#18 From Unilever to lead roles in London’s musicals
In this episode I talk to Grant Aylward who, after a successful sales career in the consumer goods industry, decided to become an actor in London’s West End. It’s been a long journey and he made it all the way to getting lead roles in major musicals such as Mama Mia.
Grant also used his experience as an actor to help business people communicate more effectively. This led him to found High Impact, a leadership and communication consultancy. He then gave up his acting career to dedicate all his attention to the business. I really enjoyed my conversation with Grant and I hope you do too!
Show notes
[00:01:45] What Grant does: CEO of High Impact a leadership development consultancy
[00:03:33] High Impact is about helping leaders peel off layers to get to emotional connections
[00:06:14] Like in acting, what matters in any interaction is the emotional connection that it creates
[00:07:26] The actor's journey: getting as close to the truth of your character by getting under his skin
[00:09:06] The importance of the spiritual dimension in leadership: leaders need to know why they are doing what they're doing.
[00:09:45] His mission: enable leaders to be all that they are, all that they have been and all that they can be
[00:11:09] Your emotional state as a leader determines your impact in your interactions - how can you shift it?
[00:12:16] Many leaders believe managing employees' emotional states is none of their business. They are wrong.
[00:13:42] His experience of becoming aware of his need to shift his emotional state
[00:17:52] The adventure that helped him shift his emotional state from grumpiness to clarity and determination
[00:23:43] The moment he deeply connected to what was important to him and had a dream vision of acting in London's West End
[00:25:35] Aligning with his wife before making his career jump
[00:26:45] Signs of the universe? His first child was born the day he graduated from Guildford Drama School - after struggling to conceive
[00:27:47] His actor's journey to reaching his dream of playing in London's West End, singing "tell me it's not true"!
[00:29:16] Being determined to achieve your dream is just the starting point - accepting help along the way is also necessary
[00:30:43] It's when he let go of trying to be a star that success emerged
[00:31:14] Proving his father he could be creative was a driver in his journey
[00:31:33] His actor's journey destroyed many beliefs: the sense of one's own importance
[00:32:07] Auditions are a powerful opportunity to learn to deal with rejection
[00:34:12] Hitting a crossroads in his acting career when he was offered the lead role in Mama Mia's world tour
[00:35:11] How he got fired by his agent
[00:36:25] How he decided to focus on the world of business using his hybrid experience
[00:38:57] The exploration to understand what Charisma is made of and how to develop it through human qualities
[00:40:43] His biggest lesson from his journey: standing up to something that you believe in
[00:41:16] What's been most rewarding? Seeing others become their powerful selves
[00:42:04] He grew the most when his 10-year old daughter allowed him to be himself with his new wife's children
[00:43:41] Among the people who've inspired him most is Renault's chairman Jean-Dominique Sénard
[00:46:14] Practical ways to shift your emotional state to create emotional connections
[00:47:56] What may appear as him plugging his business in the conversation was actually plugging himself and what matters to him!