Business Awards and you know, again,
congratulations on not only winning the Indigenous section but winning
(01:47):
the whole thing. I couldn't be proud. I was so
excited for you and the team to have done so well.
So let's let's jump into it. So Djara was what
really won the Best of Business award. It tells what
is Dajara?
Speaker 2 (01:59):
Me?
Speaker 3 (02:00):
Yeah, So Jarra is juj O Woodong language and it
means people. In the last few years, we've been through
a rebranding and adopted a monolithic branding structure for the organization.
So it was important for us to review our logo.
These iconic symbols that are important to us and all
(02:24):
of our entities in parts were given Jujar Wooden language.
What sits also with Jara now as the Jujar Wooden
Clant's original corporation is Balaki Walker, which means giving to community,
and it's very fitting of the corporation's principles.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
And what I really like about Jarra and I like
about just the way you bring things down. You spoke
to be a bit of language there, but I love
the emails I get from you and your team always
have an explanation of the language. And it's one of
the languages I've struggled with wanted to know more. And
I know there's many many languages and dialects also within
within the group, but I just love the way you
(03:06):
go the extra effort and put down what this means
to say goodbye, what this means to say hello.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
And what do this means to say community? Because you know,
for someone.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
Like me and I'm going learning all the time, and
I really love that extra little bit. You don't have
to do it, but it's so nice when you do,
when you do do it, that's you're coming to us
from you're from Bendigo today.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
Is that when we got.
Speaker 3 (03:25):
Based in our new headquarters, the new headquarters Lanan Gurak,
which is our place.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
Excellent. So now now Jara covers the land.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
It comes really central Victoria and based he just said
the new headquarters in Bendigo.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
How far north, south, east and west does it go.
Speaker 3 (03:42):
Yeah, So what we call jan Dak is country, our
homelands is easily defined by some of the geologies. So
to the south you've got the Great Dividing Rains to
around the Massidon area. To the east you've got the
Colobon and Capasby River system. So then you head north
(04:07):
to around sort of Rochester, you start getting into sub
Malee type of environment, granite outcrops. So then there's a
geographical line that heads east to west over to near
Donald Lake, Bulloak and then you head upstream along the
(04:27):
Avon Avoca Richardson system south to the Great Dividing Range.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
Again, it's an enormous area and las and gentlemen, if
you're listening to that not knowing Victoria that well, it's
actually probably the size of some European countries is what
you're talking about. It's actually phenomenal area, know what I'm
familiar with, but it's quite It is quite a big area.
And one of the things I noticed in here, and
I just want to talk about this for a second,
that you're now managing something like.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
Six parks in that area as well.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
Now, tell us a bit about how that came about
what managing the parks means.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
Yeah, I think we're able to be so present and
represented it. Ten years ago we did a commercial contract
with the State of Victoria as a sovereign entity called
the Recognition Settlement Agreement, and part of that agreement was
to afford management responsibility to juj O Wardong. The Traditional
(05:24):
Settlement Act allows the divesting of lands that we would
call public lands to the jujar Wodong. So these parks
now are under what they call aboriginal title. As great
as that sounds, ju j O Wardon aren't allowed to
sell that land or also leverage against it in terms
(05:44):
of equity or an asset. So we're responsible for six
parks in central Victoria. We invest two million dollars of
our own money each year as we want to jarrify.
That's a word we use to describe our presence at
country and repurposing, restructuring the campgrounds, picnic areas, day visitation areas,
(06:08):
and signage.
Speaker 2 (06:09):
Yeah, and the signage you're doing is fantastic.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
I've seen some of it as well, and I really
like the way that you've really taken ownership of those parks.
And I think, and you know, jarrifying, I think is
a really great terbrets where we're just.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
Embeded, you've inbeded.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
I love that jarifying it because if other people jarified
as much as you guys do, the parks will be
so much.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
More accessible and useful.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
Now you touch on a second again, talked about about
ten years ago, because I want to talk about that
as well. You talked about jar Jaburon Country plan was
developed around twenty thirteen twenty fourteen.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
But it actually is a really interesting plan.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
Because it's twenty and forty into twenty and thirty four,
which is a long time in some languages and not
in yours obviously, but going forward having a twenty year
vision is actually difficult. I don't see many people do it.
