Leaders can inspire or pollute teams…. what kind of leader are you?

By Phil Crenigan FIML, Managing Director, Executive Turning Point

The Background

As a Fellow of the Institute of Managers and Leaders I was delighted to accept an invitation to facilitate and lead their opening 2017 Leadership Outlook series on High Performing Teams and how to build them. This involved a significant commitment between February to April 2017 and took me to 17 locations: Sydney, Newcastle, Wollongong, Melbourne, Geelong, Bendigo, Canberra, Adelaide, Darwin, Hobart, Brisbane, Cairns, Toowoomba, Mackay, Rockhampton, Sunshine Coast and Townsville. In the process I was privileged to meet with 840 participants from every kind of business background imaginable. Big business and small business, private sector and public sector. I met with Leaders from mining, engineering, energy, private and public schools, professional services, including legal, dental, financial services and medical practices. Attendance was high from many local government teams, social services, tourism, not for profits and IT.  The one common denominator across this hugely diverse group, was their mutual interest in and need for, high performing teams.

The Context

Much of my work in the last eight years has been helping CEO’s, General Managers and Senior Executives build their own capability and self-awareness as Leaders and in turn to build extraordinary high performing capability around them. How to build high performance in teams is not taught at business school and rarely in our professional lives. (Indeed only a handful out of the 840 participants indicated that they had been through specific professional development to enable them to do this to a successful level.) Yet we all know what it feels like to be part of an extraordinary performing team and a highly dysfunctional group. As a Coach, I know that there are specific drivers and characteristics of high performing teams and this can be measured. I also know that where these drivers and characteristics are driven from the CEO downwards, engagement is high, people are inspired and performance and results in whatever endeavour the organisation is focussed on naturally follow. I provided these insights and tools at all of the sessions so participants could go away and do things immediately with their people.

At the beginning of my journey, I was curious as to what we would discover. Would there be regional differences or different levels of emphasis by type of business? Are there great examples out there waiting to be discovered? What if we were able to codify the drivers and coach this for leaders to be successful? What are the barriers that prevent this and why? Most importantly, I was keen to test out the impact on people when they are in a high performing group and when they are not and how that plays out in their lives in a holistic sense. Finally, what is the role of the leader in all of this as they clearly have a role to play in inspiring others, don’t they’? The only preparation that participants were asked to think about prior was to think about a high performing team that they had been member of in their lives, to note the drivers around why and to recall their general disposition on life at the time. In addition, participants were asked to reflect on a bad team experience they had been a part of, make notes of the drivers around why, and also to reflect on the impact on their lives. This was the basis of the breakout session that has since taken place throughout the 17 locations in Australia. Within 45 minutes, 840 participants openly shared their reflections to both experiences, some with complete strangers and I now want to share with you their insights and the answers to my questions that became crystal clear as the tour progressed.

The Discoveries

i. High Performing Teams
As a coaching and facilitation technique with groups of people, describing “felt leadership” is a powerful conduit to insights and revelations. Participants told us, their learnings were visceral. They recalled examples of high performing teams with such strong recollections.

What the consolidated word heat map of high performing teams below confirms from 870 random examples across 17 locations are:

  1. The drivers are entirely similar which means we can codify what we need to focus on. This was the content of my third and final tool which was distributed after this exercise. It was accepted as a valid driver for every high-performance example from each participant. What the participants demonstrated to themselves is they actually know what drives high performance, because they articulated it in how it felt. Just like we remember the best teachers from 30 years ago in a heartbeat, personal recall on the high performing team experience was immediate, free flowing and energised.
  2. Being part of a high performing team had a direct and positive impact on all aspects of their lives. When it is good, it is all good and we have summaries from every table in every location. Inspired people make better partners, fathers and mothers and all round better humans in all that we do.
  3. The Leader has a clear role to play but so does purpose and direction, role clarity, continual improvement, shared values that are lived and inclusive and open transparent communication.
  4. All of the above resulted in highly engaged people and a strong enabling culture.

