James McMahon has taken some of the skills he perfected in the SAS to his role with management consultancy Chauvel Group.
James McMahon has taken some of the skills he perfected in the SAS to his role with management consultancy Chauvel Group.
QUESTION: Why is the work of a management consultant like an SAS soldier?
ANSWER: I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you.
And while that was not the response former SAS Regiment commanding officer turned management consultant James McMahon offered when posed this question, there is definitely a ‘no names, no pack drill’ feeling to the stories that emanate from both these specialist professions.
Much of what takes place in these fields remains hidden from sight, at least until enough time elapses for the details to become inconsequential.
For public consumption, at least, both the soldier and the consultant inside Mr McMahon are reluctant to talk about the specifics of where they worked or exactly what they are doing – one bound by client confidentiality, the other by a cautious loyalty to the military he served for more than two decades.
In truth, skipping the details, the former soldier who has recently started up a new management-consulting firm Chauvel Group, does see many similarities between his work in the army and what he is doing as a consultant, particularly in the mining sector with its remote operations, challenging environments and high risks.
“Think about underground (mining) ... are comms always perfect? No. Are comms perfect in the SAS? No,” Mr McMahon said.
“Do people have to break off and do different aspects of work? Same as a patrol. Are you a long way away from your headquarters? Same as a patrol.
“So all the operational aspects of just about every site you go to have similarities.”
Led by Mr McMahon and backed by Azure Capital where he has worked for five years as chief operating officer, Chauvel has several core areas it plans to highlight, reflecting the strengths and ambitions of its founding group, which includes another SAS solider turned consultant Bob Hunter, the former managing director of Osprey Asset Management, and ex-Bain consultant Don Johnston, whose pedigree also includes a stint at former Perth advisory firm GEM Consulting.
Chauvel is named after Sir Harry, the general who led the capture of Beersheba in WWI. Mr McMahon admits his first choice, Monash (after another famous general, Sir John) was too difficult and, in hindsight, Chauvel is a better fit.
The group is focused on strategic planning and implementation, operational improvement, people performance and risk solutions – with the last of these being something Mr McMahon believes will be a strong driver for the business as investors increasingly turn their attention to the potential for challenges beyond the purely financial.
That includes the risk of something turning out badly and leading to confronting headlines – an occurrence the former soldier calls “the 60 Minutes test”.
“One of the wonderful things which (the military) has taught me … is we understand that tactical actions have strategic outcomes,” Mr McMahon said.
“We (the SAS) are strategic troops, we have to understand the strategy, how to implement operationally and then actually do it tactically.
“This is exactly like business. These days from the 60 Minutes test, right through to it being such a competitive and changing world, you need your whole organisation aligned or you will come a cropper, that could be anything, like a safety issue for instance.”
He said with increased interest from WA companies in overseas mining, there was a rising need for an adequate understanding of the risks from an investor’s point of view.
“An example is who is doing the due diligence on the people’s backgrounds, on the HR in-country, on the security risks, operations, logistical issues, branding in country, who is linked to whom, who are the stakeholders, what are the training requirements, what about compliance?” Mr McMahon said.
“My whole life in ops, every operation, you have to do all that. We are not doing the corporate thing, this is our sweet spot.”
Of course, Mr McMahon is not fresh out of the army.
After studying an MBA during extended leave, he became what he thinks is the first person to step directly out of command of the SAS, which is based in Perth, to join the corporate sector at Azure.
He had also been involved at the West Coast Eagles, helping to address cultural issues at the club which had led to some famous and disturbing off-field issues, notably around star footballer Ben Cousins. Mr McMahon has been on the board since that time.
But he said it was family, not the opportunity, which really drove his decision to leave the military after 24 years of experience, which involved a high level of involvement in all the major recent Australian theatres in the Middle East as well as peacekeeping roles the Pacific and Timor.
“It is a great life from a professional perceptive, so therefore my decision to leave was about family; Perth was where we put our stake down,” Mr McMahon said. “Everyone who has left previously has gone on to become a brigadier or a general. There’s not too many doing corporate work, in fact I think I am the only one.”
The impact on family can’t be understated from someone who admits he was simply never at home.
“I remember I was on Rottnest, it was my first holiday as CO, I got there and a day and half later a boat came and picked me up, everyone’s going ‘are you serious?’”, he said.
“This big black boat pulls in, I’ve got my bag and I am waving goodbye and kissing my kids and all my mates are going ‘what does James do?’
“I think it clicked to them the impact on our lives.”
