Who is Ross Paterson?
BEST CAREER MOVE
Start your own business
It seems obvious, but for me it was starting and managing CFO Partners. Doing what I really enjoy doing and matters to me is priceless. Deciding on (and investing in) your own personal development. Taking time for research. Setting your own priorities and agenda. In short: being a entrepreneur gives you the freedom and at the same time the responsibility to be succesfull in something you really like doing. As far as I am concerned this is the basis for a happy live.
BLUNDER
Delegate without help
Working as a project leader I delegated tasks without considering if help was needed. I discovered, just before the deadline that the results were not forthcoming. This led to a lot of irritation and cost a lot of time to set right. I learnt a valuable lesson in leadership: if you delegate tasks to someone make sure he/she has the appropriate skills and means for these tasks, and help him/her along the way.
BEST VICTORY
The biggest transition in history of multinational
I had 4 months to prepare and implement the biggest reorganisation in the history of a multinational. It was my responsibility to implement the new org chart in the systems in order to guarantee that the management information, authorisations, salaries, functions, etc complied to the new organisation. More than 3.000 changes were successfully processed in more that 10 vital systems. Everything went flawless. Our team exceeded expectations. Literally a historic performance.
BEST ADVICE GIVEN
Be realistic
In difficult situations, avoid painting a more optimistic picture than the situation merits.
Especially in these situations it is imperative to be realistic.
BEST ADVICE TAKEN
See a coach
This is an advice a good friend gave me. At first I was hesitant. After all, I know what I want and where I need to improve. But eventually I decided to take his advice. Since three years now I see my coach every two weeks. He helps me to realize my personal development goals. It is inspiring to take a step back and reflect on life for a while.
IDEAL CLIENT
Enjoys his profession
Enjoys his profession as much as I do. Has a vision, makes priorities and is open for advice and feedback. An ideal consultant is not much different actually.