“Paddle your own canoe” was a valuable piece of career advice that Kylie Rampa, CEO of QIC took from a colleague when she was working in the U.S., and she has applied it ever since.
Joining FEI as guest speaker for our Brisbane mentoring program launch, Kylie counselled FEI members to own their career journeys – by doing the work, setting their own direction and building the trusted, respectful team relationships that turn peers into advocates, an important ingredient for advancement.
Our favourite soundbites:
- “Know what you know, know what you don’t know” – as a leader you are accountable for making decisions, but you don’t have to make them in isolation. Lean on your team and take a collegial approach.
- “Never stop learning to be a good leader” – leaders are called on to deliver different things at different times, you should always be on a learning curve
- “The CFO is the source of truth” – business leads want to get a deal done, that is their value-add. The CEO relies on the CFO to be across the risks and across the numbers to round out the picture. Proactive structuring, involving the CFO upfront, results in sharper pricing and better deal outcomes.
- “Perspective is important” – manage the potential for stress by not looking at everything in its entirety, break problems down into bite-sized pieces.