Today I met up with Paul Jury, General Manager - Australia and New Zealand for Talent2 Recruitment

Paul has been a mentor for many years, so I was looking forward to his insight into Responsible Leadership.

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Paul began by explaining that responsible leadership is multi-dimensional and he thrives on the constant challenges of personally, professionally and organisationally getting it right and making a difference in all areas.

Responsible leaders balance various components in business and in life. These include the people they are responsible for, their customers and clients, shareholders and stakeholders, their business / brand reputation and overall contribution to the broader community.

What about responsible leadership at Talent2?

“It’s a big challenge when you lead in a business that is growing fast and has rather large aspirations!!”

That said, many have recently felt the frustration and pain of pulling back and managing for profit rather than pushing forward on our promise to be truly holistic on all aspects of the responsibility spectrum. 

Whilst we always aimed to do more it is good to be back on script and building towards the main game of outstanding responsible leadership again.

While we have always found ways on the CSR front, like our charity days programs we are really pleased to be working towards our Talent2 foundation which is sponsored by our CEO John Rawlinson.

Every day, many groups and individuals in society require assistance with their careers, return-to-work challenges and other obstacles, so our staff are readily giving their time to share recruitment experience and careers advice.  There is nothing more rewarding than helping a candidate get that job!!

At Talent2, the company culture around responsibility is moulded by an ethos that empowers the staff to:

• Do  the right thing  
• Be an advocate for what the business stands for
• Be a custodian of the brand values and reputation 
• Live and breathe our responsible leadership related policies and procedure
• Create an ethical organisation

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So how does responsible leadership work within the Recruitment industry?

In the recruitment industry, the largest stakeholder groups are our staff, candidates, clients and contractors.

In order to show respect, demonstrate responsibility and provide service excellence to these groups, we follow the code for Professional Conduct as set out by the Recruitment and Consulting Services Association (RCSA).

The RCSA is dedicated to improving regulation and legislation relating to employment and the workplace, and fostering ethical standards for the conduct of businesses within the industry.

One of our General Managers, Laura Mabikafola, also a finalist at the 2009 Telstra Women’s Awards is a national board member of this association.

I then asked Paul what he thought were the attributes and values of a responsible leader? Paul explained;

When considering the attributes and values of a responsible leader, an area that has recently been on his mind is the importance of work / life balance as an enabler. 

Responsible leaders all have a number of roles, responsibilities and obligations. Whilst often dominated by work, these include family, friends, peers and the community.

A responsible leader's abilities to weave all these responsibilities together will contribute greatly towards true success as a leader.

Some tips Paul shared included:

>       Don’t separate work and life, just weave in together

>       Identify own unique formulae for sustained energy

>       Focus on the priorities that will make you successful

>       Utilise resources and technology to manage workload and responsibilities

>       Build in some pause to reflect…fuel the clarity of your vision for your business…and for your life!!

Ideally, a starting point would be to schedule everything outside of work first, and then weave work in around it. While this may not be practical, keeping a balance and scheduling the right actions can be fundamental to living the life of a responsible leader!!