One’s success in business or organisation can be attributed to various factors, the primary of which includes leadership, particularly when it faces several challenges, such as a global pandemic that is affecting lives and economies.
Which is why this year’s theme of EO Melbourne – “Lead with Hope” – is very relevant and timely to the present situation. As business owners, the chapter members are also leaders in their respective fields and companies that need to bring their teams towards their goals despite stormy weather.
EO Melbourne President (2020-2021) and League of Extraordinary Women CEO and Co-Founder Sheryl Thai and Absolute Immigration Global Immigration Leader Jamie Lingham share their insights on leadership, their experiences and style of leading, and how they become a guiding light to the people they lead.
Steering the company towards a brighter future through hope
“Over my decade of leading teams in my business or being involved in Boards, my leadership style has evolved as I’ve gained more insight and experience working with people,” said Sheryl Thai who, apart from her leadership roles in League of Extraordinary Women and EO Melbourne, is also a Board Member of Project Gen Z and the founder of Cupcake Central, her first business that she has successfully exited. “In this point in time, I relish in a collaborative and coaching leadership style where I’m able to guide my team to assist them to unlock their potential.”
Empowering her team is what Sheryl applies in her business and organisations where she is involved. “I seek their input and collaboration to keep our company innovative and relevant. Whilst we still operate the business on systems and processes, I provide them with the autonomy and freedom to carry out their role how, when and wherever they see fit.”
Leading her team efficiently also helps her in serving well the communities they cater to. For her, effective leadership shapes the right culture for the company that is fit to their purpose and mission. “As a company that seeks to connect and inspire women globally, we have to constantly move with our community to keep them engaged. For us to achieve that, we must have a culture that is inspiring and engaging. This style of leadership provides the autonomy for the team to follow their intuition to allow for creative and innovative content delivered to our audience,” Sheryl explained.
And how does Sheryl give hope to people around her, especially when they are met with difficulties? “During times of uncertainty and doubt, it has been imperative for me to continually return to hope to steer the company towards a brighter future. For us, this means focusing on how we’re able to make a difference to those that need inspiration and connection more than ever in a world that has been forced to stay apart and connect virtually instead.”
Leadership that encourages openness, teamwork and innovation
Jamie Lingham describes his leadership style as one that promotes teamwork and openness and encourages ownership and innovation. “Sometimes I feel like I ‘over-share’, but this has always served me well, especially during the difficult times when we need to brace as a team and get through the challenge that has presented itself. Our team is very close. We support one another, and everyone is willing to jump on to any project that needs to be completed, no matter what the task or time it takes or the deadline.”
As a leader, he sees to it that the atmosphere is healthy for growth for him and his team. “I am a huge fan of ‘delegate to grow’ for both my benefit and also the benefit of my team members. When giving them work, we prefer the ‘sink-or-swim’ approach, but ensure that it is in a safe environment, with senior staff guidance and systems and processes in place to protect them from any ‘live fire’ issues. If a mistake is made, we work to pick this up before it gets to the client, but the learnings are still relevant,” he stated.
His approach is to constantly push his level of comfort and ‘give until it hurts’ when it comes to passing on his responsibilities, “which I believe is the only way that I can truly grow and be available to new opportunities,” he remarked. “I also support promoting innovation throughout the team and encourage everyone to take opportunities as they come up and run projects on their own.”
Other than that, Jamie also describes himself as a leader who looks after the quality of their work. “While I love to delegate, I also lead by example through being involved with reviewing work before it goes out. I provide feedback on the quality of work when measured against the level of service expected to deliver to meet our service promise and client expectations. This ensures that I keep connected to the day-to-day output, which demonstrates to the team that they can confidently follow my lead.”
By taking advantage of his strength in helping and motivating others, his leadership has facilitated a cooperative culture at Absolute Immigration. “Our cooperative culture is strengthened by the fact we are in constant communication with each other, especially in turbulent times such as COVID. Our team catches up daily over Zoom meetings so we have the opportunity to engage with one another through sharing ideas, helping each other solve any issues that arise, and have a fun element which includes games, quizzes, and mindfulness exercises.”
COVID-19 has affected their industry and, as a result, their company. Jamie had to make adjustments within his organisation for them to survive. But he also has to step up to carry the torch of hope for his people. “I continuously encourage our team to promote positive mental health measures and to keep the humour going. Yes, it is a serious time, but we need the release and positivity that humour provides,” he said.
“When I reflect on this topic, it made me realise how important good leadership is in the time of a crisis. COVID-19 has been a great time for us to come together and grow as a team, as well as for me as a leader,” the Global Immigration Leader declared.
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What is your experience in leading your team during this challenging time? We want to hear from you. Share your story through the comments section below or email us at communications@eomelbourne.org.