Human Development Manager, Australia, for Golder Associates
What is your current role?
Human Development Manager, Australia, for Golder Associates.
What qualifications do you hold?
Bachelor of Arts with majors in psychology and sociology. Graduate Diploma in Psychology with a focus on performance and a Graduate Certificate in Management Psychology, which included units in HR, organisational development and organisational dynamics.
Why did you get into HR?
I have always had an interest in human performance and strategies for developing high performance. I get a real kick out of helping people to achieve exceptional performance and HR provides me with the opportunity to do this.
I also saw that HR would provide me with the ongoing intellectual challenges of problem solving and developing creative solutions.
How did you get into HR?
When graduating from postgraduate psychology studies, the opportunities can often be quite narrow. I was lucky enough to gain employment with a small psych consulting firm, where I was able to get involved in all elements of the business very early on. This meant I became involved in key HR activities and was able to work closely with the directors of the business in other areas, such as client development and finances.
I then moved through a range of consulting roles, which helped me to realise that more clinical type work was not really for me. These roles, however, opened the door for me to move into a range of leadership and management roles in the consulting sector. It also provided me with the opportunity to start applying human performance concepts in a range of roles specialising in HR and organisational development.
Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?
I am currently becoming more involved in the development and implementation of HR strategy at a global level within Golder Associates, and I would like to see myself become more involved internationally.
What has been your biggest career high so far?
Working on a range of high profile global HR projects within Golder Associates. These have brought me into contact with a range of brilliant HR people within the company, who have helped accelerate my learning.
What do you think it takes to succeed in HR?
Credibility is important, so you need to be able to demonstrate that you have the technical knowledge required to deal with the issues that arise in the workplace. I think that having a good understanding of the key drivers of an organisation is vital, so that you are able to take a balanced approach to your role with a focus on producing organisational results.
Influencing skills are another important ingredient because a key part of the HR role involves getting people from all levels of an organisation on board with initiatives. The ability to think quickly and come up with creative solutions to organisational problems also helps.
How do you manage relationships with senior executives?
I do a lot of listening so I have a clear understanding of the issues that are impacting them and the things that are the important drivers for them. I then take a strong solution focus to ensure that I am delivering to their needs. Senior executives generally prefer to hear about solutions rather than problems, so I attempt to always talk in these terms.
I also try to tailor my communication style to the individual, so that I can provide them with the type of information they value. If they are a person who needs lots of data to make a decision, I give them that, but if they value just the basic facts, I adjust the information accordingly.
Who is your biggest professional inspiration?
I have been lucky enough to have worked with a number of inspirational people throughout my career who have assisted me to develop a broad range of skills.
What advice would you give to graduates considering a career in HR?
It is important to find out about the realities of the job before going into it. Talk to people who are working in HR roles and find out about the range of roles that do exist. There are a broad range of specialisations that suit people with different skill sets. Many HR roles can be extremely challenging personally, because you have to deal with very difficult situations on a regular basis. Work out whether this type of role is a good fit for you. Having said that, HR can be an extremely rewarding career, so I would encourage people to consider it.
Describe yourself in three words
Enthusiastic, outcome focused, creative.
