Human on the Inside with International Intrigue’s Jeremy Dicker
Human on the Inside. We’re big believers in the power of human skills. But don’t just take our word for it - the evidence for excellence powered by human (‘soft’) skills is everywhere! In this engaging, ever-enlightening series, we speak with industry leaders, innovators and game-changers to learn a little about their personal career journeys, and how human-led strategies, philosophies and cultures are proving a force for good in their working worlds …
Maxme: Welcome Jeremy, and thanks for stepping into the #SuccessIsHuman Spotlight!
You’re the Managing Editor of International Intrigue, a daily geopolitical briefing designed by former diplomats and delivered to over 100K subscribers from around the world. It connects the dots and exposes the intersections of issues across global affairs, business, and technology.
In 1 sentence (ok, we’ll give you 3), what does this role entail?
Jeremy Dicker: I’ve had some fun jobs, but this Intrigue role really tops them all: I kick off each day with a meme on the funnier side of diplomacy (a great therapy marketing tool), then work with our team to get the best possible briefing into the inboxes of our 140,000 subscribers, before wrapping the day with an editorial call to plan the next edition.
I feel lucky to do the things I always loved the most about diplomacy: to think and write about this wild world of ours, while working with brilliant friends, and connecting with folks everywhere.
M: Whilst you’ve been Intrigue Media’s Managing Editor for almost three years, you began your career as a lawyer with the United Nations in the Pacific Islands. Looking for a challenge, you joined the foreign service and are now a former Australian diplomat with the Department for Foreign Affairs & Trade (DFAT) having spent 14 years in Mexico City, Los Angeles, and Lima. While serving in Lima, Peru’s president awarded you the country’s medal for distinguished service - we’d love to hear the story behind this achievement too.
But we digress. How does all this work speak to your personal purpose and what drives you as an individual?
JD: I’ve always felt life isn’t a dress rehearsal, and maybe that’s fuelled my hunger to do work with purpose. Diplomacy was an amazing start, particularly in the way it fused two big spirits of service and adventure: service to something bigger than myself, and overseas adventures that still leave me scratching my head in bewilderment that they actually happened.
Those same two drivers are now fuelling us at Intrigue: too many citizens of the free world are now tuning out, right as history desperately needs us to tune back in.
As for Peru’s medal? Receiving that was obviously a huge honour, and it came as a big surprise after I’d returned home from a year serving on secondment inside Peru’s foreign ministry during their 2016 APEC presidency.
M: Tell us a little about your personal education pathway/s - what led you to where you are now? How closely do your formal qualifications match your current career?
JD: Like many others, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do, so opted to study things like Arts and Law while I tried to find my way. It was through a few chance encounters that diplomacy eventually emerged as the dream. Eg:
A brilliant high school teacher was a former diplomat who used to keep us riveted with his tales from abroad
I once found a copy of the memoirs by the late legendary Australian diplomat, Richard Woolcott, and couldn’t believe it was a real career option, and
My gap year experiences working with Mexican students in Canada must’ve nudged me to tick ‘Spanish’ as my Arts major, an impromptu decision that changed my life.
As for the switch from diplomacy to Intrigue? One of the great things about life in the foreign service is the extraordinary folks you meet along the way. Two of them (John Fowler and Helen Zhang) founded Intrigue, and my wife and I were excited to join as early investors. When the opportunity then came to go all-in on Intrigue? It was a no-brainer.
M: If you could share one piece of career advice to your 21 year old self it would be ...
JD: Chill out, young Jeremy. This is a marathon, not a sprint, so try to enjoy the journey.
M: Maximising the potential of individuals, communities and businesses through the power of human skills is the reason Maxme exists. Can you tell us a little about the role and / or value of human skills in your workplace right now?
JD: Diplomacy is fundamentally a people business, and the unique value we provide at Intrigue is the way we write for 140,000 of you the same way we used to write for governments behind the encryption wall: ie, anchored in our experiences and perspectives as diplomats.
So those same human skills still shape everything we do: not just in understanding the human drivers behind world events, but also in understanding what our busy human readers really need to know, and why.
M: Self Awareness sets the critical foundation for all Maxme learning experiences. With that said … what’s your strongest trait / personal super power?
JD: I guess I’ve always managed to see the funny side of things (even if I’m the only one laughing).
And I’ve always found if you can make someone laugh, they’re more likely to hear you out.
M: And on the flip side, what’s one human / ‘soft’ skill you’ve had to really work on improving over the course of your career?
JD: Anyone vaguely mission-driven will always struggle to maintain work-life balance, and I’m no exception. When you really live that mission, hitting pause doesn’t come naturally.
M: If you could share one piece of career advice with recent Uni graduates or candidates keen to found their own start up, what would it be?
JD: The most successful founders I know are living their dream, and doing the thing they just can’t imagine not doing. They’re working on something they feel so passionate about, they’d readily pull an all-nighter on it, paid or not. So have a think about what challenges out there would inspire an all-nighter in you. Maybe that’s your start-up.
M: You’ve been granted approval to add one University graduate to your team, but have 100 applicants, all with outstanding academic results. How do you find your perfect candidate - what are you looking for?
JD: A confident and compelling voice will always shine through: not a fancy CV, but the skills and passion I really need, often reflecting experiences from beyond the classroom.
M: In the words of John Dewey, “education is not preparation for life, education is life itself.”
What’s next on your #learning agenda?
JD: I’m loving being a dad to two young girls, who teach me things I didn’t realise I needed to learn. Not just about how to do plaits, but about re-discovering wonder in the world around us.
Jeremy Dicker
Managing Editor at International Intrigue
Jeremy Dicker is Managing Editor at Intrigue Media, a media startup founded by ex-diplomats providing 140,000+ subscribers around the world with a free daily geopolitics briefing. Jeremy started his career with the United Nations in Fiji before serving 14 years in the Australian foreign service, with tours to Mexico, Peru, and the United States. He has degrees in law, the arts, and film; was awarded Peru's presidential order of merit for distinguished service; and speaks fluent Spanish.
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