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Tell us about your career at SHW
At SHW you are given a lot of responsibility straight out of the gate, often working directly with clients.  This was a steep learning curve but also exposed me to the full breadth of skills a Surveyor must develop.  I have overseen a wide range of projects and services and have steadily built-up rapport with clients.  I feel this job has provided a strong foundation and will continue to offer opportunities to grow and develop.

Pinnacle of your career to date?
Works that involved the conversion of a large victorian building into five flats.  Specifically finding out three of the units were let prior to completion with full occupation just a few weeks later.

Favourite building?
As an architectural curiosity I would say the Sagrada Da Familia by Gaudi because it's very 'out there'. Ultimately though, buildings exist to perform a function.  It's what you can put in them and how enjoyable that environment is that really matters.  A perfect building is the one the occupiers barely notice because they are comfortable and instead focussed on what matters to them.

Best advice you have ever been given?
Disappointment is the gap that exists between expectation and reality.

I think this is very powerful and relates fundamentally to happiness.  It can be applied to both our own happiness and to those of others.

Happiness = Reality – Expectation

If you expect more than what is realistic, most times your happiness will end up negative.  If you expect less than what reality provides, chances are you will be happy.

Managing expectations is crucial skill our lives and this profession.  Often there are things we simply can’t realistically do or achieve.  The best way to manage expectations is to be realistic as to what is achievable and keep an honest and open communication with client.

Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.

You can work hard and still be unlucky (so manage expectations), but equally you will miss all the opportunities you don’t take.  So work hard and be open for luck to happen, but don’t expect it.

What’s the best thing about the industry?

The increasing regulation.  While it might be seen as bureaucracy or red tape, it is forcing us to create a safer and more sustainable environment for people to live in.

What was your dream job as a child?

Architect / Doctor.  I was in and out of hospital a fair bit when I was young, and my doctor was an idol for me.  Outside of that I was quite creative and enjoyed designing things, which led me to architecture, then into surveying.  

If you had a dinner party and could invite three famous people (dead or alive), who would they be and why?

Steve Irwin for his infectious energy and love for the animal kingdom.
Alan Turing as probably one of the most brilliant people to ever walk the earth and likely had so much more to give having died at just 41.
Albert Einstein for his own contribution to science.

 

Alan and Albert can just do their own thing. While the science is being done me and Steve can go hang out with the animals.