Meet Shane Michael Hatton | Author on Leadership, Culture and Communication

We had the good fortune of connecting with Shane Michael Hatton and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Shane Michael, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I’ve learned that the key to multiplying impact is leadership. When I get the opportunity to work with a leader and help them improve and develop, the impact of that change is felt by everyone that leader touches both personally and professionally. When I started my business I quickly realised I could multiply the impact I make on the planet by helping improve the lives of leaders all over the world.

What should our readers know about your business?
If you take a moment to reflect on your life, there is a leader that stands out in your mind as ‘that’ leader. The one who impacted you in a positive and meaningful way. The kind of leader that you will always be grateful for having in your life. I call those people ‘remarkable’ leaders. I spend each day focused on developing more of those leaders.

People have always told me that my secret sauce is the ability to take big ideas and complex concepts and make them easy to understand, elegantly communicated and practically applied. I always want to make sure people have the tools and skills to do exactly what is needed to be a remarkable leader.

Having spent the last decade developing leaders, I’m starting to see the long-term results of my work with leaders. It is equal parts pride in their achievement and excitement for the future as we get the opportunity to help more people and organisations.

The path to building the practice I have today hasn’t been easy. I tell people that there are ‘high highs’ and ‘low lows’. Working as a solo practitioner can be lonely and isolating. I use the word ‘can’ intentionally. Because it doesn’t have to be. I’ve made the conscious decision to surround myself with big thinkers, butt-kickers and cheerleaders which has kept me dreaming big, following through and backing myself. The road in business is paved with a lot of well-meaning bad advice. I had to decide very early what game I wanted to play and that game dictated the rules that I want to play by. In doing so, I’ve been able to be clear on what advice I take and leave. That is an important lesson for any business owner to learn quickly.

When people experience me, I want them to encounter a human being not just a brand. I want my values of generosity, curiosity, creativity and empathy to be characteristics they feel and remember because that is who I am, not just what I do.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If you’re joining me in Melbourne, Australia you’re going to need to be prepared to eat.

On Monday we take a drive through the scenic Yarra Valley stopping to appreciate all our best wine and produce including some of the best cheeses you will eat in your life.

Tuesday we venture into Fitzroy, just on the outskirts of the city to enjoy your favourite coffee along with an Ox Tail Melt sandwich from Nico’s deli that is to die for. If you’re in the neighbourhood we will also stop by Collingwood to STREAT Cafe, a leading social enterprise with over a decade of experience supporting young people across Melbourne.

Wednesday we explore all that Melbourne’s CBD has to offer. We stroll through the laneways and admire the graffiti from some outstanding street artists and then explore the latest exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria. By day we sample some of the world’s best coffee and by night we explore many of Melbourne’s hidden bars and nightlife. Maybe we get a slice of Pizza, maybe it’s just a front to a hidden bar, you’ll find out when you arrive.

On Thursday we explore some of the lesser-known restaurants on the outskirts of Melbourne in Footscray. Once a centre for southern European migrants, these days Footscray is home to Chinese, Vietnamese and North African immigrants and their gastronomic traditions. We enjoy a bowl of pho at a Vietnamese noodle house, grab a masala dosa, or dive right into a traditional Ethiopian injera flatbread.

As our itinerary comes to an end as we take the day to enjoy the scenic drive to the famous 12 Apostles. Magnificent rock stacks rise up majestically from the Southern Ocean on Victoria’s dramatic coastline. We sit by the beach and enjoy some fish and chips as the sun sets on a great week together.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are so many incredible people that I feel have laid bricks into the foundation of the platform that I am privileged to stand on today. I could write a book with all the names I would like to appreciate. When I began my practice I was introduced to an amazing group of people at Thought Leaders Business School who helped provide a framework that I still use to this day. That framework sharpened my thinking, made me more commercially smart and also put me in a room with people that enlarged my worldview. I’ll forever be grateful for the opportunity I had to connect with that community.

Website: https://www.shanemhatton.com

Instagram: instagram.com/shanemhatton

Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/shanemhatton

Twitter: twitter.com/shanemhatton

Facebook: facebook.com/shanemhatton

Youtube: youtube.com/@shanemhatton

Other: Podcast: Phone Calls With Clever People http://plnk.to/pcwcp

Image Credits
Photos by Charmaine Visuals