RWC network learns from cricketing great Ricky Ponting

The conference quickly kicked off with RWC CEO James Linacre presenting on the state of the network. 

“This was the biggest year in RWC history. I’m so proud of how everyone in this room has contributed to such a momentous year,” Mr Linacre said.

“It’s not about the numbers, it’s about what they represent: the investment in people and recruitment, in new technology, the way we’ve leant into media and research, our asset management and how that’s grown exponentially as well.

“In the room today we have better operators than we’ve had before, better businesses and better leaders.

“I thought to beat those record COVID numbers we’d need a perfect market, but to have a record year we didn’t need that, and that’s what stood out to me.

“Having a record year in what has sometimes been a tough market is a real testament to everyone in the room today.”

The audience then heard from the most highly anticipated speaker of the day, Australian cricket legend Ricky Ponting AO, who shared his insights into leadership and high performance in an interview with the day's MC and Ray White media advisor Brittany Lane. 

Ricky Ponting AO is a past captain of the Australian cricket team and one of the most decorated players in the history of the game.

He retired in 2013 as Australia’s leading run scorer in both Test and ODI formats, and has won more Test and ODI cricket matches both as player and captain than any other Australian cricketer.

Since retiring from playing international cricket, Ponting has become a highly sought after commentator, as well as coaching in the Indian Premier League.

He is the founder of the Ponting Foundation, a charity that helps young Australians and their families beat cancer.

He also co-founded Ponting Wines, a collaboration with award-winning Australian winemaker, Ben Riggs.

Ponting said his family didn’t have a lot growing up, but his love of cricket started when he was in primary school.

“I grew up in a housing commission home in Tasmania, and I was still living in a housing commission home when I started playing cricket for Australia,” he said.

“But my love of cricket started the same as many kids, swinging a cricket bat around in the backyard during summer and trying to attract the other neighbourhood kids to come and play with you.

“I really became a professional cricketer when I first went to the cricket academy. I left Year 10 and couldn’t get out of there fast enough. I was only 15 and I packed up and moved over to Adelaide.”

Lane asked Ponting how he first learnt to handle pressure.

“I didn't know what pressure was. I always had people saying good things about me but I didn’t know what it meant. I just wanted to be the best that I could be.

“I just wanted to make sure my skills and my game were in a position that I was never going to let any of my team mates down.

“The pressure didn’t kick in for me until I was out there playing for Australia and had a sustained run of success.

“After I’d had a sustained run of success, I had to make a strategy of how I wanted to train and prepare, and what I wanted to be known for, and then I just had to stick with that for the length of my career.” 

Lane asked Ponting what he would tell younger Ricky and, referring to his 12-year-old son, joked that he has a little Ricky at home who doesn’t listen very well.

“I don't have any regrets over my entire career, when you put so much thought into every decision you make throughout your career, it’s hard to have regrets,” he said.

“I made mistakes, I wish I didn’t, but I can comfortably say every decision I made was with the thought that it was what was best for the team at the time.

“But to my son, or any young kid now, I say make sure you’re living your dream, striving for your dream, and when anyone tells you you can’t do something just say ‘give me five minutes and I reckon I can’.”  

The next speaker was Sydney Swans COO Drew Arthurson. Prior to joining the Swans, Arthurson led Apple’s enterprise business across Australia and New Zealand, a role that encompassed people leadership, business development and government affairs over a nine- year period.

Arthurson spoke to the audience about high performance under all conditions, and the controllables versus the uncontrollables.

“The things we can control are the anchors of high performance,” he said.

“Then comes the areas we can influence, we might be able to move the needle. Then there’s the things we can’t control, and so many people get stuck in the uncontrollable.

“Most people have their A game and their B game, and when they get stuck in their B game they are often stuck focussing on the uncontrollables.

“My old boss at Apple said trying to do one thing well at a time anchors you back in the controllables.

“It’s easy to drift, so having people around you who can bring you back to the controllables is the best way to manage change and manage head winds.”

He said uncontrollables in the real estate industry could be interest rates, whereas controllables could be making phone calls.

After lunch, RWC CEO James Linacre interviewed highly accomplished Australian business leader Bill Moss AO.

Moss spent 23 years at Macquarie Group as executive director and group head of banking and real estate, building a global platform spanning nine countries and over $50 billion in assets.

He is also the founder and chairman of Boston Global Group and a recognised commentator on economics, housing, and emerging technologies. Moss is also the founder and patron of the FSHD Global Research Foundation. 

Linacre said one of the things Macquarie had become known for was finding the opportunity before it existed.

Moss said they had to identify where the opportunities were, what stage of the cycle they were in, and what could they do that no one else could?

“In those days, it was create and survive, or die,” Moss said.

“You had to use your brain and find niches and opportunities in the market.

“I employed entrepreneurs rather than just hiring those with an MBA.

“Over the years we started everything, we went to leisure, offshore, golf courses, childcare, developments.

“Each one was successful in its own right, and if it wasn’t you sat down and you figured out why and what you could do differently.”

Moss said it was important to engage with people who are polymaths.

“A polymath is a person who has a really strong expertise in a core area, but they have complimenting expertise in about 10 other areas.

“They need to understand what's happening in global social networks, the economy, property standards, and if you understand all that you have a great understanding of where the opportunities are.

“You need to be across what’s happening in the world. The most important thing you can do today is wake up in the morning and find out what’s going on in the world. Don’t just read the headlines, you really need to understand.”

The audience heard from REA’s national sales director Emma French who spoke about the power of immersive content including video content such as walkthroughs and virtual tours.