158 - Leanne Williams - Chief Executive Officer - Myli

Arete Podcast with Richard Triggs

This week’s Arete podcast really demonstrates the value of a CEO with an open mind. The CEO in question is Leanne Williams from West Gippsland Libraries in Victoria. She tells us how she delivered growth in a sector that faces more and more competition by the day, and how COVID has proven the worth of the change in company culture she pushed to deliver. Leanne credits her resilience to her upbringing on the family farm. Despite her parents’ disapproval, Leanne was so determined to have a horse that she got one from a neighbour and arrived home with it one day… at the age of eight! Even at such a young age, Leanne took responsibility and looked after it dutifully. This ability to roll her sleeves up helped her journey through a professional life of auditing and accountancy, before eventually ending up where she is today. It was nice to talk to someone who combines great tenacity with such lateral thinking. In this episode you will learn: -How libraries have grown during COVID -The very first 24/7 library -How Leanne charted her course to become a CEO -How libraries can grow despite the competition -Leanne’s “Kodak moment” where she realised libraries are in the business of people rather than the business of books -How Leanne grew as a professional thanks to her board of directors -How having a big turnover of board members can still avail success -How Leanne oversaw a change in culture, moving from local government vehicle towards not-for-profit -Why CEOs should sit on other boards -The importance of value alignment -How Leanne partners with other organisations to deliver services -Gender diversity in the boardroom Extra Resources: Leanne on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leanne-williams-06720765/ Richard Triggs on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardtriggs/