Maxme: We’re big believers in the power of human skills. But don’t just take our word for it - the evidence for excellence powered by human (‘soft’) skills is everywhere! In this engaging, ever-enlightening series, we speak with industry leaders, innovators and game-changers to learn a little about their personal career journeys, and how human-led strategies, philosophies and cultures are proving a force for good in their working worlds …

Welcome Jessica, and thanks for stepping into the #SuccessIsHuman Spotlight! 

You’re the Learning & Capability Manager at Marken - the clinical subsidiary of UPS Healthcare which offers a state-of-the-art GMP-compliant depot network and logistic hubs for clinical drug product storage and distribution, while maintaining the leading position for cell and gene therapy services, direct-to-patient and home healthcare services, biological sample shipments and biological kit production.

In 1 sentence (ok, we’ll give you 3), what does this role entail?

Jessica Wood: My role is very varied, however one of my main priorities is to design and develop engaging, interactive role-specific onboarding curriculums for our new employees. I also spend a lot of time designing new learning programs, which could be face to face sessions, videos or eLearns. Lastly, along with our team, I’m trying to build a learning culture that is supported by best practice learning methodologies and software.

M: You’ve been with Marken for just over a year now, but your career in learning & development (L&D) of course goes much deeper, and in fact didn’t start in L&D at all!

It all kicked off in early 2007 as a Division One Registered Nurse with Austin Health. After just over a year, you joined the Baker IDI Heart & Diabetes Institute as a Cardiac Research Nurse where you spent a further 12 months.

JW: In late 2009 you turned your hand to the administration side of health, accepting a role as Rehabilitation Coordinator for the Transport Accident Commission (TAC). After almost four years, you progressed to Functional Training Coordinator (Design & Facilitation), and before long, stepped up as a Learning Optimisation Specialist. After almost a decade with the TAC, you shifted industries once again - this time pivoting to Financial Services & joined NAB as an Instructional Designer. After 12 months, you followed with a similar tenure for ANZ - first as Senior Learning Analyst, then Learning & Capability Manager. +

M: How does all this work speak to your personal purpose and what drives you as an individual?

JW: My personal purpose and drive is all about learning. Learning about myself, learning about my daughter, learning about the world and learning about people and why we behave the way we do.

I love sharing my knowledge with people in my life - and being in a learning and development profession allows me to do that every day, whilst allowing me to be creative and have a bit of fun!

I also like to make someone's life easier and less complicated. Why have a 10 page learning instruction when it can be a one page infographic?

Learning doesn't have to be complicated and difficult, but it does have to be considered and make sense. A lot of people believe that learning is just about putting a PowerPoint deck together - but it’s so much more than that. It's about identifying what the problem is in the first place, and creating a solution to solve it. I get a huge sense of achievement from someone gaining the skills and knowledge that they need to competently do their role, and that usually begins with me and my colleagues firstly identifying the problem.

Also by being in the learning profession, I have been lucky enough to work in a range of different industries and hope to do so for many years to come. However, I think I will always come back to healthcare.

M: Tell us a little about your personal education pathway/s - what led you to where you are now? How closely do your formal qualifications match your current career?

JW: After finishing high school and a short stint in Europe, I started a Health Sciences degree as I knew I wanted to be in the Science/Healthcare field. I quickly switched to a Nursing degree and loved the theoretical aspect of it, but not necessarily the practical side. I knew I wanted to help people - but nursing in a hospital didn't feel quite right.

This took me to the TAC. I was doing a lot of coaching for colleagues but kept missing out on the formal roles as a coach. It wasn't until a mentor suggested that I had the skills for a learning career that I even considered a career as a Learning and Development professional. I self funded and used my annual leave to complete a Training and Assessment certificate and was successful in gaining the next position that became available at the TAC. And I was hooked. I finally found my place! I was also lucky to work with some very experienced learning professionals and continuous improvement specialists that were generous with their time and knowledge and allowed me to learn from them every day.

At the TAC, and now at Marken, I use my education and experience in nursing and health everyday. A good learning and development professional will always become a quasi expert in whatever content they are designing - so to have that education already has been crucial to my role.

At the banks - I was definitely a fish out of water as I had no qualifications or experience in Finance, Risk or Financial Crime. But my love of learning and asking questions ensured that I was successful in those roles.

M: If you could share one piece of career advice to your 21 year old self it would be ...

JW: Any form of education or learning experience will help you in your career and life - even if it's not apparent at the time. If you enjoy what you’re learning - keep doing it. It will help you at some stage of your life - usually when you least expect it. Weirdly enough - I’m a qualified Diabetes Educator which I have never practised. But about 10 years ago I diagnosed a friend's sick dog with Diabetes and saved its life! Not exactly what I thought would happen with my qualification - but a great outcome!

