Tony Burns

How you react to adversity is a crucial indicator to business success, but it’s an even more important factor in life. Literally from the day he was born, Tony Burns learnt he had two options, ‘you can see it as a positive or a negative’.

Tony is the CEO of Helping People Achieve (HPA), a non-Government, not-for-profit organisation based in Darwin. HPA helps people with physical and mental disabilities to develop their confidence, independence and life skills to lead a fulfilled life, though employment.

Humbly, Tony admits, “one of the proudest moments in my life was when HPA was the first charity organisation to be named Telstra Business of the Year.” This was in 2016, the first year a Charity category was included in the Awards.

This would not have happened had Tony not learnt early on how to put a positive spin on those moments in life which force many to quit. Refusing to let adversity dominate him was what led Tony to virtually end the career of one of Australia’s greatest tennis players, and it also helped him beat odds of two hundred and fifty million to one to meet a boyhood hero.

It was an attitude instilled in him on the day he was born. To quote Tony, “I was born at 4:45am; Mum was exhausted but ecstatic and the doctors were packing up when out popped Wayne.” It transpired that neither the doctors nor his mother had any idea she was pregnant with twins.

That was in 1977 when ultrasounds weren’t as common as they are today, and “to everyone’s shock, suddenly there were two of us. We were both put on life support, but unfortunately Wayne lasted only twenty-four hours.

“My parents were devastated, and they had to deal with it a second time when my sister Nicole died at birth too.”

These two tragic moments became pivotal as “from the moment I was born my parents have been an inspiration to me. They taught me and my younger brother to dream big, to shoot for the stars. They’ve instilled a message of giving, and to be the best possible people we can be.”

Proudly, Tony states “my Mum is the most incredible human being, she’s a nurse and was voted Nurse of the Year a few years back and the influence she has on those around her is amazing. My Dad has had failures in life but has climbed back on the horse every time and kept aiming higher.”

With those lessons as inspiration, Tony has taken the approach to be positive and make something great out of everything; “Having that mindset has had a great impact on my life.”

When Tony joined HPA in 2014, the business had been around for over fifty years, and had been known as Handicapped Persons Association. Tony had been in the position of CEO for just two weeks when he decided the business name simply had to change.

HPA had been started by Harold and Pat Garner back in 1963, inspired by a dream to help their handicapped son, but when Tony arrived he was surprised it had been going for so long and not connected with the community at a greater level.

For Tony it was important “to de-stigmatise that word ‘disability’, and really focus on achievement, and to give people an opportunity to fulfil their dreams.”

While enjoying a glass of red wine one evening, Tony found himself mindlessly scribbling on a napkin. While the business was named Handicapped Persons Association, mostly it was identified by its acronym HPA.

On reflection, Tony laughingly admits, “I’m still not sure if it was the wine or an epiphany moment, but ‘Helping People Achieve’ appeared on that napkin and it just seemed right.

“I think brands are really important and have an impact on a greater level than we appreciate, but I could never have foreseen the way it’s unfolded. It’s been great journey.”

HPA now employs a hundred staff, sixty-eight of whom are physically or mentally challenged, and it has evolved into a multi-faceted business.

Tony explains that “there are three arms to the business today. Kokoda Industries is our woodwork, metalwork, fabrication and furniture section. It was named Kokoda to recognise the support we received from Papua New Guinea.

“Then there’s Ausdesigns, which is screen printing, confidential paper shredding and marketing supplies, and we also have DAS Support Services, an accommodation arm to assist with independent living.”

The overarching purpose is “about inspiring people and giving them a purpose.”

Tony has many stories about how he’s inspired everyday by those who work at HPA. Although he receives many accolades for which he’s grateful, it’s seeing the difference the organisation has made in the lives of his people that’s the most gratifying experience.

HPA has “got some of the most determined, hardworking employees you could imagine. They get on buses at five o’clock in the morning and catch three buses just to get to work on time.

“I’ve got staff members who hurt their finger and can’t get to work the next day and are crying because they can’t get here. And people ask me, where do you get that from, how did you transform that business in that short period of time? It’s two things – passion and purpose.”

In Tony’s view, “I think everyone in life really wants that and I believe what we’ve created here gives them purpose; they’re not categorised with the word ‘disability’. They’re categorised on achievement.

As a result, “they’re working for an amazing company, fulfilling their lives by making a contribution to society and in return they’re proud of what they’re doing.

“When you come from a place of purpose, then only great things can happen. That then has a domino effect which spills over to their families and even complete strangers who happen to recognise the business logo on our shirts. These are really powerful things that money cannot buy.”

The plan now is to build on the success he’s achieved with HPA and take what he’s doing in Darwin, not only to the rest of Australia, but even to the world.

Currently the business is in the “process of doing a five year business plan and we have some really exciting opportunities on how we can make a bigger impact.

“We won a contract with the Chamber of Commerce to provide indigenous product packs for a conference in Paris which has opened us up to the world. A conference in Canberra exposed a thousand CEOs to our product, so you just never know where that might lead.”

This is when Tony excels; he begins to dream, and just like his parents taught him, Tony dreams big. “As a child I loved inspirational movies like ‘Field Of Dreams’ and the ‘Rocky’ series; they really impacted me. I admired the passion and purpose that came from something really raw inside those characters – it helps you understand who you truly are as a person.”

Knowing your ‘why’ is a popular view these days and Tony adds, “I believe there aren’t many businesses or people who truly know why they do what they do on a daily basis, but I believe I’ve found my ‘why’ from movies like that.”

Arguably the movie which had the biggest impact on Tony was ‘Rudy’. It’s the biographical story of Daniel ‘Rudy’ Ruettiger who, against massive odds realises a childhood dream to play football for Notre Dame College in the United States.

