BLAIR HALLION
Development Manager at Bethanie Group
Awarded a McKinsey Academy Scholarship for the McKinsey Academy Young Leaders Forum, 2019
What sort of work does your organisation do?
Bethanie Group is an Aged Care and Retirement Village provider. Bethanie creates places and environments for the older generation to go through the experience of ageing. Describe a typical day's work.
Working within the Aged Care and Retirement Living sector as a Development Manager, my role continuously changes and develops with the project. Day to day my role includes managing the project feasibility, planning, design and construction of large scale Aged Care facilities or Retirement Villages for our operational teams to work in and for our residents to enjoy. What were some of the key learnings from the course?
The course provided me with some great learning, a lot of which surrounded ‘managing self’. These learnings have helped me understand the importance of how I engage with different people and handle myself in day to day work. It has also taught me a lot of simple tips and tricks about getting the most out of myself. How has it impacted / changed / benefited your role and your organisation as a whole?
I would like to think that through the completion of this course, I am positioning myself to be a future leader within my organisation and ongoing career. I have been able to analyse and react to situations differently by being more considered and further understanding what will provide the best impact to my team and organisation. Personally, I have found myself more organised, measured and efficient following the course. I have also learnt the importance of being present within meetings and really listening to others. How did you come to be working in the not-for-profit sector?
I wasn’t specifically targeting the NFP sector when I started working for Bethanie. Instead, I was looking to further my career by stepping up into a Development Management role within the Property Development Industry. Bethanie were advertising for the role so I applied. I knew about the ongoing growth of Aged Care and was keen to try something different. Since working at Bethanie, I have found the NFP very rewarding. Whilst still being commercially minded, the NFP sector provides an underlying drive and motivation with your work to deliver the organisation’s greater mission. What do you feel is most needed to sustain and build the impact of the not-for-profit sector?
In terms of attracting future leaders and good people, allowing people to couple their underlying desire to ‘do good’ for the world by contributing to an NFP organisation and having the ability to build their professional career within their chosen field. Moving this sector doesn’t mean taking a backward step in your career, instead it can provide the ability to progress in an ever-rewarding sector. I believe this needs to be further promoted and understood by young people entering the job market after completing their studies. What is something interesting / unique / unusual about you?
I have played football since I can remember, playing close to 350 games with my junior and senior teams. Whilst I’m now starting to slow down a bit, I strongly believe staying involved with sporting or community teams/groups is very important to understanding and thriving in team environments.
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