Why did you develop this twenty year vision? What was
the importance behind that.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
Yeah, I think within the plan Roberts, it's really largely
hearts and minds in a sense. And then in terms
of documentation, and it's been fit for actioning as a
planning tool. It was really important for our plan, the
del Kuna jar which means healing country, to be simple,
(07:20):
practical and achievable. It's a thematic document, has nine themes
again in terms of things that are important to judj Abarung.
So that document then we thought, you know, if it's
good and useful in particular now with its longevity, I
think to project your thinking, your thought into decades and
(07:44):
generations is the cultural thing to do, but it's also
I think a really practical thing to do if you
don't want to be distracted from maybe some focused top
activities that are really good. And so one of those
for us is around Gatchen which is water, healing water,
and also jar Jabod I'm being involved in the regulation
(08:04):
around water, so that that is really sensible then to
take a long term approach given that we understand that
were affected through climate change, contaminations and whole range things
around water and it's complexity, so I think it's a
sensible thing to be doing that.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
Yeah, I agree.
Speaker 4 (08:24):
I think it's I think which more people would do it,
But I also wish more people do those three great
words you mentioned as simple as I think it was simple, practical,
and achievable, and I think, God, that's.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
A really interesting way of thinking about it. And also
sometimes you need to take that long term view and
it is culture.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
I agree with you.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
Probably the people I've seen do this the most was
Japanese and having I remember working with some Japanese and
they had multi generation like you just mentioned, goals they
were doing. And even in corporations there were some research
departments in some of the big companies like a Sony
and Sanyo that are talking to one particular leader and
he said, I won't finish this in my lifetime. This
(09:03):
is the project of mine. I'll be handing this to
the next generation. You don't hear about that in Western
sort of leadership. It's like it's all short term KPIs
OKRs and knocking things off.
Speaker 2 (09:13):
In the short term.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
And it was so refreshing to go now, this work
needs investment, it needs thinking through.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
It is for the long term.
Speaker 1 (09:21):
So I really thought that was really impressive, and I
love the way you've got the there's the nine goals,
and they're not only in the nine goals. Within the
plan also goes into like three strategies underreach and so
I really like the thinking that's gone into that. Was
was that an easy thing to do to do that
twenty year vision to get people on page thinking that far?
Speaker 2 (09:40):
Or was there some short terminism?
Speaker 3 (09:43):
Yeah, what we found early on say three ten years ago,
it's important to have forms of document evidence that you
sort of know what you're doing, and then that information
is more easily transferable to people. You know, and you know,
all of us in a form now need documentsary things,
(10:04):
and there's degrees of knowing and understanding what do I
really understand as a document? So for us was really
important to people. How do you create the collective mind?
You know, you always appreciate individuality and you empower that
sort of stuff, but it's also got to have a
degree of alignment, because then it makes things more practical
(10:28):
and achievable. So there are the things largely that lad
this document what we have done. Robert can just mentioned
if the Healthy Country Plan, which is fromed around an
international standard in conservation management planning. So Healthy Country plans
come from that if our country plans are parent. Over
(10:51):
the last three years, we've created a suite of strategies
that now I think one hundred years on from what
we're currently doing, and I'd like to think that they're
the children and they give us, i think, a greater
diversity under the themes of the country plan. So there's
jan deck Wi, which is giving fire country fire, do
(11:13):
old Kungangu Gatchen our water strategy, upside down climate looking
it the way that we tackle some of the climate
Chin's issues, NAW with Muchika, which is to respect to
keep the sun, which is our renewable energy strategy, and
so on.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
It's quite remarking. I really like that thinking out.
Speaker 1 (11:35):
It's so refreshing to hear some of going out that
amount of time, which is the reality of what you
actually have to do. But it is empowering for succession
planning and extra generation is coming through to keep going
with these because they're not to jump onto the next
silver shining new toy or the next thing, which can
be sometimes you have to react to trends obviously, like
you mentioned, but you still go okay. But these are
(11:55):
the principles and theeds of what we're going, how does
it affect these particular nineties working on or these long
term you know, fifty sixty one hundred years out.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
I really like it.
Speaker 1 (12:07):
You report into a board of directors and which is
which is made up?
Speaker 2 (12:11):
Correct if I'm wrong.
