Meet
Hayden Fricke
Insights from a lifetime of seeking high performance
From professional sports to the boardrooms of Australia’s biggest companies, as a qualified organisational psychologist Hayden Fricke has been studying the secrets of consistently high-performing teams and individuals for decades.
His personal experiences are combined with the latest scientific research to form the learnings he now shares in his book and speaking engagements.
Hayden's
passions
with wellbeing
Hayden's
passions
with wellbeing
Hayden's
story
In my youth, I was a professional tennis player. I travelled the world playing tournaments, and competed against some top international players.
But after a few years, I realised I was not going to get to the top. I was a much better player in practice than when it really counted. I could beat players ranked a lot higher than me when it didn’t matter – but under pressure, I choked.
Around the same time, things at home were extremely challenging. My parents separated. My brothers were both suffering major mental health issues, and my grandmother, who had dementia and was living at the family home, climbed out of a window on the second floor and fell. She died on the way to hospital.
I felt helpless.
“I needed to understand what was happening to my family so I could somehow help. I also wanted to better understand myself, and why I wasn’t able to cope with the high pressures of professional tennis. It was then that I developed a deep drive to become a psychologist.”
I studied a Psychology degree and got a Graduate Diploma in Health Psychology. Initially, I worked as a Sport Psychologist with tennis players, football clubs, swimmers, runners and even martial artists. I knew that if I could help people on the sports field to be the best they could, I could also learn to help people reach their potential at work – I went back to university and obtained a Masters Degree in Organisational Psychology.
I went on to help organisations with recruitment decisions, and began to coach and develop individuals and teams. I ran HR teams, and later became the Group Head of Organisational Development for Spotless, where I was in charge of driving up engagement levels for around 33,000 staff globally. In 2009 I established my own organisational development consultancy called Steople.
The work I do now is a culmination of my early work in sport psychology, my close experience with mental health issues and my more recent work over the last 20 years with leaders and teams in business.
I want to help as many leaders as possible, so that they can in turn have a positive influence and impact on the teams they lead. My firm belief is that in order to drive sustained high levels of business performance leaders must first take care of themselves – and then, they can look after their teams.
Hayden’s philosophy
What I do
I inspire positive, healthy and sustainable behaviour change in individuals, teams and organisations.
Who I work with
Large corporate organisations, medium sized businesses, not for profits, local, state and federal government – essentially any business where people are key to long-term business success.
Why it works
My ability to genuinely connect with people, a sporting and professional background, my business and leadership experience and an intimate understanding of the psychology of positive behaviour change.
Book Hayden for speaking enagagements
Hayden is an accomplished keynote speaker and leadership coach.
If you would like Hayden to speak at an upcoming seminar or professional event, enter your details below and we’ll be in touch