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In this episode of The Downer Difference, we sit down with Michael Franks, Defence Sector Leader and recipient of the Downer Culture Champion Award. A proud Air Force veteran and golf enthusiast, Michael brings a unique perspective shaped by his military engineering background and his current role on the Downer Defence team, contributing to major projects like the Woomera redevelopment, Riverina, and Williamstown.

Michael shares powerful insights into what it takes to lead high-performing teams in complex, high-stakes environments. From making the tough calls to putting safety and accountability at the centre of everything we do, to building trust across business units - this episode is packed with lessons for leaders working in defence, infrastructure, and beyond.

🎙️ In this episode, we explore:

✔️ The role of culture in delivering complex, multi-stakeholder projects

✔️ Translating customer needs into actionable delivery strategies

✔️ The value of cross-business collaboration and communication

✔️ Making courageous decisions to uphold safety and excellence

✔️ Why accountability and trust are essential for high performance

✔️ Lessons from military leadership applied in a corporate setting

This is a must-listen for project leaders, defence professionals, and anyone interested in driving a high-performance culture through clarity, courage, and collaboration.

Recommended book: The Happiest Refugee by Anh Do

Recommended song: Triple G

📺 Watch on YouTube

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of The Downer Difference, we speak with Jarred Rowland, Senior Project Manager at Downer Rail & Transit Systems, about his journey from the tools to becoming a senior leader, and how frontline experience has shaped his approach to safety, leadership, and culture change. Jarred shares a compelling case study from a high-risk project site where injury rates were too high, and how decisive leadership turned things around.

By empowering teams, redesigning communication systems, and creating safe pathways to speak up, Jarred and his team have shifted from reactive safety practices to a proactive, prevention-first mindset. This is a powerful conversation about accountability, transparency, and making safety everyone’s responsibility.

🎙️ In this episode, we explore:

✔️ How to empower teams to speak up and work to a shared standard

✔️ Creating safety rituals and reporting tools that actually work

✔️ Transitioning from reacting to incidents to proactively preventing them

✔️ Using feedback loops and town halls to drive culture change

✔️ Motivating teams through structure, recognition, and follow-through

✔️ What “The Downer Way” means in practice from culture to delivery

This episode is a must-listen for operational leaders, frontline managers, and anyone passionate about building a strong safety culture and empowering teams from the ground up.

Recommended book: Surrounded by Idiots by Thomas Erikson

📺 Watch on YouTube: [YouTube Link]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.