Speaker 1 (12:12):
It's made up of two members of eighteen families which
make up the board. How do you go that seems
like a lot of people one, How do you get
the family aligned?
Speaker 2 (12:21):
And how does what's that mean for you in terms
of communication?
Speaker 3 (12:24):
Yeah, so there will be diversity in family needs of
that intimate, more closet natural family representation. We're not necessarily
a skills based board, and I'm not suggesting that the
directors don't have skills the principles around a communal family representation,
so they're family directors. We have a director and an
(12:47):
alternate director. The ultimate director is there to support the
director giving them. There's many engagements that we do at
a family level, regional, and then as the the board.
The board comes together meets once a month generally over
the year, has a number of committees, and I guess
(13:09):
that's where the circular type discussions are. Creative and collaborative
discussions take place in the committees to the corporation board,
and then the board meets goes through all the legal
decision making things that most boards sort of need to do,
so generally you would think too rob in governance. The
(13:31):
sweet spots ten twelve, maybe eight people in a sense
for a board, we've got some necessity, so we've had
to do the right thing. There's out of a potential
eighteen families, there's eleven families that are active at the moment,
so we've got nineteen sorry directors at the moment, which
(13:56):
are ten directors and nine alternates.
Speaker 1 (13:59):
Right, And I love the old and it's as well,
like the way you said, you have the directors and
the oldness to support the directors. And I think that's
again that the refreshing thinking. You know, certainly you know
my role as are you know, a state judge. It's
this kind of stuff.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
I loved. It just jumped out.
Speaker 1 (14:14):
Compared to not only to not only against who else
was in the category you're in, but just I'm comparing
you against world class, right, So I'm not yes, yes,
I was doing that when I'm.
Speaker 2 (14:26):
Judging, I'm obviously judging a certain quantity.
Speaker 1 (14:28):
But for my head space, it was like man, this
is this is really smart, Like this is really cool.
There were just things jumping out of me which just
are so good lessons for the rest of our organizational
and corporate growth.
Speaker 2 (14:39):
It just makes sense.
Speaker 1 (14:40):
You've also you started in twenty thirty with five staff
and you're now about something like round two hundred stuff
in ten years. That's a massive amount of growth. Tell
me through that journey. What have you learned the most
through that growth phase? What's been the bit learning for you?
Speaker 3 (14:57):
I think not being able to keep your head across
everything that's sort of going on in an easier fashion,
and the executive CEO has to have their finger on
the polls in a sense. But I think creating delegation,
shared responsibilities, accountability within that structure, empowering people to act
(15:22):
independently with individual flair, but I think common purpose. One
of the things we've had to do ROB because we're
a significant employer again over the last three years, is
make a few organizational structural changes and invest a lot
(15:44):
in people and culture. The corporate business services areas, so
we meet all the legislative and statutory requirements, but we
also want to help people be the best they can be.
And you can do that if you've got really good
personnel management skilled staff. In that era, we've had to
(16:06):
automate a lot of the things that we do. I
remember when I when I first started logging into the
bank and having to do payroll transactions and handling paper timesheets.
All of that stuff now is or done through technology platforms.
Gardner Ballack, which is managing people, is their HR platform.
(16:30):
So LEAVE requests, annual performance plans, reviews by supervisors and managers,
smart devices for time sheets, for incident management control. Yeah,
so that's probably been the most significant thing that we've
had to do amongst just all the other cool work
(16:50):
things I think that we do.
Speaker 1 (16:52):
And how was empowering and delegating and letting go for you?
Was that something that you found easy or did you
find that hard to do as a leader as you've grown.
Speaker 3 (17:03):
Yeah, look, I found it unusually easy. And I think
what happens is, you know, I'm not old over the
hill hopefully, but as you sort of get older a
bit wiser, it's really nice to sort of step back
and watch younger people are the people speaking with this
common purpose about ja Ja Wuung and who and what
(17:25):
we are within that Rob I think this idea for
people how they comprehend and understand who and what you are.
Repetitive and consistent messaging is actually really courteous and empowering
to people to understand what is it in this message
so that can happen internally and then externally when we
(17:47):
touch on our branding marketing, what is the color of
the visual representation the triggers now a thought or a
membory of people about ja Jaboung. Yeah, it's been usually easy, Rob,
And I tell you what really satisfying when you see
other people being able to share the joy of what
(18:09):
we're doing.
