Trent Watson is the CEO of Ethos Health, a Hunter-based company that is a leader in workplace and clinical services including physiotherapy, exercise physiology, dietetics, fatigue management, pre-employment assessments and health and wellbeing programs.

As a Dietitian, Trent also specialises in fatigue management and uses new and emerging technologies to work with businesses to design and implement strategies to manage and reduce the risk of fatigue incidents and accidents.

Trent consults from the Newcastle practice, is a media spokesperson with the Dietitians Association of Australia and a Board Member of Hunter New England Central Coast Primary Health Network.

• What makes a good leader?

I think leaders need people. They’ve got to be a leader with people who follow, so they have to create an environment where great ideas can thrive and they have to be solutions focused and optimistic, because people don’t necessarily want to be part of a problem. And they’ve got to be resilient, I think they have got to try things, be prepared to fail but fail fast and get on again in pursuit of their great ideas.

• What do you believe has shaped your leadership style?

I think going back to childhood, my parents of course, in their own unique ways. I grew up playing a lot of team sport as well so I think some coaches I had, on reflection, offered some tremendous leadership skills, so they are fully supportive of the team environment.

Being part of that team environment, you have to work hard, sometimes not always agreeing but being part of the team is and important part of the leadership.

I’m fascinated with human behaviour, so I’m a great observer of leaders, whether they’re politicians or part of movements, and I read widely with respect to these.

• What motivates and drives you?

I’m very goal oriented and action oriented, so any of the challenges mean a variety of ways. I think that challenge motivates me like it motivates others, so when I rise to challenges, I want that feeling more. It’s the only time I feel the natural drug of euphoria, so I can be motivated in the business context but I can be motivated to coach my children’s football team.

I am also motivated by people fulfilling their purpose and prospering as well, so again it can fit in business or community environments.

• What is one action or task you ensure you incorporate into your diary each week?

Time to do a task list. And I think that process of actually sitting down – if I don’t fulfil that, I feel quite overwhelmed. There’re lots and lots of things going on!

So, it’s just a matter of sitting down, writing all those tasks down within whatever context I have to fulfil those tasks and then applying two things to that – what’s urgent and what’s important. Unless it’s important or urgent, it doesn’t necessarily make it to the top of the list.

• Which local businessperson do you find inspiring?

I thought about this a lot. Now I don’t know this person personally, but Neil Slater was the person who came to mind and the reason for that is he’s obviously done very well in business. He’s an advocate for not only catering and hospitality, but Newcastle in general, and he’s working in a whole range of different areas. I don’t know how he does it all, but certainly I have a great admiration for what he does.