Daily Habits Are Leadership

SPEAKER_02 0:04

Here's something that really gets said in leadership conversations. The way that you start your day, the things that you do before anyone is watching, and the small choices that you make when no one is keeping the score. These are not separate from your leadership, they are leadership. Welcome back to Healthy Mind, Healthy Life. I'm your host, Cyan, and I'm genuinely glad that you have chosen to spend this time with us today. My guest is Matt Chax, CEO of Neptune NT, a veteran-owned and operated security company and a former Royal Australian Navy officer with over 15 years of military experience. He brings a people-first leadership philosophy that's forged in some of the most demanding environments that's imaginable. And today he's here to talk about that direct link between daily habits and the quality of leadership that we are able to offer. So, this is a conversation for anyone who is in a leadership role, formal or informal, or wants to show up better and not just work harder. So, Matt, it's an honor to have you here with me today and excited to have this conversation.

SPEAKER_00 1:14

Thank you for having me. I'm uh super keen to get into it. Likewise, and just a little disclaimer for all the folks listening to this today.

SPEAKER_01 1:22

Hey dear listeners, before we begin, a quick note from Heldiman Payavik. This episode is created for educational and informational purposes only. The views shared by our guests are their own and may not reflect those of the host or network. Nothing in this conversation should be taken as medical, legal, financial, or professional advice. Please consult a qualified professional before making important decisions. We encourage you to listen with curiosity, think independently, and use this content as a starting point for reflection, not a substitute for professional guidance. Now, settle in and enjoy the conversation.

SPEAKER_02 2:00

So, Barry, I want to start with a very interesting question.

The 21-Day Rule And Micro Habits

SPEAKER_02 2:07

How frequently when you do something, that becomes a habit? And I think we have all heard about this 21-day rule, which says that you know if you keep doing something for 21 days, it becomes a habit. So how true of a thing you think it is, and if you you know have any other views that you would like to put forth or a misconception that people usually carry around it?

SPEAKER_00 2:33

Yeah, thanks. Uh look, I think one of the greatest books ever written was Atomic Habits. You know, I've I've read that a couple of times, or you know, I'm not much of a reader, I'm more of a uh listener, so I definitely listen to it a few times. I would say the 21-day rule is is is pretty accurate. However, I think it's just what once you set your mind to that task and and you want to you want to create that habit, you've just got to follow through. That you know, it's having that mindset that when you get into it, and you know, if you're if you're saying, right, you I want to go to the gym tomorrow, right? It's just it's laying your gym gear out the night before. It's it's doing all the little micro habits that'll ultimately lead to the outcome that you'll be trying to get to. Even if the next morning you don't get up and go to the gym, but your your intent was still there and you set your alarm and then you know you put your shoes on and you and you get to the kitchen sink and you have a coffee, at least you're up at the time that you're intended to go to the gym. You know, the the next day you might you might do the same same exact habits, but this time you get into your car and you drive to the gym. You might not go inside. Day three, you might actually get to a point where you're actually inside the gym, have absolutely no idea what you're lifting or no idea if you're you know what sort of program you're going to do, but at least you made it. So it's it's the little micro habits that ultimately lead to the outcome.

SPEAKER_02 3:54

Yeah, I think that's very well framed. So, Marie, I also, you know, curious to ask you this because I read about it somewhere, not that I remember exactly where I think it was also uh not a book. I think it was written in some published article, but not that I remember. But I'll paraphrase that a little bit. It said that, you know, doing okay, so let me ask you, Maddie, uh, what is the first thing that you do every day in the morning that sets you up for the second task? What would you like to see?

SPEAKER_00 4:26

But my my I I guess I my alarm goes off. The very first thing I I do is is I hit that end because it's the most annoying sound in the world. I then proceed to the shower, man. I have a quick five, 10-minute shower, get in my gym gear. Today's this morning was was different. So it's it's 0500 here in Darwin, which is more normally the time that I'm going to the gym. So I would walk out of the kitchen, make my shaker, put all my supplements in, get in the car, drive to the gym. I'd do an hour on the treadmill, which is just walking up my steps in. And then I've got a coach. I'm I'm a big believer that you should have a coach in every aspect of your life, whether you're in business, whether you're in leadership, whether you're

Matt’s Morning Routine And Coaching

SPEAKER_00 5:05

trying to get fit, like go and get somebody that is an expert in their field in that specific thing that you're trying to get better at. So, yeah, so that that's sort of my routine. I I'll then lift weights for an hour, and then so that takes me through about 7:30. I'm back home, shower, coffee, and then I'm going to work. I have a 15-minute window where I set myself up for success for the day. I write down the things that I need to do, and then we roll into an 8.05 meeting at Neptune where we have a little team huddle, we talk about our values, we talk about our mindsets, and then we crack on for the day.

