Famous Faces, Management

Famous Faces

Lea Symonds – Tasmanian State President, Australian Human Resource Institute, Tasmania Branch, Managing Director and Senior Consultant with Personal Strengths Australia and Board Member of Lifeline.

Lea Symonds

As the Managing Director and Senior Consultant with Personal Strengths, Lea has over 25 years experience in facilitation and consulting to private and public clients. Lea's clients have included; NAB, Zurich Insurance, IAG, the Australian Defence Forces, Manpower, Tasmanian Police, Hobart Water, Aurora and Tasmanian Government departments.

"You've got to be open to possibilities. If you're not open to opportunities then they won't be there."

Career beginnings.

"Just because you are studying something now doesn't mean it won't set you up for something totally different in the future."

Lea commenced her professional career as an Infant School Teacher. She hadn't planned on becoming a teacher. Her career plans were to be a doctor or an architect but she soon realised being terrible at physics and maths wasn't very helpful in those days to move into her career of choice. "I moved into teaching because it was a generational thing, it was what every reasonable middle class girl considered a career path in those days - that was the main motivation. It was also a time when people were paid to be students - everyone went for studentships although it was quite competitive to get them."

First job.

Lea started waitressing at 13 years of age. "I trained in 'silver service' at the Lufra Hotel (Eaglehawk Neck), which was an Ansett hotel in those days. I've always had a work ethic. I worked at that time because I wanted extra money and to be independent. Wanting to work was probably a personality trait more than anything." Lea waited on tables the whole time she was studying to become a teacher because it was easy to fit in around class times and other commitments. Skills developed during her years waiting on tables that helped Lea's career, included being able to deal with difficult customers and being organised. Lea also realised this experience gave her insights into what she didn't want. "I realised waitressing wasn't going to be a career for me because I wouldn't be able to make enough money out of it. It's only when you get into those jobs you realise if you have the choice, and have the ability then you owe it to yourself to make something of that. I'm a firm believer in making the best of yourself."

Influences while growing up.

"My grandmother, who worked until she was 80." She was involved in a catering company and "I got to see first hand how people could do it hard." "My grandmother came from a background where her father was killed in an industrial accident and her grandfather had also been killed in an industrial accident so it was two generations of fatherless families having to support themselves. My grandmother started working when she was 12 and had never had the opportunities that I had. I found her to be remarkable role model."

Qualities Lea inherited from her grandmother included; integrity, an absolute commitment to giving back ("there's no point in having success if you're not able to share it"), generosity and perseverance, especially in relation to establishing and running your own business. "If [your business] lasts longer than 5 yrs you're better than the national average, if it lasts longer than 10 years it's looking like you might have a goer, and if it lasts longer than 15 years, which mine has, you must be doing something that's pretty right."

Lea's career progression.

"I moved out of teaching. It was only a stepping stone. I wasn't sure what to. I didn't like my destiny being decided by a nameless bureaucrat, I also saw that you could do a superb job as a teacher but it didn't seem to make much difference in the long run. I became disenchanted with teaching." Nevertheless, teaching was excellent preparation for Lea's subsequent roles and instilled in her the qualities of leadership, flexibility, adaptability and innovation. One of the experiences that shaped her independence was when Lea had the opportunity to buy some property. "I remember sitting in front of a bank manager in Hobart and although I had a good work history and credit rating he said, "We won't lend you any money for this unless your father is prepared to act as guarantor" (Lea was 30 years old and living independently), and the second thing he said was, "Don't you think you are being a bit greedy, why do you want to buy two properties and not just one?" That's when I realised once again I would not let someone else dictate my destiny. It was almost like a personal challenge. I thought if some person can try and tell me I can't have what I want to have then I'm going somewhere else."

Starting her business career.

Lea decided to take time away and went sailing around the Pacific for 6 months. It was there that she met some people from Bond Corporation. Lea did some work for Bond Corporation as a sales representative. Lea soon realised it was only going to be a stepping stone to make the transition from her initial career in education to establishing her credibility in a role within a corporate environment. That's when her career in the business world started.

"Back in those days, it was the rise of the PC in office environments. I got a job as a result of my training background with a firm of accountants and financial advisors, helping them to implement business systems for their clients and training their clients on good business management practices. It was a risk as I knew very little about PC's but you need to have confidence in your core skills and be willing to take up a challenge and look at what value you can add. You need to consider the overall outcomes you can contribute to even if you don't have the exact skill set for the job you are interested in. For example, this company thought they wanted technical experts to set up PC's for their client base. But I could see that this was a short term skill and said "What you really need is someone who is really good at managing relationships, at helping people to understand business basics, someone who is able to train your clients to manage change and manage their business better." They thought that wasn't a bad idea and that's how I got started." Lea set up the first practice management consultancy for medical practices in Australia which was very successful. She also went back to study business and to augment her qualifications. Then Lea was headhunted by a bank.

"The bank I went to work for was splitting off one of its banking support functions and the mandate was to offer that function outside the internal banking business to our clients and to increase our banking profile in the Asian region. I worked as part of the senior team on some really interesting projects there, with Asian Development Bank and World Bank and a range of corporate clients. It was good fun and probably the worst period of my life too because I was never home and I'd just got married again."

What Lea learnt.