Speaker 2 (18:10):
Yeah, well, I.
Speaker 1 (18:11):
Say, you know, clarity is kindness, and so I think
you've brought that right down to your branding all the
way through.
Speaker 2 (18:16):
But I like your messaging as well about being consistent,
clear and consistent with that.
Speaker 1 (18:21):
And I think there's another CEO one of the major
banks in New York, a guy called Jamie Diamond heads
up JP Morgan, and he made a really interesting point
and they've talked about the communication and he's been a CEO,
I think only twenty five years, which is pretty amazing,
and he said that one of the things he's learned
is to be really consistent in messaging and consistent. And
(18:42):
he says, I feel like I sound like a broken record.
But if I change my message between what I say
in the LA office to what I say in the
Hong Kong office, if I slightly go off message, all
of a sudden, it creates mayhem across the organization.
Speaker 2 (18:56):
And he said, I've just I've.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
Learned over years to just be you clear, clear of
what we're saying, clear of what we're doing, whole people accountable,
hold my self accountable.
Speaker 2 (19:04):
And he said, that's just simplifying it.
Speaker 1 (19:07):
Down, but being really clear each time and not going
going off script.
Speaker 2 (19:11):
It's a really interesting way.
Speaker 1 (19:13):
Sometimes you want to be creative, change it up, but
for your people, and as you're managing, you know, two
hundred people now in the group, that's a lot of people,
and they can all have they're all individuals as well,
you know, but they're all I think from.
Speaker 2 (19:24):
What you're saying now, which already like is they've now got.
Speaker 1 (19:26):
A collective view, a clear vision of who they are,
what they mean, and you can just look at the branding.
Speaker 2 (19:31):
And get it.
Speaker 3 (19:33):
Yeah, I'm like going to to your music, what what
what's the acoustic version. You know, what's the ballad? What
what's the symphony? You know, it's still the same song. Yes,
it's how you present it, and I think to make
it usefully entertaining two people. So then you're invoking a
form of pleasure amongst others. You achievement and to the
(19:58):
purposes us been so wrap with the Telstra Award. It's
sort of like the bouquet, right of these flats of
these beautiful romans, scent colors that sort of now beautifiers,
this this stuff that you work really hard for.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
I love that music analogy too, ro on.
Speaker 1 (20:18):
I love that that you might have a sympathy talking
to it, but we just pair it back to the
acoustic you know, acoustic version. It's still the same message
and it may even resonate more, but it's still the
same core.
Speaker 2 (20:29):
Measures of the same feeling that you're getting from. I
love that one of you. We'll talk about a couple
of goals.
Speaker 1 (20:34):
Goal one you have is our people are happy, healthy
and securing their identity, livelihood and lifestyle. And I think
that's kind of I think why you've had the success
of being able to delegate as easily as you have,
because if you have that as your number one goal,
have happy, healthy and secure in their identity, livelihood and lifestyle.
That's easier to say, though it harder to do. How
(20:56):
do you do that on a daily basis?
Speaker 3 (20:58):
Yeah, So I think having internally for the organization corporately
having accountability across the hierarchy and the management structure in
the care of looking after people. One of the things
I prodded myself on as the leaders the CEO is
a parental approach to the way that your care and
(21:23):
nurture your employees as you would with your children, and
then the importance of impairing them but also holding people
to account within that structure. So there's a really important
human nature I think for intersections as opposed to interventions
or on days, weeks, months, on what happens now when
(21:46):
we translate that to jar jarbong people and for their
life to be better and for us there to be
increasingly wealthy and prospers as an organization is to disperse
that wealth and we do it through a program called
the Community Support Program, So that will focus on education,
(22:07):
support for parents to get kids through school, health and
well being, sport, recreation, bereavement, funeral fund celebrating life with
people from sixty years on, the support for significant celebration events,
(22:30):
micro financing for entrepreneurs, that stuff. And of course there
are many many sort of provert events that we do
as a family, a pretty big family now. But the
events we also do across community that are public events
that people can participate in. So you get to do
(22:53):
that almost family recreational thing at a private level and
then a community and a public level. And what happens
is when you're really good at running those sort of
advance people have fun and they just take a greater
degree I think of pride in themselves and what we're
all doing and contributing to, and so that improves people's
(23:15):
emotional wellness.
