Thrive to survive
“I encourage the mentality of building a team so strong that you forget who the boss is.”
- Tony Karp, CEO and Managing Director, Prezzee
A major report by the Australian HR Institute, ‘The Leaders Lab 2021’, found a correlation between a “thrive mindset”, team wellbeing and company performance when it comes to recovering from COVID-19.
Desirable attributes in a leader include being human-centred, realistic, value-driven, inclusive and energising. Only 37.7 per cent of the leaders surveyed often demonstrated such a mindset.
The study also claimed that struggle and stress don’t have to undermine a leader, as long as they learn from the experience. In fact, periods of hardship can be opportunities for character development that will better a CEO for further challenges in the future.
https://www.theceomagazine.com/business/management-leadership/successful-leaders-tory-archbold
What styles of leadership produce growth?
We asked a selection of CEOs whose companies are experiencing rapid growth for their go-to tips for success.
Labour of love
“Having a passion for what you do is the most important ingredient of any leader because that’s what keeps you going despite the odds. You envision an idea, innovate and keep developing solutions to turn it into a dream come true. If you wholeheartedly love what you do, the journey becomes a lot more fun.”
Anson Zhang, CEO, Discover Energy
Idea sharing
“The way I lead is through frequent brainstorming sessions, exchanging ideas and sharing what we’re working on. This has enabled me to implement strategies that have tripled my sales efficiency, speed and effectiveness. Revenues followed and the learning impact was invaluable.”
Jason Hood, CEO and Founder, BourkeHood
A team game
“To achieve rapid growth, you have to take your team with you on the journey so they understand what’s at stake and what you’re trying to achieve. Change can be confronting so a continuous flow of open and honest communication is essential. A leader has to accept they can’t do everything and that good ideas will come from every level of the company, and should be recognised and celebrated to nurture a ‘can-do’ attitude. That’s how we’ve achieved double-digit revenue growth, acquired another company, increased ranging, diversified our products and become the country’s biggest independent organic dairy business. We’re all in it together and excited about what’s possible.”
Matthew Stanton, CEO, Barambah Organics
Bounce back from failure
“A leader needs a growth mindset to drive optimal team performance. It involves challenging the status quo to continuously implement new innovations. You also need resilience to rebound from failures and foster a sense of unity, particularly during disruptions like COVID-19. Key to our 107 per cent increase in earnings before interest and taxes and doubling of production last year was really valuing my staff and focusing on our core business purpose.”
Marcella Romero, Founder and CEO, Arriba Group
Sheer hard work
“Gina Rinehart is always looking for opportunities to improve. Her renowned hard work and persistence, high-risk investments, decades of experience and a good dose of common sense are her key qualities, and ones she promotes across her many businesses. Success in anything, including entrepreneurism, never just comes along. It happens through determination, effort and perseverance. A successful person is always one who works hard. It’s important to take an active role in your business and realise that you have to be prepared to put in seven days a week, including public holidays, and be available for long hours. You need to be willing to sacrifice your personal needs when the business needs your time.”
Katherine Savage, Principal External Affairs, Hancock Prospecting
Attitude and empathy
“I’ve faced challenges and setbacks throughout my career, but I’ve persevered and continued to learn, which is a fundamental component of being a successful entrepreneur. Learning not just how to build a business, but also learning in terms of growth and personal mindset change because there are 100 mistakes to make with every win. I credit my grandfather’s work ethic with influencing my own approach to leadership. Having migrated from India to Australia during the 1960s, he was coming from a different world but his ethos was: it doesn’t matter what you do, it’s your attitude, empathy and resilience that defines you.”
Tash Menon, Managing Director and Founder, MASH Brands
Back yourself
“A successful entrepreneur must be willing to take risks without being reckless, spend money to make money, always look for new and exciting ventures to bring to life, have an obsessive drive to succeed and the confidence to back themselves and their ideas.”
Catherine Baker, Principal, Belle Property Central Coast
