TRAINING company director Mike Lever describes the trigger which led up to him changing the direction of his working life.

‘It was 2008 and I worked for Northern Rock. Our daughter Miah had been born through IVF. She was early and it had been a tough time, in and out of hospital. Finally we were all at home together, enjoying a lazy weekend. I went upstairs for a shower and collapsed – I’d had a subarachnoid brain haemorrhage.

‘The months after that were very difficult, especially for Deborah my wife, who was looking after a small baby and coming in and out of hospital visiting me. It’s left me with a few gaps in my memory and a constant headache. But the whole episode made me start to think about doing something different.’

It took another few years, but Mike – who lives with his wife and daughters Miah and Emma in Langley Park near Durham - ended up joining forces with Nicola and Nevil Tynemouth in 2012 as director of training company, New Results Training, based in Houghton le Spring.

And in February this year he was crowned national Sales Trainer of the Year at the annual British Excellence in Sales and Marketing awards, run by the Institute of Sales and Marketing Management.

"I also remember thinking about my father. He had enjoyed a career running a sweet factory. Other than being a racing driver or an astronaut, what better job could your father have when you’re a child? He genuinely loved it.

"Then he was made redundant and for the next twenty years worked for a printing firm, a job he hated but tolerated to earn an income. I didn’t want my life to be like that."

Armed with a degree in Economics from the University of Wolverhampton, Mike’s first full time job was at the Inland Revenue.

"The people were lovely, but the job just wasn’t for me. However, there were problems in consistency and making sure that everyone was doing the same thing. So I wrote a training programme and manual, which was adopted, and suddenly that felt right."

Mike went on to work for Northern Rock for more than 17 years in a variety of roles – mortgage advisor, sales trainer, area manager - ending up as the training & competence manager, an Assistant Director role, based at the bank’s Head Office.

‘When I left Northern Rock I took time off and did a lot of things I’d always wanted – including having a flying lesson and drawing up my family tree. I also joined Durham Toastmasters, where I met Nevil Tynemouth from New Results. We talked and I ended up joining the company.

"The fantastic thing is that I get to work with a huge variety of people, from managing directors to sales staff, and it makes getting up in the morning and going to work so satisfying. And we’re growing and bucking the trend."

Mike wouldn’t recommend illness as a way of changing tack, but it helped him reach a place he calls his dream job.

"I think I have been very fortunate in the lot of ways. And here I am doing what I love, in a great part of the world. It hardly gets much better than this."

FIVE minutes with Mike Lever:

Favourite North East building and why?

It has to be Durham Cathedral. We have taken people of all faiths there and there hasn’t been one of them who hasn’t described it as breath-taking. Even if there are hundreds of people around it still has a sense of peace.

What was your first job and how much did you get paid?

I was born in a north Manchester town and my first job was working on Saturdays at Bury market for £10 a day, selling fishing tackle for my brother-in-law, getting up at the crack of dawn, rain or shine.

It was my first insight into selling and I learnt a lot about people and being determined.

What is the worst job you have had?

It was at the Inland Revenue. Never has a job and a person been so mismatched. It became clear very early on that I wasn’t cut out to be a civil servant.

What would you cook for me if I came around for dinner?

I’m not much of a cook. So rather than offend you with my cooking, I’d get a takeaway or I’d take you out.

What would your superpower be?

I’d like just once to see the world through someone else’s eyes, even it was just for a few minutes, just get someone else’s perspective. But if not, flying would be pretty cool.

Name four people, dead or alive, who would be at your perfect dinner party?

I am a Manchester United fan, so one would have to be the late, great George Best. I’d also like to have my paternal grandfather, Thomas Lever, who was awarded the Military Medal and served in Asia, Africa and Europe. He was a professional soldier and though I never met him, he is the subject of a lot of family folklore. I’d also like Ranulph Fiennes, the explorer, and Marie Curie, chemist and physicist, who was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize.

Most expensive thing you’ve bought – other than your car or house – and how much?

IVF treatment. Both my girls were born through IVF, at the fourth and fifth attempt. Even though we had one attempt free, it cost more than our wedding, our honeymoon and our cars. And worth every single penny. They are amazing.

Who is the best person to follow on Twitter and why?

It would be the Harvard Business Review, which is at the forefront of business thinking.

Favourite book?

That would be Australian author Peter Carey’s Oscar and Lucinda, which won the 1988 Booker Prize and which I first read in the 90s. It is a love story, but doesn’t come across that way. It’s a great read.

When did you last cry?

My daughters regularly make me cry with laughter – they are six and four and so spontaneous and funny. I just have to watch them playing.

What is your greatest achievement?

Getting the BESMA national Sales Trainer of the Year award earlier this year. I am really very proud of that.

What is the best piece of advice in business you have ever been given?

Do yourself a favour and build a good team around you.

Favourite animal and why?

The elephant. They are so powerful, but can be so amazingly gentle. We met some when we went on holiday to Thailand and they are incredible close up. And the Lever coat of arms bears both an Indian and an African elephant.

Most famous person on your mobile phone?

Possibly John Thackwray, who was a round the world yachtsman in the 70s and 80s, and is my uncle. He also built hotels and restaurants and lives on a private island near Miami in the winter and Connecticut in the summer.

What was the last band you saw live?

I saw David Byrne, who was lead singer of Talking Heads, at the Sage a few years ago. He was excellent.

Describe your perfect night in?

The children will choose a film – probably Despicable Me or Frozen – and all four of us will cuddle on the sofa watching it. I’m happiest when I’m chilling out with my three girls.

In another life I would be…

A Lamborghini test driver – that would work for me. I think Lamborghini’s design team have someone who can go into the future to see what cars will look like…

Who would play you in a film of your life?

Michael Sheen, who played Tony Blair in The Queen, Brian Clough in The Damned United and Frost in Frost and Nixon. He’s already called Michael and can do a northern accent.

What irritates you?

Drivers who can’t use roundabouts… And people who give up without even trying.

What is your secret talent?

I’m good at making up rhymes and rubbish songs. It’s never proved very useful.