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Take 5 with Pioneera is a series of micro interviews with key business leaders on wellness, leadership, productivity and workplace culture.
This week we’re taking 5 with Damien Messina.
Damien is a program design and delivery leader with over ten years of experience in Australia's leading financial institutions and for-purpose businesses. He’s currently the Program Director of the Impact Angel Network, Australia's first impact-focused angel network.
Welcome, Damien!
1. What does your workday routine look like?
It depends on what day – I generally have a weekly plan that I try my best to stick to. Having said that, I'm not a routine nut and will always find time for emergent and serendipitous activities. In the spirit of self-love and care, I am forgiving should things slip.
Most days will have meetings planned with founders or investors, through which we spend time getting to know each other and working out if there is a way I can help. As the meetings are scattered to their schedule, I do my best to understand how long any given task in my backlog will take me. I have a good idea of what commitment things need and how far into it I will get before I start. As a general rule, anything that takes less than 5 minutes I will do right away.
2. How do you stay focused and maintain a positive mindset when things get crazy busy?
I always start with an Urgent/Important 2x2 – that helps me identify and plot what I actually need to do vs what my dangerous mind is overwhelming me with. Secondly, reassurance and perspective work a treat. I always remind myself that whatever I am doing is likely not the best/worst thing I have ever managed and that I probably have the skills (or network) to get a reasonable job done (think 80/20 rule).
I also create consciousness around the feelings and thoughts I have, identifying and dismissing those that do not create value for the task at hand. i.e., stressing or being distracted with XYZ that is out of my control. I'm always super logical in my approach, as the traceability and continuity of logic help me feel reassured that I'm doing the most valuable task at any given point. This can also help inform a coherent story for how and why something has come to be (but not an excuse) should a challenging situation arise.
3. What are your three must-haves for a healthy work-life integration? And why?
Boundaries:
Make and commit to them. There is no dress rehearsal in life and so be clear about what you will and will not do. Defend it ferociously and review it frequently.
Right to dissent:
Put yourself in a position where you can say no and express your contrary opinion. If you feel you can't, perhaps test the waters as you may be pleasantly surprised. If you genuinely can't, I think you should probably welcome any change that may result. Surround yourself with people who hear you and care.
Purpose:
Everyone has different reasons for working. Like boundaries, make sure you know what yours are, commit to them, defend them and review as frequently as required. They will most certainly change from time to time.
4. What’s your top tip for creating a thriving workplace culture?
Wow, just one? There are so many essentials. If I had to pick just one, I think clarity is the most important (and broad ). Making sure people know… what you expect of them, what they can expect from you, what they can expect from each other, why they are there, how things will flow, what success looks like and how the team can expect to get there, how the team will deal with ambiguity and uncertainty. Clarity is key.
5. How do you bounce back when things don’t go as planned?
Friends, family, and hobbies. I take my mind off things and then come back with more gusto. I always do a retrospective to understand what I should have done more of, done less of and done differently. I appreciate all learning, even the lessons that suck and then I do my best not to repeat them. Lastly, I come back to the reassurance and perspective mentioned earlier.
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