SPEAKER_02 5:40

Lovely. That's that's perfect. It sounds like uh, you know, productivity boosted routine. I mean, uh, that's I mean, a lot of it based on um, you know, uh having that perfect start as well. And and so what I really read, Matt, and I want to share it with everyone who's listening to this as well. The first thing that the author wrote was, you know, he said that making your bed every day when you wake up, you know, that is something that and it's easy, right? I mean, you could do it, and that is what that sets you up for the next task. And uh so Mary, I do want to ask you this. Uh people who maybe start with something in hope that it would become a habit, but it's out of motivation, right? But somewhere that lacks. So I want to ask you this you know, what is the difference between something starting off from motivation versus you know something that eventually builds up to become a habit, you know, from and and we and since we're talking about you know atomic habits, what would you really like to share and put put forth?

SPEAKER_00 6:44

I think for it to become a habit, you need a lot of discipline as well. Right? So motivation is is uh something that we feel in the moment. Discipline is obviously something that is repetitive, it's it's something that you can create. And you know, you've the thing with discipline is you've got to be able to do it even when you're you're not feeling motivated. So that's that speech that you were hearing about making your bed every single day was by a US Marine. One of the greatest speeches of all one of the greatest speeches of all time. I can't think of his name off the top of my head right now, but essentially he talks about you know making your bed is is the first win of the day, which is you know, it's the same in the military. Obviously, I did fish you know 20 I did 20 years in the military, and it's the same thing there when you go through recruit school, it's the very first thing that you do is you make your bed. The day, you know, there's a certain standard you've got to make it to, you know, it can't it can't actually take sort of 15 to 20 minutes to make your bed in the military, which is which is pretty crazy when you know they they get you to with the way they want you to do it. But in order for a I guess for for me for a habit to become you know ritual, it it comes into discipline. And you've got to have that ability to just do something when you ultimately don't want to do it.

SPEAKER_02 8:02

Yeah, I mean, I could only imagine, Matthew, because you come from a military environment. And that naturally, I mean, something like that demands a high level

Motivation Fades Discipline Stays

SPEAKER_02 8:10

of discipline and routine that most certain workplaces don't, right? So I must put that forth. And I imagine that transition from a world with that kind of structure uh that's built to building your own structure from scratch did teach you something important about why habits work and what happens when these you know the scaffolding disappears. So curious to ask you, what did that shift really teach you about how humans actually need routine and what falls apart when the routine goes?

SPEAKER_00 8:42

I I can sort of talk about this from a some a personal standpoint. So from 21 to 23, I was in a workplace in the military that was functioning really well, it was a great vibe, the culture was phenomenal. That was, you know, that was led by a really good leader. 24 we had a change out of leadership, and the workplace sort of shifted and it became really toxic for uh for a lack of a better word. And that affected a lot of people in that that workplace, but it also affected myself massively. I put on nearly 40 kilos, I stopped training, I stopped, you know, having a healthy mind. I sort of just went I went sideways really badly to the point where I you know in mid-24 I I broke down, I was burnt out, I you know, mentally collapsed. I in March of 24 I'd lost my gallbladder from stress. And then later in in 24, I lost my I had pancreat pancreatitis, and then I had my appendix burst also. So this was all just from unhealthy thoughts, unhealthy habits, and and without a really good structure in place, to tie it back to that, these things can sort of creep up on you. And you know, the the culture, I think, without if you've got a leader that doesn't have structure and it is chaos, that that's the sort of shift that can put towards your team and your people. If you're you know coming in one day, you know, you're it's rainbows and unicorns, and you come in the next day and it's you know Voldemort's turned up and you know is waving the magic wand around and destroying the workplace, and you're doing that, you know, within within the con cons confines of a week, that can have a massive effect on your people. So when you put a structure in place and you've got you know the the the processes and the procedures and the habits all in that, you know, all singing on the same song sheet, your people are gonna know exactly what they're doing, how you are, how your mood is, and they're gonna be able to function in a really safe environment, which is again coming back to the full story with me putting on weight and all that sort of stuff. So the the full mindset shift for me was that what I realized was that when you link it back, if you're not taking care of yourself, you cannot take care of somebody else. That that that it that was the fundamental mind shift for me, right? So in 25, I started to put myself first. I used to be a massive people pleaser, I used to put everyone else first, and and then what would end up happening is by

When Structure Breaks Burnout Hits

SPEAKER_00 11:30

the end of the day of putting everyone else first, I had nothing left to give to me. And then that process kept spiraling in 24, and it got to the point where I was just I was burnt out, I was done. So once I got to 25 and decided to reclaim my life, you know, it was February of 25. I went for my first run, you know, in nearly two years after a whole bunch of injuries. I you know, my first K was at like nine and a half minutes. It was slow, you know. I'm about to take on my first half marathon in in May this year. So, you know, that's sort of the the the journey I've been on. I've lost 40 kilos and I feel better than I ever have. I turn up for my people better than I ever have. And being able to have the the mindset now that you know and and people say that it might be selfish that you put yourself first, but honestly, I think if you don't put yourself first and you keep putting everyone else first, you'll end up you'll end up killing yourself. And that's the truth.

