This is one of the panellists at our Nurture Change Business Retreat: Samantha Gadd. The business owner and HR guru says honesty combined with ambition is a route to success.
Samantha Gadd, founder and managing director of HR Shop, will be speaking at the Nurture Change business retreat on how to be an authentic leader. Zac asked her a few questions for the Sunday Star Times, published September 6, 2015…
I have watched the business from afar and with interest, as it appeared to be to doing great stuff with its people.
HR Shop teams up with with growing businesses to create future-proof workplaces and cultures. The company’s aim is to help others stand out in their market and attract and retain the best talent.
Since her committment to Nurture Change, Gadd has agreed to be part of our daily 5pm “happy hour” business panel, where people attending the retreat are able to ask any business question of the panel of successful leaders.
Ahead of the retreat I asked her some questions so she can share her thoughts on how to be successful in business:
Who is a leader that you learnt something incredibly valuable from and what was the lesson?
Be ambitious, and above all honest, were wise words from my grandfather, Paul Veltman, who was a successful leader and businessman.
What this means to me is ambition is no excuse to forget about core values, including honesty. Being true to yourself and those around you helps you to become an authentic leader. This is something my grandfather certainly embodied every day.
What lesson in business do you try to pass on to others?
Want for others, what you want for yourself – generosity of spirit and always putting people first.
Our team at HR Shop certainly keep this at the centre of what we do. Our clients appreciate our humane approach. Our role is often to help businesses more easily achieve their strategy with their people, we never forget that at the end of the day, work makes up a huge part of most peoples days, so the impact we can have can be huge. For us, treating people with respect and care comes first.
Who do you think is a great innovator (individual or company) and why?
Steve Jobs for the creation of beautiful personal technology which has truly changed the way we live today. Our ability to connect with each other and the world around us has opened up so many possibilities – the hard thing is putting the technology down!
What has been your biggest learning in business to date and why?
Every moment passes – when you are the top of the roller coaster, or at the bottom – that moment will pass! This is very useful when running a business, because as a business owner I am so personally invested in everything to do with my business, it keeps me sane to know everything only lasts for a moment and to remember why it is important to make the most of every single one.
Growing a business isnt easy, I think taking business knocks and bumps personally comes with the territory – essentially when you grow a business from the ground up, the business very much feels like your ‘baby’! Every growing pain is felt – we know this from seeing our clients going through the same challenges too!
When you finally realise that although big knocks can seem terrible at the time, it is all part of the journey and they all only ever last for a moment – this lesson has been really important to keep me grounded on the journey to grow HR Shop.
If you were 21 years old again and could do any career you wanted, what would you be and why?
Running a fast growing business, would still be the challenge, but I would love to have a business in the wellness industry.
Our desire for holistic wellness is something that interests me. I follow many ‘wellness warriors’ online and have a keen interest in good food and wellbeing, particularly after visiting a wonderful retreat last year. The world we live in now leaves so little time for being in the moment and looking after ourselves. It would be great to have a business focused on helping people to achieve wellness in everyday life.
What are you most excited about in attending the Nurture Change Business Retreat in Fiji?
Connecting with other like minded business owners and time away from my business thinking about future possibilities, and in such a beautiful environment surrounded by excellent speakers is surely a rare opportunity! I am also excited about the wellness focus of the retreat, as a busy business owner I don’t spend anywhere enough time on me, so am excited about the opportunity to reconnect with wellness and exercise while away!
Samantha Gadd will be part of the daily business panel at the Nurture Change Business Retreat in Fiji, November 11-15. See www.nurturechange.com for a full list of speakers and further information on the business retreat.
– Sunday Star Times
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