Human on the Inside with Deloitte’s Polly O’Keeffe
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 Polly, and thanks for stepping into the #SuccessIsHuman Spotlight.
You’re currently Director, Leadership & Learning for Deloitte Australia.
In 1 sentence (ok, we’ll give you 3), what does your role entail?
Polly O’Keeffee: I’m responsible for the leadership, talent and coaching framework at Deloitte Australia, best known as Building Brilliant Leaders. Introduced in September 2022, our new framework democratises leadership development by offering leadership curriculums for ‘all’. Starting from early career stages, our people have access to multiple leadership development touchpoints at every level, supporting them to be the best leaders and coaches in the market. Our suite of programs include:
Milestone programs, supporting the transition of new promotees to next level Transform programs, targeting critical leadership skills required at each level
Talent programs supporting the acceleration of our top talent
Coaching centre of excellence, offers a suite of ‘on demand’ coaching masterclasses and digital assets
In addition, I look after the Firm’s high potential talent identification model and our Asia Pacific Women’s Leadership program which I designed for pilot in 2022. Since launching Building Brilliant Leaders (BBL) in September last year, over 8,500 of our people have joined a BBL program!
M: You’ve spent almost 20 years with Deloitte Australia - bravo! With a couple of career breaks along the way, your Deloitte journey commenced in 2004 as Talent Acquisition Manager for the Melbourne practice. Following this you held with various talent acquisition & learning roles before settling into Leadership Programs where you’ve been since the start of 2019 - first as National Manage, then Senior Manager, now Director.
Prior to the world of Deloitte, you spent 6 years as Senior Consultant Development & Employment with Tabcorp.
How does all this work speak to your personal purpose and what drives you as an individual?
PO’K: Unlike many, I didn’t have a clear plan for my career path. I actually studied a Bachelor of Business with majors in Marketing, Human Resources and Economics. I thought my career would be in marketing but I seemed to fall into the talent space and that’s where I’ve stayed. The unpredictability of humans is what continues to spark my curiosity! With ambiguity comes opportunity for creation and I love creating new things, coming up with ideas to solve human problems is what energises me. It was only this weekend that I completed the Ikigai self assessment (I did this to help my daughter who is considering her future career path). I was intrigued as to what the model would recommend as my sweet spot. Guess what came up for me? Talent Director - uncanny!
I can’t talk about purpose and what drives me without mention of my family. They are my reason for being, the reason I get up every morning and my purpose in life is to love them, grow them and to help them flourish.
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?
PO’K: I think I covered that in the above question but I do have a side hustle as well. Way back in the early days I had aspirations of being an architect. I never explored that path but I’m a passionate home renovator. It provides an outlet for my creativity. Right now I’m 10 days away from moving into my new home that has been an 18 month project, designed and project-managed by me.
M: If you could share one piece of career advice to your 21-year-old self it would be ...
PO’K: Embrace the opportunities presented to you, the world is your oyster! Dream big, be bold, try new things, don’t be afraid to fail and please try to have time away from the screens - you need time for your mind to rest.
This question is quite easy for me to answer as I have a 21 year old daughter and these are the things I tell her.
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 or industry right now?
PO’K: With the rapid pace of technological advancement there are many skills/jobs that can be done by machines more effectively and cost efficiently. To date, machines are unable to do the things that are innately human - empathy, love, there is a long list. There is no limit to the possibilities that exist when human skills are combined with technology. It’s this combination that has the power to solve world problems.
M: Self awareness sets the critical foundation for all Maxme learning experiences. With that said… what’s your strongest trait / personal super power?
PO’K: I’m a very passionate and creative person, these attributes help me to take people on a journey, to generate excitement about new ideas and bring them to life.
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?
PO’K: With passion comes emotion, I’m a highly emotional person and tend to react emotionally to most situations, this can be a negative. Over the years I have had to consciously work on my ability to pause and centre before responding emotionally. There’s a technique called the third space that has been quite useful for this. But, I still slip up occasionally - it's a journey.
M: If you could share one piece of career advice with recent Uni graduates or candidates keen to work in a field like leadership & learning, what would it be?
PO’K: Join Deloitte - it’s awesome! Had to get that in. But seriously, what I love about working with a global firm like Deloitte is that I get to work with the brightest minds in the world and have access to the best in class resources. There are not many employers that have the ability or willingness to let you come up with bold new ideas and then give them a try! We have the freedom to do this and it can be a lot of fun. There are also many career path options in a firm like ours, when you tire of your first role there are so many paths you take as your next step.
M: You’ve been granted approval to add one university graduate to your business, but have 100 applicants, all with outstanding academic results. How do you find your perfect candidate - what are you looking for?
PO’K: Academics and experience being equal, a person who is warm and has a sense of humour will always win me over. Being able to have a laugh at work is super important! I don't take myself too seriously.
M: In the words of John Dewey, “education is not preparation for life, education is life itself.” What’s next on your #learning agenda?
PO’K: We have just kicked off a number of exciting new projects. I’m not willing to share right now but watch this space for BBL phase 2 - we’re taking it to the next level!
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