I studied at the Australian National University, where I majored in psychology.  I have been a keynote speaker for the Chartered Accountants’ Business Forum.  My career to date has included being part of a team that was a finalist in the Australian Institute of Training and Development awards, working with Harvard Professor Tal Ben-Shahar and former McKinsey head of leadership Angus Ridgway, and real-world experience leading teams.  I am a published author on the subject of leadership and ultimately my biggest biggest strength is helping people to implement simple, practical ideas that deliver results. ​  

 

I understand the unique pressures, constraints, and realities of Local Government — and, more importantly, what actually works. I help Local Government organisations move beyond ‘tick-the-box training’ toward real changes in behaviour that deliver results.​

 

When not delivering programs, I like to run, read, meditate and drink shiraz.    I live in Melbourne with my wife, Claire, who is an artist ( clairekirkup.com.au ).  We live with our children Finn and Eva, and our toy poodle, Coco — who, despite no formal leadership training, is the boss of the entire household.​

 

ps I'm obsessed with helping people practical apply their 'Most Valuable Ideas' (or 'gold nuggets') extracted from the programs.  This can be done through mechanisms that as simple as reminders (as shown in the image below), right through to completing re-engineering relevant aspects of your organisational processes and ways of working.