1 00:00:00,400 --> 00:00:04,000 Speaker 1: A great piece of advice can be powerful. It can 2 00:00:04,000 --> 00:00:06,920 Speaker 1: set you on a whole new trajectory, land you a 3 00:00:06,960 --> 00:00:09,840 Speaker 1: new job, or even prompt you to make a big 4 00:00:10,000 --> 00:00:14,280 Speaker 1: career change. So, through the many interviews I've conducted for 5 00:00:14,400 --> 00:00:17,640 Speaker 1: this show, I have asked a lot of the leaders 6 00:00:17,640 --> 00:00:20,680 Speaker 1: that I have had on for the best career advice 7 00:00:20,720 --> 00:00:24,000 Speaker 1: they have ever received. And today I want to share 8 00:00:24,040 --> 00:00:27,440 Speaker 1: with you four pieces of advice that have set them 9 00:00:27,600 --> 00:00:35,400 Speaker 1: up for success. My name is doctor Amathew Imba. I'm 10 00:00:35,400 --> 00:00:40,320 Speaker 1: an organizational psychologist and the founder of Behavioral science Consultancy Inventium, 11 00:00:40,440 --> 00:00:43,480 Speaker 1: and this is how I work a show about how 12 00:00:43,520 --> 00:00:48,480 Speaker 1: to help you do your best work. So, for Wendy Stops, 13 00:00:48,920 --> 00:00:52,199 Speaker 1: who is a non executive director on the board of 14 00:00:52,240 --> 00:00:55,680 Speaker 1: Commonwealth Bank of Australia, the largest bank here in OZ, 15 00:00:55,920 --> 00:00:59,440 Speaker 1: the most fundamental piece of career advice she gives to 16 00:00:59,520 --> 00:01:05,120 Speaker 1: people is to do your job well. And interestingly, Wendy 17 00:01:05,160 --> 00:01:08,880 Speaker 1: says that people's first reaction to this advice is well, 18 00:01:08,880 --> 00:01:13,760 Speaker 1: that's obvious, to which Wendy replies, it's not. I mean, 19 00:01:13,959 --> 00:01:16,800 Speaker 1: whatever you're asked to do, do it and do it well. 20 00:01:17,240 --> 00:01:20,800 Speaker 1: So if you're asked to go and photocopy two hundred 21 00:01:20,840 --> 00:01:24,600 Speaker 1: pages show them that you're the best damn photocopier that 22 00:01:24,680 --> 00:01:30,160 Speaker 1: they have ever seen. And Wendy also recommends not whinging 23 00:01:30,360 --> 00:01:33,920 Speaker 1: about the boring or tedious parts of your job, because 24 00:01:34,080 --> 00:01:37,319 Speaker 1: every job has good bits and bad bits and you. 25 00:01:37,560 --> 00:01:40,080 Speaker 2: Just have to do them all well. 26 00:01:41,720 --> 00:01:45,840 Speaker 1: Now. Another piece of advice that Wendy had been given 27 00:01:46,480 --> 00:01:52,200 Speaker 1: is that she has been through plenty of hard times 28 00:01:52,240 --> 00:01:55,480 Speaker 1: in her career, such as being on the board of 29 00:01:55,600 --> 00:01:59,680 Speaker 1: Combak during the Royal Commission into banking in twenty eighteen, 30 00:02:00,200 --> 00:02:04,120 Speaker 1: and Wendy believes that the bad times are actually the 31 00:02:04,160 --> 00:02:08,320 Speaker 1: best times for development because of how much we learn. 32 00:02:09,480 --> 00:02:12,040 Speaker 1: So what Wendy shared with me on the show is 33 00:02:12,080 --> 00:02:15,480 Speaker 1: she said that bad times make you a better person 34 00:02:15,560 --> 00:02:18,679 Speaker 1: for the next job. So for her, sure, the Royal 35 00:02:18,760 --> 00:02:22,079 Speaker 1: Commission was tough, but she learned a lot as well, 36 00:02:22,440 --> 00:02:25,120 Speaker 1: and she's a big believer in learning from the bad 37 00:02:25,160 --> 00:02:29,120 Speaker 1: times and not just bailing, like actually sticking it out, 38 00:02:29,240 --> 00:02:32,200 Speaker 1: because you will learn so much and you will come 39 00:02:32,240 --> 00:02:36,160 Speaker 1: out the other end much stronger and much tougher and 40 00:02:36,280 --> 00:02:38,440 Speaker 1: be in a much better position to. 41 00:02:38,480 --> 00:02:43,040 Speaker 2: Move your career forward. The next piece of. 42 00:02:43,040 --> 00:02:45,440 Speaker 1: Advice I want to share it comes from Kendra Banks, 43 00:02:45,440 --> 00:02:48,560 Speaker 1: who is the managing director for Australia and New Zealand 44 00:02:48,840 --> 00:02:51,280 Speaker 1: at Seek And if you don't live. 45 00:02:51,160 --> 00:02:54,799 Speaker 2: In Australia, you will not know what Seek is and. 46 00:02:54,919 --> 00:03:01,120 Speaker 1: It's essentially the largest online job board are in Australia. 