Workplace values that can influence a high performing team - Institute of Manager and Leadersii. Dysfunctional Teams

In turning to the dark side, the revelations were at time astonishing in their honesty and the impact on the lives of everybody. Without exception, every participant had a bad experience that was often described, as “the worst chapter of my life”, resulting in loss of relationships, confidence and esteem or health. For health read absenteeism, dread and depression. I would like every leader of people and in particular any CEO reading this article, to carefully read through this picture and to focus on the key words that are at the heart of this word map. One that certainly struck me as I worked through the tour was fear.

  1. These are the words that describe what it feels like to be in a dysfunctional team
    from 840 participants in 17 locations. Once again, it was only through the mechanism of sharing stories and / or experiences through what it “felt” like, were we able to establish this level of disclosure.
  2. The drivers in these dysfunctional teams include, inappropriate / incompetent leadership, absence of any plan, little or no trust, organisational acceptance of inappropriate behaviours, toxic culture.
  3. A profound negative impact on everybody outside of work and the worlds that they seek to play a role in.

I encourage every reader of this article to reflect themselves from their own experience how they felt when part of an extraordinary team and to note down the drivers and to do the same on a poorly led team. My sense and prediction is that your words will be in each of the pictures. The key question is what kind of leader are you and would your people agree….do you inspire or do you pollute?

Workplace values that can hinder team performance - Institute of Manager and Leaders

I would be delighted to hear from leaders and teams if this resonated, particularly CEO’s who want to make a difference going forward. It is never too late and your organisation will be more effective for it.

IML would like your input to understand what would help you move towards a high performing team and to increase your leadership capability in this area. Take our survey today and tell us what else you would like to see to take your team to the next level: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/high-performing-teams

Transparency Will Get You Everywhere

 

Thinking about a rebrand? It’s time to listen to consumer and become the consumer. By Candice Chung

 

Here’s a question every customer wants to know about a company’s rebranding campaign — what’s in it for them?

The ability to answer this question at each stage of a rebranding exercise is key to retaining customer loyalty and creating ‘good news’ narratives.

“Once you’ve worked out your vision, mission and direction, the next step is to put yourself into the shoes of the consumer [or member],” says Barbara Pesel, Managing Director of communications agency Pesel & Carr. “In other words, you need to become the consumer and work out what they want to hear about your brand.”

Strategic empathy is crucial to getting stakeholders on side with branding initiatives. “It is really about saying to the market, ‘We’re here, we’re listening to you. We’re still relevant and this is what we’ve come up with,” says Pesel.

Some of these perceived benefits might include new product offerings, better customer access, or improved services. “Ultimately, people care about the quality of the product and their overall customer experience,” says Nicole Hartley, Senior Lecturer of University of Queensland Business School.

Transparency is another key factor. “Try to be transparent about the need to re-brand,” says Hartley. “That is, don’t just spring it on your customers, introduce it to them and let them know why this is a benefit to them.”

Above all, customers want to feel respected. According to a 2016 customer quotient study by Harvard Business Review, “Customers trust companies that they feel understand them. They respect companies that they believe respect them in return.”

This overall sense of trust can be broken down in five main elements: openness, relevance, empathy, experience and emotion. And a company’s performance on these key indicators “predicts loyalty outcomes and is clearly correlated to profit and growth”.

“The way in which brands have become very smart over the years is that they’ve stopped talking how wonderful they are, and started to focus on what makes their customers unique,” says Pesel. In the end, companies that demonstrate an ability to listen actively and apply strategic empathy will win them the kind of loyalty they need.

 

 

 

Let’s Talk Leadership: With Stephanie McConachy MIML

Stephanie McConachy MIML is part of the new generation of leaders and is passionate about equipping young managers with the knowledge and skills to manage staff and develop further in their chosen careers.

Having recently joined the Institute of Managers and Leaders Board of Directors after three years on the Emerging Leaders Board, McConachy is highly qualified to offer advice to aspiring managers and her thoughts on leadership make compelling listening.

