Judge Sessions with LongView, Fullstack and Art Processors

Welcome to the Pause Awards show, where we invite past winners and future judges to talk about their journeys, inspiration and lessons learned in their professional careers and beyond.

In this episode, George Hedon, Founder of Pause Awards, speaks with Tom Leyden (CIO at LongView), Stuart Reynolds (CEO at Fullstack) and Vanessa Doake (Chief People Officer at Art Processors) They discussed key skills needed to succeed in business, their personal notions of success, industry foresights and more.

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For our third round of judges interviews, George dove right into asking what the judges thought were some key skills for excellence in business.

Compassion and humanity into the work you do is key. Having a humanistic approach before anything you do, that truly sets a business up for immense success.

Vanessa Doake, Chief People Officer, Art Processors

The most important skill I’ve seen is having the ability to articulate your vision and get people in on it. To attract the right people by being able to share your vision, and it’s not always easy.

Tom Leyden, CIO, LongView

I agree. Being able to bring people along for the ride by showing your vision and aligning them with it, empowering them with the ability to execute on that vision – that’s super important.

Stuart Reynolds, CEO, Fullstack

Discussing what success meant to the three of them, they said:

Success is ultimately the ability to take care of others and yourself. Be it spiritual success, material success, or in a social sense. Personally speaking, it’s about how you can help lift society up.

Stuart Reynolds, CEO, Fullstack

Success is about impact. Creating impact for people who work in my organisation and designing workplaces that are in favour of the people who work in your organisation is extremely motivating. And more broadly speaking, from a female perspective, success is really about maintaining a sense of independence.

Vanessa Doake, Chief People Officer, Art Processors

It works in two parts. One, is contributing to a positive impact on society, whether locally or globally. And two, it’s about not sacrificing personal relationships – maintaining a strong foundation with your family, friends, and coworkers.

Tom Leyden, CIO, LongView

George then delved into what business advice the trip had heard that they would pass on to others:

Hire the best people – those who align to your vision. That’s my number one advice.

Tom Leyden, CIO, LongView

Thinking about work-life balance in a different way. Knowing that different aspects of life take priority at different times. So re-framing the idea of work-life balance and knowing that only one spoke of the wheel hits the road at once.

Vanessa Doake, Chief People Officer, Art Processors

Don’t chase the latest trends that pop into your social feeds, and don’t constantly look at your competitors. Because ultimately, you must carry the leadership of your company and look at your own unique value proposition.

Stuart Reynolds, CEO, Fullstack

Talking about their foresight into the industries they work in, the trio said:

It’s time to go past the borders. There’s a scarcity of talent at the moment, and the talent you’re after might not necessarily be around the corner anymore. Which is why it’s time for entrepreneurs to see how they can form and scale a global team.

Stuart Reynolds, CEO, Fullstack

I second that. People are now looking globally and finding new ways to engage and attract people. It’s not just about throwing money at them, but instead creating new team dynamics that can create new tools and products for society.

Tom Leyden, CIO, LongView

Something that I’ve noticed changing is the onus on organisations to weigh in and solve more social issues – be it in reproductive health, or looking at menstrual leave differently, or in a broad sense, more support for carers. Had these things been weighed on at the start of my career 10-15 years ago, things would have been different.

Vanessa Doake, Chief People Officer, Art Processors

Before George got to the quick fire questions, he asked the judges where they’d like to be in 3 years:

Honestly, I just want to be working somewhere warm!

Vanessa Doake, Chief People Officer, Art Processors

I’d love to see the work that we do continuing overseas.

Stuart Reynolds, CEO, Fullstack

I want to make an actual dent – make a positive impact on housing affordability and really get the wheels moving in that space.

Tom Leyden, CIO, LongView

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The judges went on to share personal anecdotes, their favourite smar-thome devices, and things that round their lives off, leading to personal fulfilment.

Check out the full conversation below.