That was illustrated perfectly on a recent Friday afternoon when the newly appointed national president of Master Electricians New Zealand was hunting in the hills.
Call it bad timing but he received a video call from the chairman of the board, just as he was sighting a deer, and he was suddenly in decision-making mode.
The deer ran free.
Mr Rawson is a second-generation Oamaru electrician, following in the footsteps of his father Mike, both in the trade, at the helm of Plunket Electrical and as president of the industry body.
Being a sparkie was not initially his first career choice. Creative at school, he wanted to be a sign writer and he did a course while still at school.
He was hoping to get a job at a local sign-writing firm but there was not one available at that time.
While "fooling around" and working with his father, an electrician apprenticeship eventuated.
He quipped the trade was in his family’s genes; his son Kase and nephew Jai were soon to be registered as the third generation of electricians.
"I was always at my father’s hip on callouts, sweeping up the workshop and so on, and my son Kase was always following me around in a similar way. He may well step into our business", he said.
Asked his leadership style, Mr Rawson said people could expect a bubbly, buoyant and honest approach. Integrity was important to him, along with getting everyone involved, and lifting morale.
Master Electricians leads education, advocacy and support for its 1300-strong membership, which represents about 10,000 individual electricians, and the wider market.
A self-described "people person", Mr Rawson said he was grateful to be surrounded by such good people, including at Plunket Electrical, and he was able to attend to industry matters knowing the business was in good hands. That support extended to his family as well.
He wanted to help the industry and its people grow.
Training was hugely important to keep registered electricians coming through. Adaptation was also required through the current economic times as fewer homes were being built and fewer "extras" were sought as consumers tightened their belts.
"My role as national president is fundamentally to get the message from the members around the country up to board level and national office so we can make the organisation the best it can be.
"I want to support our CEO in continuing to boost morale, build confidence, and increase member benefits — our success comes down to strong membership involvement, and that involves reaching out, listening, learning and taking the information to the right place for discussion", he said.
He could still be found sometimes on the tools — "because I love it" — and he was proud that his son was continuing the family tradition.
"I remember the day he came to me and said, ‘I don’t know what to do but I like what you’re doing’."