Speaker 2 (23:17):
It's so important.
Speaker 3 (23:19):
Roder.
Speaker 1 (23:19):
I can't tell you how much gold you just dropped
in that lust. It's just it's unbelievable what you said.
A couple ofies want to pick up on. I just
thought it was fascinating. I mean, I had someone saying
the other day, robbing your leadership programs, you're going to
run well you cover wellness, and I'm like, how the
frick do you not cover wellness when you're doing if
you're a leader. But this was like there was literally,
(23:41):
we're doing a wellness program, we're doing leadership and no no,
I said, you did together like they're handing love.
Speaker 2 (23:47):
But the SUM organizations that's not true.
Speaker 1 (23:49):
And you just talked about the importance of wellness of parenting,
so you're taking that parental view and having wellness is
part of it.
Speaker 2 (23:56):
There's really part of your goal. One I thought was
really interesting.
Speaker 1 (23:59):
The other one was account built, which is really strong,
and we see it, I genuinely see a lack of that.
We see some point people getting powered but without the accountability.
And I like the fact that it's yin and yang. Right,
there's the accountability side. And the last one you talked about,
which is you know, one has been really gone quite
passionate about is having fun. And you know, I've been
(24:20):
studying high performance people organizations across whether it's sport or
business or culture, and the one of the six things
I distill what they do. They do about six things
all the time, these people, but one of them is
have fun. And it doesn't matter. I mean, Richard Branson
just did a post about this the other day, talking about
the importance of having fun. I was just I just
(24:42):
read a post from the former Moto GP world champion,
Pecko Bagnio handed the batonov to his biggest competitor and said,
and he wrote to his biggest.
Speaker 2 (24:52):
Competitor saying, it was a great year.
Speaker 1 (24:54):
You pushed me to new levels I've never been to before,
and we had so much fun doing it. And if
you start to look at people because the reason why
the fund is there, if the fund is not there,
you can't get passionate about it, right, And if you
can't get passionate about saying, then you're not gonna have
fun with it.
Speaker 2 (25:10):
And that that fun and leads the.
Speaker 1 (25:12):
Passion, which leads to the extra effort, which leads to
the whole thing about what you're doing at Jarrah.
Speaker 2 (25:18):
And I think that's such an important part.
Speaker 1 (25:20):
You do have fun with it, and I think that's
a really important partner. And a leader drives that too,
and I think you should be complimented even more so
for driving that really important principles.
Speaker 2 (25:30):
Make sure we're still having fun while we're doing this,
because it's just.
Speaker 3 (25:33):
Thank thanks Rob. I think pleasure is something you know,
we're all conscious of. We have enjoyment, fun, entertainment as
an element of that. But I've just got so much
pleasure from helping others, and it's kind of weird. I think,
oh god, that's self serving, probably the amount of people.
(25:56):
And I feel really good out there and for them
if you can help people and you see there's a
real benefit, you know, you know, significant in a fashion,
and that's helped me in really good stead and weirdly
like my kids. So to me, you don't seem to
(26:18):
be personally is happy, you know, in fun or whatever
it is, because I'm a bit driven to focus whatever
available time i've got on others in community. But I'm
getting the kick out of it.
Speaker 2 (26:32):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (26:32):
Well, and it's so good.
Speaker 1 (26:35):
Yeah, And I think he's just again, you know, you're
dropping words around you which are just fantastic. And I
love talking to people like you because sometimes what you
do naturally is such a revelation to other people, but
it is innately who you are and that can be learned.
As you said, you've got a little bit. You're not
over the hill or anything, but you've got wiser and
more mature. And one of the words that you said
(26:56):
them I thought was really wonderful. You said, I want
to be really happy for them, So as opposed to what.
Speaker 2 (27:01):
Can I get from them?
Speaker 1 (27:03):
There's a big difference when you say what do I
want for this employee or for this particular team, not
door one from them, right, and that just it's a
big shift.
Speaker 2 (27:11):
And you're thinking.
Speaker 1 (27:11):
You often put people in workshops and go what do
you want for these people? And they're like, oh, I
want them to do you know, I know what you want.
