Talking Heads: Ross Blackman

Position: Chief executive

Company: Team NZ

Staff: 65


What makes your day at work?


Business is about people and you're only as good as the people around you. Understanding what people need is a big part of my job.

When did you first become a manager?


In 1975, when I was working as a sailmaker in Christchurch. The guy I was working for went overseas for three months and on the day he left he told me I was managing his two companies. It was quite a shock, given I was one of the youngest guys on the team, but it taught me a lot.

What was the most important lesson you learned on your way up?

My philosophy is that at the end of every day the slate is clean - I don't owe anyone anything and they don't owe me anything. That's how you should work: openly and honestly and without a built-up expectancy of anything other than what you're getting. I have a very strong personal philosophy that I have no regrets in life, which means that when you're making decisions or working through issues you have to think them through carefully.

What has been your best moment in business?


Winning the America's Cup in 1995 when I was Team New Zealand's business manager. Taking a new team through to a win was my most satisfying moment so far.

How have you dealt with pitfalls in your career?

I've always looked for the lesson. The trick has been not to dwell on the negatives but to look for the lessons and move forward.

What annoys you most?


Dishonesty. I can't tolerate it at all. I trust everybody once, but if they don't honour that, I can work with them professionally but it changes the way I do business with them.

If you were starting over again, what would you be?


I wouldn't change a thing. I started out as a sailmaker and that created some amazing opportunities for my lifestyle and my family. Not many people have had a chance to be part of something that really makes a difference to New Zealand. I really believed that winning the Cup could make a difference for New Zealand and the economic impact report that came out last month showed how massive that difference was.

What management wisdom do you think is most overrated?


That the boss runs the company and does it all on his own. My view on management is one of facilitation. Management has to primarily give guidance and facilitate the good people you have around you.

What will be the big business issue of the next decade?


The tension between electronic communication and personal communication. Electronic forms of communication have the ability to help, but they can overwhelm. They allow for far greater misunderstandings because you don't get the nuances of communication you get through discussion, and they can overload you. I have 396 items sitting in my e-mail in-tray, and I've been working to get it down.

How do you relax?


Primarily spending time with my wife and my family, playing guitar and sailing. Cruising in the Hauraki Gulf is magic.

* Ross Blackman talked to Simon Hendery.