2026 ANZAC Eve Lunch: Performance, Resilience and Building High-Performing Teams

The crowd welcomed SAS veteran and author, Anthony ‘Harry’ Moffit to the stage, where he dove deep into meaningful leadership and building high-achieving teams.

“When I look back on my leadership, I think ‘Jeez, I just made that work’, but I cared for people and I think that’s what truly matters”, Moffit said.

Empowered individuals are what makes a strong team. Moffit takes a people-centred approach to leadership, saying “people just want to know that you care, and that their work is validated”.

Focusing on growth is another key element for boosting performance and resilience in the business.

“People want to be challenged; it’s a survival mechanism in all of us. We want to know that we can grow and get better”, he said.

Recounting the many days he spent in Afghanistan, Moffit says he would bask in the daylight playing cricket with his fellow soldiers and strategised battle in the evening.

The ANZACs were not as stoic as they seemed. Even our courageous soldiers had moments to “light a cigarette” and “relax”, Moffit says.

“Don’t think of [the ANZACs] just as soldiers, sailors, airmen and women. They’re human beings...think of them on a deeper level”, he said.

To close the day, the room heard player insights from Collingwood midfielder, Steele Sidebottom, in keen anticipation of the Pies' iconic ANZAC Day clash with the Bombers.

With the autumn sunshine warming up the room, it was a bright and inspiring afternoon at the Royal Botanical Garden.

Thank you to AFLConnect’s presenting partners, Toyota for Business, Sharp EIT Solutions, Committee for Melbourne and MyWay Travel & Events – without whom, the day’s success would not have been possible.