Tony actually remembers the day he watched that movie.; “It was the 17th of July 1995.”

He recalls, “a mate had returned from a visit to the US and I watched the VHS he gave me at two o’clock in the morning. It was one of those realisation moments when I said to myself ‘I’m going to meet this guy’. I ran straight into my parents’ room, woke them and told them. I’m not sure they really comprehended what I was saying.”

The story continues as “several years later I’m in Munich airport, about to board a plane for home and I’m on the phone to Mum crying about my lack of success on the tennis circuit. I wasn’t winning many matches and it was pretty tough.”

He recounts how “Mum commented ‘you never quit anything in life, so go to America, finish off your tournament schedule then come home,’ and so that’s what I did.”

In Chicago, and having just watched the movie again for motivation, Tony was walking through the hotel foyer as a girl walked towards him wearing a Notre Dame jacket. Unaware of how successful the movie was – there was no Google back then – Tony approached the girl and asked ‘have you seen the movie called Rudy?’

As Tony recounts, “she was probably the fifth person I’d spoken to since arriving in America the day before, and she replied that ‘Rudy Ruettiger’s brother is my teacher at school’.”

Tony was, of course, totally stunned. Having told her how Rudy inspired him and how much he wanted to meet him, she arranged for Tony to contact Tim Ruettiger. It transpired that “he was eleven miles away and I had no money for a taxi, so I ran to his school and actually got to speak to Rudy on the phone.”

Twelve months later Tony was back in Notre Dame and had lunch with Rudy in Las Vegas.

That was another pivotal moment as “I reflect on that often; it’s impacted me greatly and continues to remind me that if you have a dream, anything is possible. Doors open if you’re ready for the opportunity, dreams can come true.”

So now Tony has a bigger dream for HPA and do you have any doubt it’ll come true?

As Tony says, “you’ve got to have the dream first and you’ve got to believe it. You can have a dream, but if you don’t believe it, you won’t achieve it.”

To maximise the success of HPA and to boost the chances of his dream becoming a reality, Tony has hit the corporate speaking circuit, taking his message to a wider audience. He’s launched it under the umbrella of an offshoot company he’s created called ‘Dream, Believe, Achieve’.

That way, Tony is “able to reach a larger section of society and talk to them on a personal level about breaking the stigma of disabilities but also the empowerment of possibilities.

“I want to help people achieve by reminding individuals and companies that we all have a chance every day to make the best out of what we have.”

A major part of his message is telling his story; a story about positive versus negative, passion and purpose and to not only dream, but believe in your dream.

One of Tony’s most popular stories is where he jokingly takes credit for ending the career of one of Australia’s greatest tennis players.

As a child “my sporting passions were soccer, tennis and long distance running. Soccer was probably my best sport, and I tried out for a Queensland team. Sixteen children were chosen and I was the seventeenth.

“Eight of these children came from the coach’s own region, so then I decided to concentrate on tennis. My thought process was that my success would be decided by me winning matches and not having to rely on someone else selecting me.”

Tony became the number one Australian Junior player, and was offered a tennis scholarship to an American college. Looking back, “that was a tough choice for a nineteen year old; either go to college or embark on the pro tour. The stats at the time suggested only one percent of players coming out of the college program actually made it as professionals.”

With his parents behind him, “they gave me the equivalent of what it would cost to attend two years of uni, which would fund me until I started winning. I played for over three years on the tour and have absolutely no regrets.”

The highlight came on the 27th February 1997. Yes, again, Tony remembers the date.

“I was at home on the Sunshine Coast and my coach called me to say, ‘Pat Cash wants you to play you in an exhibition match at the Hyatt Regency at Coolum’. I raced over, and started like a house on fire. I was 3-love up against Pat Cash, a Wimbledon champion!

“But Pat was always a great fighter and he came back at me, winning the next six games to beat me 6-3. I went home and cried. I thought that was my big opportunity and I’d blown it.”

The next day brought another phone call from Tony’s coach and another request from Pat to play again. Tony was determined that “this time I wasn’t going to lose. Dad came with a video camera and got it all on tape. I beat Pat Cash 6-4!

“Pat wasn’t happy, he smashed his racquet and two weeks later he officially retired. So I sent a former Wimbledon champion into retirement. And you know what? I still have Pat’s smashed racquet and his headband from that match,” Tony proudly adds to prove yet again that dreams can come true for him.

ADVICE

It doesn’t take a genius to recognise the advice Tony Burns would offer about succeeding in business. There are gems throughout his story, like purpose and passion, to have a dream and to not give in to adversity, no matter how big the setbacks might be.

Even the fact that Tony can remember the dates of significant moments in his life should provide a few hints.

There is one episode in his journey with HPA which epitomises the type of attitude you need if you want your business to succeed. It’s the background story to becoming the first charity to be named Telstra Business of the Year.

HPA was nominated for the awards in 2015 and “we were excited, we actually thought we’d have a good chance of winning our category.

“But two weeks after the nominations, Telstra rang to say they didn’t have a category for us, so we couldn’t be entered into the awards. It was a massive letdown, not only for us but for those who had lodged the nomination.”

Tony admits “it would have been really easy to get angry and demand a change, but we responded with thanks for nominating us and moved on with our business.

“Twelve months later Telstra created a category for the not-for-profit or charity section of the marketplace and we were nominated again and this time our nomination was accepted.

“We not only won our category, but we won the overall award as Telstra Business of the Year. So in the first year of charities being eligible, we won the lot.”

Tony’s message is to control what you can control and not get caught up in aspects of your business you have no control over. “Do what you do, and do it to your best.”