We gave featured business leaders of issue 54 the final word in answering “What qualities are needed to succeed as a businessperson in your field?”
Francesco Saibene, Project Director, Ghella Abergeldie JV
“Work hard – Hard work, commitment and taking full responsibility for the work you do is the starting point for a successful career. Success doesn’t come from nowhere.
“Adapt – Working in different countries has definitively helped me to realise that there is no better proverb than “When in Rome, do as the Romans do”. You do need to understand the context of the country where you are going to work and adapt your way of work to it.
“Teamwork – I would never be able to do what I do without the work of everyone on the project. The ability to utilise the best knowledge of everyone involved and to make sure everyone can have a voice and can contribute is vital.
“Passion – The work of a manager is mainly to identify and resolve problems, if things were easy, everyone could have done it. So, you do need to enjoy what you are doing and find a way to have some fun at work. If you have passion and enjoy what you do, every problem will be easy to resolve.
“Patience – Things don’t always go as planned, and it might take time to fix them. Working with many different personalities requires patience to deal with problems and different people. The key is to find a way to de-stress and reconnect. For me, spending time with my family and doing some sports is the way to recharge my energy and patience.”
Sam Griffiths, Group Business Development Manager, Aerison
“Tenacity is absolutely key in our field. In the engineering and construction space, you need to see and be able to confront technical and commercial hurdles, and these can be quite gritty and challenging. You also need commitment; you need to have a big tank. And finally, you must have integrity. It’s really important to deliver on your commitments, and once you have worked hard it becomes a reward in itself.”
Rex Kiponge, Managing Director and CEO, National Airports Corporation
“I think individual success is driven by many important qualities, such as self-belief, personal confidence and having an open mind. Equally important is trust and maintaining relationships. In this industry, everyone is connected in some way and dependent on each other, so having positive relationships is important for business.”
Bec Thomas, Mayor, Glenorchy City Council
“I pride myself on being genuine, approachable, and responsive. Mayors should be loyal, hard-working, and well-respected in their community, they need to truly listen and create strong positive relationships, and they need to provide steady but purposeful leadership, stability and dedication to their Council and community.”
