Patricia Brooks FIoL.
Culture Change Advisor, Positive Disrupter, Diversity Champion, Director at Geneva Pearl Ltd, Founder of The Change Collaborative.
What do you do now?
I’m Director and Chief of Geneva Pearl Ltd, a consultancy supporting companies with the people side of change. I’m also Founder of The Change Collaborative, a think tank aiming to inspire new thinking in change leaders.
Where did your career start?
I started as an IT Trainer, quickly moving into Management. I loved it and stayed in training for many years, working my way around the training cycle from identifying training needs to evaluating training. I led several training and IT Support teams before moving into Transformation in the early 2000’s.
What obstacles or challenges have you experienced on your leadership journey?
As a black female in the IT world, it was hard to fit in. I was often ignored in meetings, expected to take notes or met with incredulous looks when I stood to lead discussions. I was overlooked for promotions, having to prove myself time and time again, when others did not. This often led to me taking on too much and regularly working through the night to prove my capability. Luckily, I believed in myself, knew my capabilities and met a few individuals along the way who believed in me too.
Has there been a stage in your life where you first appreciated what great leadership looked like?
I probably first appreciated this when leading a piece of work with the leadership skills, advice and observations I’d built up over time. I was caught off guard when my leadership style was not accepted by my new team. From then, I re-assessed my style - piecing together all the characteristics of what is considered to be honest and good leadership.
Do you have any examples of what you have done to develop yourself as a leader?
I regularly put myself in situations where I’m out of my comfort zone, I observe and I listen. I’ve taken backwards steps in order to develop my leadership skills, once stepping down from management to take a consultancy role so I had the hands-on experience to later lead the team.
How do you think Leadership has benefitted you?
Leadership has given me the confidence to start my own companies. It has given me the credibility to stand on the same stage as other leaders and feel my spot is deserved.