MINING PEOPLE
INTERNATIONAL
NEWS
miningpeople .com.au
January 2013 I
Edition
78
How to get the most
out of your year ahead
What is MPi News about?
MPi News provides short sharp ideas on
management, leadership and communication
in the workplace.
In January we often try to predict
what the next 12 months might
deliver to the mining game.
As we see it:
But before we talk about mining, we’re
in the recruiting game as well and it is
changing. Parts of it are commoditising,
labour hire specifically, bringing with
it the need to deliver services more
efficiently.
People who accept personal responsibility
for their actions, efforts and lives, contribute
the greatest to those around them. The best
employers accept responsibility for urging
people along a path to their fullest potential.
The best employees accept responsibility for
adding value to that organisation. Therefore,
the most effective work environments are those
in which all participants recognise it is a two
way street. Much of the information presented
hereafter is governed by these ideas.
Feedback:
If you have an idea to share, email
[email protected] and mark the
heading ‘Feedback MPi News’. If we’re happy
that the item supports our broad editorial
policy, then we might use it directly, or as the
basis for an inclusion into a future edition.
Our editorial policy is:
We aim for these articles to be current, personal
development focused and to talk to individuals
rather than corporations. They must also
represent a positive slant on life. Why is that?
Because the media would have us believe
the world is more negative than positive, and
so MPi News is our small attempt to balance
that up. The articles should also not shirk from
generating debate.
Mining People takes care of our Environment
MPi News is printed using vegetable based inks
on paper that is chlorine free and manufactured
from pulp sourced from plantation grown timber.
AUSTRALIAN BASED GLOBAL NETWORKS
The year ahead
for people in mining
Mining is cyclical and recruitment is at
the forefront of this cycle. We wrote in
our Christmas message that we suspect
confidence will return in early 2013 and
with it good mining companies will
target some of those good people that
moved out of the weaker businesses
late last year.
Our clients continue to want a specialist
service with deep knowledge of,
and access to, specialised candidate
communities.
Given the crazy wild ride that 2012
became, we have absolutely NO intention
of trying to be any more predictive
than that! It seems we’re all feeling that
the only thing we’re certain of is that the
future is less certain!
With all this in mind, we have some
exciting transformation projects in play
to re-work how we deliver search and
on-hire services.
continued on page 2 …
Some MPi publication stats and facts
MPi News
Mining People Matters
We’re entering our 18th year of producing
this newsletter with this first edition for
2013 representing the 78th publication
of MPi News!
A recent initiative delivered to
approximately 1,000 mining industry
leaders on an ad hoc basis. Visit Mining
People Matters at steveheather.com.au
MPi Life
It’s feedback time
please help us
This is a slightly different publication
aimed at communicating primarily with
our trades/operator candidates. It is now
being delivered every month via a blog
format to almost 20,000 mining
candidates. We’re up to edition
number 21. Visit life.miningpeople.com.au
Most back issues of both MPi News and
MPi Life can be accessed via our website.
Visit the ‘Newsletters’ icon
at miningpeople.com.au
miningpeople.com.au We appreciate your feedback as we
continue to supply ideas that help
employees add more value and
companies create better environments for
people to perform. You can send us any
ideas for articles or delivery methods or
even just what you think about what we
do to [email protected]
PERTH • KALGOORLIE • BRISBANE • ADELAIDE
…continued from page 1
So for our New Year message this year we decided to focus
on concepts that we think will guarantee you progress, no
matter where external conditions might lead you.
1. Bin your baggage
It is essential to begin the year by being clear and focused
and that starts by dumping your baggage, be it physical or
emotional.
Do things like apologising to those you upset and letting
go of resentment. I heard a great quote during a television
interview with Carrie Fisher, of Star Wars fame:
“Resentment - is like drinking poison
and waiting for the other person to die!”
In addition, express your fears to a trusted confidant.
Lastly, purge your home and office of unused ‘stuff.’
This is simply about wiping last year’s slate clean and then
focusing laser-like on the 12 months ahead.
2.Do it
A lot of people spend hours, days, or even weeks reading
self help books and making resolutions and action plans.
All of this is important for sure however many people then
follow this up with... NOTHING.
What is far more important is that you take action, do it, do
something, do anything!
Whatever your goals, ask yourself:
• What will I DO today to make myself more literate?
• What will I DO today to advance my next big project?
• What will I DO today to educate myself in that new topic?
Some of the best books I have read are ones that have
action messages where you can write in them and treat
them like a personal action seminar. Some of them don’t
even need to be read in any particular order. Just pick a
topic you like and start.
Allocate 10-15 minutes a day to action. It works and will
probably put you ahead of the vast majority of addictive
list makers.
Continuing our theme of diversity in the
workplace started some months back...
Three things women
in business need to
know – and why some
mining men struggle
with strong women
This article quotes directly from a blog
post by Naomi Simson, founder of
online gift retailer RedBalloon. See
Naomi’s blog at naomisimson.com or
visit RedBalloon at redballoon.com.au
While Naomi’s focus is women in the
broader business community, the
comments apply equally to women in
all fields of work.
The mining industry provides
numerous excellent opportunities for
women to contribute considerably and
to be well paid as a result. I also see a
lot of men really struggle with the
concept of powerful and confident
women – it seems to scare some of
them, but more on that below.
Firstly to quote Naomi:
As a young woman in business I wish
someone had taken me aside and
shared the following:
3.Done is better than perfect
The above is a saying apparently made famous by a
placard found in the offices of Facebook. United States
WWII General George S. Patton put it this way:
“A good plan, violently executed now,
is better than a perfect plan next week.”
