Leading with purpose

In the first in this Next Gen Leaders series, Deloitte partner, Kevin Butler, speaks with Deirdre McCarthy, Head of Strategy at Dairygold Co-operative Society. The wide-ranging conversation discusses topics from bringing purpose to life to sharing advice to those starting out in leadership roles. Deirdre also shares some wonderful insights into her successful career to date and what she has learned along the way.

Recently appointed Head of Strategy at Dairygold, Deirdre McCarthy explains to Kevin Butler, Deloitte how leadership for her involves setting a good example as well as emulating values of authenticity, honesty and empowerment. Using her business acumen and embodied empathy to relate to her co-workers Deirdre exposes people to new opportunities and celebrates their shared success. “It is about being very true and authentic to yourself, because people will just see through it, and it doesn’t take very long.”

Instilling a sense of purpose

“It can be easy to become insulated and just stick to what your job is, staying within the guard lines. But unless we are giving our people an overview or exposure to different things that happen in the organisation, then they’re not going to understand how what each person does helps and supports the overall purpose of the organisation.”

While refreshing their strategy last year, the Leadership team sought deep collaboration and diverse representation across the organisation to instil that sense of purpose. “We had 50+ people working on the Dairygold Strategy. They were shaping it and moulding it. It is their strategy. It’s not a corporate strategy which leadership came up with in isolation.” By bringing the bigger picture of understanding to the wider organisation and allowing people to have a real say in that vision Deirdre believes that drives so much more ownership and then ultimately success by helping people align with the organisational purpose.

Striking a work-life balance

Recognising the importance of recovery and celebration, both in her personal and professional life is part of the culture that Deirdre believes in. As a young working mother, when the conversations began around joining the leadership team Deirdre understood that this decision wasn’t just hers but her family’s.

“Can we even do this? Why would we even do this? It’s a “we”, it’s our family, it’s not me going there as a leader, it’s our family. I think that’s something I probably learned over the years from previous roles that this decision was more than just mine. The decision needed to include a focus on both my own and our family’s well-being.”

They may seem like little things, but taking the time to go to the gym is Deirdre’s time to decompress and shake off the energy from the day so that she can be the best version of herself at work, for her family, but also for herself.

Her openness regarding her priorities is refreshing, “It’s about leading by good example, and showing people the way. I want to set a good example for my younger colleagues, to show them that it is okay to prioritise yourself and how important that is – you can’t pour from an empty cup.”

A changing dynamic

As many senior leaders can probably relate, going from an individual contributor to manager to then senior management your support system changes. Using her strong network that she has built over her career has been instrumental to Deirdre’s transition.

After being appointed, Deirdre sought to ensure that she remained approachable making sure to still have those water cooler chats. “It’s about appreciating the different perspectives and ensuring people know I’m still me.”

It is with that small offering that leaders like Deirdre can connect and lead with empathy, “The longer you are working you recognise you’ve been that person; whether you’ve been having a tough time at work or in your personal life, you need to capture this moment now and recognise someone else could be feeling this way. And it’s not until it happens to you that you recognise the impact.”

Building trust and openness across the leadership team has also lent a hand to strengthening this new dynamic.

“Something we introduced recently across our own business is taking a day out once a month as a leadership team, to come together without the distraction of the dayto-day activities to be more strategic and to make space for those honest conversations.”

This approach reinforces that everyone is working towards the same end goal. “It’s the combined best attributes of each of our Leadership team that makes that one perfect individual.”

“Be kind to yourself”

We all encounter doubts and can lose faith as our careers progress, as Kevin points out, “Success isn’t a straight line but a journey full of peaks and troughs.”

To manage those doubts and keep that belief in our own ability, Deirdre’s top advice is to, “Be kind to yourself, you were appointed on your merit, your ability, the confidence from your CEO and leadership that they hold in you.”

Bringing the conversation back to the importance of a strong network, “When I look back on it, I had different mentors for different times and needs. Sometimes it would be professional and other times it would have been personal. That goes back to that network piece, knowing that you have this group of people that you go to for support but equally you can do that for them as well.”

Recognising that there will always be more to learn and room to grow at every level is central to Deirdre’s attitude.

“Ultimately, you put yourself into scenarios where you are getting the opportunities to stretch yourself. Whether you do it subconsciously or not, you are putting yourself out there because you want to keep going. If an opportunity is to come to your door you need to be ready for it and not just thinking about it for the first time.” in association with