MARCH
2020
LAURUS
FROM MANAGING DIRECTOR TO SAILING THE HIGH SEAS
www.laurusprojects.com.au
MARCH 2020
FROM MANAGING DIRECTOR TO SAILING THE HIGH SEAS HOW LAURUS SEES THE IMPORTANCE OF CHALLENGE
Laurus sponsor the Admiral and see their Managing Director Brian Hood compete in the 2019 Sydney to Hobart
Some
might
wonder
where
a
Managing
Brian signed up and was selected to join the
Director of a busy construction company finds
Admiral, which normally races out of the
the time to prepare and train for one of the top
Drummoyne
sailing races in the world, but Brian Hood,
100th overall and 16th in it’s division, sailing the
Managing Director at Laurus Projects did just
Sydney to Hobart gave Brian a really great
that last year.
insight into the levels of preparation required
Sailing
Club.
Finishing
MARCH 2020
and the skills necessary to be competitive in
your role in the team is critical as well as
and finish the race.
working in a team to combine all your skills and effort, developing strategies and being adaptable enough to change those strategies if
Mind, Body & Soul
your plan is not working.
Preparing for a Sydney to Hobart requires a preparation of mind, body and soul. It certainly
Then of course there are the outside factors that
isn’t a race to go into unprepared, and that
completely change everything – in sailing that
preparation isn’t something that is done in a
may be a wind shift or an unexpected storm
couple of days. The physical preparation can
while in business it may be legislation changes,
take months. Brian notes that you need to be
or pandemics as we are currently seeing. In
able to cope with not only the physical exertion
sailing and business you need to be consistent,
of taking a yacht over the ocean for days, but
prepared and on top of your game – you can’t
there is also the fatigue that you need to cope
rely on luck.
with – there’s certainly no sleep-ins during the Sydney to Hobart!
Brian says that the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race on the Admiral was one of the best
You also need to learn and understand how the
experiences of his life, and has certainly given
yacht
and
him a new outlook on which he now brings to
preparation through to proficiency in how to
Laurus Projects to ensure his team meets and
use the winch and where the sails need to be,
exceeds their own goals and those of their
which takes months, if not years of preparation.
clients.
works.
From
maintenance
Brian had limited sailing experience growing up and trained for 9 months leading into the race's
Laurus
understands
the
importance
of
2019 Boxing Day start date.
transferrable skills and gaining new experiences for growth, which is something Brian has always driven within the company. In 2016,
How Does it Compare to Corporate Life?
Laurus sponsored a team who traversed the sub-continent of India in a glorified lawn mover
Business and sport do have similar preparation
(tuk-tuk) in an effort to get out of the comfort
levels, and rely on many of the same skills and
zone and help many impoverished schools
factors, although of course, they are used very
along the way. It's this kind of adventure that
differently. In sailing and in business, you're up
challenges individuals to be better and bring
against hundreds (and thousands) of other
back the skills and experiences learned along
competitors all hungry to win, knowledge of
the way to better the teams they
MARCH 2020
return to. Laurus will always be supporting this kind of growth.Laurus looks forward to being involved in many more of these events in the future. Keep an eye out.