<p>It is sometimes best to “stand back and do things differently” in your career, according to Colin Cole, ceo of Lioncourt Homes.</p> <p>Speaking at HBF’s Future Talent Conference in Bedfordshire, bringing together trainees, graduates and apprentices, Lioncourt’s boss told delegates of his career and business choices, including the decision to leave a senior role in Persimmon to begin his own housebuilding business.</p> <p>Cole said that during the 2008/9 recession, when Lioncourt Homes was a new business, he was able to increase home sales by improving the specification of his homes while other housebuilders were reducing their spend.</p> <p>“We came out [of the recession] in a cash positive position. We took a larger share of the market, selling when others weren’t,” Cole said to the audience. “Fewer were in such a positive cash position.”</p> <p>He added: “Sometimes it’s best to stand back and do things differently. If you follow the pack, you get the same result as everyone else.”</p> <p>Also speaking at the conference, Helen Moore, group director of Orbit Homes, advised delegates on becoming successful future leaders. She emphasised the importance of being “your authentic self”, setting goals “and taking control of your career”. </p> <p>What should motivate, she said, …