SPEAKER_02 12:34

Yeah, I think that is something that unfortunately all of us do come to realize, but most of us maybe never early, you know, and uh that has already costed us some of our lives, uh I would say. So for the listeners who are listening to this right now, regardless of what phase or stage of their life that they're in, and uh maybe we'll uh get to talk more about you know this act of putting yourself first. And you know, one analogy that really comes to mind is uh the same as I mean you and you and this is a common one, quite common one, uh when you board a plane, you see, you know, the aerosters instructing you to put on your mask first, right? Uh before helping others. So that's something that uh you know came up to my mind and I thought that that is relevant for this discussion. But I think it it's uh it's the same game for you know anything that you do in life as well, Maddie. And I'm so glad that you brought uh this part of the conversation up. So uh a little bit towards what you have built, uh, which is Neptune NT around a people first approach. I think that philosophy has to start somewhere before it really becomes uh you know an organization or organizational-wide value. So I only imagine what was it? I mean, it it I think it really you know began in how the leader uh like you, you you know, I mean, saw yourself treat their own well-being, uh, which I think makes a lot more sense right now. So may I ask, what are the daily habits that you believe every leader, regardless of their industry or their scale, needs to protect if they want to genuinely lead people rather than just manage them?

SPEAKER_00 14:20

Again, I think for me, starting the day off correctly and it's gotta be moving your body. Now, you don't have to be a gym junkie like you know, say a Dan Martell or you know, even myself or a homosex but you've got to be able to move your body, get out, you know, do some steps, go for a walk, whatever it is, just have 30 minutes to you. If if that's all you can do, just get 30 minutes to you where you can, even if you walk to your local coffee shop, like just start with that. So you've got to be able to do something physical first for you. Then the next the next biggest thing I can say, and it was a shift that you know, after reading Dan Dan's book, Buy Back Your Time, which you know, if any of your listeners haven't read it, I'd highly recommend it. Is where you know you write down the things that you need to do for you for that day, right? He talks about emails being you know other people's to-do list for you. I actually fundamentally believe that. And what it was one of the biggest shifts I had with even towards the back end of my military career was I stopped responding to emails and started focusing on my team and my people. Because at the end of the day, that's what's that's what's important, not some somebody else's email to me asking me for a report. Like at the end of the day, my people are the most important thing. Then from there throughout the day, figure out your energy state. So one of the biggest things I do is Mondays for for us at Neptune is just our meeting day. That's all we do, that's all we have on that day, which then gives me Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday to get in and do actual deep work blocks. Um so I can realistically work on the business. And then I've got Friday, which is essentially a spare day, where I either can get out and see the teams on sites, or I can get out and spend some time with my you know field managers or anything like that and help help people out and get around the people. So yeah, we sort of set the week up on Monday with all our meetings, and then we you know flow into workstate for Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and then we're off off to the races on on Friday. And I I guess the other big thing is that throughout throughout the year, I like to schedule four or four or five holidays, like genuine specific holidays to get away, reset. If you're a business owner listening to this, or you know, you're in a in a high leadership role, if you just continuously go 350 days a year without resetting, you're gonna get to a point where you're so deep in it that you've kind of

Habits For People-First Leadership

SPEAKER_00 16:55

you can't you can't think. You can't think through solutions or through problems that when you are refreshed and away from the company that you can normally solve those problems. So schedule four four to five holidays a year and get away from the business or get away from your workplace.

