Daniel Petre: The Good Life
Daniel Petre sees a ‘good life’ as being determined by generosity, caring for one another and acknowledging our shared frailty as humans. Rather than being exclusively focused on wealth or achievement, he reminds us of the need to value our emotional worlds, our families and cultivating what matters most to us.
He has wonderful insights and stories on working shorter hours, the value of spending time with children and how helpful it can be to seek out professional help when needed. Daniel is a genuine, smart and warmhearted man - and one of the bright lights in the Australian business community.
Daniel Petre is one of Australia’s most successful businesspeople and has been at the forefront of the Australian technology industry for 20 years. He’s a philanthropist, author and father of 3 daughters. He was former Head of Microsoft in Australia and was the first Australian Vice President of Microsoft international. Daniel was the founding Chairman of Ecorp, was four years on the PBL Board and brought the likes of Ebay and NineMsn to Australia. In 2005, he earned the title of Officer in the Order of Australia (AO) for his contributions to the country’s business world.
About the Guest
Listen to Other Episodes
Many of us have been raised to think that men have to act in a certain way. You know the story — be tough, invulnerable, in control, unemotional etc.
He believes a great team is made up of different types of characters — lovers, fighters, jokers, hard men, quiet types and bookworms.
A ‘good life’ as being determined by generosity, caring for one another and acknowledging our shared frailty as humans.
We hear about his experience doing rites of passages with his sons, taking family sabbaticals and how he naturally gravitates to people who are open, emotionally available and vulnerable.
The nature of masculinity is in great transition — and many men aren’t coping well. Men are scoring higher on the markers of ‘emotional distress’ including suicide, substance abuse, online addiction, violence — and even eating disorders.
Graham Long wears two watches. The second belonged to his son, James. It stopped at one minute to midnight during the first year of James’ death — a reminder to live in the present moment.
Believes being born in Australia is like winning the “embryo lottery” — and how important it is to use our time, talents and money to give back to society.
At some point in your life, you have to decide whether you're going to live according to what others expect, or what you feel is right.
He has a passion for removing stigmas and reminds us that by coming back to stillness we can calm our minds and reconnect us to our basic human goodness.
He makes a very clear distinction difference between being “successful” and being “admirable”.
He values people beyond their job titles and always sought to create work environments where people felt cared for, respected and treated with dignity.
Design Studio crafting grounding and compelling brand ecosystems for conscious businesses through brand strategy, design, sustainable packaging and Squarespace websites.