With an established background in marketing, communications and branding, Stephanie’s experience has been varied from working in a small start-up to national law firm Minter Ellison and global firm PwC. Currently at PwC Stephanie operates in a national role acting as an advisor to senior leaders across the business on all matters of marketing.

“When I think about the leaders I admire I think, ‘who would I like to follow?’ I like leaders who take you on a journey,” says McConachy, who features in the August issue of Leadership Matters. “The best leaders are charismatic and they are great communicators.

“They care about the cause and they care about the organisation and they care about the people and they are great communicators. They take you on a journey and you want to follow them.”

In her current role, McConachy is responsible for driving the PwC marketing initiatives and presence in the South Australian market across a range of end-to-end marketing campaigns that build brand awareness and support client acquisition and retention initiatives.

McConachy believes “everyday leadership is the purest form of leadership” and she lives by the mantra of “just do it”. In other words, don’t get too caught up in the pursuit of perfection but rather just throw yourself into tasks and show people the way forward with your passion and dedication to a common cause.

Brand Is You And It Is Them

 

 

Making people want to identify with your brand is crucial to any rebranding as Candice Chung explains

 

 

At the most fundamental level, all forms of rebranding is an attempt to influence the subtle chemistry between a company’s reputation and their customer’s social identities.

“Rebranding is not merely about revamping a brand name or logo, it’s about changing a company’s message, goals and their culture,” says Nicole Hartley, Senior Lecturer of University of Queensland Business School. “This requires a vision for the brand that is inspiring to customers, stakeholders and employees.”

To ensure an overall alignment of visions, first, a company needs to understand what it represents to its customers. “Specifically, what does this brand say about them and their social identities?”

Our social identity refers to a self-curated sense of who we are, and the groups we belong to. For instance, those who cycle to work may identify with people who stay fit; they may also identify with being environmentally conscious. Each of us contains a multitude of social identities, which in turn become powerful triggers to our consumer behaviour.

 

“Successful rebranding is about surprising or delighting customers in a thoughtful and authentic way.”

 

“When consumers identify with a social group that has a well-defined, positive image, they tend to select products that most clearly broadcast membership in it,” according to a recent report by Harvard Business Review.

“Toyota’s [environmentally-focused] marketing for its Prius hybrid car provides an example of how to do this well. By September 2014 the Prius accounted for over half the hybrids ever sold in the United States.”

As Revelian CEO Cherie Curtis pointed out in her recent ‘Change’ podcast with Institute of Leaders and Managers CEO David Pich, “brand is an interactive thing”.

“How much do your members/clients want to attach their identity to your brand? That is the biggest endorsement they can provide,” Curtis says. “It’s about people wanting to associate themselves with that brand.”

Most big rebranding mishaps result from companies not taking the time to understand their customers’ attachment to the brand, says Dr Hartley. “Wanting to merely inject a bit of modernism into a brand is not enough.

“Successful rebranding is about surprising or delighting customers in a thoughtful and authentic way.”

New Name, New Opportunities

 

How successful rebranding can open up new markets for your business. By Candice Chung

 

Regardless of the core business of a company, one of the main aims of of rebranding is to change the expectations you’re setting for your stakeholders.

Companies typically find themselves at a strategic crossroad in response to changing market conditions or increased competition, says Nicole Hartley, Senior Lecturer of University of Queensland Business School. Or they may consider rebranding as a way to support growth strategies that involve moving into new markets – extending their appeal to a wider range of clients, a different gender or age group.

No matter the reason, there is one common thread between all successful rebranding campaigns. “Rebranding done well involves acceptance and continued brand loyalty by your established consumer market,” says Dr Hartley.

Below are some stand-out examples of Australian companies that have broken new grounds by re-energising their brands while maintaining customer loyalty, according to Dr Hartley.

