Successfully applying my craft to myself - personal reflections

Leaving PwC was one of the hardest career decisions I’ve made.? I LOVED my job.? I LOVED the people I worked with.? And I LOVED making a difference to the lives of the 10 000 people I had the privilege to serve.? But I knew something needed to change.

Looking back now, I remain proud of making such a difficult choice. ? As I explained to many people as I said my goodbyes last year…”If I can’t walk the talk, make the tough life choices, feel the sadness of a chapter closed, and the fear of an uncertain path - then I am not honouring the individual clients I work with each day as they courageously consider the changes they need to make..."

An important asset that I cultivated to support my step into the unknown of 2023 , was a list of intentions.? These intentions have been like a beacon, guiding me with moments of clarity in times when anxiety or apprehension could instead have dominated my path, and therefore my choices. Here they are:

• Say yes more.
• Travel.
• Be of service - because I can.
• Invest in my own learning.
• Reconnect with people from years gone by.
• Do more exercise.
• Put some effort into finding a relationship

Now while that final point is one I still manage to duck, weave and circle around with tremendous success, I am proud the remainder of the list can be marked with a big green tick!? In the spirit of sharing my experience as it may be of help to others - a few of the highlights and their impacts are found below:

1. Say yes more & Be of service - because I can…

“My au pair has quit and I’m not sure what I’m going to do about childcare…it’s a nightmare!” said a dear friend over dinner in late March during one of my visits to Sydney.? I sat quietly for 30 seconds and reflected on my list of intentions.? If there was ever a moment to “say yes” and “be of service - because I can” - this was it!!

“Do you want me to come up and stay to help out for a few weeks?”

I will never forget her reaction - relief, joy, surprise, delight, amazement.

As someone who has worked my entire career with colleagues who have kids - hearing about the challenges and the day-to-day relentlessness is something that I believe I have been astutely cognitively aware of, and (I hope) highly empathic towards.? But actually living it?- three boys aged 9, 6 and 4 - being responsible for those kids truly took my empathy and awareness to a whole other level! And gave me a deep appreciation for my largely solitary and beautifully quiet evenings on my couch!

It reminded me of the importance of immersion experiences in our leadership and people development designs - the understanding, learning and deep inner-change that comes from “being in it” rather than reading or hearing “about it.”? So powerful and a vastly under-utilised change, development and transformation method to be sure.

Other moments of “saying yes; and being of service” from the past months include being asked by Claire Jones (on Guringai Land) and Sophie Hart to facilitate a session at the Serenity Collective conference in Manly in May, collaborating with the amazing Holly Ransom on the “Psychologically Safe and Sound” LinkedIn Live event , trekking with Tony Pearce MAICD for Emergency Services Foundation in March and being available to support Siusan MacKenzie and the work of the Mental Health Advisory Group for ESF.

My own immersion in the wellbeing impact of “being of service to others” has been significant, and I am so grateful for the experiences, the learnings and the connections I have deepened as a result of this intention and those choices.

2. Travel

What a blessing being able to travel again is! As an extroverted Melbournian who lives by myself - It’s fair to say I was not in the 25-30% of people who believed their wellbeing improved over “that time” we prefer not to recall and recount.? This year I had an intention to go out into the world again to re-energise my spirit - and following through on my travel intention I think has been one of the most powerful factors in my “re-boot”.

Perth, Brisbane, Rosebank, Byron Bay, MacMasters Beach, Sydney, Inverloch, South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Traralgon, Rosedale, Ballina, Canberra, Portsea, Darwin, Kununurra, LA, Vancouver, Whistler, Squamish, Falls Creek, Arawata….its been fantastic! And as someone cheekily commented to me recently - “Is that the skiing, motorbike riding safari hunter?” (NB - this was a matter of expression - there was no hunting!!)

The travel experiences have made me feel like a much more interesting person - which has also resulted in me feeling more interested in our big wide, crazy world and given me a valuable sense of perspective, and awe.? The sharing of my adventures has created strong positive emotion and connections with those close to me - which has had significantly more positive potency than the usual tales of the past few years about work, football, streaming viewing and yummy meals.

It’s a privilege to be able to travel.? No doubt.? So it’s important to make the moments and the positive impacts count.

3. Invest in my own learning

The more senior people become within the corporate world, the less they invest in genuinely placing themselves in the role of the novice.? And I have placed the emphasis on genuine very purposefully.? The feeling of “not knowing” information and “not doing” skills at the level of mastery is very uncomfortable for people who sit on the top of the hierarchies.? We say we want to learn and how important life long learning is - but I have seen very few examples of senior people authentically role modelling this.? Me included!

What a joy it’s been to place myself in the space of "the novice" and not excessively worry about what people are thinking, saying, wondering, or appraising about me.

I am now accredited in Audrey McGibbon ’s world-leading leadership wellbeing assessment tool - Global Leadership Wellbeing Solutions (GLWS) . I attended the International Positive Psychology Association World Congress in Vancouver in July, and attended a workshop with Michael F. Steger , Bryan Dik and Andrew Soren - I mean c’mon!! They are meaning & purpose research legends!! I have also taken the time to remind and reconnect with theories and concepts I know I knew once - but there’s no doubt they weren't at the top of my prefrontal cortex - by completing Dr Suzy Green ’s Coaching Psychology Online Course.

And....after nearly 20 years of living in Melbourne - I’ve learnt how to ski!!

The sense of accomplishment that comes with getting better at something, watching mastery evolve and feeling proud of yourself for that growth and change - is humbling, grounding and nurturing.? Do yourself a favour!? It’s a great feeling!

4. Reconnect with people from years gone by….

“Oh my goodness - when was the last time we saw each other???”

I think that is one of my favourite phrases.? Having said and heard that phrase with significantly greater frequency in 2023 has been like an enormously comforting warm hug.

One of my most frequently prescribed techniques to improve wellbeing has been “who do you need to reach out and connect with?” - and applying that technique on myself has been a wonderful tonic.? A special call out to Claire Bibby , Greg Smith , Judy Sullivan , Emmeline McIllree , Penny Rush , Justin Scanlan and Tracy Souter on Gadigal Country - just to name a few.

There’s nothing magical or earth shattering in any of the stories I’ve shared above -? but each one of them is grounded in the evidence of what we know works to rebuild and boost wellbeing.? They are all in our control and influence to choose to bring into our day-to-day worlds, with the exception of Africa, NT and Canada - they don’t require a significant outlay of $$ or time - and are realistic and doable.? I sat and designed what I needed, with intention, and made it happen.? And I am now feeling pretty chuffed about it.? I promise you....you can do it too!!

What have I noticed with the benefit of distance and day-to-day absorption in psychology and workplace mental health?

Before I sign off, a few thoughts on what I’ve noticed in the “world of workplace mental health & wellbeing” while I’ve been sitting on the sidelines in 2023.

• Australian regulators are seeking to force workplace change through regulation because influence and education wasn’t successful.? But what will be the unintended consequences of this approach - and are we adequately attuned to those risks?
• I fear polarised positions are gaining traction in the sector - and as Yoda famously said…”Anyone who talks in absolutes is on the path to the darkside…”
• Organisational system change & transformation is dependent on leadership transformation - and by that I mean deep leadership development and courageous leadership system change.? NOT Leadership “training”.
• There is a significant gap in the number of organisations who have deep subject matter expertise in workplace mental health capability.? Designing a strategic and integrated approach that leverages external governance and advisory will drive accountability, increase transparency and enable the access to SME expertise and create better outcomes.? ?

Stay tuned for more thoughts on those observations in the months ahead.

Yours in intentionally designed wellness,

Kate