In Dynamic Duos, Mumbrella each week asks two members of the same organisation with a professional and personal affiliation to share with readers the importance of workplace relationships in an increasingly hybridised world of work.
Chris Crook:
I met Pete about a year after I started Nature and, despite my best efforts to get to know him and his skill set before he joined, it probably took another year for me to come to appreciate what he brought to the table. More important than the fact he’s a qualified actuary, Pete has the one-in-a-million trait of being numerically gifted yet at the same time, a great communicator, amazing with clients, and an all-round nice guy.
Never in 25 years have I seen someone more naturally gifted at turning complexity into simplicity and at creating clarity for audiences who care more about “so what” and “now what” than they do about micro detail. In a world full of data scientists who are comfortable only in the back room, Pete moves seamlessly between the dancefloor that is the client meeting and the cave that is where his numerical magic happens. His innate ability to translate style and content for audience is unique.
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Pete is essentially my foundation partner. Our skills are entirely complimentary. While we come at most problems and challenges from different angles, we always find a way to meet in the middle. We’ve never held back from disagreeing or thrashing it out. It’s all part of our commitment to the solution of the problem at hand, the betterment of our client’s situation, and living out what out one of the things our brand Nature stands for: passion. So, I’d say our relationship is built on a lot of mutual respect of what we each bring to the table; the stuff we each bring that the other can’t do, the stuff we both agree and disagree on, and the magic that happens when we work together.
He really is quite a gifted human being. Leader of the school band. First 11 cricket player. First 18 footy player. Not to mention his ability to operate at the intersection of science and creativity in his professional life, which genuinely produces massive dividends for all clients he works with.
Our people benefit enormously from having Pete around – he’s regularly sprinkling gold dust and knowledge around the place; and Nature simply wouldn’t be the same without him.
Most memorable moment with Peter:
Pete and I were lucky enough to travel together to Madrid for a three day conference just before the pandemic hit. Sporting Movember moustaches, we maxed out on learning, tapas, and setting our future strategy in an action-packed trip with quite a few laughs.
Describe Peter in one word: GOAT
Peter’s most annoying habit or endearing behaviour: He’s even more verbose than I am.
Peter Stuchbery:
I met Chris when my career was at a crossroads. I’d worked in finance, research, and analytics, and I just wasn’t sure what was next. After just a few stealthy early morning conversations, Chris was able to cut through the complexity of my crazy mind and helped me envisage what I really desired.
What I experienced with Chris during those first few meetings is analogous to what I’ve experienced throughout our now 15-year-old partnership.
The feeling in the room changes when Chris is around. He brings an energy that facilitates action, and cuts through any impediments to decision making. This has led to Nature’s ability to evolve and adapt to the ever-changing market. It has meant that key periods of growth in our business have coincided with market instability; principally the GFC and COVID.
When Chris makes a decision, things happen quickly. I remember the time we decided that we wanted a pool table for the office. I went to Alcocks on a Saturday, found one that worked and gave him a call. His response: “Great; what do we need to do to get it in the office on Monday? Has to be Monday; get it sorted so we can move on”. Negotiations happened, and low and behold, during our company WIP on Monday, a pool table arrived and was installed.
Chris’ ability to find powerful perspectives in situations where others get stuck is his super-power. It is what makes him the most impressive leader I’ve ever worked with and has underpinned every success that Nature has had over the years. From the commercial successes that the market sees, to the more important, people-based successes, that Nature as a B Corp ultimately values most.
Our partnership has endured and thrived for two key reasons. We have a strong mutual respect, and we each provide a complimentary approach to problem solving. This means that we can have robust debates on topics, and often disagree, but ultimately, our united position is always stronger than our individual positions.
Most memorable moment with Chris:
Early on in our partnership we were in a taxi on our way to a client meeting and I was nervous. The last time I’d met this particular client was in my previous role in a product-centric agency, and it hadn’t gone well.
Chris could tell I was nervous so explained his perspective on true client-centricity. This was a penny-drop moment for me: all we have is ourselves, how we listen then think and how we mould/adapt to the situation or context. Not to be shackled by product process or a fixed mindset.
This conversation continues to echo in my mind and influences how I approach everything we do as a business.
Describe Chris in one word: Proactive
Chris’ most annoying habit or endearing behaviour: Being annoyingly right most of the time.
Peter Stuchbery (left) and Chris Crook (right)
If you and a colleague would like to submit your story to Dynamic duos, please email kwelch@mumbrella.com.au.