Virgin Blue In 2010, the company renamed and repositioned themselves as Virgin Australia. This was in response to a drop in market share and revenue after entering the market as a low cost airline. Keen to compete in the upmarket business and leisure segment, they repositioned the brand with a new culture and a new customer experience. The comprehensive rebrand led to a name change and focused on a more contemporary look and appeal.

 

‘Rebranding does well involves acceptance and continued brand loyalty by your established market’ – Dr Nicole Hartley

 

Woolworths’ notable 2009 logo relaunch involved a signatory new W for Woolworths, styled with a green apple and accompanied by a new tagline, “The Fresh Food People”. The rebrand hits back at the growing perception that a large percentage of Woolworths’ food was imported. Importantly, it reflects the company’s commitment to fresh produce, which was proudly Australian grown. Their additional commitment includes showcasing the baked goods section within the stores, so shoppers could see fresh food production in action.

ANZ wanted to focus on delivering a brand image that pushed them from being a domestic to an internationally recognised brand – particularly in the Asian markets. A new tagline for the bank – ‘We live in your world’ delivered on this in their 2009 campaign. They also launched a new logo that spoke to a more diverse population. The use of a lotus as the main image “represents ANZ in all its markets regardless of language”, and signifies cultural resonance with the Asian market.

Super Retail Group’s 2012 rebranding campaigned aimed at making a clear distinction between two of their flagship brands – Amart (All) Sports and Rebel Sports. The shift was to rename Rebel Sports as ‘Rebel’ – repositioning it as a premium sports retailer, while enhancing the focus on a female sports enthusiasts market. Rebel Sport had been identified as overly masculine, and the revamp of Rebel (with a new yellow and black logo), together with an effort to make its product offerings more women-friendly, ultimately helped to expand its female market.

 

Rebranding an Aussie icon

 

From retaining relevance to winning market share, there is a lot to be gained from an effective rebranding campaign. Here’s what we can we learn from Bonds — the Aussie retail giant that has continued to reinvent itself over the past century.

 

By Candice Chung

 

Designer Coco Chanel once said, “In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different.” While the celebrated icon and businesswoman may have been addressing the fashion world, her game-changing advice is just as relevant when it comes to managing corporate image.

For established companies, one way to redefine their point of difference — and remain competitive in a changing market — is through strategic rebranding.

“Ultimately, rebranding gives you an opportunity to communicate, and to go out to your stakeholders again with a good story.” says Barbara Pesel, Managing Director of communications agency Pesel & Carr. “It’s really about saying to the market, ‘We’re here, we’re still relevant, and more importantly — we’re listening to you.’”

Before attempting a rebrand, however, it’s crucial that the company has a strong grasp of its core DNA. Pesel defines this as the sum of an organisation’s vision, mission and values. “Vision is about long-term goals. Mission is what you’re going to do to get there. And your values are your guiding principles.” A sudden or unexplained shift away from any of these factors can risk alienating core customers.

In recent years, a handful of major Australian brands have attempted to reinvent themselves with varying degrees of success. Woolworths notably relaunched its logo in 2009 to focus on ‘freshness’, Virgin Blue moved away from its low-cost origins by repositioning itself as Virgin Australia in 2010, while Radio Shack failed to attract a younger clientele by changing its name to The Shack in 2009.

 

‘Rebranding is really about saying to the market, ‘We’re here, we’re still relevant, and more importantly — we’re listening to you’

 

One household name that has continued to excel at brand reinvention is Bonds. From its early days as a small manufacturer of women’s hosiery in 1915, to its introduction of the iconic Chesty singlet that put them on the map in 1920, the company has evolved into an established leader in today’s $2.5 billion underwear business.

Throughout its 100 year-plus history in the retail market, Bonds has successfully remodelled itself from a masculine, working class icon to a quintessentially Australian brand that appeals to all ages and gender. “Our brand values are at the heart of everything we do,” says Bonds Head of Marketing Emily Smalls. “We design comfortable, great-fitting products, we innovate with the changing consumer landscape and we ensure our communications reflect our brand values.”