Speaker 2 (27:18):
Them to do?
Speaker 1 (27:19):
What do you want for them? And sometimes it takes
them a good god thirty minutes. You can see their
brain fighting it. It's like the subconscious is fighting it,
but the conscience gets it and know what I'm saying
is right, But the subconscious goes, I don't know that
kind of work for me. I want stuff from them?
Okay for them, and you really have to take them
on a journey. And so I think the language you
have around there is what makes it so much easier
(27:41):
for you to do it, because your first thought is community.
Your first thought is what's great for them? What can
I do for them?
Speaker 3 (27:46):
Well, it's an ancient thinking too. I think sometimes for
us as humans it's a species whatever and their origins.
We get to maybe caught up in the modernistic sort
of a none of us with technologies and stuff around it.
But look, we're all indigenous people. All of our ancestors
(28:09):
were hundreds and gatherers at one point of time, you know,
for us as humans, So you don't hunt for self,
you don't gather for self as much as you need sustenance.
You actually do it for others. So to apply that
culturally and you're thinking to modern context, I've just found
(28:30):
it to be really rewarding.
Speaker 1 (28:32):
Yeah, that's a that's a really great way of looking
at it. And one of the other goals I wanted
to pick up. And this was interesting because when I
saw you after you won the awards that you probably
you're probably it's actually a big night. I remember it,
but I said to you, it's so excited you won,
and said, I've just been I've been in Castlemaine the
last two weekends in a row. And you said to me, oh, great,
you've been back on country and it was kind of
like I really felt, yeah, I was.
Speaker 3 (28:53):
I was.
Speaker 1 (28:53):
I was actually sailing on the waters up around that area,
and I was on country for a couple of weeks.
And I must say, just a quick sidebar here walking
around Castle Maine, especially, my wife said to me oh look,
there's this Jarra brand, this jar Wrong brand, and she
was noticing all the great things you do in that community.
And just so your brand's really strong. And there's my
wife met you on that night, but she was noticing
(29:15):
all this stuff a couple of weeks earlier. They are there,
and they're over there and they're doing that bit there
and that shop's got funding from there, and I thought
that was good. But one of the things I thought
was interesting was your goal six of your nine goals
was our upside down country is healthy again.
Speaker 2 (29:30):
And that particularly resonated with me. Tell me you can
you just explain.
Speaker 1 (29:33):
What that what goal six is about our upside down
country being healthy again?
Speaker 3 (29:37):
Yeah, it's sort of a creative way to describe that
soils materials have been turned upside down. So really what
that's talking about, Rob is I think the impacts of
the gold Rush in Central Victoria, which is a really
significant international event that took place for all of us
here at Central Victoria, in a couple of other players.
(30:00):
Is around Australia. There's certain contaminants that others might understand.
Rob that a president in all soils, but what happens
with a lot of the methods around gold mining is
an activity inivertently create a concentration of those contaminants and
(30:22):
then they get to levels that are not really good
for us as humans. So naturally occurring arsenic is one example.
So there's a lot of they call it mulley keeps
mounts heaps around a country. So you know, we have
some processes around how do we decontaminate areas. We can't
(30:43):
immediately apply technologies at this point in time, but we're
working towards it. So we want to actually move materials
around landscape the contaminants are centralized at nodes. As a
way to start cleaning up country and making it safer
for people to be a country, We've come up with
(31:05):
a couple of food cool ideas where we can probably
use previous mind tunnels those excavated areas to put things
back in country disappointingly at a while concentration that we
would like. We're working with some of the local governments
and water tables which have been effected from mining and
(31:26):
that sort of stuff, desalination of sealeone waters to be
able to put them back in creeks and streams. So yeah,
upside down country.
Speaker 2 (31:38):
It makes so much sense. I just never thought of
it like that.
Speaker 1 (31:42):
But then you know, when you know what a market
looks like and you're driving around anywhere in Castle Maine
and Tuden Dalsford and Moulden and about to Bendigo, it's
like everywhere. It's incredible because there was so much, As
you said, it was an international event that happened, and
when you see how much is on top of where
it should not be there and returning it, it's a
(32:04):
big job.
Speaker 2 (32:05):
It's a massive job.
