LEE-ANNE MOLONY

Sometimes the only barrier to your success is you

Do you feel as though you have to be perfect in your current role in order to move into a more senior position? This is exactly how Lee-Anne had always seen it, until she learned that this was not necessarily true.

When Lee-Anne's company was bought-out by GHD, her team had to get used to a different structure as well as a new management style. They went from being a small team of consultants for natural resources and agriculture, to a company with over 4,000 consultants in different fields.

The structure of the new business meant that Lee-Anne's team needed it's own manager. They already had a great manager but he was managing the whole group as well and was more of a 'big picture', strategic thinker. What they lacked as a team was someone to manage the details, the everyday issues, the team!

Lee-Anne did not see herself as this manager and was reluctant to push herself forward for the role. Lee-Anne's boss however, was convinced that she could lead the team and asked her on many occasions to step up to the plate but there was one thing standing in her way - her own self doubt. She felt that she needed to be good at everything first in order to take on the role of manager.

It was at this time that Xplore were running the first Career Resiliency in-house program at GHD. The HR department were asking managers for nominations for the program and Lee-Anne was put forward by her manager. Not knowing what to expect she agreed to participate.

Lee-Anne began a journey of self-awareness through the program and started to believe that actually, she could be a manager. She had the skills necessary and her confidence was slowly starting to build, all along it had just been a mental block stopping her. The program taught her to make use of what she already had and she started to think, "is that what leadership is? I can do it!"

Back with her team, Lee-Anne knew what she needed to do get the best out of them and hit the performance indicators that the company required. Her manager was pleased that she had taken so well to the role, as were the business group and office managers. Her efforts were being noticed.

Lee-Anne remembers one of the explanations given at one of her Xplore program sessions, about the differences between how men and women view a job opening. "If the role is a rung or two higher, a woman wouldn't always apply because she might feel she has to be perfect in her current role first, however a man would throw his hat in the ring and think that he would just work it out when he gets there, even if he didn't feel he was necessarily ready".

Lee-Anne's manager also supported this theory and told her that she didn't need to be perfect at her current level in order to move up.

Lee-Anne found that she could learn the role whilst doing it. She began to draw on the strengths of the team and realised that's what good management is all about, not being perfect at everything but working as a team contributing what you do well. She feels fortunate not to have 'been thrown in the deep end' and have the support from her manager who is still firmly part of the team.

Another aspect of the Xplore program that Lee-Anne found beneficial was meeting other women within the business to connect with. As she was new to the larger company it was an important step in her journey. The 12 women were encouraged to meet up on regular occasions outside of the program sessions. This allowed them to get to know one another on a deeper level over a longer period of time.

In her role as service group manager, Lee-Anne feels that it is important for her to understand other parts of the business and how her team fits into the organisation. The Xplore program facilitated contacts to help her to do that.

Looking to the future Lee-Anne's goals are simple. For herself, she wants to do her job well, continue to learn and grow as a manager as well as a project manager/director, which is something she enjoys. For her team, she strives to steer the group in the right direction in order for them to achieve success.

What else could anyone ask for in a manager?

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