Tanya O'Shea - A playlist for life
“Find what drives and inspires you to be better than yesterday”
Tanya O’Shea joined IMPACT Community Services in 1999, working in a range of management positions until her appointment as Chief Executive in 2011.
Balancing a strong academic and practical background in business management and mental health has assisted Tanya to apply sound business principles to the governance and strategic vision of an organisation that delivers a diverse and innovative suite of programs and services aimed at improving the amount of opportunities available for some of the most vulnerable in the community.
Tanya is genuinely committed to building communities, developing visionary leaders and creating workplaces that can adapt quickly to new opportunities. She is a Director of Surf Lifesaving Queensland and Chair of the Shalom College Board, a fellow and member of the IML Sunshine Coast Advisory Committee, a member of the RDA Wide Bay Burnett Committee, a graduate and member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a member of the Australian Psychological Society and Australian Human Resources Institute.
As women we have huge demands on our time - we are mothers, wives, educators and so much more. As leaders, we’ve been knocked over and suffered a few bumps and bruises, yet we keep pushing forward because we know leadership requires steady nerves and an ‘in for the long-haul’ attitude.
Being a leader requires commitment, self-belief, reflection, insight and a willingness to keep turning up and learning. Over the years I developed what I call “A Leadership Playlist - something that sums up the lessons and reminders to be true to who I am, to live life with passion and courage. Listen to it, like it, change it and add to it!”
Track #1: Unwritten, by Natasha Bedingfield
I never dreamed of being a CEO. Someone was impressed by my passion, recognised my potential and saw something that I didn’t even know existed. Our journey is unwritten. Don’t try and follow someone else’s path – choose your own path and take advantage of every opportunity to create it. Don’t be the next someone else, be the first you.
Track #2: Who you are, by Jessie J
Accept that others may see you differently to how you see yourself and be curious about it. Open yourself up to learning about your blind spots and gaining self-insight. Prepare yourself because you won’t always like what you see. There was a time in my career when I was not open to feedback and my personal growth suffered. Seeking feedback and understanding, and embracing our strengths and weaknesses has been the key to unlocking my potential.
Track #3: St Elmo’s Fire, John Parr
Aim for the stars. Believe anything is possible. Establish a compelling vision, aspirational goals and focus on striving to achieve them. Share your bold ideas with others, inspiring them to believe that together, we have the power to make it happen. In 2014, we tested and tried five different social enterprises, with the aim of landing on a model that would create employment for people with a disability and mental illness. We divested most of the businesses and accelerated one, investing $2.8 million in building our own commercial laundry that now processes over 40 tonne of linen each month! A big difference from the 1.5 tonne per month laundry we purchased – and very ambitious for an organisation that knew nothing about laundry five years ago.
Track #4: Brave, by Sara Bareilles
Dare to try and expect to fail. I’m in the role I’m in because of hard work, determination, persistence and learning from my (numerous) mistakes. Sometimes hard decisions need to be made. In 2013 we faced a $1million budget deficit after a change in government policy, coupled with being inundated with 1.1 metres of flood waters during the Australia Day floods. As a result, we made the decision to do an organisation-wide restructure, resulting in 20 positions being made redundant and 11 people losing their job. Although we turned the financial position around quickly, the decision to restructure did not make me popular in our community.
But after years of experience I have learnt not to take it personally. I have never been the person to be selected first; I have been turned down for scholarships, study tours and Director positions that I desperately wanted. There is no rite of passage so never give up on what you want just because someone else tells you “no!” Accept it as a lesson, find out why, learn from it, and be brave enough to hold your space and adapt when you need to.
Track #5: Call on me, by Starley
Igniting the human potential in others is my passion. Give back; volunteer your time and become a coach or mentor. Start writing about your leadership experiences and share it with others. Be the person who others call on to support them to grow and thrive and be the best version of themselves.
Track #6: Listen to the music, by The Doobie Brothers
Personal development, wellbeing and self-care is critical. Music is central to my wellbeing and self-care with playlists created for exercise, meditation and mindfulness.
Now it is up to you; find what drives and inspires you to be better than yesterday and use that to create a playlist that works for you.
Find out more about IMPACT Community Services on their website, or connect with Tanya on Twitter and LinkedIn.