CEO Insights: ‘If it doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t right’

Peter Zammit, Managing Director at iAS (Innovative Architectural Structures), believes that, rather than a set of specific decisions or actions, the path that has led to his current position is owing to a general outlook towards life. 

“It is the desire to be better a professional tomorrow than I am today, the desire to continuously learn new things and be surrounded by people who are experts in their field and with whom ideas can be discussed and developed, creating an upward development spiral,” explains.

Apart from this, he believes that the role also necessitates “letting go of the day-to-day technical aspects of the company and looking more at the bigger picture, guiding the company as a whole in the direction of the firm’s vision, whilst ensuring that the technical aspects are well taken care of by qualified and competent team members.”

His most important piece of leadership advice is to trust your instinct, affirming that “if it doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t right, even if numbers say otherwise.” Meanwhile, his biggest no-no is to abdicating responsibilities to subordinates. “Always delegate within a structure where the necessary checks and balances are in place,” he advises.

As Managing Director, Peter has also learned his fair share of lessons, chief among which is the old adage ‘no man is an island’ and that success is strongly related to the strength of the team that surrounds you.

“I have learned to accept my personal limitations, accepting that there are a million ways to solve the same problem and not only my way, and understanding that the strength of the firm rests with the strength of the team as a whole, where each member provides his varied skillset, which jointly makes up the various specialised capabilities of the firm,” he concludes.