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Foreigner In Charge

“Padraig is an excellent storyteller whose anecdotes bring practical meatiness to the bones of theory creating a text of substance and value. I commend him for his passion to focus on the often overlooked expatriate executive experience and recommend those who find themselves on the cusp of a business move to Australia to seek out Padraig and use well this book.”
Marshall Goldsmith
Author of ‘What got you here won’t get you there’

Recognised as the #1 leadership thinker in the world and the #7 business thinker in the world at the bi-annual Thinkers 50 ceremony sponsored by the Harvard Business Review.

Australia is regarded in the top three destinations for expat leaders to come to on international assignments. Yet despite the beautiful weather, modern food, laid back lifestyle and relative sophistication many leaders find the transitions they and their families encounter are difficult. The failure rates remain high for expat leaders and the adventure the family set out to achieve is often anything but.

Having supported hundreds of expat leaders transition successfully into their role in Australia and often into Asia, Padraig O’Sullivan has written what some call “the expat bible for a foreigner in charge”. Using a range of anecdotes, stories and examples he lays out the PALDER framework to guide the new leader over a twelve month time frame in transitioning and leading successfully .

Practical advice is served up via ‘what to do’ and ‘what not to do’ stories supported with action lists and guidelines. Interesting insights to Australian culture, sporting heritage and the way business gets done enables a new arrival to quickly accelerate their understanding of the country.

Suggestions for the trailing spouse on how best to navigate their transition means this book looks wholistically at the expat family. Most importantly this book is based on years of experience in the field. So you know it works.

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    Testimonials for Foreigner In Charge

    “As the new Managing Director of the Australian affiliate of a Global Company coming from overseas, Padraig’s coaching speeded up by several months the induction into my new job and the onset of my added value to my business and organization”
    James Priour
    Managing Director, Amgen Australia
    “Thorough, pragmatic and compelling – this book is the perfect companion and guide for any executive transitioning into Australia”.
    Dr Jason Fox
    Motivation Scientist and author of The Game Changer
    “What separates Padraig from others is his ability to truly and quickly get to the essence of people and situations regardless of the complexity and coach people to focus on the things that will really make the biggest difference for their leadership and their organisation. This is especially valuable in times of increasing complexity and globalisation where businesses require more from leaders than ever before.”
    Jill Tapping
    Human Resources, Eli Lilly
    “There has been much written about the failure rates of expats across the world. With this book we now have a well-developed guide on how to actually succeed as an expat business leader.“
    Dr. Gordon Spence
    Director of Masters Business Coaching program, Sydney Business School
    “A must read for any expat appointed to a leadership position in Australia. This book’s engaging case studies and analogies, backed by prove and practical frameworks also form a valuable resource for any newly appointed CEO.“
    Stephen Shepherd
    Founding Partner, Altus Q