Shirley McLeod says she has an ability to ‘create structure out of chaos’. By Sonia Yee.
Poneke Wellington-based Shirley McLeod MInstD was considering her next career steps just over a year ago when she found herself on an unexpected and surprising trajectory – sitting on boards.
“I don’t know why, but it hadn’t really been on my radar,” says McLeod of the seeds planted by a recruiter when she was exploring job opportunities.
After some consideration and a call-out on LinkedIn to ask for advice from her networks, she met a dozen directors and realised how closely governance aligned with her skill set. From there, it was not long before that initial seed germinated into McLeod’s first board role.
A project manager by trade, she was appointed to the Louise Nicholas Trust (LNT) – a not-for-profit organisation that supports survivors of sexual abuse as they go through the court process. McLeod had previously been involved in the Crown’s response to the Abuse in Care inquiry where she was responsible for setting up a survivor-led design group, working with survivors and feeding their input into the project to redress the system.
“I understand what it means to work with survivors and how important it is to take care of their wellbeing so they are not further traumatised through the justice sector,” says McLeod, who drafted the strategic plan for the LNT.
Shirley McLeod (image supplied).
She describes herself as a go-getter with an ability to “create structure out of chaos”, an asset for a director operating in a landscape of unprecedented change.
While she landed her first board role almost overnight, her approach was purposeful from the outset and she carefully plotted out a path with definitive goals.
“I pulled together a governance CV and had it peer reviewed. I signed up for the Treasury and the Ministry for Women’s Register, as well as for MBIE…”
“I pulled together a governance CV and had it peer reviewed. I signed up for the Treasury and the Ministry for Women’s Register, as well as for MBIE. I scanned the IoD vacancies page. I was keeping an eye on everything.”
She also joined the Institute of Directors and, as one job ended, it freed her up to attend one-day Essentials courses. On a recommendation from another director, she tackled the Company Directors’ Course after securing a board role.
“I was ready to sign up on day one, but having a board role meant I had some real-life experience I could draw from when they were talking about different contexts. I was able to apply that learning straight away in my board role,” she says.
“She is being mentored through the Future Directors’ programme where she will spend 12 to 18 months with the Real Estate Authority board…”
Being new to governance has not deterred her from leaping at opportunities. She is being mentored through the Future Directors’ programme where she will spend 12 to 18 months with the Real Estate Authority board.
While not a voting member, the programme has allowed her to test the waters and gain confidence. She also checks in with the chair after board meetings to gauge whether her level of input has been in line with what a director should be doing in terms of best practice.
“I am there as an official observer, but the board and the executive team have been so amazing in terms of saying, ‘we want you to participate as if you are a fully-fledged board member’,” says McLeod, who has also brought her IT expertise to the table.
She acknowledges how quickly things have taken shape, but being proactive has helped her to stay focused. She has monthly meetups with a group of like-minded women where they discuss their goals, development and any challenges they are facing. She also keeps a list of everything she has achieved.
“I’m pretty stoked because my whole governance journey has kind of been in the past 12 months, so I’ve been able to hit some really big goals in that time. I want to get myself in a spot where I don’t have to have a full-time, everyday kind of job, and I can transition to a different career.
“My experience might be in the public sector, but I have these finance skills, strategic skills, communications and project management. I’ve got the IT stuff, but it is telling that story in a way that gets you in the door,” she says.
While imposter syndrome might kick in for some new to the boardroom, McLeod says “it’s not as scary as I thought it would be”.
“I already have lived experience in these technical competencies that I’ve built up over my 25 years in the workforce, and they are directly related to things that are going on from a governance perspective.”
With a background in the public sector, one of the potential challenges she sees for Crown boards through this transition phase is ensuring diversity of thought and representation is at the table.
“It’s about not getting caught up in the rhetorical political drama of the day and keeping a focus on what the board is there to do, focusing on its purpose. Regardless of who is in government, if your purpose is set out either by a statute or a deed, or your charter, that’s what you’re sticking to.”
As for her next steps, you could say home is where the heart is, regardless of whether the board roles are in the NFP space, public or private sector.
“I like to work for organisations where there is an impact on the day-to-day New Zealander and it has a positive impact on them,” she says.
Poneke, Wellington-based Sonia Yee is passionate about getting to the heart of a story, no matter the medium. She is currently a senior writer for the Institute of Directors and prior, spent more than a decade at RNZ as a presenter and specialist in long-form radio documentaries, features, and sound-rich podcast production. Her audio work has been recognised locally and internationally, including winning four prestigious New York Festivals Radio Awards.
