What is more important, talent or drive?
I look for a fair sense of both. Drive is essential but needs to be counterbalanced by ethics, ability, common sense, curiosity, vision, interest in people and an agile mind. Knowledge and experience are the two things that you can build on the job.

On a scale of one to ten, how significant a role does luck play when it comes to success?
Seven. I believe you can make your own luck, by presenting positively, being energetic, delivering what is required and more, and building relationships and confidence. Often being in the right place at the right time helps, but really it boils down to what you bring, your past achievements and whether people believe and have confidence in you.

Which is more critical, the idea or the execution?
Absolutely the execution! I have found implementation and seeing it through takes courage, focus, energy, persistence and resilience. Bringing the team along is vital and must be invested in if a sound idea is to work in practice.

Is it better to be passionate or objective?
Passionate. Once again, a healthy balance of both is valuable but positive passion is attractive, compelling and infectious. Passion allows you to articulate the ideas, and most importantly, lets the pictures come out of your eyes. If people believe that an idea or proposal is important to you, they are more likely to consider it and come along with you.

What is most and least important? Please rank your priorities.

1. Talent
   Drive
   Relationship skills
   Confidence
   Organisational skills

What one trait has helped you most in business?
The ability to see the positive aspects of change and drive for it. My work experience has largely centred around organisations in transition: from Government to private; from community, political and media targets to respected service providers; from industrial and legal disputation an financial crisis to stability and growth. These are the jobs that give me the prickle up the back of my neck, that require building not just maintaining and allow one to deal with both the core deliverables and the 'unspokens'.

What is the one trait that has hindered you most in business?
Working in organisations with gutsy change agendas has taught me the need to allow time to bring people on board. In the past, I have had to curb my impatience, to spend more time in explaining the vision and what it means for people in groups or individuals to secure their buy- in commitment, rather than leap to the solution. Experience has shown that those outcomes, while still challenging and uncomfortable at times, are more effective and sustainable.

What is the hardest lesson you've learned and how did you learn it?
I have had to learn about turning what could be seen as a negative into a positive. Driving mission critical organisational change in complex, service businesses is demanding, confronting, exhilarating, draining and rewarding and carries both opportunities for significant personal risk as well as immense personal growth. In one of those situations, the end result was a major downsizing, and I had to learn to recognise and articulate the positives: the new sustainability of the organisation in question, my growth in skills, resilience and the transferability of that package to other situations and industries. In fact, that has become my trademark.

What is the one piece of advice you would offer other women in business?
Do what you enjoy doing. I always feel it is a waste of potential if people, men or women, feel trapped or restricted at work. Sometimes you will need to push the boundaries, find other ways, take courageous steps and chances, contribute in different ways, build mentors and supports and cover some difficult territory. However, if you like what you do, it will provide the interest and energy to success, open new opportunities and expand your horizons.

What are the biggest mistakes you see women making in business?
Limiting their opportunities by not looking at things from a positive perspective, not building their energy and self-awareness and not having confidence within themselves. Sometimes we need the help of others to do this, sometimes a quiet chat "behind bike sheds" with ourselves can do the trick, but we always need to track the dynamics and success of our performance and the workings of out internal barometer and look for opportunities which take us closer to where we would like to be.