Inside The Edge
About
The Executive Chair
The one question you always want to ask a successful person in a senior leadership role is “How did you get there?” In developing your own career, you learn more from hearing what worked – and didn’t work – from senior leaders and hearing their wisdom than from any other source.
We are embarking on a series of interviews with leaders who exemplify success for us. In their words are insights that can give you direction for moving your own career forward.
To read a summary, written by Michael DeVenney, of the past 12 interviews this year - click here.
| Ken Shea - Don't Be Afraid to Take Risks |
Bluteau DeVenney and Company (BDCO): What did you do to move to a leadership role?Ken Shea (KS) I have always tried to seize opportunities and not to be afraid to take risks. Throughout my career I have always had a can-do attitude. I believe that a challenge approached in a positive way can only help to make you stronger and more vital to the organization in which you are working. I was never afraid to try new things or to look at things a little differently. I think that helped me progress in my career because my bosses noticed my willingness to go that extra step. When I became a leader myself I realized just how hard it is to find that same ambition in other people, so when you do see it you know that you have somebody that has the ability to go beyond their current role in the organization. (BDCO): What is one thing that developing professionals need to do more of?(KS): We need to think more about what we can do, as opposed to what we can't do. We need to focus on the things that we have control over and try to find ways to positively impact change by working with those, instead of looking for excuses as to why things can't change. (BDCO): What about doing less of?(KS): Be less afraid. Fear often prevents us from making decisions that need to be made. Of course leaders need to think about decisions before they make them, but overanalyzing can often results in analysis paralysis. Especially when you are developing as a leader, sometimes a good gut decision is better than a protracted one because it gets things rolling. When you make decisions there is often the opportunity to modify that decision as time goes on. There is always the chance to be 80 or 90 percent correct, and then fix the other minor errors as you go along. It is better to make a bad decision really early and have time to fix it, rather than waiting until it is too late to make a decision at all. (BDCO): What experience helped you the most in your career and why?(KS): I worked as a franchisee for a painting company when I was in university and that really helped me develop leadership skills at a young age. I had employees that worked for me, so I began to learn some of the different dynamics between employees and management. It gave me a different perspective so that when I then started working as an employee in an organization I was able to see both sides of any issue. It also gave me more appreciation for what an employer is looking for in an employee, because I had actually worked on the other side of the desk. As a result, when I started my career at the bank, I naturally gravitated towards management roles. Even though I didn't necessarily have the experience some other people did, I was already comfortable managing people, which was a huge advantage for me early in my career. (BDCO): What was the greatest challenge moving your career forward?(KS): Selecting the right opportunities to pursue at the right time, within any organizations there are always many things to do and many needs to be met, but you can't do everything. It is always challenging to create a focus and ensure that you are pursuing those opportunities that will move both the business and your career forward. (BDCO): What is the greatest strength of your approach to leadership?(KS): My ability to help bring groups together to work toward a common goal has definitely been a strength of mine over the years. Many organizations are filled with people who want to contribute to the goals, but the difficulty is bringing these people together and making sure there is clarity and focus among the group. We tend to want to work toward 15 or 20 different things and once, when really we should be selecting the few priorities that drive our business and focus on those to ensure they are done correctly. (BDCO): What has been the biggest surprise you have had since attaining a senior leadership role?(KS): How many times you have to communicate a message before everybody gets it. We all learn differently. We all process information differently. Sometimes a minor difference in interpretation can cause a big difference in performance. We try very hard in our organization to make sure that we use various forms of communication to ensure that we get a message across to everyone, because we recognize that miscommunication can easily send people in the wrong direction. (BDCO): What is the greatest benefit to you in attaining a senior leadership role?(KS): Sense of accomplish and the feeling that you have made a positive impact. Whether it's helping someone move ahead in their own career, or helping the organization achieve one of its goals, the feeling of making a difference is a huge benefit to me. (BDCO): What is the next achievement you want in your leadership career?(KS): As a business we are going to go through a big change as we merge with East Coast Credit Union, so that will be my focus for the next few years - to make sure everyone is comfortable in their new roles and that we continue to progress the organization. (BDCO): What is the biggest challenge you face in achieving results in your work?(KS): Ensuring everyone is working towards the common goal. As I mentioned before, this involves making sure the message is communicated properly and consistently so that everyone is on the same page. (BDCO): What is your greatest opportunity/goal for providing value for your organization?(KS): I need to bring the right people to the table to complete the tasks at hand. I need to find those individuals who can help us achieve our goals, and make sure they are in the room when it is decision making time. In the role I am in it is very important that you have a strong team that you trust and can rely on, because you can't do it alone. (BDCO): What added support or capability would help you most in delivering on your goals?(KS): One thing that has been very helpful to me is having a Board that is patient, understanding, and willing to look at things a little differently. Our organization has been very focused on customer service, and we have been supported from the top down without any pressure to switch or widen our focus to encompass additional priorities. This has really enabled us to achieve our goals, so continued support from our Board is always a great help. Think about where you are now in your career and what you can take from Ken's observations. We would love to hear your comments about what are your key takeaways from our conversation with Ken. Tell us your progress – we want you to succeed. ______________________________________________________________
East Coast Credit Union is a member-owned, full service financial institution. Having recently amalgamated with Heritage Credit Union, East Coast Credit Union is committed to providing excellence through their people, products, and services. You can find out more about East Coast Credit Union at www.eastcoastcreditu.ca. |
