I had an ex-business owner say to me recently “Why would you stay in contact with past staff anyway?” In answer to that I’d like to introduce you to Talita…

Talita used to work for me. Talita resigned under bittersweet circumstances. There were tears and fears. However, I recently went to Talita’s 30th birthday celebration. Yes! I still got an invite! Guess what? Talita is much happier not working for me. And she is excelling at her new job too.

How often do you find yourself thinking this? It’s a common statement, and surprisingly, it’s not just from those who are new to the industry. You might be someone with years, perhaps even decades, of experience under your belt. Yet, when you think about your career, you feel like you’re lacking. You look at your LinkedIn profile or resume and fail to see the wealth of experience you actually possess. It’s as if you’re sitting on a goldmine but convinced it’s merely a pile of rocks.

You’ve all heard the stereotype about IT professionals, I’m sure. Masters of hardware, software, and all things tech, yet when it comes to chitchat and stakeholder schmoozing, they’re rumored to be a bit more… binary.

And you can often say the same thing about auditors, I’m afraid! Renowned for their brown cardigans and leather elbow patches, their ability to recite clause numbers and ISO requirements, they are sometimes playfully accused of being more at home with Standards, systems and procedures than with fun banter and building rapport.

I didn’t actually know what I wanted to ‘be when I grew up’ until I was about 40. I had to live life, and have many experiences, personally and professionally, before I landed squarely where I belonged – ISO Management Systems! This is what my life had been preparing me for all along, even when I didn’t know ISO existed.

I’m sure you will all agree that in our line of work – be it quality, safety, environment, or any other standards-related fields, there’s this unspoken rule about how we should look. You know the drill: the classic ‘professional’ get-up, think brown cardigans, elbow patches, and maybe a bowtie. It’s like we’re trying to fit this mold of what a serious professional is supposed to look like.

There was a young female consultant, let’s call her Courage, who was supporting her client during a recent certification audit. Courage the Consultant has a fantastic relationship with her client, and together they had invested not only a lot of time but also passion into building the Integrated Management System.