Speaker 1 (32:06):
And I think that seeing putting it back and you
know it's basically like a series of tunnels on Central Victoria,
I think makes so much sense. So I really like
that that goal and I think and just the way
you've done it, and I mean, I think it's a
really crowdy way o upside the uncountry is healthy, and
I just think that's it makes so much sense.
Speaker 2 (32:24):
Talk about as you've grown grown, Jarrah.
Speaker 1 (32:28):
One of the things you've done is got really serious
about enterprise and having various enterprises. And you've got three
separate enterprise brands. Now can you talk us to a
little bit about what those three brands are and what
they do.
Speaker 3 (32:40):
Yeah, So the first brand we developed was under an
enterprise structure, so we have a proport limited judge our
wood on enterprises. And then now it has three three
trusts that sit with under that. So what is jandek
which is an environmental services science who is natural resource management,
(33:02):
delivery of fire management, delivery of forests, landscape management. And
also now they have a design team so landscape architectures
and architects and that sort of stuff. The second enterprise
we created or sorry and Jandak means country, so we're
aligning language again with purpose of the enterprises. Doom a
(33:27):
wall is an engagement between two people. It can mean
shake hands, so two individual shake hands, and that's our
creative industries enterprise. So it does tourism. It supports entrepreneurs.
The micro financing we spoke about earlier supports people to
(33:47):
be engaged by doomal wall that might provide the accounting
administrative services that soul traders or small businesses don't like
or don't have the skills that necessarily deal with So
a lot of the arts, grafts, imaging programs, education programs
(34:08):
or run through duma wall. And jakich is our lads,
which means dining room. Not dining room as one word together,
dining as an eating and room as a reference to
a spatial So I say to people, you put a
really big pause in between the dining room. It's dining room.
(34:30):
And Jakich is our food sciences, food futures and is
doing a significant aguaculture project where we've got nearly all
of our ponds filled up for the biggest yabby farm
in the Southern Hemisphere. And we're also the most sophisticated
(34:54):
kangaroo grass agronomous farmers now in Australia. So we've got
a significant prop of kangaroo grass out at our farm
at Lockington.
Speaker 2 (35:07):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (35:07):
So I think these brands are and we'll give we'll
give people a bit of a link where they can
find out more about them.
Speaker 2 (35:12):
But they're really nice, like the way that the three
are structured.
Speaker 1 (35:16):
Tell me about that that you won that, tell us
your best business award, the overall price? What are the
tails to judges at the National there, Why do you
think they picked Jarrah?
Speaker 3 (35:29):
I think they were able to probably understands it's pretty complex. Wrong.
I mean we're sort of having a I still have
these light bulb moments and I said, oh, my goodness,
I'm well and off words and stuff, and others are
listening nod on their head, don't know. People are getting it.
So when we went to the judges within, being humble
(35:52):
and pride was important. We took our strategies along at
least to give a taste visually of what we say
that we do. We actually are doing it. An annual
report which celebrates achievements over twelve months each year, and
(36:13):
I think, you know, we put information in the public domain,
and so when people actually have a look and think
about I think this actually is a really big entity.
It's sophisticated, it's contributing to community wellness, it's contributing to
the wider community through our participation in economic stimulus. I
(36:38):
think when you start putting all those elements together, Rob
and you get it, I think, geez, look, I don't know.
A week ago, I didn't know about this business. Now
I know about this business. Yeah, they're probably due some recognition.
Speaker 1 (36:51):
Yeah, I think that's right. And I think you know
a lot of stuff we've talked about here. So a
lot of organizations have an ESG department or the talk
about ESG. You are ESG right, or ESG in a profitable,
commercial and a healthy way.
Speaker 2 (37:07):
And I think that's the bit.
Speaker 1 (37:09):
I mean, I spoke to a couple of judges I know,
and they were like, wow, this organization, this is like
blew them away, like we didn't know about it, like
the way they've done so much good stuff and you're
accountable to it and you're and.
Speaker 2 (37:22):
It's in the public domain, so it's not like you're
hiding it.
Speaker 1 (37:24):
It's kind of it's all there, and I think that's
one of the great things about it. But hey, you've
been recognized and you were you you were telling you
off here that you've been asked to speak at the
United Nations.
Speaker 2 (37:35):
Yeah, tell me about that. What have they seen and
what have they got you this? What do they want
you us to speak on?
