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Thank you to the 1,400 leaders who’ve generously done the 7 questions!
I hope reading
7 Questions with Bob Sharon
helps you in your leadership.
Cheers,
Jonno White
7 Questions with Bob Sharon
Name: Bob Sharon
Current title: Founder & CEO
Current organization: Blue IoT
Bob Sharon is a passionate and tenacious 'disruptor' and innovator.
Challenging times like the present have acted as a catalyst for advancing smart buildings, cities, and assets to optimise the wellness of people and the planet. Blue IoT acts on this urgency for sustainability, executing a move towards carbon net-zero by rendering solutions for substantially conserving our planet's resources, while simultaneously enhancing the human experience.
Bob is pleased to present Blue IoT's multi award winning 'Encompass Blue' - the world's first IoT smart cities platform suite. Driven by a Greentech/Proptech and systems thinking 360-degree approach, Blue IoT is at the forefront of sustainable innovation, delivering outstanding results.
Bob had the privilege of conducting the first NABERS (National Australian Built Environment Rating System) Data Centre Energy rating back in 2013. In early 2016, he was an honorary member of the company that supplied and implemented 'Checkpoint FireWall 1 ver. 1.0', the first commercial firewall in Australia, in 1994. He has delivered speeches at numerous reputable conferences across Australia, Singapore, Malaysia and China, over the past 12 years. He is an eminently qualified data centre judge, judging events in APAC, India and China, and venturing out globally in recent times. He was also a judge on the construction awards panel at Sydney Build 2018 and 2019.
"There are no limits to what we can do or achieve, except for the ones we place in our own minds". - Bob Sharon
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1. What have you found most challenging as a CEO or executive of a large enterprise?
Building a company from nothing is not an easy task and certainly not for the faint hearted. A big challenge has been finding investors as well as marketing on a zero budget while maintaining cash flow.
2. How did you become a CEO or executive of a large enterprise? Can you please briefly tell the story?
It was brought about by my vision for a data driven company that can deliver sustainability outcomes for smart buildings and cities never thought possible. This is now a reality.
3. How do you structure your work days from waking up to going to sleep?
Get up late most mornings, around 8am, work from home for 2-3 hours, then head to the office or direct to coffee meetings when not in lockdown. Have many meetings during the office, client sites or over Teams. Head home at 5 to 5:30, sometimes 6pm, spend time with family, then at 10pm start the night shift from the home office till 12, 1 or 2am. Saturday mornings at the home office and late afternoon on Saturday and late afternoon on Sunday as well as 10pm for the night shift on Sunday.
4. What's the most recent significant leadership lesson you've learned?
You never stop learning. Never stop listening to those good people around you. Don't judge a person by the lack of their communication skills.
5. What's one book that has had a profound impact on your leadership so far? Can you please briefly tell the story of how that book impacted your leadership?
In Search of Excellence: Lessons from America's Best-Run Companies Paperback – 21 May 2004 by Thomas J. Peters (Author), Jr. Waterman, Robert H. (Author)
This taught me about the difference between average and great organisations. In fact we have now gone beyond this and added more to bring about even greater outcomes where every stakeholder wins.
6. How do you build leadership capacity in a large enterprise?
1. By employing people with the right attitude, aptitude and capability
2. By empowering them
3. By not discriminating
4. Leading by example
5. Serving your team
6. Maintaining a spirit of humility
7. Focus on outcomes and quality of service internally and externally
8. Continuous improvement and striving for excellence
9. Continuous innovation with the contribution of a constant flow of ideas
10. Maintaining a policy of fun and a sense of humour
7. What is one meaningful story that comes to mind from your time as a CEO or executive of a large enterprise so far?
Lessons learned from a former failed business. By taking the learnings of mistakes made previously, a positive pattern is emerging of success and direction for the future of our business.