Building your skills and confidence to lead

When I started as CEO of Australian Pork, we were ready for a new way of working. I wanted to ensure that our executive team were working towards a shared direction: to optimise industry outcomes, while also experiencing personal career satisfaction. Within a few weeks we brought Juliet onboard to get back to basics. She helped identify barriers and personal dynamics so we could understand how our individual management styles affected important interactions. As a result, our collaboration and positive work culture is a key strength of our organisation which Juliet helped us achieve. This was my first time as a leader working with a leadership development specialist. Much of my focus was previously on finances, working priorities and deliverables of a company rather than building the culture. Had I known how much of a difference this makes, I would have done it earlier.

The industry was going through massive transformations. IT salaries had gone through the roof, and we needed to engage people. To stem the flow of people leaving and building on that to make it more attractive for people to work there. There was some resistance, because the team had done profiling in the past. But after a day with Juliet, the team came away energised. I could see the leaders feeling uplifted, and the CEO feeling more supported. Since then we ran follow up sessions and everyone has taken something away from it, and implemented it in their way. I can see how this one day was the perfect building block for the culture we’re trying to create.

I had been working in a new role and had been promoted to a team leader, when some challenges arose in the team. I knew I needed to enhance my self-awareness in this new role, and understand how I lead best so I can draw up my team. Working with Juliet has helped in so many ways. From understanding myself and understanding people better and why they might react a certain way, to how to build and maintain trust. The Team Management Profile also helped me understand how I’m likely to lead in any given situation, how I would deal with people who are on the opposite side of that approach, and how I might navigate working with them. Surprisingly, a coordinator I work with noticed the changes I was implementing thanks to my work with Juliet and praised my leadership approach. I was feeling more confident as a leader, but I didn’t expect others might have noticed it too.

I had been actively looking for something to keep me growing as a leader. When you’re in non-executive roles, you can do technical courses, and staying across that part of your work but I was actually looking more for things to help me improve beyond just the technical knowledge. I’m doing some reasonably complex leadership in terms of trying to lead change within organisations. And it’s challenging because I have a portfolio that means I don’t have peers to go and seek feedback from. I really liked the idea that I not only would get regular information and have access to resources, but that I’d also be able to have this mastermind group where I had a group have a safe space to talk about some things and, and other people who are genuinely interested in this type of improving self.

Juliet is a fantastic communicator and I really appreciated and enjoyed the webinar today. It offered some VERY useful insights into leading a team. I will certainly be putting those insights to good use. Looking forward to the next one!

I really respect Juliet’s sense of observation and the way she articulates insight. I was most interested in reconciliation strategies, but she has also taught me a lot about top down management, and that helped me secure new clients.

For 20 years I was a general manager for a national infrastructure project, and there I worked mostly on my own. My new role gave me the chance to revisit my leadership skills with my new team, which was exactly what I wanted, but was keen to have support. Juliet has such great understanding of people and teams and complex leadership situations, and I felt really comfortable discussing these issues with her, which is actually really important. Having her as a sounding board has been so valuable, especially while navigating career transitions and growth.

Our team was looking to improve communication and collaboration, as we recognised that differences in work styles and preferences could sometimes hinder our effectiveness. Juliet’s profiling and communication workshop gave us deep insights into our individual tendencies, and her engaging delivery, real-world examples, and practical strategies for bridging communication gaps have been key in improving how we work together.

Your Lead and Influence Mastermind sounds fantastic Juliet – I encourage anyone who holds a leadership position to get involved! Working with Juliet is insightful, inspiring and rewarding – and your team will thank you! Such warmth and genuine care make every interaction a pleasure 😊