Mark Rowland

Mark Rowland has worked all over the world: UK, Europe, Asia, Australia and is currently residing in Las Vegas. Mark has had a balance of senior executive experience inside corporates as well as entrepreneurial activities. He is a chartered accountant, qualified coach and an expert in all things happiness.

Why does the world need a work revolution? (In other words: the way we’re working isn’t working. Why not?)
There needs to be more focus put on tapping into the deep-rooted motivations of people as realized through making work more meaningful and also increasing work-life integration.

How are you or your organization reinventing work in some way (big or small)?

  • Making happiness a business model
  • Ensuring that our core values are lived and understood by everyone on the team
  • Ensuring that the team is able to make work meaningful

Why do you do what you do?
I love what I do and it has a direct link to the overarching purpose of my life and the ultimate KPI of my life which is to maximize the number of happy minutes I have on the planet and also those that I assist others to have.

What kind of art (any kind) do you like and why? Any recommendations we should know about?
Anything by Hugh MacLeod.

What is one specific thing your company does that makes your culture unique and/or different?
We have created icons for each of our values, these are characters alive or dead, fictional or non-fictional that we feel epitomizes the value so that we can take on that identity when faced with difficult decisions.

What is one discipline/industry totally different from your own that has inspired you? How does it impact your work?
I was inspired by the work of Jay Forrester at MIT who was the father of system dynamics and systems thinking and this work has been invaluable in our thoughts around increasing the value of entrepreneurial ecosystems.

What’s one tangible and concrete technique other organizations should use if they want to create a more human and/or meaningful place to work?
Ensure you have a meaningful purpose statement that everyone in the organization can resonate with no matter their role… then ensure everyone puts as much meaning into their work as possible.

What does your preferred work environment look like?

  • Lots of natural light
  • Games to play for fun, preferably shuffleboard
  • Smiling people happy to be at work
  • Music
  • Colour
  • Happy graffiti

What do you do for fun?
Yoga

How do you stay productive throughout your day?
Fresh juices or whole food smoothies

Where in the world are you?
Sydney, Bolton, and Las Vegas

How can people connect with you?
Twitter: @roceteer_mark
Skype: mark.j.rowland
Email: mark@roceteer.com