Speaking at the 2023 VU Student Leadership Conference, Aaron Fitzgerald – Victoria University (VU) alumnus and Grill’d International CEO – encouraged students to “take opportunities when they arise and work at them as hard as you can.”
“It’s an honour to be invited back to speak as a Victoria University alumnus. I remember sitting in your seats and hearing from guest speakers. It was like they had this really clear pathway which made them successful. And a lot of it felt out of reach. So I want to be practical and hopefully clear about how you can progress your leadership journey.”
Aaron’s first job was working at a butcher’s shop when he was 13. “I cleaned dishes and worked with customers, and dealt with people who were much older than me. It taught me humility and a work ethic.”
During his studies at VU, Aaron worked part-time at a Village Cinema candy bar making popcorn. At the same time, he completed a work placement at the Village Cinemas support office, which led to a management program, post graduation.
Now CEO of an international company with more than 160 restaurants, Aaron sees customer service and empathy as key ingredients to the growth of Grill’d.
“As CEO I spent 12 weeks training in restaurant. Every member of the team starts out at the chip station, learns to make every burger by hand, and interacts with customers. It means we can empathise with our teams.”
He believes that “as a human-centred leader you must have discipline to drive cultures, values and behaviours as the way to drive performance as an organisation.”
So what is human-centred leadership? To Aaron, it’s “a decision and a conscious discipline that drives sustainable growth and performance of individuals, teams, organisations and communities.”
Aaron shares four practical ways for students to set themselves up as centred leaders in the years ahead.