What I Love about - Alison harrop on honesty, humour and being human

Emily Wilson is the Managing Director at FutureYou and she is on a mission to learn - and share - as much as she can about leadership from Australia’s most respected leaders. While not all leadership styles are the same, Emily has found there are certain basic traits that earmark all successful leaders. This week Emily enjoys a glass of rose at the stunning Butler restaurant in Sydney's Potts Point, with Alison Harrop - an inspiring leader from the Dexus group. They discuss the development of future leaders, the idea of one's own legacy and the importance of an open mindset for success. “I want your business to succeed and I believe this can be achieved by creating a pipeline of sharper, better, stronger leaders. Sharing how others have done this benefits all future leaders, which ultimately benefits everyone.” Emily Wilson FutureYou sincerely thanks Alison Harrop for her time and generous, personal sharing. ****** If you'd like to get in touch with us at FutureYou... www.future-you.com.au ****** ****** We'd also like to thank The Butler in Potts Point for facilitating the lunch and the camera crew. They deserve their stellar reputation. ****** What I love about... is a video series that allows you to zoom in on the brilliance of outstanding leadership in a candid environment, and to more holistically consider the approach of successful people.

What I love about Alison's style is it's a no BS, authentic, straight-talking leadership style. ... and I love how naturally funny she's in her own response CFO of a company you're expected to play a certain role, you're expected to be a certain thing, and I guess my way of cutting through that kind of facade is by disarming people. So, say to them, look... being really honest and saying actually I had a really bad weekend, and actually the kids were ... you know, terrible, and I'm feeling really tired this morning and I'm actually not really very energised for what I'm about to do, right... And people kind of go... 'Did she just say that?' Emily: But you being honest Alison: And you're being honest and authentic. I doesn't mean I don't love the place, it doesn't mean we're not really still *** on mission, and we're going to do all this stuff... just this morning, right now, I'm feeling really tired. It is just about being honest. I think early in my career I tried to be the facade - So, I need to behave like this and I need to look this way... but... One: you can't keep that up. You can't possibly keep that up all the time. But secondly, what is the point? Because I'm not being genuine and honest with the people that work for me, I don't want them to learn to do that. I want them to learn to be natural and open and I find that people respond to me way better, (so) if I'm honest with them and go, actually, you know what, I'm just over it today. Can we just do this another time? Or, actually, you know what, I've had a really busy day, I can't concentrate, I'm sorry. Emily: My head's not in this right now.. Alison: I'm not in it right now... I'm really distracted. Can we do this another time? Emily: Because you wouldn't do it justice. Alison: And so they just go, 'oh my god she's actually human... she's not this facade, she's not the 'CFO' or whatever, she's actually a person, and she has the same problems that I do, and I'm really glad that she told me because I don't want to waste my time or her time, and actually that's awesome. But, a lot of execs to feel very uncomfortable with being that open about themselves, and especially because I say stuff in meetings like, I'm not sure if it's just me, but I don't understand what you just said, or... So, I'm happy to just own it and go, you know what, I don't understand what you're talking about... For a lot of execs that's a very uncomfortable place to be because a lot of their career is built on 'you need to be a certain way and you need to'... you know, 'I'm in this important meeting I need to present myself with this picture of myself'. And so I still get other execs, when I say some of that stuff, kind of.... Emily: Did you just say that?! Did you just admit that?! Alison: But then it's fun because then they go, actually yeah I wasn't quite sure about that either. Emily: Which is really brave actually. Alison: So it kind of brings a different conversation. I guess it comes from a place of - I know that I'm good at lots of stuff, I don't need to be good at everything. And if I don't understand I'm going to say. But you have to get over... There's a mental barrier for people, I think, around admitting that, because you're supposed to be this very senior, know-it-all. Alison definitely knows more than most leaders, but what I love about Alison Harrop is how effortlessly inspiring she is - Bravo Alison!