What does it take to lead one of Australia’s largest companies – and still perform at your peak?
In this episode, Andrew May sits down with Matt Comyn, CEO of Commonwealth Bank, for an honest and practical conversation on leadership, resilience, and performance. From wearable tech to shifting emotional states, Matt shares the real tools and techniques he uses to stay fit — mentally, emotionally, and physically.
In this podcast, Andrew and Matt discuss:
4:00 What 'Little Matt' was like growing up, his biggest inspiration is his mum, and reflecting on the journey so far.
10:30 The importance of shifting from a deficit to a skills model, not being top of the food chain at home, and the early days of Matts career.
16:40 The 5 wearable tech metrics Andrew asks all of his executive clients to measure and track, why sleep is so important to Matt, and finding the metrics and tools that work for you.
22:20 How Matt has learned to shift state and attention, avoiding taking bad news from one meeting to another, and relying on (realistic) positive thinking to help through the challenging/negative times.
29:30 Matt’s weekly fitness routine, what he has learned from 6 years of running Commbank, and loving the opportunity to meet interesting people along the way.
34:15 The hardest times of Matt’s tenure as CEO, enjoying getting stuck into problems when they arise, and the reality that corporate life is fragile and things can change very quickly.
43:30 Lessons learnt from the banking Royal Commission and how Matt and his team navigated this.
45:42 Balancing the 'See Saw of Ambivalence' and finding the balance between not being satisfied and gratitude.
46:45 Matt’s pride in seeing how much Can4Cancer has grown, his role in starting/supporting this event, and celebrating the 10 year anniversary in 2024.
52:00 What drives Matt’s curiosity and what he has learned from Manly Sea Eagles head coach, Anthony Seibold.
56:30 Boxer Tim Tszyu is one of the most dedicated people Matt has met, and being impressed by his obsession towards working hard.
58:00 Where Matt sees the banking industry and his own personal life heading in 10 to 15 years.
You can find Matt at his
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattcomyn/
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What is Performance Intelligence?
There's IQ. There's EQ. Introducing PQ. All things human performance with PQ founder, Andrew May, exploring the latest in human performance with an all-star cast of subject matter experts covering physical and psychological wellbeing, performance psychology, sport, business, entertainment, the performing arts, leadership, and science.
Learn valuable lessons that can be applied to optimising performance in your personal and professional life. Performance Intelligence applies to the way we turn up in relationships and the way we turn up at work, it applies to the way we perform in front of 10,000 people and the way we perform in front of one.