I have had the opportunity to meet many truly inspirational leaders across the KPMG network, who gave me purpose and fostered the development of my growth mindset. The turning point in my career began with courage by joining the management consulting practice with KPMG in Bermuda, after eight years in external audit.

In my current role as IARCS Manager in Advisory, I have had the privilege of coaching and supporting my colleagues in the pursuit of their goals, while delivering quality service to our clients. Good leadership involves consistently choosing to do right, rather than the convenient or popular thing; to be values-driven rather than needs-driven, which takes courage. When looking at the responsibilities in my role, I embrace courage by:

1. Creating an open atmosphere where engagement teams feel free to challenge the status quo, which supports a culture of innovation and creativity.
2. Mentoring by actively listening to the concerns of my colleagues and encouraging those in my charge to strive for meaningful goals, being both personally and professionally impactful.
3. Helping people grow by providing consistently honest and timely performance feedback, allowing increased autonomy where possible and providing opportunities for people to demonstrate their readiness for new challenges and career advancement.
4. Stepping up on the I&D Committee to help the team lead bolder initiatives and continue to make a positive impact on our culture here at KPMG.

We must make sure that we have courage to support others in the realisation of their own strengths, while embracing our own limitations, which builds trust within and across teams. I always look within, to continuously develop, and be better than I was yesterday. Ralph Waldo Emerson was often credited with the quote; “Life is a journey and not a destination”, and so is success.