Russell Overy is very much aware that, as a trainer, he needs to stay ahead of change.
What’s your story?
I accidentally became a trainer when I was identified at 18 in my corporate job as having exceptional communication skills. It was never a role I’d ever thought about, but I had found my calling. Having worked both internally with large corporates and externally as a consultant, I was drawn to the variety of industries and organisational issues presented as a consultant.
This led me to found my own company, Ignite, in 2012. This has taken me on the rollercoaster of running my own business and allowed me to grow immensely, and given me the experience to found other businesses.
What excites you most about your industry?
Learning & Development is dynamic and truly defines the term VUCA. The pressure for organisations and individuals to deliver 1% incremental performance gains consistently is real and creates a vast opportunity for businesses like Ignite to add huge value, whilst being a dispensable line on their P&L.
When economic factors are positive, development is at the forefront of an organisations agenda. When things turn for the worse, external training is the first line item to get cut.
To stay relevant, in a business climate that is changing constantly and faster than ever, my own learning and product development never stop.
What drives you in your career to push beyond what other people consider normal?
To push my boundaries. Once I have a handle on a concept, my immediate drive is ‘What’s next?’.
I am not concerned with my reputation as being the best in my field; I am focused on creating the best version of myself to ultimately serve my family, my businesses, and the people who work with me.
Ultimately, for me, it’s not being the best or even better than anyone; it’s applying my energy to be the best version of myself, which means I never settle for what I know, I want to lean into the unknown.
What have been the most useful skills you have learnt and applied in your journey?
Sales. Sales. Sales.
This is a word that carries a lot of negative connotation, but when broken down to fundamentals, it’s about communicating with other people. If approached sincerely and with the correct intent, it’s about communicating with other people to help all parties involved move forward and improve their situations.
Many people make the mistake that sales is about increasing revenue, through any means. Sales is in almost every interaction we have with others, and focusing heavily on my sales skills has helped me build teams, create alignment behind a vision, improve my personal relationships, and, yes, increase revenue.
What’s the best piece of advice you ever received?
Don’t take yourself too seriously.
Who inspires you?
Not anyone specifically, but anyone who is willing to put everything on the line in pursuit of their vision. I love meeting people who have started their own business, or charity, or group that makes a difference.
What have you learnt recently that blew you away?
Worrying about the future or ruminating on the past produces cortisol, which in turn increases energy expenditure by 60%!
If you had your time again, what would you do differently?
In my business, I would focus heavily on building product IP to license to other training providers, rather than creating and delivering bespoke content to clients.
In my personal life, I would have started investing much, much earlier!
How do you unwind?
Very cliche! Sports, reading, and time with my family. Really, that’s it!
What is a major mindset change, belief shift or ‘ah ha’ moment that you’ve experienced in relation to your career?
Learning that I didn’t have a business, I had a job.
Understanding that without me, my business would fail led me to make massive changes to how I operated and allowed me to truly become an owner/operator.
Before many of our clients would work with us because of me and that I was leading their projects. Today, only a handful of our clients even know who I am, and our ability to scale the business since 2018, when I had this realisation, is the greatest indicator that is was the correct strategy to employ.
Everyone in business should read this book:
Extreme Ownership By Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
Shameless plug for your business or career:
Ignite is a performance consultancy that helps businesses improve results with a core focus on leadership and sales. We actively drive three core elements of performance: Structure. Skillset. Mindset.
How can people connect with you?
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/russellovery/
Email – russell@ignitetraining.com
Social Media Links?
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/russellovery/
This interview is part of the CallumConnects series.