Sharon Cauldwell has worked for one company for 25 years. She shares with us how she has embraced change and evolved her personal brand to remain successful and grow her influence underpinned by a clear intent to make a difference.
We live in a VUCA world (volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity) where change is a constant and where leadership is essential for success
For successful change much depends on who is at the helm at the time of change and the culture that the leader creates and tries to push through the organization
Focus on the internal customers and the internal relationships and make sure they are the best they can be to maintain influence in a changing environment
In the face of change it is important to take the time to stop and consider the things that are in place that are working that do not need to be changed
Personal branding is about how you visually present yourself each day and how you differentiate yourself from other people
Build networks and grow your circle of influence inside and outside of your organisation
Involving the team in the decision-making process will build engagement and commitment
In business sitting on your hands not doing anything because you are not sure that it is going to be right is no way to move forward. You need to pull that trigger, take a decision, move in a forward direction and if it doesn’t work, work out why it hasn’t worked and make it better next time
Sharon’s advice – be the person who can help solve a problem and really consider yourself a leader right through your career. Take every opportunity. If you are asked to do something that’s not necessarily in your job spec, which so often in hospitality in hotels, opportunities come up, things change, someone is not available. Take every opportunity. Be a ‘yes’ person. Be the person that they know they can go to who will help, who will try to do whatever it is that needs to be done
Her leadership question – it is around people who want to make a difference. “What have you done today that’s made a difference to the business?” It is about taking accountability and wanting to do a good job
