Justin should know. It was ‘attitude’ that transformed him. At the age of 25, with only $50 to his name, he set about changing the course of his life. ‘Justin created Attitude Inc, a clothing brand that became an international licensing success that turned over in excess of $20 million per year. His website justinherald.com receives over 30,000 hits a day.’

The author of books such as Get Motivated ( www.vivagroupindia.com ), Justin is regarded as one of Australia’s most sought-after speakers ‘with engagements all over the country and overseas speaking in front of 1,50,000 people each year.’ Named ‘International entrepreneur of the year’ for 2005, Down Under, he recently received the Future Leaders Award, which recognises him as being ‘one of the 50 most influential leaders of the next generation in Australia’.

Excerpts from the interview:

Can ‘attitude’ be maintained even in extreme conditions?

Attitude is internal. Your attitude, whether it is a good one or a bad one will shine through when things are not going according to plan.

Do friends make good business partners?

Partnerships can be a great idea at the start but may tend to turn into something that is a bit unpleasant. I have never had a friend as a business partner. My business partners turn into friends but that is a by-product of working so closely together. Like anything, you just have to keep an eye on everything in your business to ensure you aren’t being distracted by things that aren’t growing the business, and friendship dramas can cause that.

Is there a conflict between being passionate and reacting (rather than responding)? Also, how can one be open to feedback and at the same time cut out negativity?

There is a big difference. Reaction is a response that most times has not been thought through whereas when you are passionate, you are aiming for something that burns inside you which keeps you focused on the final and well-thought-out outcome.

Feedback is the breakfast of champions. Whilst most feedback can be helpful, we all just need to look like we are listening when someone is being negative but not letting any of their negative words take effect.

How do you think we can effectively approach some of the pressing and widespread problems we see around us, be it poverty or illiteracy, disease or unemployment?

I personally believe that we all need to take a personal approach to these issues. By that I mean, don’t wait for someone else to address these issues in your area, you work on them yourself. If we all did that there would be a lot of people working towards solving the same problems.

Are there ways to nurture the entrepreneurial spirit in the young? How and when should it be done?

We just need to let the younger generation try things the way that they would like to try them. It is sad when the older generation tries to limit the younger generation. They will come up with ways of doing things that we as an older generation never thought of. Is that wrong? No it is all about being entrepreneurial. The next generation has to be better than the previous one. Otherwise we have not taught them a thing and we will be going backwards.

How much risk is good?

Straight-out risk can be dangerous whereas a calculated risk is better. A calculated risk means that you have an understanding of what might happen when you attempt something and you are prepared for the good or bad outcomes.

You have emphasised the need for ethics in business. A common paradox, though, one faces is that the wrongdoers and the corrupt continue to flourish, apparently, in business and politics. Your comment.

I agree it is very frustrating when bad people seem to get ahead. But that said, success is all about longevity and comfort. Bad and unethical persons may have success but it will be short-lived, and due to their lack of ethics, they will be constantly uncomfortable due to them thinking that it will all fall down around them.

How do you deal with stress and tension?

For me I love it when things are full on. But I wind down by driving my car, spending time with my family and, to be honest, when I travel the world speaking at conferences, I am very relaxed.

Being the cricket crazy nation we are, it would be hard to congratulate Aussies since they seem to be so good at almost everything! And now motivation. What is the secret behind Australians being at the top in so many things? Ten years ago they were not even known in soccer, now they are making a name for themselves in that too. (And, what is right and what is wrong with Indian cricket, in your view?)

(I don’t have an opinion on Indian cricket so I can’t comment on that.) I guess as Aussies we have always been taught to have a never-say-die attitude and there is a saying here in Australia… “have a crack”, which means just have a go but make sure its a good one. Mate-ship also plays a part and you will see that with the Australian Cricket team. They are mates on the field and mates off the field. Its all about having fun.

People often have a tough time accepting faults and disappointments. Like there are hundreds and thousands of people in India who regularly invest in the stock markets and later rue the decision. What are your suggestions to these investors? Is there a positive that some might take away from a harrowing experience of losses?

We all can learn from bad choices. The problem is that many people keep making the same mistakes over and over. I live by the rule that if it sounds too good to be true then it probably is.

What is the trigger for the book, where you tell your story as someone who has actually lived it all… as an account of a person who has made it big living through the same emotions that unsuccessful people do? Philanthropy at work?

This is my sixth book and as I write a column in a weekly paper here in Australia, I was getting a lot of requests to put my articles into a book. Have I “lived it all” not really. I have just lived a life that has had some success and when I look back I noticed that the way that I reached my success was by following common sense. The only difference between an ordinary person and an extra-ordinary person is that little bit extra.

With regard to philanthropy, I believe that we all need to be more generous towards others. Not only with our finances but also with our actions, our words and our information.

You have divided the book into crisp chapters, such as ‘Have a crack’, ‘Stickability’, ‘Negativity limits you’. Is there some area that is yet to be uncovered and that you would perhaps like to incorporate in a later edition?

There are a lot of other areas that I could cover, but as my next two books have already been written, I will have to wait a little while before I do another book like this.

Now to things more personal, how does Justin Herald start his day? As somebody to whom everybody looks up to get motivated, is there anything special he does? Is there something different all the time that ‘flicks your switch’?

I just get up and approach the day like anyone else. The one thing that I do have in my head is that I want to achieve something that day.

Whether it is big or small, I just want to achieve something. I get my inspiration from normal everyday people who, no matter what their situation, get up every day and have another go. For me I just want to be better than I was yesterday.

D. MURALI

INDRA NATH

More Stories on : People | Interview

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page