Lessons from the C-suite Personal development
I worry that society is
becoming more intolerant
I started
out…
I went to
Manchester
university to
study law as I dreamed of
becoming a barrister. Due to
personal circumstances I
changed university to be nearer
home, and so I went on to read
business studies in Liverpool. I
gained my degree and after a
couple of years working in
Australia, I embarked on a
diverse career path. I worked for
the police, then a housing
charity, then an award-winning
procurement specialist, and
finally ended up in housing.
I love it. I face different
challenges every day and
I draw on all of my
experiences to successfully
meet these challenges.
I knew this
was the right
career path for
me when…
I relished and met
every challenge that
came along. I truly love
making a positive difference to
people’s lives.
The biggest lesson I’ve
learned along the way…
Take the positive from every
situation. You learn a lot from
failure, which ultimately helps
you succeed. If you have a bad
leader learn from them so you
can become a good leader.
My proudest
achievement…
Developing an open, passionate,
trusting and
respectful
culture at
ForViva
has to be up there as one of my
proudest achievements.
My biggest mistake…
Not making tough decisions
about staff sooner.
My biggest inspiration…
If I exclude my wife, who is my
greatest inspiration, then it has
to be people who have
overcome great personal
challenges and succeeded
despite or indeed because
of them.
Two names spring to mind:
Katie Piper, a philanthropist
who I had the pleasure of
meeting last year; and Rod
Aldridge, an entrepreneur and
philanthropist who I have the
honour of calling a friend.
Keeping me
awake at
night right
now…
Many things,
but top of the
list is my concern
that society is
becoming less tolerant and less
inclusive. I worry about how I
should lead the organisation to
ensure that we remain inclusive
and balanced.
The
biggest
challenge
for organisations
over the next five
years will be…
Keeping abreast of changes in
the way we work. We will be
more agile, more digital and
more remote. We must ensure
we are able to build and sustain
teams while supporting
individuals to look after their
own health and wellbeing.
I need my HR
director to…
Understand the whole business,
understand our strategic
priorities, and be key in
developing and maintaining a
positive culture that helps us
achieve these priorities.
It annoys me when HR…
Is more about the
process than
the people.
More HRDs
would become CEO if…
They avoided saying ‘I’m an HR
professional’ and instead gained
wider experience within their
organisations. They must
become part of setting the
strategic direction. They have
the right skills – they just need
the exposure.
What I’m
reading right
now…
Diversity by June
Sarpong.
It’s about how
and why we
should challenge
inequality. I think it’s a mustread
must-
for everyone.
My top leadership tip…
Be great at
telling the
story of why
you are taking
the actions
or directions
you are rather
than just concentrating on the
what and the how. HR
Colette
McKune,
group chief
executive,
ForViva
You learn a lot
from failure,
which ultimately
helps you
to succeed
CV June 2019 – Present
Group chief executive
ForViva
2015 – 2019
Group deputy CEO
ForViva
2012 – 2015
Deputy chief executive
City West Housing Trust
2008 – 2012
Director of asset
management
City West Housing Trust
2001 – 2005
Group director
corporate resources
Novas-Ouvertures Group
1990 – 2001
Force fi nancial analyst
Merseyside Police
hrmagazine.co.uk November 2019 HR 55
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