Meredith MacKenzie CMHRNZ

What led you to a career in HR/ the position that you are in currently?

I have always had a strong interest in leadership and making work (paid and volunteer) a positive experience for everyone.  My volunteer work with SUNZ has been hugely beneficial for both my own growth, and my development as a trainer, coach and mentor.  My career has been in professional and leadership roles in the veterinary industry, not-for-profit sector, agribusiness banking and now HR consulting.  I have been able to take on HR responsibilities in many situations, especially the senior leadership roles.  Leadership is complicated, and requires balancing the desires and needs of multiple people.  This is not always obvious to individuals facing a personal work challenge, and is often a surprise to new managers.

What do you love about working in HR?

I love coaching leaders through the challenges they face, allowing them to vent on occasion, and then work through all the issues and find a way forward that respects all people involved.  My personal experiences have given me empathy for both the employer and employee perspectives.

I particularly love consulting as I get to work with a wide variety of clients facing all sorts of situations.  I love being busy, juggling multiple projects, and getting resolutions that help people succeed (or at least head towards success, in the situations where we free up their future to work elsewhere).  I enjoy wordsmithing, which is just as well as I do a lot of writing of letters, reports, proposals, and reviews.

I love developing leaders and being part of their journey to support and grow their own teams.  I don’t love writing a whole lot of job descriptions or spending all day doing reference checks but that is sometimes part of the job!

Are there any specific highlights of your career that you wish to share?

Some points in my career have been significant learning moments, but very difficult to live through at the time.  They have given me a strong appreciation for leaders who are willing to learn about their own leadership style, grow their emotional intelligence, and recognise that not everyone reads situations and responds in the same way.  I am grateful to now be part of a team who share this vision and we love working together for the benefit of our clients and their teams.

What motivated you to work towards becoming a Chartered Member?

I work with a variety of clients, including large organisations who recognise the value of assessed capability.  My investigation work is now requiring licensing and will be enhanced by the training I am undertaking, and it makes sense that my HR capability has been considered and assessed by the acknowledged industry experts within HRNZ.

What are your next steps in terms of your career now that you are a Chartered Member?

I will complete the Association of Workplace Investigators training in June, and I continually look for opportunities to extend my knowledge and experience.    People Leadership is an endless source of challenging and interesting situations.  As a consultant I am privileged to share learnings between clients frequently (protecting confidential information, of course!).  This often injects new ideas to help leaders move forward.  I am continually looking for better ways to ensure respectful process and genuine resolution in situations that can be emotionally confronting.