MEET THE TEAM: TRACY SAMASSA, PEOPLE and CULTURE DIRECTOR

Calm, happy and caring are three words CAMILLA’s People and Culture Director, Tracy Samassa, would use to describe herself. We’d also add kind, supportive and authentic. Joining the company a little over a year ago, Tracy’s previous experience included working in manufacturing, steel and government transport where she wore steel-capped boots and a hard hat – a far cry from the world of kaleidoscopic silks and crystals she now resides in. Here she shares some of her working wisdom and life advice.

BE YOUR AUTHENTIC SELF: “I love that people can come to CAMILLA and be their authentic self. In a lot of companies, especially in the corporate environment, people put a suit on (both physically and metaphorically). They behave how they think they’re supposed to, and one of the best things at this job is you come to work and you can be who you are. You don’t have to dress up on the outside or the inside – you just be yourself. We’re very accepting of people here. Camilla herself is obviously incredibly creative, and then we’ve got very creative people within our design and textiles teams. Allowing people to be who they are brings so much authenticity to their role, which is very important in our type of work.”

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE PEOPLE: “This probably sounds cliché, especially coming from someone in HR, but my greatest strength is that I really care about people. If you don’t look after your people in the company or the people within your team, it doesn’t make good business sense. What I try to do each day is balance the role of People & Culture Director by looking after the interests of the business, but also absolutely looking after our people’s interests. I’m here to make sure that people are respected and cared for.”

YOU NEED TO LISTEN TO LEARN: “In the current environment, more now than ever, a leader needs to have the ability to really care for their people, connect with them and also look after their personal well-being and mental health. I think the leaders who shine are those who are present and who listen. Being humble, honest and authentic are also key attributes.

LEADERSHIP ISN’T ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL: “People respond differently to different leadership styles. You can’t just say, ‘This is me as a leader, this is who I am, so I’m just going to lead everybody the same way’ because different people need different levels of encouragement and support. Some people like to be left to their own devices and to come to you when they need you, and others need constant encouragement. The leaders who understand that you need to be agile and flexible in the way you lead, are the ones who get the best out of each person.”

LEAD WITH LOVE: “In HR, we make a lot of difficult decisions that impact people’s lives. I remember asking a mentor, ‘How do you know the decision you’re making is the right one?’ She said ‘If you can put your hand on your heart and say, “I made the best decision I could with all the information I had”, then you can go to sleep at night and know you’ve done okay.’ That resonated with me and I’ve kept it as my mantra. We do make difficult decisions, we are impacting people, and you’ve just got to make the best decision you can with the information you have.”

CULTURE IS KEY: “Every company has a culture. Whether they aspire to it or not, there’s a culture that exists within that company. Company culture is almost tangible and from a People and Culture perspective, if you don’t help drive that culture towards something, it will just evolve in a way that you don’t want it to. The thing is, companies can have their vision and mission but if they don’t live and breathe it, then it’s not real. We’re constantly thinking about our people, what we can do to make their working environment better, and how we can create a place that people want to be a part of.”

KEEP IT SIMPLE: “I think companies can spend a lot of money, time and effort getting surveys done and advice from outside. However, it’s up to the leaders to really want to drive a good culture; it’s what’s in their hearts – that’s really where it stems from. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to figure out what people want. They want to be respected, they want equal opportunity, development and a fair go – it’s really not hard.”

IT’S ALSO NOT HARD TO BE HUMBLE: “I think humility is the virtue I admire most in others. You can have people who are creative or brilliant or smart, but if they’re not humble it overshadows everything that’s good about them.”

DO YOUR HOMEWORK: “When hiring, we ask two important questions. One is, ‘what do you know about our company?’ It’s really interesting when people come for interviews and they haven’t done their homework. Still, in this day and age, you’d be surprised. The second is, ‘why do you want this job?’ I think this one gives you some insight into the person. Is it just that they need a job, or is this something they’re really passionate about? You can have 15 people who are capable of doing this same job, but it’s their motivation that makes them stand out from the crowd.”

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Take Five

What's the best decision you’ve ever made?

Coming to Australia 22 years ago. I love this country.

Who do you turn to for advice?

My sister.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to be a surgeon and cut people open! I don’t know where that came from, but I think by the time I got to high school I’d given that idea up.

Where do you go for inspiration?

I am mostly inspired when I am in nature. Living in the city, that’s not always easy. So I listen to inspirational podcasts, read interesting books and try to expose myself to anything that’s positive.

What’s your favourite CAMILLA piece?

The Bomber Jacket.

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