MEET THE MAESTRO INTERVIEW

MARY: Strategy and policy expert

‍

Mary is a proud ‘policy wonk’. For those of you new to the term (like us), that’s someone who takes an enthusiastic or excessive interest in minor details of political policy. She lives to  positively shape and influence government policies for the better.  A challenging feat she’s achieved by working both inside and outside of governments, helping to give substance and ‘voice’ to client positions, while equipping governments with the insight and advice necessary to design and reform exceptional policies. Mary’s thirst for knowledge, appetite for insight and zest for life are evident from the get go. There were many moments in this interview that made us chuckle.

‍

1. What do you do and what is your superpower that makes you incredible at what you do?

While I may not wear a cape (although, now I come to think of it, the idea does hold some appeal) my superpowers are every bit as mighty.  And they are many.

I am a Topnotch Thinker able to come up with not merely one, but numerous, solutions to the problems or objectives of governments, analyse them against what is important and, by exercising Perfect Perspicacity, recommend the best course of action.

With dizzying Data Dexterity I am able to create, source, manipulate and present data in appealing easy to understand formats.  Reading the patterns and how variables relate to each other, arms me with Future Foresight - the ability to predict a multiverse of different futures.

Through Sensational (but not sensationalist) Storytelling I convey complexity  in simple, relatable, comprehensible and compelling narratives.

With better direction than a speeding bullet, I Niftily Navigate authorising environments enabling key messages to reach the ears, enter the minds, and embrace the hearts of intended targets.

These are the not so secret sources of my Persuasion Powers.  They enable me to convince even the most stubborn stakeholders, whether that be a sceptical minister or a confused public.

‍

2. Tell us about a career highlight to date…

While the highlight I am about to share is from some time ago, I share it as it is at least as relevant today as it was at the time.  Arguably more so. 

Australia’s past economic prosperity owes itself in large part to two waves of economic reform.  The first was the opening up of the economy.  The second was national competition reform.  Back in 2005, the Victorian Government led the charge on A Third Wave of National Reform.  In addition to advocating for a continuation of the first two waves by attending to unfinished business, the big focus of the third was on developing the nation’s human capital.  I was one of the policy wonks and authors standing behind the State Premier and Treasurer as they inspired and led their State and Commonwealth counterparts along a national reform pathway.

Two decades on, laggard productivity, skills shortages and the importance of skills that are the competitive advantage of humans, underscore the necessity of a revitalised focus on the third wave.

‍

3. Talk us through an unusual career choice you’ve made along the way…

When I set out on my policy career, (mumble, mumble) years ago, I was involved in a team building activity where we quite literally drew our perfect ‘policy wonk’.  She didn’t wear a cape either.  She did have numerous and all-seeing eyes; many hands able to hold and weigh up  “on the one hand, on the other …”; and a fig leaf covering her considerable passion to make a difference.  She was also operating in an environment where others of her kind were offering contestable advice.  

That image stayed with me throughout my career.  That was who I wanted to be.  Seven years ago, I left a perfectly good and well-paying job, a great boss and my terrific team to become that person.  And I haven’t looked back.

‍

4. When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Growing up in New Zealand I wanted to be a policeman, not a policewoman.  Do not get me wrong - I was not contemplating a sex change (although there is nothing wrong with that).  I had discovered that the physical test to qualify as a policewoman was easier than that for policemen.  “Stuff that” I thought (or something along those lines), I can run further than any of the boys in my class, and I was pretty confident I could take them on in any fight.  (Although neither Andrew nor I turned up to the much whispered after school event where we planned to put my theory to the test).  Some years later I decided I wanted to be the first female prime minister of New Zealand.  But Jenny Shipley bet me to that mantel.  That was okay because, by then, I had fallen in love with economics and, subsequently, policy.  And the rest, as they say, is history.

5. What are your passions outside of work and how do you make time for them?

Outside of work, I am the proud mother of three humans and two ageing fur babies (kelpies) and jidda of two (humans, that is).  I should pause at this point to explain that ‘jidda’ is Arabic for grandmother.  However, I (humbly) maintain that I am way more young (at heart at least), agile, hip and cool than what traditional images of the word ‘grandmother’ conjures.  So jidda it is!  Spending time with family is my number one passion.

Beyond that, I am a slowing runner, walker and swimmer, a chocoholic, a keen reader of fiction, and an enthusiastic but not particularly talented chorister.  A couple of other passions I am more reluctant to divulge are that I like to crochet and am addicted to Pokemon Go.  The first unfortunately plays to those images of grandmothers that I would rather avoid.  I don’t think I need to explain my embarrassment regarding the second.  That said, if anyone wants to be my ‘friend’, just let me know.

