Download - “Challenges, the gift of opportunity”
“Challenges, the gift of opportunity”
Olivia Garfield
BT group director, strategy, policy & portfolio
© British Telecommunications plc
What do I plan to cover today?
An introduction into me and my career
Typical challenges people can expect to face along the way
Leadership and its twin; people management
How do you create winning teams
Top tips for happy working, which is inextricably linked to successful working
© British Telecommunications plc
Who am I?
Olivia Garfield, aged 34
Career woman
Mother, wife, daughter, sister, friend
A consummate multi-tasker!
You can have it all, but you have to be super-organised!
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What has been my career map?
Cambridge, Modern & Medieval Languages
Accenture: 5 years fantastic
Joined BT as General Manager, Desk Based
Sales
Service Director
Managing Director Sales
Group Director, Strategy, Policy & Portfolio
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What did this feel like in reality?
Accenture aged 21: glamorous, exciting, all
encompassing
BT aged 27: starting out: apprehensive,
empowering, a bit lonely
BT aged 29, promoted to Director: under the spotlight,
the odd one out but the world is my oyster
BT aged 31: promoted to Managing Director: lost
without operations, questioning my capability but
confident with time would be ok!
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Typical challenges people face along the way?
Do you look like you can perform such a senior role?
Do you fit the expected mould for your discipline:
–Service, Sales, Legal, HR, Regulation etc
Work / Life balance trade off
How do you get out of a rut?
... Or get operational experience?
.... Or get the next promotion?
Remember the world is your oyster
© British Telecommunications plc
How can challenges become opportunities (1)?
Every experience is a perfect learning opportunity:
–People pay amazing money for an MBA which is a fraction of the benefit of on the job learning
– If you can turn around a personality clash, the sense of satisfaction is enormous and typically that person becomes a loyal ally
–Out of tough times, come stronger teams
–Cultural challenges create more rounded, better adjusted individuals
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How can challenges become opportunities (2)?
Time is a great healer, experience is a great calmer
–Hindsight is a wonderful tool ... we could all replay meetings and wish we had acted differently ... but our experiences form us and make us who we are
–A bad boss can inspire you to be a great boss – average interactions tend to be forgotten
–The most difficult problems often generate the most creative solutions
–Commeth the hour, commeth the woman
© British Telecommunications plc
How can challenges become opportunities (3)?
Lack of belief from someone senior can form a motivation to prove someone wrong
Unassailable challenge can force you to re-assess/re-evaluate and take a new route
Taking time out can feel like taking a career step backwards, but actually can re-invigorate your commitment, encourage a different perspective and force some direct career conversations
© British Telecommunications plc
What is a Leader:Leaders make change happen
Lead by example
– not just ‘what’ you do, but ‘how’
Engage all of your people
Outperform at all times and help others do the same
Operate at pace
Create a winning team
© British Telecommunications plc
Leaders set high standards and help people achieve them?
Determined efforts to explain your strategy and the part everyone plays in its delivery
Clarity as to what is required in their jobs
Investment in training, coaching, mentoring and welfare management
Helping managers to succeed through training and toolkits
Good leadership means personally help them to deliver
Increased productivity
Rising standards
Rigorous performance management
In the modern world we all demand a lot from our people
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Leaders should all make a 2 way contract so the working ground is clear
I always state what people can expect from me:
Commitment to run the business professionally
Commitment to an open and safe environment
Commitment to recognise high performance
Commitment to open, honest feedback
Commitment to open minded review of new idea
Commitment to be passionate about our organisation
Commitment to create a winning team
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In return the leader ask for a handshake...
As an example, I ask for a small number of consistent requests
Honest feedback on how it feels to work as part of my team
Honest debate on new ideas, but then loyal execution once we have agreed a strategy
Responsiveness
Commitment to properly nurture staff
Strong engagement pan the company as all organisations need friends!
Fun factor!
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Leaders need to behave consistently
Building a winning team through
consistent leadership
Concept of creating your personal brand
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Leaders need to bring global strategy into local context ...
Leaders need to have 2 way communication channels, that are picking up the rumours as well as explaining the press comments ...
BT Italia“BT Italia is the main Italian
provider of communication
services and solutions wholly
dedicated to the corporate,
SME and public sectors”
BT in LatamBT operates in 22 Latin American countries with integrated operations and approximately 1,000 employees throughout the region
“BT is today the leading alternative in the Spanish enterprise data transmission market with over 20 per cent market share”
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Top tips for Happy Working for your teams
Make sure your people feel empowered
Give your people opportunity and responsibility
Praise and constructively criticize
Appropriately incentivize, through understanding what makes each person in your team tick
Honesty + integrity = trust
Leading by example doesn’t mean micro managing
© British Telecommunications plc
7 Top tips for your own professional happiness
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Looking to the future