5 minute read
Embracing the unknown
In this latest instalment of our Next Gen leadership series, Deloitte Partner Kevin Butler spoke to Group Finance Director at Morgan McKinley, Brian McCarthy, about leadership, the importance of building trust with colleagues and finding work life balance.
Over the last twenty years, Brian’s career has taken him, initially from a training contract with Deloitte to a brief stint with Apple, to working for the Deague Group in Melbourne, back to Dublin to the Jurys Inns Hotel Group and now with Morgan McKinley in Cork. That exposure to a range of industries, leaders and leadership styles has given Brian a breadth of experience. In that experience he has been lucky enough to not just be part of great companies and their day-to-day operations, but also to work with them through some incredibly interesting projects: from being involved in opening new Art Series Hotels across Australia, to the sale of the Jurys Inns Hotel portfolio, to acquiring new companies and hotels for Fattal in Ireland and the UK, as well as involvement in large refinancing projects, Brian has got some great and varied work experience.
Communicators
Reflecting on the best leaders he has worked with, Brian highlights the importance of effective communication. There are certain leaders he has come across who can command a room with their presence and when they speak, everyone listens.
Rather than focusing on skillset alone, Brian says that it is also important to establish relationships and build out your network. Particularly in a postCovid world of transactional online tools, Brian believes that soft skills – particularly the ability to connect with people – have never been more important. Ultimately, people connect and engage with other people; that’s how business is done. The organisation to which you belong may open doors for you, but at the end of the day it is up to the individual to create meaningful connections that last throughout your career.
Advocating for the team
Discussing the meaning of leadership, Brian emphasises the importance of not just managing down to your team but also managing up to your superiors on their behalf. Becoming an advocate for your team, championing them when things are done well and, if required, offering protection should anything go wrong. He clearly sees the role of a leader in terms of empowering team members, building them up and avoiding micromanagement. The ultimate goal being that if team members are good enough, they will allow you to focus on other challenges, while also creating a clear succession plan which is good for both you and the company.
Finding the answers
One of the challenges of leadership is the expectation that you have all the answers. Sometimes you mightn’t and that’s OK. The best people are those who can find out that answer and act on it. This is the kind of culture you should seek to encourage in an organisation.
The value of mentors
Kevin asks Brian about his experiences of mentorship and what he sees as the key traits of a mentor. There are two distinct forms of mentorship, Brian says, formal and informal, thankfully he has benefitted from both. Oftentimes, a colleague can act as a mentor without them being aware of it – the simple act of observing how someone operates in the workplace can prove valuable. Brian discusses the learnings he has taken from the various leaders he has worked with, noting the influence of leaders during his time with Jurys Inns, in particular, where he was heavily involved in the €1bn sale of the portfolio. The ability to effectively motivate your team in a high-pressured environment while communicating clearly is critical, Brian believes.
Individuals should see their careers as a journey and seek to learn something from everyone they come across, building traits that they have seen be effective into their own behaviours.
Balancing boundaries
With the line between the workplace and homelife increasingly blurred, Brian says that building boundaries and finding time to switch off has become crucial. He finds that being fully present when at home and in the everyday lives of his three children is essential, as is building time into the week to clear his head, away from screens and other distractions.
Taking on a senior role
Kevin concludes by asking Brian what advice he would offer to someone taking on a senior role for the first time. Being in a position to take on a senior role means that you already have the right skillset and attitude, but that skillset may be of little use to you on day one of your new role. The new role will likely entail much more management and leadership requirements, and a promotion to a senior role should be seen as the beginning of a journey, rather than the end. In fact, what got you into the role may not be what makes you successful going forward. Continuing to evolve as your career progresses is key.
