Today’s status quo was yesterday’s heresy
Progress demands challenge, not compliance
Providing practical insights into public sector delivery, defence capability, procurement, and why well-intentioned systems underperform: alongside some reflections as my journey continues to unfold.
I have worked for decades at the intersection of Defence, the public sector and commercial reality, nationally and internationally. Testing what we assume works, and what actually does. Challenging orthodoxy in pursuit of better outcomes.
I draw on experience across military operations, defence capability, public sector procurement, and industry leadership roles. Oh, and some study and research too. I founded a successful boutique consultancy that focused on getting difficult things done. Here’s what I discovered, in a nutshell.
If you want to make a difference you have to be willing to be different.
That means questioning accepted wisdom, being open to uncomfortable perspectives, and accepting that today’s consensus is often tomorrow’s mistake. In complex public systems, progress rarely comes from compliance alone.
I am not building a business or chasing scale. My first adventure was the military, the second business. My third is unfolding and all that I really know is that there is more to learn and I still want to contribute, make a difference.
From here, you can explore my writing, advisory work, and reflections — practical, critical, personal, and grounded in experience. I still offer some training through Kiah Academy and provide advisory support for selected clients.
Feel free to follow, explore, or get in touch.
You can follow the next adventure, personal and public,
here or through a variety of channels.
Follow me on LinkedIn – Register to follow me here – or ask for a Call Back
(you won’t be spammed, just prompted when I say something)
Insights & perspectives
Insights on contracting and delivery, public sector performance, Defence, and reform
Advisory & practice
Support and training on engagement and delivery in complex programs
Observations & reflections
Personal observations on leadership, systems, and experiences of life in general
Featured work and commentary
Insightful ideas and real-time reflections
Posts
[{"id":611,"link":"https:\/\/jayg.com.au\/destroying-trust-with-transparency-and-honesty\/","name":"destroying-trust-with-transparency-and-honesty","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/jayg.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Dark-building-with-lights-on-an-night.avif","alt":""},"title":"Destroying trust with \u201ctransparency\u201d and \u201chonesty\u201d","postMeta":[],"author":{"name":"John Glenn","link":"https:\/\/jayg.com.au\/author\/john-g\/"},"date":"Feb 19, 2026","dateGMT":"2026-02-18 22:02:52","modifiedDate":"2026-02-19 08:12:03","modifiedDateGMT":"2026-02-18 22:12:03","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"closed","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/jayg.com.au\/category\/public-sector\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Public sector<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/jayg.com.au\/category\/public-sector\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Public sector<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":""},"readTime":{"min":6,"sec":19},"status":"publish","excerpt":""},{"id":604,"link":"https:\/\/jayg.com.au\/dta-review-doesnt-deliver-whole-picture-on-government-contracts\/","name":"dta-review-doesnt-deliver-whole-picture-on-government-contracts","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/jayg.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/turnstile3-scaled.jpg","alt":""},"title":"DTA review doesn\u2019t deliver whole picture on government contracts","postMeta":[],"author":{"name":"John Glenn","link":"https:\/\/jayg.com.au\/author\/john-g\/"},"date":"Feb 11, 2026","dateGMT":"2026-02-10 23:46:32","modifiedDate":"2026-02-19 08:47:12","modifiedDateGMT":"2026-02-18 22:47:12","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"closed","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/jayg.com.au\/category\/procurement\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Procurement<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/jayg.com.au\/category\/public-sector\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Public sector<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/jayg.com.au\/category\/procurement\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Procurement<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/jayg.com.au\/category\/public-sector\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Public sector<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":""},"readTime":{"min":5,"sec":15},"status":"publish","excerpt":""},{"id":549,"link":"https:\/\/jayg.com.au\/why-im-doing-this-now\/","name":"why-im-doing-this-now","thumbnail":{"url":false,"alt":false},"title":"Why I\u2019m doing this now","postMeta":[],"author":{"name":"John Glenn","link":"https:\/\/jayg.com.au\/author\/john-g\/"},"date":"Dec 21, 2025","dateGMT":"2025-12-21 09:29:55","modifiedDate":"2026-01-14 07:12:34","modifiedDateGMT":"2026-01-13 21:12:34","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"closed","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/jayg.com.au\/category\/reflections\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Reflections<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/jayg.com.au\/category\/reflections\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Reflections<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":""},"readTime":{"min":4,"sec":13},"status":"publish","excerpt":"After stepping away from running a business, I found the hardest part wasn\u2019t the work, it was letting go of the identity that came with it. These are some thoughts on that journey, still at its beginning."}]


