Samantha & Courage
Samantha Macansh has enjoyed a career, rich with versatility, despite having started her career when unemployment was at an all-time high in Australia. From her humble beginnings, working in a printing factory, to becoming CFO of General Pants Group and the Timber and Hardware division of Woolworths Australia, courage has remained a consistent guide.
With courage comes the strength to ask questions, embrace fear and do it anyway, and explore the world, meet new people, and experience new ways of thinking. In this event, Samantha Macansh reflects on her career in finance, and how courage has helped her to succeed and thrive. Sharing learnings from her career journey, she believes that having courage can help you achieve your career goals.
We kicked off the event with a couple of polls:
Do you have a clear vision / plan for your career?
What is your level of optimism for your career going forward?
It is safe to say that we live in remarkably uncertain times, with many people feeling the aftershock of pandemic times, and the looming threat of climate change. This is not only reflected in our polls, but in fact resonates with Australians on a larger scale:
“Only 51% of people feel positive about the future.”
– Mission Australia Survey
What is courage?
Courage is not to live without fear, but to face it head on; to have the courage to make changes, to learn from failures and above all, to walk your own path. In Samantha’s career, she has lent into the idea of being afraid, and doing it anyway.
How can I be more courageous in my career?
Learn from Fears and Failures
- Embrace failure as part of the learning experience.
- Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. The fear will not go away but your ability to manage it will grow.
- Acknowledge your fears and face them head-on.
- Acknowledge when you have made a mistake straight away.
- As long as you gave it 100%, it doesn’t matter that you failed because you tried.
- Use self talk. Ask yourself: “What’s the worst that could happen?” and “Can I live through that?”
- When you fail, it is ok to sulk, but there comes a time when you have to SUMO (shut up and move on)
Stand Up
Early in Samantha’s career, she was hired at a male-dominated workplace where mansplaining, inappropriate jokes and sexual harassment was the norm. From this experience, she developed the soft skills to handle these situations. She also learned that staying quiet enables situations to continue and repeat themselves. Although times have changed, it is always important to stand up, and call out bad behaviour for what it is.
Lead your way
- Lean in and be passionate about what you do.
- Gather skills at your current workplace in preparation for your current and ideal role.
- If you are struggling to get experience, have the courage to change; perhaps try a different industry.
- If you are an emerging leader, do your best to flatten leadership structures, giving everyone the opportunity to succeed in their own way.
- Be optimistic about what the future may hold for you.
Know yourself
- What you desire and your competencies are two different things; play to yours and others’ strengths.
- Seek out organisations where your values are in alignment.
- Surround yourself with a sounding board of peers who are at a similar stage in their career, who will support you when you choose to take risks and move forward.
- Understand that you always have much to contribute, and much to learn.
“Not to be overwhelmed by what you imagine, but just do what you can and should.”
– Marcus Aurelius
Poll: How courageous are you in your career?
Final Word
We have one life to live, and it passes unbelievably quickly. Samantha’s advice is that if you are not doing what you love, to take some time and think about it. Think about both your career path and your life, and do the things that make you the happiest.
We would like to thank Samantha for her time and wisdom, and we look forward to working with her in the future. If you have any questions for Samantha, she is available by email on samantha@good360.org.au. Finally, we would like to thank our attendees for their questions and participation.
Moir Group runs many events across the year for early and mid-career professionals. Sign up for our upcoming events here.
Are you looking to move into your next finance role? Contact our team today.