Pride, Passion And Excellence: Leighs Construction CEO

Last week we were lucky enough to have the CEO (and Founder) of Leighs Construction Ltd (Link here) speak at our CEO Leadership Group in Christchurch. Every two months the group gets together for breakfast to hear a Business Leader tell their personal story in Business, to tell their Leadership journey.

It is fantastic to hear someones journey in both Business and Leadership and to take a few things away to think about. What did I learn from Anthony? A lot actually;

His journey from school into the Construction Industry. A near brush with being an Officer in the NZ Army did threaten to take him in another direction & Leadership role.
He qualified as a QS, Project & Construction Manager and worked for a large Construction Company.
In his first role he was influenced by a strong leader who taught him a lot about Leading and running a Business.
He started his own Company.
Leighs Construction had to be smart, innovative and deliver great results to initially compete with larger, better established Christchurch Construction Companies.
Some early wins and awards made a big difference.
Being different is a way of building a brand. Leighs took construction to Antarctica, East timor and the Islands. This required innovation, flexibility and taught a culture of partnerships and close relationships. This ability to create and work in partnerships has been a major contributor to the Company growth.
His leadership philosophy is “Great people, Good equipment and sharing success”. The company has 3 stated Values – Pride, Passion, Excellence (PPE). The team keep this as centre to all they do and deliver. It is a way of doing business.
Anthony has tried to build a culture of performance. With PPE central in all they do, everyone is expected to perform.
Good robust Governance keeps the Business strong. Anthony wished he had formed a board earlier and gets invaluable direction, guidance and support from the Board of Directors he currently has.
Leading leaders is the challenge of the future a the company grows. How do you lead clever people well and develop them? Leadership is a key focus for the Company moving forward.
Anthony is passionate about what he does and his industry. He readily gives back through his role as Chairman of The NZ Masterbuilders Federation and by his numerous leadership roles in related groups, committees and Business relationships. He is an influencer.