LIVE 24-SEVEN
Your do an incredible amount for charity and both your immediate and wider communities in general; this book is no different, the profits are also going to charity, aren’t they? I have always believed that a business has a responsibility to its shareholders, staff, customers and advisors, and also its local community. My profits will go to our Charitable Trust and we support many local causes. I do recognise that I am very fortunate and believe that supporting others is the right thing to do. This attitude may well be driven by my Sikh faith, that teaches all Sikhs to support others, particularly your community.
How did you find the writing process, because in the case of this book it's a reflective process isn't it? Looking back on all you've achieved and how you've achieved it, did that have an impact on you? The whole process has been hard work and I guess a few hundred hours have gone into the book, but it was also therapeutic and it gave me time to reflect, which I don’t often do. As I say in the book, a key ingredient to success is to surround yourself with great people, and that is exactly what I did. Bloomsbury are a fabulous publishing house (Harry Potter), Midas PR are the best of the best, and my ‘Lieutenant’, Anna Durnford, kept the whole process alive and co-ordinated.
From humble beginnings to today: Chief Executive of REI; non-executive Chairman of Bond Wolfe; adviser to numerous businesses; CBE; Deputy Lieutenant for Her Majesty. Were all these incredible achievements part of your plan or happy evolutions of it? In a word ‘NO’! The business and personal lifestyle have all been part of my ‘big picture’, but the accolades are very much a surprise and an honour, but they really are recognition for my team, family and friends.
What do your wife Priya and your children think of the book? I'm assuming they've had a sneak preview? Priya doesn’t want to read it until the book is published (I will not give her a free copy), as she did not want to influence my content, but she has always has been incredibly supportive. My children (and nephews) have seen the first two chapters and were interested to learn about the origins of our family and surprised at how good Dad’s book is!
I'm not sure that you need grounding, as you have to be actively encouraged to talk about your wins, but does Priya keep a healthy check on you? My Sikh values keep me grounded; humility is a key Sikh value. In terms of talking about my wins, well I have normally moved on to the next challenge and spend little time talking about historic wins; I really don’t dwell on achievement. One of my favourite quotes is ‘no man is a success unto himself’, and I always add ‘nor to his wife and children’ – they are very good at keeping me grounded!
Did the book present you with any challenges? Actually, no! Once I got a structure in my mind and surrounded myself with good people, I found it an enjoyable and reflective process. I didn’t allow anybody to push me in a direction in which I was uncomfortable. Being honest and direct is deeply embedded in my DNA, so it was easy to be myself throughout the process.
Those that have gone before you, what do you think they would say about your journey, how you've conducted yourself and this book? I think they would identify with my values and journey. Previous generations of immigrants to the UK – Irish, Jewish, Asian, Italian, Greek, Eastern European, Indian and Afro Caribbean, had it a lot tougher than me, and in relative terms, against a tough backdrop, they have achieved more and been more successful than me.
You open up the book by naming people within the Midlands who have helped to shape, promote and enhance the area; I very much enjoyed reading that list [beaming], you have a strong sense of giving praise and encouragement where it's due and, from knowing what I do about you, you also have a strong sense of 'sharing' your success. How much has that sense of sharing and encouragement contributed to your own success do you think? I have three key principles that are as effective in your personal, career, business and family life. One is to have an agreed big picture and end game, to surround yourself with great people and finally to ‘share the cake’ with the team. That is not just financial, it’s also about sharing the success, the credit and the recognition. So, I really felt that this was an opportunity to thank some great people, who have collectively brought about a renewed prosperity in the Midlands and collectively driven Birmingham and the region to a stage of ‘rebirth’ and together are re-establishing the whole region as a global powerhouse.
Is there another book inside you? Never say never, but there are so many other things to do! As I have aged, my goals list has evolved and become bigger and I haven’t got a spare few hundred hours. So, this is probably a box ticked and time to move on to the next project.
If there's just one thing that readers remember from the book, what would it be? Well, I could say buy a copy of the book, help to raise funds for charity…and find out, but if there was one thing beyond the advice of having a ‘big picture’, it would be to surround yourself with great people and everything will be eminently easier, achievable, enjoyable and rewarding.
Brick by Brick: Success in Business and Life is published by Bloomsbury Business, and will be available online and in bookshops from 25th July 2019; it is available for pre-order now at Bloomsbury, Amazon and Waterstones.
All of Paul’s profits from Brick by Brick: Success in Business and Life will go to Bond Wolfe Charitable Trust.
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