Speaker 3 (37:40):
Yeah? So look, it wasn't immediately from the award. Over
the years and our achievement, Rob there's international interest in
juj A what I And I was always a little
bit dumbfounded. Why aren't Australians or Australia a bit more
interested in Victorian So we've spoken about our strategies in Paris, France,
(38:02):
We've spoken about our heritage management and our sciences. Recently,
trip to Cambridge University with the Duckworth Institute. We've traveled
to Canada where people who are interested in our approaches
at an international tourism conference. You know, we've been speaking
(38:24):
to people in Indonesia and Hong Kong over a number
of years. So I think it's really now just about
us continuing this thread of messaging about who and what
we are, and the judges asked this question, you know,
what is the future and maybe other economic elements. I
(38:45):
think for us is to tap into our recognition, our
ability to do things, the products and services and seek
other forms of investment now that are offshore and part
of our part of the world Southeast Agent, and we've
already been doing an engagement around that and in all
(39:05):
the reports, people are pretty impressed with this and actually
having fun working with which is pretty good.
Speaker 1 (39:12):
Yeah, And I think that's a testament to you as well,
for putting yourself out there and making those trips and
getting over there, and there's definitely you know, you're going
to be sometimes comfortable being uncomfortable. I think it's been
building up to where you've got the attention of United Nations,
which is kind of bizarre because that did actually happen
before itself to business Award, as you mentioned. So I
(39:34):
think that's one of the great success stories Rodney.
Speaker 2 (39:37):
I think it's fantastic.
Speaker 1 (39:38):
Where can people find out more about Jara? What's where
we'd be the most obvious place? What's the most obvious website?
Speaker 3 (39:44):
Yeah, well the main landing page or web page. There's
some integration across entities. People are able to sign up
to the public newsletter around what we do. And we're
based in Golden Square now at a new headwalk headquarters
(40:06):
that's for Jarra doing. My wall is located in the
hard Graves Mall of Bendigo, which is a shop front
and a venue for the programs they run there. So
I think maybe doing a bit of background sort of
reading stuff in that rob and then we hope to
intersect with people. For professional people, we've got what's called
(40:30):
a business incubator and a new headquarters that's an opportunity
for professionals actually to be immersed and based with ja
jar Woodung to get an experience in itself, but maybe
even collaborate with us on doing projects.
Speaker 2 (40:45):
Yeah, fantastic.
Speaker 1 (40:46):
We're going to put all those all the links that
Roddie talked about in the addresses and detail. It'll put
those in the show notes. Everybody say, have the show
notes to pick those up there. Ronie's been fantastic. Thank
you for taking your time to join us today. It's
been really I'm going to have to go through this
and listen again this. You drop so much goal during it,
and really congratulations to you. And I know it's about communities.
(41:08):
I know there are a lot of people involved in
the award, and you definitely spoke about the Tolsial Business Award,
but just all the things you're doing. I mean that's
one award and there's a huge award. There were huge things.
You know, a huge amount of effort goes into putting
all the materials together. I know how much goes into it.
But just well doing everything you're doing, and for you
as a leader, I just think the way you operate
so many people can learn from it and there's learning
(41:30):
in there.
Speaker 2 (41:30):
But just some of the ways the community feel.
Speaker 1 (41:32):
The way you talk about four what gonn to be
four people rather than from people, I think is really interesting.
The wellness being incorporated and just the goals you have.
And I think the big a word that you use
several times today, which is missing a lot I find
which is this is accountability and holding it. I mean,
you hold yourself accountable. I know you're highly principled. Holding
yourself and holding your team accountable has been fantastic. So
(41:55):
thanks so much for joining us on the.
Speaker 3 (41:56):
Show that pleasures all mine.
Speaker 1 (41:58):
Right, I hope you enjoyed this episode of the It's
All Possible Podcast. You can contact me at Rob at
Robhartner dot com or my website Robharton dot com, or
on LinkedIn. Remember to check out the previous seasons and
episodes of the podcast and the show notes for more
details on this episode's guest. For more inspiration, remember to
(42:22):
check out the All Possibility Players on Spotify, which contains
a collection upbeat, positive music I use for inspiration in
my live performances. Until next time, Live with Passion had
a perspective of possibility.
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