Jason Fox - How to Lead a Quest

First published in 2016 by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd
42 McDougall St, Milton Qld 4064
Office also in Melbourne

Dr Jason Fox 2016

The moral rights of the author have been asserted

National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication data:

All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the Australian Copyright Act 1968 (for example, a fair dealing for the purposes of study, research, criticism or review), no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, communicated or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission. All inquiries should be made to the publisher at the address above.

Cover design and illustrations, and internal illustrations by Kim Lam

Author photo by Vuokko Salo

Disclaimer

The material in this publication is of the nature of general comment only, and does not represent professional advice. It is not intended to provide specific guidance for particular circumstances and it should not be relied on as the basis for any decision to take action or not take action on any matter which it covers. Readers should obtain professional advice where appropriate, before making any such decision. To the maximum extent permitted by law, the author and publisher disclaim all responsibility and liability to any person, arising directly or indirectly from any person taking or not taking action based on the information in this publication.

Dr Jason Fox is a motivation design specialist who shows forward-thinking leaders around the world how to unlock new progress and build for the future of work.

His clients include Fortune 500 companies such as Microsoft, PepsiCo, McDonalds and Beam Suntory, and other multinationals such as Toyota, Sony Playstation, Gartner, Telstra, Macquarie Group, Commonwealth Bank, Red Cross, Suncorp Group, Singtel Optus, Origin Energy, AMP, Xero, Bellroy and the International Institute of Research (along with a bunch of universities and other research institutions).

Some of Jason's best work has seen him partner with senior leadership teams to navigate through unprecedented and wickedly complex enterprise challenges. Such adventures typically span beyond a year, and involve deep strategic immersions and a refreshed approach to leadership development and culture change.

In addition to his work as an adviser and mentor, Jason is an in-demand conference speaker (frequently booked over a year in advance) who works particularly well with sceptical audiences who have seen it all before'. Jason delivers fresh and relevant thinking to instil new curiosity for meaningful progress and future growth.

And when he's not speaking at events, he's creating them. Jason is the director of The Cleverness conference, Clever Happenings think tanks, a director of The Future of Leadership, and an ambassador for the idea execution conference 99U.

Jason is also the best-selling author of The Game Changer a book that unpacks the science of motivation and game design to drive progress and change at work.

When not liberating the world from default thinking and the curse of efficiency, Jason enjoys partaking in the fine art of coffee snobbery, sun avoidance and beard maintenance.

Learn more at www.drjasonfox.com

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PS: About the Illustrator | Dr Kim Lam is the much more delightful counterpart to Dr Jason Fox. Kim loves drawing. Drawing stories, drawing diagnoses, drawing in rock-paper-scissors, but most of all drawing illustrations. At the quarter-life mark, Kim decided to swap her veterinarian-day-job and moonlighting-illustrator combination. She now operates with a pen, running projects as Dangerlam, and saves little furry lives as a rather specialised side-hobby. She loves the thrill of chasing complex ideas and capturing them in simple and compelling ways through illustration and animation.

You can see more of her work at www.dangerlam.com

Here are a heap of hat tips, hugs and endearingly misplaced/mistimed high-fives to the many fine folk who made this book possible. Without their support, I couldn't have written this book for you.

Firstly, I'm grateful for all of the authors and thought leaders that have gone before me. Writing a book requires a degree of dedication that borders upon ridiculousness. But by venturing through doubt, uncertainty and paradox, these past adventurers have captured the knowledge we build upon today. They're the pioneers, and I doff my hat to them.

I'm also grateful for the folks at Wiley. Thank you Kristen for seeing the merit in this book right away, and for your trust in me. Thanks also to Ingrid for your support at every stage, and to Chris and Alice for pulling it all together at the end. Without your support, I'm not sure this book could have ever been published I'd still be writing and exploring.

Big hugs to Charlotte, my supercool editor. I was worried that all of the jolly quirks in my writing would be ironed out into something bland but quite the opposite happened. Thanks to the thorough, clever and effective editing of Charlotte, this book actually makes a bit of sense and has become even more of a delight to read. Huge thanks also to Jack and Mel for your editing support.

There have been a few mates that have been quite influential in my own thinking. Sweeping feathered hat tips (in no particular order) to Matt Church, Peter Cook, Darren and Alison Hill, Jennifer and Dougal Jackson, Amantha Imber, Sean Fabri, Will Dayble, Dan Gregory, Kieran Flanagan plus a bunch of folk who I will no doubt regret having forgotten to mention here. They're all thought leaders and champions in their own right.

I'm lucky to work with some pretty ace clients. Thanks especially to the University of Melbourne's Centre for Workplace Leadership. Peter, Sarah and the gang you guys are legendary, and your support has contributed much richness to this book. Love you guys.

Cheers also to the folks who manage and contribute to 99u.com (a world of insight in making ideas happen). You're part of my daily feed.

I need to thank my friends and family they have all been incredibly patient and kind to me as I write this book. I've been that guy who ghosts on weddings and birthdays, and who brings book writing to dinner. Thanks for still liking me and wanting to hang out.

Thanks to all the folks at Industry Beans, Everyday Cafe, Hammer & Tong and all of the good cafes in Melbourne. You provided the magic to fuel my writing. Thanks also to my catpanion ' who reminds me to be present (by sitting on my laptop).

I'm so grateful for everyone who purchased my first book The Game Changer and made it a best-seller. It gave me the confidence to write the slightly more daring book you hold in your hands right now. I'm also especially grateful those who left a kind review online this feedback kept me buoyed when the doubt got heavy. Thanks also to all the savvy folk who subscribe to my museletter, and who attend our events. I love you all.

But yes, I've been building up to the two most special people I am most grateful for.