What do you consider the main achievements in your life?
Without doubt, my family is number one. My husband and I have three well-balanced kids who keep us challenged and busy on a daily basis and that’s fun. On the professional side, I’m in an industry that I absolutely love – aviation – where no two days are the same, challenges are endless both on a detailed and on a strategic level, but the people in this industry also have endless energy and passion to address them. I have a responsibility for a great team and a sizable geographic area both of which I consider big achievements. Having responsibility for a team is something I take very seriously, it’s not just the work on time, cost and quality but the people doing the work and their development, their careers, their ambitions and their happiness at work. Having the trust of my company to be responsible for a region and to grow the next generation in a job I love is a big achievement.
What drives you to be at the top of your game?
I’m a competitive person by nature, I’m in a competitive business, I don’t like to repeat mistakes (I don’t mind making them) and I’ve always had a drive to work hard, keep going and keep learning. Noone is at the top of their game everyday, but as a team we can be, so building that enables myself and the team to be at the top of our game. Cynically, I could also say that I’ve been doing more or less ‘the same game’ for so long (let’s call that experience not age!) that not being on top of my game would be a bit ridiculous or a failure / laziness!
What are your success strategies?
Work hard. Challenge the status quo / the normal pitch. Understand your customer and your product – find the fit. And importantly, know and understand your colleagues, get on with them, be a team player, we don’t achieve anything alone. Be open to learning and feedback. Have fun. Be respectful. Be humble.
Have you dealt with failure? If so, how did you overcome it and resurge when all the chips were down?
I think everybody deals with failure at some point – whether big or small. For me, whilst it can be soul destroying or frightening, my practical side and my family come into play. Failure is relative, if your loved ones are healthy, happy and secure. Practically, it has happened, own it, learn and find a way forward.
How easy was it for you to speak up and share your story when times were tough?
Times get tough and it’s never easy when they do. Speaking up can often feel like an admittance of failure. In my ‘younger’ career I always had a go-to person whom I could trust and confide in and seek advice from. I think this is important as sometimes they only need to offer a small nugget of advice to unblock a situation – I still have that today though I don’t have any hesitation to speak up if times are challenging, but before doing so I will have thought through the options, scenarios etc and have a preferred way forward mapped out.
What did you have to do in order to be able to share your story to inspire others?
I don’t really share my story! This is the first time. For others to say if I inspire them…