In this episode of the Savvy Dentist Podcast, Jesse is joined by Lachie Smart – entrepreneur, adventurer, medtech CEO, and record-breaking pilot – to explore the mindset behind navigating complexity and leading through chaos.
At just 18 years old, Lachie became the youngest person to fly solo around the world in a single-engine aircraft. Since then, he’s led a globally distributed medtech company, advised major organisations like Salesforce and McDonald’s on emerging leadership, and sat on NFP boards focused on innovation and national resilience.
But what underpins all of this? For Lachie, it’s End Game Thinking — the ability to plan with the finish line in mind, while staying adaptable in the face of uncertainty. This conversation is packed with insights on how to lead teams, manage your own mindset, and build resilience for whatever chaos comes next.
In this episode:
- [00:00] Introducing Lachie Smart and the story behind his solo world flight
- [02:20] The mindset shift from “just doing” to thinking with the end game in mind
- [04:55] Why chaos is inevitable — and what great leaders do about it
- [07:38] Planning a global flight: dealing with worst-case scenarios
- [11:00] What End Game Thinking looks like in business and practice ownership
- [13:35] How to prepare your team for complexity without creating confusion
- [17:00] The difference between leading through uncertainty vs managing it
- [20:02] The cost of avoiding hard decisions and the myth of waiting for clarity
- [22:15] Advice for emerging leaders: start with purpose, not just tactics
- [25:14] Leadership beyond business: how Lachie applies this thinking across sectors
