Maria Filardo: Surround yourself with the right people

I work with many talented and successful people, and they all have one thing in common: an idea that gives them so much energy and inspiration that they are motivated to take steps to make it a reality. 

Maria Filardo, Director at Filardo Ercan Architects, agrees that people who achieve tremendous success first write it down. Like Maria, they know success doesn’t happen by chance; it takes personal conviction and action to succeed.

As we emerge from the global pandemic, many people are re-prioritising their life and work. More are leaving jobs and choosing change than those who have lost jobs due to redundancy, poor performance, or business failure. With this in mind, there’s never been a better time to have a personal leadership vision.

In this interview, Maria shares why she believes it’s vital to write down your vision and revisit it as you experience success…

How important is having a vision?

Maria: Very important. Without a vision, what do you work towards? Before starting my practice, I had a vision, and I wrote it down. Writing it down was powerful.

Looking back, most of what I wrote down has come to fruition, which is encouraging. 

There are things I’m still working toward, but I’m a big dreamer, and my vision is bigger than me, so it might take a while! 

My vision stemmed from being in a place where I was undervalued.  It was a very challenging time in my career, and I took the time to self-reflect and asked some serious questions.  The vision I wrote down listed what I wanted in my life, the work I wanted to do and the type of people I wanted to work with.  A significant part was about helping and giving back to the community.

How has your vision evolved?

Maria: There’s a greater maturity to it, both in terms of what I can realistically achieve as an individual and how I give back to the community. 

Now that the business is expanding, my vision needs to be revisited and aligned with our business plan. 

The initial vision spoke about wanting to do more community work and give back. Now I’m at a stage where that is becoming a reality. 

I’m excited that we’ve recently committed to dedicating a percentage of what we earn to charity.  Our focus is homelessness which makes the most sense to me given our job is to provide shelter. Architecture is more than having a house. It shelters the everyday places and spaces we inhabit.

What has been the most useful in enabling you to create, find or execute your vision?

Maria: Mental fortitude and faith! It’s also important to be surrounded by the right people, people who are positive and kind. 

While executing my vision comes from me, it helps to have people around you who support you.

When I read about successful people who have excelled in their chosen path, they often talk about a dream or vision they’ve had. Great success doesn’t happen by chance. It has to be pursued, and you need to fight and work hard for it. I have a vocation that I love and thrive on.

Define and achieve your own leadership vision

Join Dr Kim Vella for the 1-day Achieve Your Leadership Vision Workshop. This will be held on 29 July 2022 in Canberra.

Together, we will:

• discuss the true meaning of a leadership vision and how it can change your life
• uncover some of the roadblocks that may be obstructing your vision
• define a clear and achievable vision you can aspire to
• use practical tools to set a roadmap for success
• address typical challenges you may face and how to overcome them

Seats are limited so register early to secure your spot.