From centre stage to behind-the-scenes – Mark Bajada shares shifting priorities as a business leader

Reflecting on his achievements while setting his sights on the future, Mark Bajada, a seasoned businessman with over 30 years of leadership experience, feels that his priorities have evolved.

At this stage in his entrepreneurial journey, he’s shifting his focus from leading day-to-day operations to embracing a role as a mentor and motivator and taking a “behind-the-scenes approach.”

These insights were shared during an interview with Matthew Bartolo, the host of ‘L-Għaliex’ podcast. Dr Bartolo is an international public speaker and trainer in sexuality education, sex and relationship psychotherapy, and business and management coaching.

Mr Bajada is the Chairman of Bajada Lyons Group that has a diverse portfolio spanning in renewable energy, healthcare innovation, specialised engineering, manufactuing, and hospitality. He is passionate in transformative investments and was a Shark Tank investor for three seasons. Mr Bajada is also the Vice President and Board Member of the Malta Chamber of Commerce.

Asked whether he’s happy with what he managed to achieve Mr Bajada commented that the trajectory to where he started out to where he stands now changed a lot.

“At first I focused on making money to sustain the family and then, slowly, I started taking more chances and experiments. I changed depending on my needs and my business,” he added.

Now, he continued, he views himself as someone who has fulfilled what he wanted to achieve in various aspects. Nonetheless he reiterated that there’s still more that he wishes to do “but in different ways.”

He recalled that when he was in his 20s and 30s he wanted to prove himself to others but years later he acknowledges the impact of maturity, which has given him experience and wisdom.

“Now that I have a team and I can take a bit of a back seat, perhaps being a supporter and a promoter of the projects we are working on,” he said.

Throughout the podcast Mr Bajda discussed the hardships that come with building a business from the ground up and the crucial aspect of keeping ‘purpose’ at the centre of any business model. This includes always trying to leave an impact on people, especially those who are more vulnerable.

Standing on business: Taking calculated risks and having doubts

Mr Bajada remarked that many tend to assume that because an entrepreneur is successful, they had a plain-sailing journey. “When in reality, the situation is very different. When I was in my 20s I had a lot of discouraging moments. However I’m a firm believer that when you make mistakes and have negative experiences that’s how you learn. Ideally you make mistakes when you are younger so that repercussions are much smaller,” he added.

He emphasised that when one does not take calculated risks, individuals remain stagnant – not just in business, but in life.

“The risks I take now are far more articulated because I have a team behind me that take the time to analyse everything and beyond. But when I was younger, every time I experienced a setback I would say, ‘woe is me’ ,” Mr Bajada said. Despite this, he shared that he does not have any regrets.

Additionally, he noted that it’s important to foster a growth mindset and to acknowledge when one makes a mistake because “everything happens for a reason, even the bad. The important thing is to turn a negative situation into a lesson, an experience, or into an opportunity.”

Expanding on how he makes important decisions, Mr Bajada shared that while he is a glass half-full type of person, he always thinks of the possible repercussions first, quoting the Maltese saying: “Ahseb fil-ħażin, biex it-tajjeb ma jonqosx.”

Additionally, he said that he is very observant, listens to understand and is not presumptuous in the decisions he makes.

Notably, when making business decisions, Mr Bajada stated that he does not do business with emotions. Here, he referred to not making any rush or uncalculated decisions on the bases of being more competitive (biex timpika).

Nonetheless, he points out that in terms of emotions, it is crucial to be able to empathise but “you always need to ask yourself that what you’re doing is good and sustainable.”

Finally, he commented that it’s important to follow your moral compass and to not give in to temptations to “jump the queue” to get ahead of others.

He drew comparison to an athlete running a marathon. “If you win a marathon by taking a shortcut and cheating then you’ll know that as you’re celebrating on the podium, despite winning, deep down you’ll know thaty you didn’t win because you didn’t accomplish it yourself,” he concluded.