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.
| Valerie Payn - Get Involved |
Bluteau DeVenney and Company (BDCO): What did you do to move to a leadership role?Valerie Payn (VP): I am a strong believer in education, and throughout the years I made a conscious effort to tailor my education around what I was interested in and where I wanted to go in my career . I graduated from an all girls Catholic school at a time when the employment options for women were mostly limited to teaching or nursing. Although great professions, I knew I wasn't well suited for either, so I started off in office administration. I realized within a short period of time that in order to progress my career, I needed to further my education, so I went back to university and obtained my Bachelor of Public Administration. It was a very busy time for me, as I had two small kids and my husband worked shift work, but that experience made me realize that I loved to learn. I later went back to do my Masters in Business Administration and my Chartered Director designation while working, and I have been on a continuous education path ever since. (BDCO): What is one thing that developing professionals need to do more of?(VP): They need to continue their education. Life is changing so quickly that we have to keep learning in order to keep up. That includes not only the formal education we get from book learning, but also the indirect ways we educate ourselves about technology, the economy, and the people around us. It's about staying in tune with and being a part of society. That also requires engagement. Both existing and emerging leaders need to be part of their communities, whatever they define their communities to be. We all need to be part in order to be the best we can be as a society. (BDCO): What about doing less of?(VP): They need to focus less on the negative. We have a tendency to dwell on our weaknesses and what we do wrong, rather than focus on what we do well and how to capitalize on those strengths. We have to stop seeing things as problems and start seeing them as opportunities. Also, being less afraid to make decisions is very important. It is very easy to get caught up in talking about initiative to the point that no action is taken. Obviously it is very important to consult and to look at best practices currently in use, but there comes a point when we have to stop gathering information and make a decision. With decisions there is always some risk of making mistakes, but taking those chances is really the only way to grow and learn. (BDCO): What experience helped you the most in your career and why?(VP): Throughout my career I have had to move numerous times, as my husband was often transferred with his job. I was a little apprehensive to move to Halifax because we were so settled in the place we were at the time. My husband and I both had great jobs and our kids were very happy where we lived. I wanted our move to Halifax to be our last, as our kids were getting at the age where I wanted to provide them with the stability that I had growing up in one place. I had no idea what a positive effect our move to Halifax would have on all of our lives. It put me in a new sphere with new people, new opportunities, and a new economy. Every move worked out well, but moving to Halifax has been an especially great experience for all of us. (BDCO): What was the greatest challenge moving your career forward?(VP): There wasn't any one specific challenge. My career was a little slow to get started because I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. That being said, had I gone into university directly out of high school, I probably would have had a totally different experience and wouldn't have ended up here. I have had a very unique career path, and I have loved every minute of it. (BDCO): What is the greatest strength of your approach to leadership?(VP): The talented group of people I work with at the Halifax Chamber of Commerce. They are so wonderful to work with. Most of those team members are of the younger generation, and it's their vibrancy and motivation that allows me to manage effectively. Over time I have had to learn how to adapt my leadership style to connect with them, which I think has helped me become a stronger leader. (BDCO): What has been the biggest surprise you have had since attaining a senior leadership role?(VP): I am surprised that oftentimes young people can be inflexible too. I have learned that just because a person is of a certain age doesn't necessarily mean that they are going to be more or less adaptable or flexible; it may be a learned skill. (BDCO): What is the greatest benefit to you in attaining a senior leadership role?(VP): The feeling that I have made a difference to businesses in our city, particularly the small business. It feels great to know that there are areas of work the Halifax Chamber has done that has improved the loss of business in the community and made our city more competitive. (BDCO): What is the next achievement you want in your leadership career?(VP): Not so much for me but for our community, I would love to see us win the $30 billion federal ship building procurement job. I have been working on the 'Ships Start Here' initiative for the past six months with many other people in the community, and I would love to see Halifax win it. It would be a great economic differentiator for us. I would then love to be part of the strategy and discussion of how we then use that 30 year economic opportunity to position our province and our city so that we are more competitive in the long run, providing value for future generations living in Nova Scotia. (BDCO): What is the biggest challenge you face in achieving results in your work?(VP): Trying to get buy-in for a new idea or a new way of doing something when there is strong support for the way it's always been done, both at the political level and at the general citizen level as well. A big role I see for the Chamber is educating and preparing our members, particularly the small business members, for what we can see is coming in the future. Most times people know what needs to be done. Making it actually happen is the difficult part. (BDCO): What is your greatest opportunity/goal for providing value for your organization?(VP): I believe that my experience is my greatest opportunity for providing value. I have been in this role for twenty years, and throughout those years I feel that I have proven myself to be a highly credible, ethical, and trustworthy person within the various communities we serve. This personal credibility can be beneficial to the Chamber in dealing with the business community. (BDCO): What added support or capability would help you the most in delivering on your goals?(VP): We are a very financially lean organization. We are not provided any government funding. We are totally owned by the private sector. That being said, we are not financially supported by all of the businesses in the private sector. If every single business in our jurisdiction of Halifax, Dartmouth, Bedford and Sackville, was a member of the Halifax Chamber of Commerce, that would be most helpful. The more members we have, the more services and opportunities we are able to provide to the business community.
Think about where you are now in your career and what you can take from Valerie’s observations. We would love to hear your comments about what are your key takeaways from our conversation with Valerie. Tell us your progress – we want you to succeed. ______________________________________________________________
The Halifax Chamber of Commerce is one of the largest Chamber's amongst mid-sized Canadian cities and considered one of the leading chambers in North America. As the voice of business in Halifax, the Chamber advocates on behalf of almost 1500 members and the 90,000 men and women they employ. You can find out more about Halifax Chamber of Commerce at www.halifaxchamber.com.
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Good insights Valerie - you are truly never negative - thanks for your leadership in our city.