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For Phillip Chan, formerly of KPMG, the
secondment taught him ‘that I could actually
lead within community. I learned that I had what
it takes. Previously I doubted that I could work
as independently as I did.’ Martina Friedl from
Westpac explained that the experience taught her
to have more self-assurance in group situations.
‘It helped me to get confidence in myself. Our
secondment group was a very skilled, intelligent
group of people, so that was my personal and
professional learning—not to be too intimidated
when you’re in a group.’ For Melissa Griggs, her
secondment experience gave her the confidence to
move to Melbourne and take on the challenge of a
new role within Westpac. She reflected: ‘It’s about
backing yourself and having confidence,
and I think a secondment does that for you
because you’re often thrown in the deep end with
minimal direction. You have to self-lead.’
Many secondees reported growth in
interpersonal
engagement skills
, demonstrated by showing
greater tolerance and empathy, and listening
more actively. Jaimes Adlington from Westpac
said the experience of working with people from
different backgrounds made him more sensitive
in his communication style. ‘You learn how to
communicate with people who haven’t necessarily
come from commercial environments or haven’t
got commercial backgrounds,’ he said. ‘You learn
you’ve got to communicate on a level that is both
empathetic and going to get results.’
John Williams said that his experience sitting in
on a counselling session at The Glen taught him
the value of listening. ‘You’re in a group of about
20 blokes and you have to listen because some
people are really trying to make a point and you
can’t jump in and make it for them—you have to
let them express it the way they want to express it.
That in itself is a good meeting technique.’ Tanya
Kaye said the experience of learning to relate to
people in an Indigenous organisation and also
fellow secondees in her group has been invaluable
in her working life: ‘It helped me understand how to
build rapport and develop relationships with people
from all different backgrounds—which is a really
important thing in a client-facing role.’
Jawun ‘burnie bean’—a thank you gift for secondees and Executive Visit participants.
Photo: Daniel Linnet, Linnet Foto
18 JAWUN
2015 LEARNINGS AND INSIGHTS