Tag: sean buckley answers

Sean Buckley answers: What does work-life balance mean to you and how do you work to achieve that goal?

Work-life balance is an ongoing battle and has particularly been so during the COVID pandemic. My business is located out of Victoria however I normally live on the Gold Coast – about 1000 miles north of our head offices. My two eldest daughters live with me up there – they are young adults and largely independent, I do however enjoy spending time with them and watching them embark on their own careers. Unfortunately, due to travel restrictions and quarantine requirements, I was forced to stay in Melbourne for six months at one point.

The upside is that I’m spending a lot more time with my youngest daughter who is two years of age – which has been a blessing. I exercise daily and have a gym set up at home and ensure I always access to some sort of training facility whenever I travel. I’m also conscious of eating well and practice mindfulness on a daily basis.

It isn’t always easy striking a balance between work and family. This year, with the pandemic, has been particularly difficult, I’ve been forced to make some hard, business decisions to ensure the viability of Ultra Tune as an entity and some of those decisions have adversely impacted individuals and their families and that weighs heavily on my mind, but they have been necessary, tough decisions to ensure long term benefits to the wider Ultra Tune community.

The older I get, the more I realize (a) how difficult striking a balance between work and family is whilst (b) at the same time, how very important that is. I keep reminding myself that; “I don’t want to be the most “successful” person in the cemetery!” Life is a journey and we are measured by how we treat one another along the way in day to day interactions. I like to think that I’m firm but fair and I always set out to do the right thing by myself, my family, the Ultra Tune community, the broader Australian community. If I achieve that daily I can sleep easy and strike a degree of balance in my life.

Sean Buckley answers: What drives you?

In the early days it was business success and personal
satisfaction, these days there is still an element of that, but now that
we’ve grown as large as we have, I am responsible for the livelihood of
250 plus families across Australia – if they succeed, I succeed and I will do
everything in my power to ensure their long term success.

What’s the best decision you’ve ever made?

Aside from having my three beautiful daughters? Biting the bullet and taking over Ultra Tune when it
was a basket case back in the mid ‘90’s and nurturing it through the tough
times to create a category leading entity as voted by Canstar Blue 3 of the
last 4 years.

Sean Buckley answers: What are some of the vital attributes, in your opinion, that every leader should possess?

Focus, goal-setting, follow the data, build relationships, employ expertise – listen to them, don’t micro-manage them and remember; the best predictor of the future is the past – learn from your mistakes and don’t make them again in the future.

What is the operating philosophy that the business has been built on?

Always try to look to the future. Employ good, trustworthy hard-working people in key positions, give them some autonomy and only provide guidance rather than micro-managing. A number of my staff have been with me for 15 years plus, some of the key innovations we’ve had within the various enterprises I’m involved in can be attributed my key staff members.

Sean Buckley answers: What are the cutting-edge franchise services/solutions offered by Ultra Tune?

I often like to tell people; “Ultra Tune is an IT company that just happens to service cars.” Obviously, our car servicing is our stock in trade, but where Ultra Tune has managed to stay ahead of the competition over the years is by reading market trends and staying ahead of the curve.

In the early days we did this by introducing “dyno-tuning” before anyone else, today we aim to stay ahead of the competition by building a state-of-the-art priority IT platform which handles each and every aspect of the business – from booking a service, to reviewing service records, to sending out reminders to clients that their next booking is due, to invoicing. Our system is world leading and provides both franchisees and clients with a seamless and complete service.

What is the operating philosophy that the business has been built on?

Always try to look to the future. Employ good, trustworthy hard-working people in key positions, give them some autonomy and only provide guidance rather than micro-managing. A number of my staff have been with me for 15 years plus, some of the key innovations we’ve had within the various enterprises I’m involved in can be attributed my key staff members.

Sean Buckley answers: As a CEO and leader, describe a challenge you overcame

Ultra Tune has faced various challenges over the years, not the least of which being an adverse legal finding after a court case with the ACCC. I was overseas at the time for an extended period of time and unfortunately (my own fault), didn’t take an active enough role in the pending case.

As a consequence the company was issued with a hefty fine. This was an operational issue, that, once I returned to Australia was immediately rectified and, thankfully our clientele has seen it for what it was – a glitch in an otherwise stellar 40 years of operation. What it did show me was the need to keep my finger on the pulse of the organization at all time. The implications could have been catastrophic, however, being such a well established and credible company allowed us to ride this setback out and thereafter the company has comeback stronger and more effective than ever before.

What are some of the vital attributes, in your opinion, that every leader should possess?

Focus, goal-setting, follow the data, build relationships, employ expertise – listen to them, don’t micro-manage them and remember; the best predictor of the future is the past – learn from your mistakes and don’t make them again in the future.