16AprThe Naked CEO - Alex Malley's Story
Posted on 16/04/2015 by Nine2Three
Alex Malley, CEO of CPA Australia, host of The Bottom Line and author of the best-selling book, The Naked CEO
Join disruptive CEO, Channel 9 television host, LinkedIn Influencer and best-selling author, Alex Malley, The Naked CEO, to hear about his steps to a big life and to provoke you to consider the journey to your own.
Growing up with a mother who suffered from clinical depression has had a tremendous bearing on Alex Malley’s life. She was a woman with big dreams, but without the necessary means to fulfil them. From a young age, Alex has always felt he owes it to his Mum to dream big and live even bigger. So what else would drive him to secure the only interview with Neil Armstrong about his whole life? Alex subscribes to the nothing to lose doctrine.
Ever since he was suspended from school at the age of 17, Alex dreamed of becoming a teacher. So much so that during his suspension, in 1978, he wrote a note to himself stating that one day he’d create an environment where wayward students like himself would want to be in class, engage and learn. He genuinely believed that he could live up to this challenge.
But, as he grew older, the cocky young man from Strathfield made the decision to brush this dream aside. Instead, he would pursue a career in the corporate sector because wearing a suit to work, business dinners and the other trappings of the corporate world were what he believed to be the marks of a ‘successful person’. So he shelved his dream, not because he wanted to, but because he felt he should.
Consequently, Alex’s early career was riddled with missteps and rash decisions as he bounded from one job to another, trying to find the perfect role, frustrated that this world was failing to live-up to his lofty expectations. After close to a decade he came to the difficult conclusion that he’d made a mistake. The only way he’d ever feel truly fulfilled, thrive, would be to pursue a vocation he was truly passionate about. He had to revisit that dream he’d ignored all those years ago. He would become a teacher.
After completing his teaching qualification, Alex went on to become a national award winning university teacher, with his citation recording his note to himself from 1978.
Often Alex humorously recounts that at no stage during his 20-year teaching career did a student throw a paper plane during his lectures due to boredom. He puts this down to the passion and energy he brought to the role; it manifested in an infectiously engaging environment for students. They wanted to be there, which is saying a lot for an accounting lesson taught on a Monday morning to over 500 people. Alex believes that developing the ability to engage is one of the most important traits on the leadership track. It remains a fundamental part of his leadership approach to this day.
After twenty years of achieving everything he’d set out to in the academic field, Alex felt ready for his next challenge. He wanted to return to the corporate world, this time with the benefit of maturity. But he didn’t just want to take a cushy role and sail smooth waters toward retirement. He had a lot more that he wanted to achieve. He had more he wanted to offer young people. He had more dreams to fulfil…
Join Alex in a conversation about beating the odd at this year's Australia’s Biggest BUSINESS Morning Tea.
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