SPEAKER_02 17:12

So very, very well indeed. And I think you could, you know, you could scale up that advice like you did, and you could also zoom in that advice and look at uh the microhabits, which maybe I could say you know, take out some minutes out anyway, like you said earlier, right? 30 minutes when you go physical. And I think uh those are the moments when uh you could have these micro moments really with your own self and you think about the most random thing. I mean, just make your mind work, you know, just just the change in relative. You know, you're going out, you're going on walk on a rainy day, and you know, ask something silly, maybe uh like you know, why why does you know I mean though there's a scientific reason I was gonna say, you know, why does Petrico smell the way it does? I mean, just try to distract your mind, you know. I mean, uh anything perhaps when where you could have maybe introspective conversation with your own self. I think those are the moments really when you know your mind is really active and at its peak, and the moments that I personally call the micro moments, wherein you literally have the ability to reset your mind within uh those two, three minutes, maybe between two meetings back to back, or you know, you're just in the pantry, maybe, I mean in the cafe, wherever that is, right? So I think, and again, if you scale that idea up to anyone ear long, I think again, that very idea of taking four or five holidays, I I I think more than that should be the case, does make a very important point in how you know habits form up and how I mean we operate, right, from a from a person, an individual standpoint. So I think uh Maddie, those were really some practical tips and advices from someone from the military background. And I think those are the ones that also resonated with me. So I I want to thank you for you know sharing this part of the grounded conversation. So one last thing, Maddie, that I would like to ask you is so this is for the listeners who are listening to this right now and are in a leadership role and um you know has been quietly running on a funks. Who knows that something needs to change maybe? But outside of what you've shared, you know, building those microhabits, maybe starting in the day wherein you start off with a physical activity or you know, these kind of advices wherein that is shared towards the end, wherein you need to take some time out uh from your work to reset, right? So what would you like to say maybe in a sentence to the listeners, specifically the leaders, people in the leadership role right now, listening to this right now, who maybe feel a little guilty even taking that time to think about their own well-being because there are people depending on them. And so, what would you want them to hear from you today?

SPEAKER_00 20:03

You know, as as I sort of said, people sort of see my approach as a little bit selfish. However, it's it's a mindset reshift. Now, the way I look at it, and and since I've sort of started looking at this way, is that if you're not in the perfect mindset for you, or you're not in the right place for yourself, you can't then go and lead your team. They can't rely on you because you you know you might be turning up one day, again, rainbows and unicorns, and then you know the next day it might be doom and gloom. So if you're up and down like a roller coaster, your team's up and down like a roller coaster, also, right? And then it gets to a point where they're working walking on eggshells because they don't know what sort of day that you're having. And you know, if it if it is just a 30-minute walk or you know, you need to go and get it away, you've got to take that opportunity to go and reset and you know, focus on you for that small period of time. And again, 30 minutes out of being tired day isn't that big of a isn't that that much. If that's just all you can do, take that opportunity to look after yourself. Because at the end of the day, you will turn up and you will be better for your people if you can do that. If you keep grinding through, I can guarantee you you'll end up just breaking and snapping, and you'll end up you you can probably tell right now if you've got people leaving your organization every you know couple of months, it's a reflection on you. So you've got to figure out that and and why they are currently leaving your organization.

SPEAKER_02 21:38

Yeah, another piece of you know,

Leading Without Guilt And Closing

SPEAKER_02 21:40

uh reality check, I should say, Maddie. So thank you so much for sharing that as well. And uh folks, what Maddie really reminds us today is that your daily habits are you know those atomic entities that shape your leadership. You know, it's the foundation that it stands on because these are the habits that ultimately, you know, feeds to that leadership mindset ultimately, and and taking care of yourself when you think about it like that, it's not really a luxury that leadership requires you to postpone. I think it is the work that makes the all of the work possible, even possible. So that is what I would like you to actually sit with today and wherever you are listening to this right now. So uh before we wrap this off, Matty, would quickly love to ask you for people who are listening to this right now, and if they resonated with this part of the conversation or the whole of it, where can they find you and connect with your work at Neptune NT?

SPEAKER_00 22:38

Look, yeah, obviously we've got our website, Neptune NT.com. The other the other place that you can get me is on Instagram. I'm I'm sort of massive on there, so it's just jake c88 Instagram. So here's my handle. That's probably where I'll be able to get back to you most of the time. So and I post you know daily leadership lessons on on there. So that's uh pretty much what my my page is all about. And one of my other businesses is called Frontline Horizon. So that's www.frontlinehorizon.com, and that's sort of where you'll be able to buy my upcoming book, uh Dictator.

SPEAKER_02 23:11

So perfect. I'll include the details in the show notes, folks, so that you could easily reach out to Matty. And with that, folks, we hit today's minute mark on this episode. So uh Matt, thank you so much. I I think I really appreciate you know your views coming from a very practical background. And I think you know, these are the kind of advices that no matter which field you go, uh they they really go a long way along and help shape you and you know your your core identities as well, eventually with time. So, folks, to everyone who's listening to this right now, thanks for being here. I think if you are in a leadership role of any kind, I hope that this conversation did give you that permission to maybe rethink or reapproach your own well-being that you might have been neglecting for a while. But I think it is something that belongs on your priority list and should after listening to this conversation. So, this has been Cyan on Healthy Mind, Healthy Life, and we'll see you in the next one.