How do I fit it all in?  At least a couple of ways.  By setting out on my own seven years ago, I fancy myself as being ahead of the curve of understanding the value of flexible work.  I am not constrained to a fixed number of hours of work or a set allocation of those hours.  My work day can stretch to as long or short as my workload demands, and likewise my week.  Although sometimes I do wish that my superpowers extended to magicking up an extra hour or two in the day, or day in the week.

The second reason is that, while I do not believe that it is productive to multitask on cognitive pursuits, I do maintain that blending the cognitive with the non-cognitive, or the non-cognitive with the non-cognitive, can be beneficial.  For example, running and swimming are times for reflection, where I can lose myself in my head solving the problems of the world.  Or the tedium of the daily chore of walking my fur babies can be relieved by catching a pokemon or two, or three …

6. If you could instantly master any skill or hobby, what would it be and why?

 A photographic memory would come in pretty handy.  Beyond being an immeasurable aid to the research-related aspects of what I do, it would certainly help even the playing field with my husband, who has freakish recall.  He can rattle off my frequent flier number, as well as everyone else’s in the family.  Or he can tell me what we were doing on x day y years ago.  He’s the one who remembers important anniversaries, not me.

‍

7. What’s a personal value or belief that guides the way you live your life?

A good friend and former colleague of mine from my first ever job once said to me “life is not a dress rehearsal”.  While this is by no means an original quote, it has stuck with me.  It is a key touchpoint for making life-altering decisions.  It causes me to time travel to a future where I have chosen not to embark along a pathway and assess whether future me is suffering from any regret.  If the answer is ‘yes’, then I allow myself to feel the fear but walk that pathway regardless.  If it transpires that it takes me to places I would rather not had travelled then that is okay, as I gave it a go, have no regrets and may return to paths previously travelled or embark along new ones. 

‍

8. What’s a challenge you’ve overcome outside of work that shaped you?

Growing up I was the second oldest of 12.  (If your mind is immediately racing to the conclusion that I come from a Catholic family then … you would be correct.)  While we were not exactly well off, neither were we desolate.  But it did instil in me an appreciation of the value of things, the seeds of entrepreneurship, a fierce sense of independence, and an early ability to make productive use of my time.  From the time I started school, my siblings and I had a monopoly on where to source and cash in all the discarded bottles in the local neighbourhood and use the profits to buy lollies.  I think I was 10-ish when I convinced a local craft shop to source from me miniature figurines I had crafted out of moulding clay.  Looking back, I suspect they were not any good and in reality what was happening was that a charitable storekeeper was doing a good deed.  That is, until I increased the price.  From the age of 12, I saved up my pennies from babysitting kids in my street to buy my own clothes.  At 13 I worked after school at the local hairdresser.  And so on it goes.  My point is that my early experiences taught me values that I continue to hold dear.  They now continue to challenge me as parent and jidda with the means to spoil but the countervailing desire to impart important life skills.

‍

9. What do you think your job will look like in 10 years time? 

In 10 years time I hope to be continuing to use my superpowers to shape policies and strategies for the greater good.  I have no aspiration to grow my consultancy beyond myself.  Despite the difficulties of having an often quirky and sometimes challenging boss!  But, on a more serious note, I do hope to have grown both my client base and network of consultants who do complementary things.  Rather than dismissing a soletrader as lacking either the capability or capacity to take on some of the more juicy and challenging assignments, I maintain that I have the ability and flexibility to bring together teams tailor-designed to deliver optimally on those assignments.

‍

10. If you could travel anywhere in the world tomorrow, where would you go and what would you do?

Somewhere, it matters little where, that has sandy beaches, clear waters, a pleasant climate and blue skies.  What I would do is … as little as possible.  Winnie the Pooh was spot on when he said that “Doing nothing often leads to the very best of something.”  I think we all need time out on occasions to relax, be in our own heads, to reflect and simply to enjoy our surrounds.  And maybe lose ourselves in a good fictional tale or two.

‍

11. What does success look like to you?

Having already divulged my lack of aspiration to become one of the Big 4, it should come as no surprise that success for me does not equate to making my millions.  Do not get me wrong, I am rather fond of money and expect to be paid what I am worth.  But it is not what drives me.  While it may (does) sound cliche, success is making a difference - influencing a change for good.  Whether that be on policies that impact the education outcomes, conditions that enable refugees to put their skills to best use, arrangements that support the choices of parents to work, or any number of things.  As I quoted earlier, life is not a dress rehearsal.  I intend to continue to put mine to best use.

‍