Meet Roger Gray

Roger is an experienced MD in the  FMCG and Print Media Marketing industry and one of the industries key thinkers on the subjects of Leadership, Change Management and Supply Chain Optimisation. Roger works for organisations with large and complex supply chains as an expert on adoption of Culture & Human Resource methodologies and not to forget a damn fine manager. Roger has recently started blogging about Recruitment, Leadership, Change Management and Supply Chain Optimisation related issues.  He’s a contributor to the editors at thedyslexicjobseeker (TDJS) and various Industry forum groups such as LinkedIn and the Logistics Association of Australia (LAA). Roger also hosts various speaker and consulting events with the Contributors at TDJS. Check him out on LinkedIn.  Not up to speed in the social media game? Reach out via [email protected].  Roger has an MBA from the University of Melbourne  and a Masters of Business in Integrated Logistics from RMIT.  He also earned his stripes at the Institute of Directors in New Zealand and as Operations Manager for the Sydney Olympic & Paralympic games in 2000. Not enough yet? If you want to know more about Roger  

10 more Questions to Roger 

Question 1     The elevator just closed and you’ve got 30 seconds to pitch the random reader on who you are and why they should read your rants.  Go…

 Answer:  I am an experienced executive with over 30 years of general management and supply chain experience gained in the FMCG, printing, event management and Defence industries. 

I have coached and guided a number of businesses, which have delivered growth, sustained profitability and driven sustainable supply chain change through a combination of: strong leadership, customer relationship excellence, sharp operating discipline and a clear strategic and brand focus. Now I want to help others do the same.

 Question 2  Now for the mundane – break down your location, title and what you do for a living.

Answer:  I live in Sydney, New South Wales.  I work with a group of like-minded individuals to assist companies and their leaders.  In short, I help business leaders to optimise their businesses. Be it through the design of a new strategy, leadership team development, organisational redesign or supply chain transformation. Everything is underpinned by the need to improve the culture of the organisations I work with to ensure that change is sustainable.  You know, after the reorganisation is done or the new owners move in… the “duh moment” of how the heck are we actually going to get people to do this new stuff?  Also, I speak with the Dyslexicjoberseeker blog experts at conferences on the subject of recruitment, leadership and cultural change in larger organisations.

Question 3  One more question that everyone expects. What’s the reason you’re in this game? (why do you do what you do?)

Answer: I love helping people and businesses improve. Watching people solve a problem and learn from the process is on of the most rewarding things any person can do.  The blog TheDyslexicJobSeeker is an outlet for me to say things on the subject of Recruitment, Leadership and Cultural change. It has so many unspoken facets and I like to contribute to the cause with my insights and experience.  I really enjoy contributing to TDJS because I can be myself.  I have considered starting a business blog for some time but was sure I would quickly tire of daily writing, mostly because it would become became a burden and I felt it would become a bore for me and readers.  To manage expectations, I’m NOT a writer… I’m a conveyor of random Culture & Business Transformation related ideas… so don’t spell check my stuff… or send me nastygrams regarding my use of the (…)… do me a favour, just fight through it… I usually have something good to say.

Question 4  If you’ve ever been to a professional Australian Rules game, you know where the home team get to pick their own theme music as to warm up the crowd.  If we ever have a Job Seeker convention, what theme music will you come out to pump the crowd up and why?

Answer:
I want to hear music from the soundtrack of my misguided youth.  You know, when alternative music was just that… outside of mainstream.  Also, I could care less about the crowd being pumped as I’m the one that has to kick the 60m goal.  Just to be clear.  I’d have the DJ play “ Into My Arms” by Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds “. That would make me smile and relax.

Question 5  Let’s stick with the Aussie Rules theme. If you’ve ever been to a game, you also know that the visitor doesn’t get to pick their own music.  The home team picks that for them, and it’s usually less than stellar as a means of attempting to crush them.  If you could pick theme music for your arch-rival to walk into a conference room to, what would it be and why?

Answer:

This is an easy one… I want my arch-rival to come out to “Yesterday’s Hero” by John Paul Young. I will let the song say it all………

Question 6  Finish the following sentence – “When I’m interviewing, I can tell within one minute that this thing isn’t going to work out because I’m working too hard.” 

Answer:The interview is like the romance phase of any relationship.  That’s as good as it’s gonna get and it won’t ever get that good again so if a candidate makes me work too hard during the job interview I know it will never work long term.  The candidate shouldn’t have to work that hard nor should I.  If either of us has to force it then someone is sending us a signal.

Question 7.  Name the actor/actress that will portray you in the movie about you. Why the heck is that a fit?

Answer:

 Ben Mendelsohn he is quiet, confident and definitely comfortable in his own skin.  He’s a nice guy but you also get the distinct feeling that you shouldn’t cross him.

Question 8.  List three of your favorite books to pander to the educated segment of our readership…

 Answer: 

• “Re-engineering the Corporation” by Michael Hammer and James Champy. This book revolutionised the way I thought about business when it was released.
•  “Colin Powell – A Soldiers Way” . Powell’s autobiography which outlines simple, but practical, leadership lessons we can all learn from.
•  “The First 90 Days” by Michael Watkins, this book is a fantastic guide to starting a new job at any level

 Question 9  List three of your favourite movies to connect with the segment of our readership that doesn’t like to read…

Answer: 

• “Goodbye Pork Pie” – The classic 70’s road movie, a time when life was simpler
• “We Were Soldiers” – An amazing true story of leadership and bravery 
• “Mama Mia” – I just love ABBA, enough said

Question 10  My first car was a…  and here’s how it defined who I am….

Answer: 

A 1975 avocado green Renault 12. I purchased from my sister…. cheap, it was very different than all the rest of the cars my mates had, I liked and still like being a little different……..