47 00:03:02,000 --> 00:03:06,240 Speaker 1: So Kendra has spent the last two decades rising up 48 00:03:06,280 --> 00:03:10,280 Speaker 1: the ranks in the digital sector. And advice that Kendra 49 00:03:10,400 --> 00:03:13,639 Speaker 1: received early on in her career is to be in 50 00:03:13,680 --> 00:03:18,200 Speaker 1: sectors and businesses that are growing. So she told me 51 00:03:18,360 --> 00:03:20,840 Speaker 1: that where there is growth in a sector or a 52 00:03:20,880 --> 00:03:24,640 Speaker 1: business that creates opportunities and you can grow along with 53 00:03:25,000 --> 00:03:28,200 Speaker 1: that business or sector. And for Kendra, having been in 54 00:03:28,240 --> 00:03:31,839 Speaker 1: digital for two decades, that's been a big part of 55 00:03:32,320 --> 00:03:36,560 Speaker 1: her story in cementing her career and rising right to 56 00:03:36,640 --> 00:03:37,120 Speaker 1: the top. 57 00:03:38,960 --> 00:03:40,640 Speaker 2: Now, for Alison. 58 00:03:40,240 --> 00:03:43,160 Speaker 1: Watkins, who when she was on the show was the 59 00:03:43,160 --> 00:03:47,280 Speaker 1: group managing director of Coca Cola Amatol, she told me 60 00:03:47,320 --> 00:03:50,680 Speaker 1: that she started her career as what she described as 61 00:03:50,720 --> 00:03:56,440 Speaker 1: an insecure overachiever. So Alison had a level of insecurity 62 00:03:56,800 --> 00:04:01,520 Speaker 1: that she said made her somebody that wanted to please 63 00:04:01,800 --> 00:04:05,520 Speaker 1: and this makes you very vulnerable to the judgments of 64 00:04:05,600 --> 00:04:10,120 Speaker 1: other people. Alison eventually realized that exposing yourself to the 65 00:04:10,200 --> 00:04:14,240 Speaker 1: judgments of others puts you in an untenable position because 66 00:04:14,280 --> 00:04:18,640 Speaker 1: some people who pass judgment may not actually have particularly 67 00:04:18,640 --> 00:04:22,479 Speaker 1: good judgment. So for Alison, during her career, she has 68 00:04:22,520 --> 00:04:25,640 Speaker 1: become a lot better at accepting that not everybody is 69 00:04:25,680 --> 00:04:28,240 Speaker 1: going to agree with the choices that she makes or 70 00:04:28,279 --> 00:04:31,640 Speaker 1: the things that she does, and she's learned to value 71 00:04:31,680 --> 00:04:34,200 Speaker 1: the judgment for those who were well placed to be 72 00:04:34,360 --> 00:04:38,479 Speaker 1: wise and considered, and for those people, their feedback is 73 00:04:38,520 --> 00:04:42,520 Speaker 1: really important to Allison, and then she tries not to 74 00:04:42,640 --> 00:04:45,920 Speaker 1: leave herself vulnerable to the judgments of less informed people. 75 00:04:46,200 --> 00:04:50,280 Speaker 1: So essentially, remember that not all feedback is created equal. 76 00:04:51,480 --> 00:04:54,760 Speaker 1: Now finally, some bad advice, and this comes from some 77 00:04:54,920 --> 00:04:59,400 Speaker 1: advice that Kendra received in the form of parenting and 78 00:04:59,480 --> 00:05:03,960 Speaker 1: career advice. Someone once said to Kendra, now that you're 79 00:05:03,960 --> 00:05:06,760 Speaker 1: having your second child, you probably want to come back 80 00:05:06,800 --> 00:05:10,880 Speaker 1: to a job that's a little less demanding. But fortunately 81 00:05:10,960 --> 00:05:14,719 Speaker 1: for Kendra, she didn't take that advice, and she finds 82 00:05:14,760 --> 00:05:17,280 Speaker 1: that there's a lot of assumptions made about how parents 83 00:05:17,360 --> 00:05:20,120 Speaker 1: want to drive their careers, which can be very detrimental. 84 00:05:20,680 --> 00:05:22,719 Speaker 1: And for her, it's not that slowing down is the 85 00:05:22,760 --> 00:05:26,960 Speaker 1: wrong choice, but it's to assume that slowing down is 86 00:05:27,080 --> 00:05:31,240 Speaker 1: the choice for everybody that is the wrong thing. So equally, 87 00:05:31,279 --> 00:05:33,400 Speaker 1: to assume that staying in a similar career path is 88 00:05:33,440 --> 00:05:36,480 Speaker 1: the right decision for everybody is also wrong. So what 89 00:05:36,520 --> 00:05:38,760 Speaker 1: we need to do is enable people to look at 90 00:05:38,760 --> 00:05:41,560 Speaker 1: what's really important for them and make choices that work 91 00:05:41,600 --> 00:05:45,040 Speaker 1: for them and avoid making assumptions about what is best. 92 00:05:46,000 --> 00:05:50,760 Speaker 1: So those are four pieces of advice and one not 93 00:05:50,800 --> 00:05:52,880 Speaker 1: so good piece of advice to take on board to 94 00:05:52,920 --> 00:05:55,120 Speaker 1: help you in your career. 95 00:05:56,320 --> 00:06:02,000 Speaker 2: That is it for today's show. If you are enjoying How. 96 00:06:01,839 --> 00:06:05,320 Speaker 1: I Work, why not share the show with someone else 97 00:06:05,360 --> 00:06:08,200 Speaker 1: in your life that you think might enjoy it too. 98 00:06:09,040 --> 00:06:11,919 Speaker 1: That is one of the ways that How I Work 99 00:06:12,120 --> 00:06:16,240 Speaker 1: has grown and recently ticked over two million downloads. So 100 00:06:16,360 --> 00:06:19,480 Speaker 1: thank you for listening and I will see you next time.