We all receive advice from people everyday. What I have found most helpful was a combination of different pieces of advice, all of which focused on the importance of collaboration. I took up this position at NOAH four months ago but prior to that I worked in telecommunications. I remember when “collaboration” became the new buzzword. Around the same time, our MD handed out the book Wikinomics to the full management committee team and we added collaboration to our company values.
I read a quote by Donald Trump at around the same time. He said, “Watch, listen and learn. You can’t know it all yourself. Anyone who thinks they do is destined for mediocrity.” At that time I was asked to project manage the launch of a pivotal new division of the business and we managed to turn it around in exactly three months. I remember looking back on the achievement afterwards and thinking, “I could never have done that alone.”
Experiences like that have helped me todevelop a consultative management style. It’s all about surrounding yourselfwith the right people, sharing ideas so that you have all the information atyour disposal and then trusting your intuition before you make a decision.
A non-profit organisation is different from a corporate one and I have a lot to learn. To get myself up to speed as quickly as possible, collaboration with my team has proved vital.