John Teager AM
John is an optimist, committed to achieving the most out of life and to helping others to do the same, no matter how challenging the circumstances. He thinks and talks in terms of possibilities and opportunities, using perceived challenges and problems as the catalysts for positive change by building on a person’s strengths and nurturing their open mind. John has consistently adopted a coaching and mentoring leadership style throughout his long and varied career.
“I have over many years derived significant pleasure and satisfaction from helping people of all ages, backgrounds and personal circumstances create their own successful futures. I now run my own consultancy business, ‘Open Mind Thinking’, helping individuals and teams to go to the next level.”
John served for 21 years in the RAF as operational aircrew on bombers and fighters before emigrating to Australia and serving a further 12 years in the RAAF. He has served in the UK, the US, Canada, Germany, Scandinavia, the Falkland Islands, Cyprus, the Middle East and Australia.
“I am a proud veteran of the first and second Gulf Wars and have active service with both the RAF and the RAAF. A large proportion of my military career has been spent in tri-service environments, either leading joint units or working in a joint service context. I retired from the ADF in 2009 after completing five years as a Force Element Group Commander and joined the South Australian Government to help grow Defence and defence industry in South Australia. Subsequently, I transitioned to defence industry and for more than five years managed the Australian subsidiary of a Swiss defence technology group in Melbourne. I returned home to Adelaide in late 2018 and started ‘Open Mind Thinking’ shortly thereafter.”
John is a qualified company director and business specialist working principally with Australian SMEs and sole traders. As a professionally trained ‘Solutions Focus’ practitioner, he helps people to create their own future, to see things differently and to converse in ‘solution talk’, rather than ‘problem talk’. He is fully engaged in the Australian and global ‘Solutions Focus’ communities and is a joint coordinato of the Australian Chapter of the international ‘Solutions Focus in Organisations’ enterprise. As a veteran with ‘lived experience’, John is always looking for opportunities to assist those who at some stage of their life have served their country and who now, for whatever reason and under whatever circumstances, are looking to go to the next step of their own personal journey. They deserve support and I value the opportunity to help.
John holds a formal role within, or is active in supporting, a number of ‘not for profit’ and charitable organisations, including the Starlight Children’s Foundation, the Breakthrough Foundation, RSB OpK9 Assistance Dogs Program, the Sammy D Foundation, St John’s Ambulance and Masonic Charities.
John is happily married to Cathy and they have two grown-up children.
MBA, MRAeS, GAICD
Read more about John here:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-teager-facilitator-coach-solutions-focus-business-growth/