"My experience in the banking industry taught me what the corporate world really demands in terms of your time. It takes you over as a person. I learnt about power, status and ambition and I also learnt that greed is a really surreptitious thing and not to believe your own publicity. [You need] to be really careful about what your motivation is. Greed is never good motivation. After my banking career I realised I wasn't great in a corporate situation. I realised I'm not an institutional type of person. Interestingly, I also learnt that there are times when it is easy to be exceptional [in the industry] if others are willing to be ordinary." What made Lea exceptional was her willingness to take the initiative, ability to identify and capitalise on opportunities, willingness to go the extra yard, willingness to work on developing high quality client relationships, ask the hard questions, and to be a bit courageous. "If you're going to do something, do it to the best of your ability and don't make excuses for why you haven't. I'm not motivated by people who want to keep the status quo just because they don't want to take on the extra work change brings."

Motivation.

"I'm motivated by making a difference. I try to do this in my business life and also in the voluntary roles I hold. You've got give back, you've got to understand that you're only a small piece in the big picture but you can make a difference by being that small piece. There's no point in doing well if you're not doing good at the same time. I don't think of myself as a do-gooder, but I believe you reap what you sow and if you can give back you should. Money used to motivate me until I got it and then I realised that what money really gives you is a choice."

Staying motivated.

"I recognise when I'm losing my motivation because my energy level goes down and my passion decreases. For me, life is a natural cycle of endings and new beginnings. There are times when I couldn't get motivated, when I questioned myself and lost my confidence. I just wasn't recognising that this was a natural cycle and I needed to take notice to look out for the signs that you need to rethink, review, renew and make a change, which sometimes isn't easy if you're feeling stuck. It can be a challenge when you know you need to be somewhere else but don't have a clear vision of where that is. For me, when the self-questioning process begins, I've learnt to pay attention and listen. For example, when I went away sailing for 6 months, I had no clear idea what I would do or how the future might work out but I did know that I needed to do things differently and look what happened. I met some people and was offered a job because they thought that I could bring something to their business. You've got to be open to possibilities and be willing to have a go. If you're not open to opportunities then they won't be there."

Mentors.

Lea regards mentoring as very important. Mentors can help you enormously in your career. Lea's aim is to be a good role model and mentor for others. Lea's first mentor was her grandmother, who encouraged her as a young girl. Her first business mentor was the Managing Director of the first company she worked with when she started out on the corporate ladder. A successful mentoring relationship is built on mutual trust and respect. For Lea, her first business mentor showed her what business was all about. "He gave me a go as a female, helped me to test my leadership abilities and I learnt how to consider the strategic side of business not just the operational." Lea was encouraged to ask questions, seek advice and test her ideas. "[In my business] I expect to retain bright young employees for about 2 years. I expect them to make a transition to other employment after that time and if I've done my job well, hopefully I will have mentored them enough to help get them started on a terrific career path. We have had a couple of students working part time in our business while they were studying who have really made a contribution"

Recognise your core strengths.

"When you are younger you see your strengths in terms of skills. You're measured by whether you passed the exam or not, or how clever you are compared to the person sitting next to you. From an employer point of view and as an HR practitioner, I listen for strengths rather than skills. I can train you how to wait tables. I can train you how to do bookkeeping. Can I train you to smile and have a positive outlook? No, not authentically, that's a strength. Can I teach you how to be optimistic? Can I teach you how to use your initiative? No, to both of these, they are strengths."

Qualities I look for in people I employ.

Integrity and strong work ethic
Values "I always ask questions around values and how they translate into behaviours. For example: I employed a young law student a couple of years ago on a casual basis, he was a remarkable young man, he answered an ad I put in the paper for a sales person and it really resonated with the way I had responded to an ad as I was going into business. He said "I'm a law student and don't know much about sales but I can build relationships and here are other things I can offer that I believe will be of use to your business."
Self-confidence and good communication skills
Ability to find solutions rather than problems
Ability to act professionally
Will you be able to build professional relationships with clients? "My business is built around my reputation and I can't afford to employ someone who doesn't understand that."
Interest in things outside study/work "[This] provides an indication of how self-motivated a person is. I don't want to have to motivate a person. Extra-curricular activity is a measure of what you're willing to do when you don't have to."
Hunger for learning. "I want people who are interested in lifelong learning and who want to develop and grow so they can bring more advantages to the business."
Demonstration of initiative and ability to be proactive and to challenge when things could be done better
Willingness to take responsibility and to be accountable
Demonstration of your teamwork skills
Openness to feedback
Honesty

Things to include in your resume (aside from the usual things).

What you are passionate about
What you have achieved and why this was important from a potential employers perspective
Provide employers with evidence e.g., What value have you added to previous jobs/experiences?
What you have done that you initiated yourself
Think about your capabilities, not just your skills

Tips for interviews.

Look professional and well-groomed, this is important no matter how clever you are.
Know what your strengths are and be wiling to talk about them in a confident yet modest way - bravado just doesn't cut it with potential employers.
Make sure you have researched the business and think about how you might be able to contribute.
Ambition is a terrific strength but it's off-putting if it's overdone so be realistic. If you aspire to be a manager/senior partner etc., you have to prove yourself first.
Ask lots of questions about the job you are applying for, it's important you know what you are getting into. Listen well and engage with the interviewer.
Think about what developmental opportunities you are looking for and ask what the job will offer around these.
Remember that employment is all about risk and responsibility - the employer is taking a risk in employing you, just as you are taking a risk that the job on offer is just as they've described. It's a two-way street, you have a responsibility to them, just as they have to you.