Experience brings out the leader within

APTS managing director Paul Newbound describes himself as a typical technician who decided to go into business.

“I thought I knew how to run a business, but I didn’t,” he admits.

Mr Newbound spent the first few years working ‘in’ the business, doing a lot of site work, before deciding to become a proper chief executive.

“I needed to grow, so I went out on a quest for knowledge,” he said.

Mr Newbound hired people “who know more than I do”, including business coaches and specialist consultants, became a voracious reader of business books, and joined The Executive Connection, which he cites as a big inspiration.

“The Executive Connection is brilliant, that’s where I get a lot of knowledge and I can bounce ideas. Until I joined the group, I probably wasn’t thinking big enough.”

Dale Alcock also found himself on a steep learning curve when he was thrown the keys to a new enterprise – Dale Alcock Homes – at the age of 25. He faced another big challenge 18 months later when one of his backers, John Webb, retired.

“It was about turning those challenges to advantage,” Mr Alcock said.

“I’ve always motivated myself to achieve more; if I’m feeling too comfortable, I get into a position of discomfort and react to it and push against it.” 

Mr Alcock’s decision to join the board of the Fremantle Dockers was the latest example of this strategy.

“It’s not about ego, but a healthy dose of confidence and self-belief has to be there. Ultimately, you are never going to get that from someone else, it has to be driven from within.”

An emerging challenge is that his business partner of 25 years, Garry Brown-Neaves, is moving to a less operational phase.

“The challenge for us is to continue the journey, to continue playing the long game, not looking for short-term gains, and make sure Garry is comfortable as an owner-director,” Mr Alcock said. “Garry and I are very different, but we agree on the bits that matter, the bits that are fundamental to the business.”

“And if you add to that a solid personal relationship, that gives you a strong foundation.”

Sensear’s Justin Miller admits that fear of failure is his main motivator.

“That’s a driver but used in the right way it can be a positive driver,” he said.

Pit N Portal’s Paul Versteegen said the importance of delegating was his biggest lesson.

“When we first started having management meetings a few years ago, I used to walk out with more jobs than anybody else,” Mr Versteegen said. “I’ve now learned that I need to palm off some of the jobs, and they can get done better than I might have done myself.”