For Bonds, those core values are authenticity, inclusivity and a sense of irreverence. And it’s the company’s ability to translate their DNA across an ever-expanding product range that allows it to grow without losing its following.

Bringing Sarah Murdoch on board as an ambassador in 2001 was a watershed moment in Bonds’ 102-year history.

“Rebranding done well involves acceptance and continued brand loyalty by your consumer market,” says Nicole Hartley, Senior Lecturer of University of Queensland Business School. “Two elements come into play here: understanding your key markets and being transparent about the need to rebrand – [in other words], letting your customers know why this is a benefit to them.”

One of the ways Bonds has managed to achieve this is through an effective use of ambassadors. For instance, the introduction of Sarah Murdoch as the face of Bonds has been instrumental in the launch of Bonds Bras and the Female Chesty in the early 2000s; as has the hiring of Pat Rafter to re-energise its male underwear range. Since then, Bonds has continued to introduce new products with personality-driven campaigns fronted by the likes of Rachel Taylor, Miranda Kerr and rapper Iggy Azalea — each reflecting a different facet of the company’s distinctly Australian DNA.

“Ambassadors put a very human element to a company’s image,” says Pesel. “When you think about it, Bonds is all about the first thing you put on in the morning and the last thing you take off. Their ambassadors are people who are able to embody the everyday experience and allow their customers to identify with it, too.”

Above all, the brand has remained agile while upholding its reputation because of a simple reason, says Pesel: “The key thing with Bonds is that it has never tried to be anything but itself. This sense of reliability, along with their ability to put themselves in their customer’s shoes, is ultimately what sets them apart.”

Transitioning To Retirement

Employment specialist Peter Barber FIML talks to Nicola Heath about how to make retirement and semi-retirement work for you.

What makes a fulfilling retirement?

It’s a question Baby Boomers, the five million or so Australians born between 1946 and 1966, are having to face as they reach retirement age.

The answer is not endless rounds of golf, says Peter Barber, principal facilitator at Follow Your Star in Melbourne.

A happy retirement hinges on finding meaningful things to do, he says. “It’s being able to feel as though you’re making a contribution to your own well-being, to your partner’s well-being, and in some ways, to the community.”

Planning for retirement is often limited to seeking advice about superannuation and other financial matters. “The question most often asked is, ‘Will I have enough to live on and will it last?’ rather than ‘What do I really want to do next and how will I do it?’” he says. “Most people put more planning into a holiday than they do into their retirement.”

Today’s ageing professionals can expect to live for another 20 or 30 years after their retirement. Without appropriate reflection and planning, retirement can become a challenging time for someone who is accustomed to a busy life that derives meaning and fulfilment from work. Take away nine-to-five employment and you have a lot of time on your hands. “That definition of who you are is suddenly removed,” says Barber.

At Follow Your Star, Barber offers career planning for people in all stages of their lives. The ‘New Horizons’ program focuses on the transition to retirement. Barber helps his clients do two things: write a purpose statement that defines their direction for the next three to five years, and to identify their personal drivers, or “what makes them make choices, make decisions, choose one activity over another? That helps them define what they want to do.”

Barber has first-hand experience of the challenges that come with transitioning to retirement. Retrenched during the GFC when he was 58, Barber suddenly had to decide what to do with the rest of his life. He eventually started a business, which now occupies 20-25 hours of his time each week.

Work remains a fundamental part of Barber’s life. He says he is currently enjoying his ‘unretirement’, a mix of meaningful professional activity, creative pursuits like writing, music-making and performance, and pro bono work, which allows him to contribute to the local community.

So, what are the options for someone planning a fulfilling retirement? Travel and leisure activities are often high on people’s lists, but at best they are short-term strategies. “They’re finite,” says Barber. “A three-month holiday in Europe comes to an end – and then what?”

