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Improved interpersonal skills often translated into
better
stakeholder engagement and management
on secondees’ return to work. Melissa Griggs was
working for Westpac when she participated in a
secondment and then later a fellowship to Cape York:
Since that time, I’ve expanded into change
management and now project management.
Some of the skill sets I needed for project
management had absolutely been learnt on
secondment—particularly around stakeholder
engagement. In terms of the diverse amount of
people I had to deal with, different degrees of
education and different passions and drivers—
those skills have absolutely helped me.
Renee Schicks had a similar view: ‘The secondment
increases your awareness of the diversity of
stakeholders out there and how you can motivate
those stakeholders.’
Ben Tan said his secondment contributed to
enhanced stakeholder management skills due to
exposure to senior executives. ‘I’m much more
comfortable dealing with senior stakeholders.
In my work, I usually deal with junior managers but
on secondment I was dealing with departmental
secretaries.’ Trish Clancy articulated the value
for her in terms of stakeholder engagement
and management: ‘It has helped me in working
with a wider array of people, learning how to
communicate in different ways. Having a broader
view plays back particularly well in working
deeper with clients.’
In 2007, Maria Niedzwiecka, then
a business development market
analyst for KPMG in Sydney, was
seconded to Djarragun College
in Cape York. She was attracted
to the secondment program for
the opportunity to ‘spend several
weeks working with Indigenous
communities, making a positive
impact … while actually keeping
my job.’ She also found the
partnership model appealing:
‘I was really attracted to the
model of working with Indigenous
communities instead of just
providing them with services.’
Maria spent five weeks creating
a marketing prospectus for the
college and says her time on
secondment helped her become
more flexible and adaptable. ‘The
project was something completely
different for me. I remember
sitting in front of the computer
for the first time, working with
software I had never used before,
on marketing materials which were
new to me, so it was a very steep
learning curve.’ The secondment
also stretched her interpersonal
skills. ‘I had to develop a network
very quickly within the college
and find people who could help
me with challenges I’d never dealt
with before.’
Maria recognised her growth
in intercultural competency.
‘Before you go on secondment,’
she said, ‘you’ve got a number
of assumptions and they all get
challenged … One of the great
things about the program is that
you go through induction and
have the opportunity to listen to
Elders from the tribes who live in
Cape York, and they explain their
customs, their traditions, their
challenges.’
That deepening of cultural
awareness has been extremely
valuable in her current role as
Senior Manager for Deloitte
Touche Tohmatsu in Japan. ‘[My
secondment] made me realise
that a solution developed in one
particular place, for a particular
set of people, is not going to work
that easily if you’re just trying
to transplant it to a completely
different community and different
situation. That was incredibly
helpful throughout my career, but
in particular in moving to Japan.’
Maria says her Jawun experience
made it easier for her to transition
to another culture and deal with a
completely new set of challenges.
‘It’s just something you’re prepared
for,’ she said. She draws from her
secondment in her approach with
the Japanese locals. ‘My work in
Japan involves a lot of listening
to people, understanding where
they’re coming from, why they
behave the way they do, what
they consider are the biggest
roadblocks … At the end of the
day, it’s not about imposing [your
ideas] on anyone else—and that’s
a skill that’s applicable to any
working environment.’
Growing soft skills and
intercultural competency
CASE STUDY
21