M: Maximising the potential of individuals, communities and businesses through the power of human skills is the reason Maxme exists. Can you tell us a little about the role and / or value of human skills in your workplace right now?

JW: Human skills are paramount at Marken. It's crucial that all our employees remember why we do what we do and the impact our work has on our customers. A delay or mistake can cost a life - so we need all our employees to remember that what they do makes a difference. Remaining vigilant, efficient and empathetic is critical.

In our learning team, we are also currently building a leadership program which focuses heavily on building the skills and knowledge crucial to effective leadership. Skills such as self awareness, emotional intelligence, communication, trust and conflict resolution are just some of the topics we are focusing on to help build strong, supportive and considerate leaders.

M: Self awareness sets the critical foundation for all Maxme learning experiences. With that said … what’s your strongest trait / personal super power?

JW: Efficiency and prioritisation.

My manager jokes that she thinks I have a clone or twin! As we have never met in person (she is US based), she thinks I have a clone who works after I go to bed!

In truth - I am and always have been very efficient. I’m not sure if it's because of my nursing background, or because I’m a single Mum, but I’m very good at getting things done and at a high quality. When it comes to learning methodology and best practices, I am confident in what I’m doing and in making decisions. I don't waste too much time second guessing myself. I’m also not a procrastinator in my career or life - which makes me efficient.

My other super power would be intuition/problem solving. I’m able to put together the pieces of a problem relatively quickly and predict what’s going to happen next. This is a very handy skill to have when assessing risk or solving a problem - but not great for people trying to keep a secret from me. I’ll always work it out first, haha. A previous manager would usually just tell me about any big changes happening before the official announcements as she would say “you will work it out anyway - might as well tell you now!”

M: And on the flip side, what’s one human / ‘soft’ skill you’ve had to really work on improving over the course of your career?

Reactivity.

JW: Learning about myself and the way I interact and respond to others has been something that I have been working on over the last 10-15 years. I am the first to admit that in the past I was quick to react to a situation without giving it the proper thought first - which didn't always lead to the desired outcome. I am positive that some of my past colleagues would be reading this and agree with that too.

A previous manager and good friend taught me the power of the “sleep test” - which is the importance of sleeping on things before reacting or making a decision. It was a game changer. I now “sleep test” everything first so that I can respond in a constructive way and ensure that I am working with my stakeholders to achieve the best outcome.

I also try to be empathetic to other people's reactions and behaviours in the workplace and try to understand what I can learn from them, even when they are behaving at their worst. Everyone we meet in our careers have something to teach us - even if it's what not to do!

I think that I will spend the rest of my working career, and probably life, learning about myself, my emotions and why I behave the way I do. I think that if everyone spent the time learning more about themselves, their triggers and their reactions - the world would be a much calmer and happier place.

M: If you could share one piece of career advice with recent Uni graduates or candidates keen to work at a company like Marken, what would it be?

JW: Marken has a great combination of logistics and healthcare services - which is what drew me to the company. Be open to learning about both industries and how they make a big difference to some of our most vulnerable patients around the globe. It's not just about ensuring a package gets delivered on time - but always remembering who that package is going to. It could very well be a life saving treatment!

Marken is also a global company, so be prepared to meet people from all across the world and to do some crazy hours.

M: You’ve been granted approval to add one University graduate to your team, but have 100 applicants, all with outstanding academic results. How do you find your perfect candidate - what are you looking for?

Passion for learning and open-mindedness.

JW: A candidate doesn't have to have years of experience or years of education to be successful in a learning and development role - but they do have to be passionate about learning about themselves and their career. I want to work with people who are always questioning themselves and the way we do things in search for a better way of doing things.

A new candidate would have to be open to learning about themselves, the industry and be receptive to giving and receiving feedback in order to continuously improve.

M: In the words of John Dewey, “education is not preparation for life, education is life itself.” What’s next on your #learning agenda?

JW: I am currently studying a Diploma of Sustainable Living online at the University of Tasmania. My daughter and I are very passionate about living sustainability and leaving the world a better place than how we found it. I’m not sure what the Diploma will lead to - but it doesn't matter. I love the content and I love sharing that with my daughter.

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Inspired by Jessica’s insights around emotional regulation, open-mindedness, and how to leverage human skills for success in work, the workplace and/or life?

We’d love to help you put those good feels to good use!

Simply download the Hodie human skills app to get started today, or explore our broader menu of Maxme Products & Programs for organisations and individuals alike. 

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