Family

Retirement is an opportunity to focus our attention on our important relationships. As we age, “networks tend to shrink rather than expand,” says Barber, who believes a happy home life will help create an overall sense of wellbeing.

It’s common for retirees to devote time to caring for grandchildren to help their children juggle the demands of work and parenting. In Australia, 937,000 children are regularly cared for by their grandparents.

“Most people put more planning into a holiday than they do into their retirement.”

Semi-retirement

Increasingly, professionals who have enjoyed rewarding careers are choosing to keep working, albeit in a scaled-down capacity, once they reach retirement age. “The main trend is that people my age, in this demographic, are saying ‘I really don’t want to stop doing something,’” says Barber.

Some, like Barber, establish businesses using the many skills they have acquired over their working life. Part-time work, consulting and freelancing are also popular options. Leaders interested in giving back to the community can explore the possibility of joining a board where their experience and expertise can be put to good use.

Study

In 2014, 93-year-old Lis Kirkby became Australia’s oldest university graduate when she completed a PhD at the University of Sydney’s Business School.

Many use the free time of retirement to go back to school, whether through formal study like Kirkby, or short courses offered by U3A and other adult education institutions. Since retiring, Barber completed his Masters and is planning to start doctoral studies next year. His wife is not resting on her laurels either; she is currently studying creative writing at Swinburne University.

Volunteering

A 2014 survey found that people aged between 65 and 74 were among the age brackets with the highest rates of volunteering in the country, with 35 per cent giving up their time through an organisation or group. The same survey calculated that volunteers contribute 743 million hours of work each year to the community. Philanthropic work also comes with health benefits: one study found that volunteers had lower blood pressure, while another found they lived longer. Join a local community group or look for volunteering opportunities online.

Are you managing staff approaching the transition to retirement, looking to transition yourself or have retired? 

Join us at this Victorian TELTalk: New Horizons where Peter Barber FIML shares his whole of life approach to retirement planning and explains the personal and corporate benefits of providing transitional support for employees moving into retirement.

Disrupting The Disruptors

 

Musician Jack White’s Third Man Records is helping rebuild Detroit with a brand new vinyl record pressing plant and outlet stores. Is there life for legacy industries post-disruption?
BY JAMES JENNINGS

 

A funny thing happened alongside the rapid rise of digital music streaming services: vinyl albums – those cumbersome 12-inch plastic slabs that fell out of favour in the late-80s and early-90s – have experienced a remarkable resurgence, with worldwide sales increasing exponentially year-on-year.

Although the arrival of the Compact Disc appeared to signal the death knell for the LP format, a so-called “vinyl revival” that began around 2007 has seen records make a roaring comeback: in the US alone, it’s projected that 40 million records will be sold in 2017, with sales approaching $US1 billion. In Australia, vinyl counts for 15 per cent of all physical music sales, with 2016 experiencing an 80 per cent increase in overall sales compared to 2015.

The popularity of digital streaming has done nothing to quell the desire of music lovers to hold something tangible in their hands (although the devaluing and lack of aesthetic appeal of CDs has meant their potential resurgence won’t be on the cards any time soon), leading to a vinyl boom and the growing popularity of Record Store Day, an annual international celebration of the format.

Although vinyl sales still only account for a small portion of overall physical music sales – in the US they will only make up around six per cent of a projected $15 billion in revenue this year – the resurgence is enough to provide a significant increase in demand and a second wind for a once-doomed legacy industry.

One of the most vocal champions for the growth of vinyl production in a post-disruption world is none other than the White Stripes’ Jack White (pictured top), whose two solo albums – 2012’s Blunderbuss and 2014’s Lazaretto – both wound up in the US Top 10 vinyl sales during their respective years of release.

Following on from the opening of White’s Third Man Records’ storefront in Nashville in 2009 (the premises including a record store, novelties lounge, label offices, distribution centre, photo studio and the world’s only live venue with direct-to-acetate recording capabilities), White and Third Man Records co-founder Ben Blackwell – White’s nephew – opened a second storefront in Detroit’s historic Cass Corridor in 2015.

