2. Mick Willing

How does a boy from Dubbo join the NSW Police Force in 1990 and rise to the rank of Superintendent as the Commander of the Homicide Squad for 6 years, then the Assistant Commissioner of Counter Terrorism then lead the Recovery Strikeforce for the South Coast Fires in 2019/2020 after being asked to "Turbo Charge" the Recovery Strikeforce by Commissioner of Police Mick Fuller, on New Years Day. Mick Willing brought a level of leadership and coordination that had never been seen before for a level of disaster that had never been contemplated after the fires destroyed over 2000 homes and disrupted the lives of whole communities. Mick is also a Harvard Business School Graduate, having the privilege to receive lectures from the world Change Management Expert and Guru, John Kotter (so jealous). Mick was then promoted to Deputy Commissioner and interviewed for the role of Commissioner of Police. He was nominated as the preferred candidate for the role of Commissioner of Police by one Premier, but a change in Premier saw him loose the nomination and shortly after loose his job completely. The interview will leave you in awe of the dignity and professionalism of Mick Willing after this challenge created new opportunities for the next chapter of Mick Willing's life. A common theme in Mick's chat in this interview, is that all leaders are essentially the same, it's just the situations and arenas they work in that changes, and how they lead in those arenas. I apologise for the quality of the audio in this interview, we had to go to phones rather than direct video link due to Internet Challenges. The responses and answers given by Mick Willing were too good to try and recapture, so I encourage you to listen as the interview is good enough to capture everything Mick Willing says. It was a privilege to do this interview as it is a story of some excellent skills and achievements, and despite all those significant attributes and good standing, a story of incredible challenges. It was only through the support firstly of family, close friends and a trusted medical team do we see who comes out the other side. An inspiration to all of us, about never giving up. If you like this interview please leave a rating and a review so others can learn the wisdom, resilience and dignity shown.