Reading time: 2 minutes
If you think CEOs have always had it figured out, you’ll want to read Mathew’s story.
Mathew is the CEO of Ideight, a Perth-based engineering consultancy. He founded the company three years ago, which has since grown to 15 employees, working with high-profile companies like Shell Australia. But getting to this point took 20 years, with plenty of bumps along the way.
Mathew studied chemical engineering and thought he’d become a chemical process engineer. If that didn’t happen, he was a failure. And everything went to plan – until, at 27, he was fired.
After taking a career break to work as a waiter in Melbourne, Mathew realised he’d been too focused on other people’s expectations and it was time to turn his philosophy around. Rather than trying to force outcomes, he trusted the future would look after itself as long as he followed a defined process.
“I realised it didn’t actually matter which life path I took. All that mattered was that I accepted the path I’m on, and that I work hard to help the people around me.”
And this shift reignited Mathew’s career. After almost being homeless in 2015, he now successfully runs his company and mentors both students and employees.
Three career lessons from Mathew’s journey.
1. Focus on what you can control.
What really turned Mathew’s career around was focusing on what he could achieve everyday – rather than on the future.
“Just try to stay present with what’s happening today. If you focus on ‘what can I actually get out of today?’ rather than ‘what’s the outcome from this?’, then things tend to work out okay.”
2. Keep personal healthy habits to help your career
Keeping healthy everyday habits – like exercise, eating well and reflection – can have a bigger effect on your professional life than knowing exactly where you want your career to end up. Shifting his philosophy on personal habits helped Mathew become a healthier person, both mentally and physically, who genuinely enjoys doing his job well.
“I used to see coming to work as separate from home. But that meant sometimes what I did on the weekend was harmful to my performance at work.”
3. Be proactive as a mentee
Mathew attributes his great experience with the Industry Mentoring Program to how eager to learn his mentees have been. Every mentor-mentee dynamic will be different, but Mathew suggests just being as open as possible.
“Select a good mentor for your interests. Reach out to them as often as they can and try your best to take on feedback that you might receive.”
Why Mathew gives back through the Industry Mentoring Program
Driven by a desire to give back to the uni he started at 20 years ago, Mathew has been involved in Curtin’s Industry Mentoring Program for two years running, mentoring students who are about to enter the engineering industry.
The program is flexible – once a student selects him as a mentor, they’re paired on a platform called MentorLoop. Outside a few networking events, it’s up to the pair to organise meetings throughout the program.
While learning to effectively teach is important as a CEO, Mathew says the real value of mentoring lies in the strong relationships he’s built with his mentees.
“I love giving back to people that want to learn. It’s very enjoyable to see students with a desire to succeed take on the feedback or advice you’ve given them, and use that to really advance their own career path very quickly.”
Want to learn more about the Industry Mentoring Program?
Check out our video to hear from Mathew and his mentee Adam about their experience.