In February, White cemented his dedication to the vinyl format and his staunch desire to keep it alive and kicking well into the 21st century with the opening of Third Man Pressing, a state-of-the-art vinyl production facility. Billed as an investment in Third Man Records’ hometown (Detroit is White’s city of birth), the plant is housed in a 10,000 square foot warehouse that cost seven figures and boasts eight custom-built record presses from Germany’s Newbilt Machinery, each unit costing $220,000.

The significant investment from White has also created new manufacturing jobs: the current plan is to run the presses, which produce 5000 records per eight-hour shift, for 24 hours a day, resulting in the need for approximately 50 employees to keep production moving (the Nashville flagship store, by comparison, employs a staff of 30).

“Fifty jobs isn’t a new Ford factory,” Blackwell told Rolling Stone in February. “But for Detroit to continue moving forward, you need to have different ideas. (Manufacturing) is a field that’s driven by creativity. That’s something this city has always been flush with.”

Third Man Pressing is only one of about 20 vinyl record plants in the US – and one of only a few dozen worldwide – but with Jack White’s ingenuity and vision leading the charge, the fascination with vinyl LPs and their resurgence will only further the format’s growth among record collectors.

“Jack White is the public face for vinyl,” Blackwell told The Detroit News not long after the grand opening of Third Man Pressing in February. “This is us putting our money where our mouth is. This is an investment to show our dedication and our commitment to the format and the industry surrounding it.”

 

Go inside the Third Man Pressing facility in Detroit . . . watch here 

 

 

 

 

 

Take Two – Distance Education

 

Anthony Vassallo is the business manager at Redeemer Lutheran College in Brisbane. His mentee, Jennifer Bisley, is based in Bundaberg as regional manager, curriculum support (North Coast region) at Queensland’s Department of Education and Training. Despite being 380km apart, they have been talking together each fortnight for the past year to set goals, discuss challenges and share ideas. Vassallo says mentoring is “a valuable refresher course” and Bisley believes it’s an essential part of professional and personal growth.

 

Why did you join the mentor program?

Jennifer Bisley: Most leaders have mentors – some have more than one. I wanted someone totally impartial to talk to on a professional level who had nothing to gain from our conversations. When the opportunity presented itself, it was great timing because I was experiencing enormous changes at work. Anthony wasn’t playing in my sandpit, so I could say what was on my mind.

Anthony Vassallo: I worked for many years in German banks where they had traineeships, and I was a mentor then. I found it very satisfying to help people in their career. When the opportunity came up again, I decided to become involved.

 

What is the value of a mentoring relationship?

JB: When you commit to having a mentor, you commit time to do something for yourself. It means you can’t take that phone call or check your email during the hour that you’ve dedicated to mentoring. It’s an investment in your personal and professional growth and in your overall wellbeing.

AV: Discussions generally start with leadership and management strategy, and then evolve into personal reflection, which is important for any leader. My discussions with Jenny included the things she wanted to achieve as a person; hopefully that was rewarding for her.

 

What did you learn from each other?

JB: What didn’t I learn! I learned practical applications for my role. Through Anthony, I was able to look at challenges or problems through a different lens.

AV: Jenny thinks a lot about the kind of leader she wants to be and this made me think what kind of leader I am and how I can improve.

 

What did you get out of the program?

JB: I was able to establish clear goals and values. I also learned that I’m my harshest critic and the mentoring relationship involves a lot of self-reflection.

AV: Mentoring is like a refresher course. When you’re recommending books or papers or TED talks, you revisit them yourself and it helps to refresh your ideas.

 

Would you recommend the mentor program to others?

JB: Absolutely. It has been a key component of my leadership journey. Everyone should have a mentor.

AV: It’s been very good for me and I’d certainly recommend it. Like a lot of things in life, it’s good for you but you don’t often make time for it. If you’re going to do it, be strict with yourself about making the time.