With over 20 years of experience under her belt advising and liaising between candidates and clients, interim management recruitment specialist Marguerite Taillieu has come to learn a few tricks which have helped her become successful in business.
From learning to delegate to following her female instincts, here are her four top career tips to build a successful career path.
Tip 1: Understand that you can’t do it all on your own
The success of a business or team is not only due to one person’s merit but rather to the daily efforts of a strong team. Marguerite: “It is important to learn how to delegate and treat each of your team members as an essential part of the organisation. Show that you value their input and initiatives, and provide them with the necessary training and mentorship for them to shine both on their own and within the team. Build and coach your teams so that you can grow stronger together as a unit.”
Each team member has a unique set of skills that, when smartly combined with the rest of the group, ensure the team runs like a well-oiled machine. This is why it’s so important to find the right fit between the individual qualities of your team members and their role in the team. “Seeing the value and role of each individual will help you get a better understanding of how overall objectives can be achieved. Both your team and the organisation will benefit from it”, says Marguerite.
"I don’t think it’s a coincidence that HR roles are most often filled by women. As HR manager, you have to be able to read the motivation and potential of new employees and assess whether or not there will be a good fit with the rest of the team."
Tip 2: Trust your intuition
Intuition is something many of us come to rely on to make in-the-moment decisions — an important skill, particularly in high stress situations. Marguerite: “We’ve all heard the term ‘women’s intuition’ and know that men tend to be more 'facts & figures' oriented while women are, as a group, better at reading facial expressions and emotions. As a result, they are more likely to pick up on subtle emotional messages being sent by others. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that HR roles are most often filled by women. As HR manager, you have to be able to read the motivation and potential of new employees and assess whether or not there will be a good fit with the rest of the team.”
“As women, we are often taught to ignore our intuitions and focus on the logic of a situation. Men and women alike can however benefit from learning to follow both their gut instinct and having a logical reasoning. A healthy balance of the two will help you read situations better and grasp the bigger picture, helping you to make the right decisions. So embrace your intuitions, they won’t let you down,” explains Marguerite.
Tip 3: Be yourself
Everyone has their own opinion but many do not always speak their mind. Marguerite: "Dare to speak up, even if your opinion contradicts what others say or think. Dare to make mistakes, nobody is perfect and we first need to make mistakes in order to be able to learn from them. Get to know your strengths and work with them. Do not hide your shortcomings, but show that you are developing yourself. Do not take yourself too seriously either. Laughter is the best medicine, so learn to laugh with yourself and with the mistakes you make. It will take the negative energy out of the situation and help you shift your perspective.”
Tip 4: Keep investing in yourself – professional and personally
To move forward in our careers we all know how important it is to keep learning. "But in order to succeed, it is important to first work on maintaining a good balance between your work and private life. We are all so busy that there is often no time left for self development. Invest in some pure 'me-time' occasionally and spend a day doing only things for you. If you feel good at home you’ll also feel good at work. Once you have found that healthy balance between your professional and private life, you will have the energy to take those extra training courses to help you get ahead in your career. Self-development will enrich your life, both on a private and business level and will help both you and your teams to be more successful”, Marguerite concludes.
Find out more?
Consult other career advice and tips or contact Marguerite Taillieu if you would like to know more about interim management opportunities.
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