By Brianna McShane, Account Director
The 2022 Forbes Australia Business Summit featured Australia’s top founders and visionaries who came together to share their perspectives on business, leadership, and technology.
I went along to gather intel on what leaders need in their toolkit as we head into 2023.
As we draw the curtain on 2022, here are 22 nuggets of wisdom from Australia’s top founders.
1. Managers: Stop trying to make everyone happy
“Our role as managers is to give opportunities and challenge employees to do their best work and accountability. Sadness and happiness are temporary and come and go. Fulfilment and purpose are long-term.”
– Luke Anear, CEO, Safety Culture.
2. Hire for aptitude and attitude
“Most people suffer from thinking too small. A key attribute is self-awareness: that they play to their strengths, know their weaknesses and we hire around that. Experience can be overrated. Hire for potential, not experience.”
– Luke Anear, CEO, Safety Culture.
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3. The best leaders are still just figuring it out
“My job today is perpetual incompetence; I’m forever figuring it out. My superpower has been naivety along the way.”
– Luke Anear, CEO, Safety Culture.
4. In tough times, just turn up
“Just turn up. The more momentum you generate, the easier it is to keep going.”
– Luke Anear, CEO, Safety Culture.
5. Look for influence, rather than influencers
“Who are these people and why are they influential? Tell them why you want them to have your product. It can be a pie in the sky idea, don’t give up.”
– Erin Deering, Co-Founder, Triangl.
6. Customers need to be at the core of everything
“They are the centre of your world. Listen to the customer and have the flexibility to pivot. Make changes to suit them. We were one of first businesses to have a live chat function in fashion start-ups. Having a personal response from (an actual) person to customer builds trust and results in more loyalty and sales.”
-Erin Deering, Co-Founder, Triangl.
7. Don’t discount word of mouth
“Rely on your network and get (your product) out there to the right people. It could be the cool school mums at drop-off. Be strategic, be authentic.”
-Erin Deering, Co-Founder, Triangl.
8. Work out your why
“It’s about having the right intention behind what you’re doing.
People buy into the feeling behind your intentions. Work out your why.”
-Erin Deering, Co-Founder, Triangl.
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9. Tiktok is the platform to be on right now
“The leadership team need to look around the corner to find the next innovation. Tiktok is a big focus for the company. It’s a really important marketing funnel for us. ”
-Shaun Wilson, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Bondi Sands.
10. Don’t follow the crowd on social media
“Be authentic, be you, show those different sides and don’t just follow the crowd.”
-Tammy Hembrow, Founder, TammyFit and Saski.
11.Brands need to stand for something
“Have an authentic purpose as a brand, you have to stand for something.”
– Pippa Harris, CEO, Ella Bache.
12.Mindset is key to being a successful leader
“If you’re having a bad day, tune into Carol Dweck to get into the right mindset to be able to lead a team and be successful.”
– Pippa Harris, CEO, Ella Bache
13.Stay focused on what you’re trying to achieve
“Stay in your lane and don’t look to the left and right. When it’s tough. Box on.”
-Jessica Sepel, Founder, JS Health.
14. Take decisive action as a leader when it comes to lay-offs
“The responsibility of a business is to be healthy. Sometimes you have to make hard decisions. Be thoughtful to what’s going on with team circumstances and solve for them as people. The worse thing is uncertainty. Be decisive and clear with the process and outcome. People can handle good and bad news but not uncertainty.”
– Adam Jacobs, Co-founder, The Iconic and Hatch.
15. The right or wrong hire is a 180 degree turn for a business
“Get to know them, their values and working styles. What traits do they need to be successful in the environment and test for those during the interview process. The questions they ask you are more important than the ones you ask them.”
-Adam Jacobs, Co-founder, The Iconic and Hatch.
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16. Handle layoffs with care
“Remember the person you’re letting go is a person with bills to pay. Be compassionate but be direct, honest and kind.”
– Naby Mariyam, CEO, Coverhero.
17. Remote work is more inclusive
“It caters to families, carers, people in regional areas, children with special needs. It’s far more equitable and inclusive that way.
We run global gatherings with 600 people in Thailand and social engagement initiatives in cities that employ them. We’ve found we’re better off going remote-first permanently. It’s working.”
– Ben Thompson, CEO and Co-founder, Employment Hero.
18. Small businesses have a superpower
“When the owner or founder knows the first and last names of employees and the names of their children you’ll get so much more from people. Invest in those relationships and leverage that opportunity. The feeling changes at around 25 people.”
– Ben Thompson, CEO and Co-founder, Employment Hero
19.Corporations have to offer more than financial security
“Why do they exist and where are they taking the team?
It goes back to the core human needs of connection & belonging. People need a sense of purpose around what they do.”
– Naby Mariyam, CEO, Coverhero.
20. We have an enormous responsibility to our teams as leaders
“We should anticipate tough times as leaders and plan for them.
We hire for life and put enormous efforts into career progression ladders. We don’t believe in ‘grow at all costs’ and never did.”
– Emma Weston, CEO and Co-founder, AgriDigital.
21. It’s important to have company rituals
“Culture as you scale is so hard. We have 700 people across 12 countries. We have an end of week call that started with six people around the dining room every Friday for 30 minutes without fail. We share what wins we had during the week and what went wrong. Now it’s a ritual of getting together across cultures to recognise people.”
-Chris Eigeland, Co-founder, Go1.
22. 2023 is all about the cockroach
“Unicorn used to be the sexy term. In 2023, being a cockroach is going to be the most important thing. Businesses that can’t be killed will be absolute winners.”
-Chris Eigeland, Co-founder, Go1.
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