Have a plan for sure and have a Plan B (just in case things go
very bad). But get into motion and take action, no matter
how imperfect the picture.
All of this aside, we actually think this year will be a
pretty good one to be in the mining game. Whether the
construction boom has peaked or not, there are just so
many more operating mines today than there were 10
years ago.
There you go we can’t help ourselves!
1.Speak out
How many preconceived notions exist
because we stereotype boys as
boisterous and girls as quiet. I
remember my son’s teacher admitting
– we control boys we teach girls. I was
once called to my daughter’s school
and asked to ‘explain’ her outspoken
nature. I questioned what the school
was teaching their students if it was
not to follow their dreams and speak
up for themselves.
Lois Frankel, Ph.D., president of
Corporate Coaching International and
author of the best-selling Nice Girls
Don’t Get The Corner Office, stresses
the importance of being assertive in a
work environment. ‘There’s nothing
wrong with saying, “Excuse me, let me
jump in here.”’ It is not ‘pushing’ to
speak up for yourself.
2.Don’t use 20 words
when ten will do
Women tend to use more words than
men, which can dilute a message.
I’m sure our foremothers shared stories
whilst gathering berries, whilst
“shooting the breeze” between our
forefathers’ hunting packs was
frowned upon in case it alerted the
prey. In business try using 25 per cent
fewer words in conversations and
e-mails than you normally would,
and see what happens.
Take your time when you respond
to a question – and structure your
argument. Pause and say
“The three points I wish to cover
are …” and stick to three
points. Being succinct is
key to being heard.
Have a great year ahead.
From all the team at Mining People International
2
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3.Money is not a dirty word
Women will negotiate for less money
when offered the same position as a
man for fear of coming off as greedy,
according to research by Lisa Barron of
the University of California, Irvine.
The study shows women being less
comfortable equating a dollar amount
with their self-worth. Also, because they
see themselves in relationship to others,
they feel less comfortable promoting
their self-interests when it may be
detrimental to others. Again, I wonder
if the latter is a generational barrier that
will dissolve over time as more women
improve their negotiation skills.
Frankel says to keep in mind that
“whatever money you accept will be
your baseline for what you do next.”
The statistics are staggering: women
leave somewhere around $500,000 on
the table by the time they’re 60 if they
don’t negotiate an equitable first salary,
according to a study by Carnegie Mellon
University Professor of Economics Linda
Babcock and writer Sara Laschever.
It is outrageous that there are not
more women on boards and running
large companies - we don’t have to
give up our feminine characteristics
to achieve what we want – but to get
there – you need to be heard now.
Why some mining
men struggle with this!
Well this could be a whole blog post
in itself. Are they scared, do they see
their nagging mothers or do they have
a genuine rolled gold mental bias that
was bred into them by their parents
and grandparents? I think we’ll leave
these questions to others.
I do though think to blame men entirely
is probably unfair. Quoting from an
article posted on miningaustralia.com.au
on 28th November 2012:
“A new report released yesterday
shows WA is lacking in gender diversity
with women only representing 4 per
cent of board members compared with
15.3 per cent in Victoria, 14.8 per cent
in NSW, while the national average
stands at 12.3 per cent.
Equal Opportunity for Women in the
Workplace Agency’s Director Helen
Conway said companies had to do more
to attract women into the industry.”
While there is no doubt that in the past
there has been a serious gender bias
and rampant discrimination
throughout the mining industry,
I do though see this as a generational
thing, which is changing.
It also seems reasonable to argue
though that the mining industry
remains a relatively technical one and
so perhaps for board representation
to increase, more women need to join
the industry at the professional level.
This is where the technical expertise
is gathered and if they subsequently
remain in the industry they’re far more
likely to enter the candidate pool for
potential senior appointments,
including board roles.
Top Tips,
Stats & Facts
Some quotes chosen for their relevance to the
current wild times we’re experiencing...
Empowering ways to observe adversity
“Tough times don’t last, but tough people do.”
Robert H. Schuller and more recently
coal mining’s Nathan Tinkler
This however doesn’t explain why more
women from accounting, finance and law
backgrounds aren’t making it through to
board roles in their professions. It could
be argued that these professions remain
centres of more conservative thinking
with older men remaining in high level
roles in those professions for longer than
those who occupy influential operational
mining roles. Perhaps the generational
flow of change will simply take
a little longer here.
“Prosperity is a great teacher; adversity is a greater. Possession
pampers the mind; privation trains and strengthens it.”
William Hazlitt
Positively though, during my research
for this article I have encountered
quotes from high profile women that
acknowledged that much has changed
in recent years with a lot of the overt
sexism and resultant discrimination
being pushed out. Clearly this is
generational, where as many
conservatively educated men leave
the industry (or are pushed out due to
their inability to open their minds to
workplace diversification) the pace of
change picks up. Again the full article
posted on 28th November 2012 at
miningaustralia.com.au, shares some
interesting quotes.
“Adversity is a fact of life. It can’t be controlled. What we can
control is how we react to it.”
Unknown
“I can better trust those who helped to relieve the gloom of
my dark hours than those who are so ready to enjoy with
me the sunshine of my prosperity.”
Ulysses S. Grant
“One who gains strength by overcoming obstacles possesses
the only strength which can overcome adversity.”
Albert Schweitzer
“Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t
turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go
through it, or work around it.”
Michael Jordan
“Prosperity makes friends, adversity tries them.”
Publilius Syrus
While it is a truism that trends are
difficult to buck, I am quite sure that the
growing number of women working
within the mining industry across all
disciplines is a sign that they are not
simply going to sit around and wait.
At its most basic level, the mining
industry simply needs more people in
it. Therefore, opening it up to
additional markets of great potential
candidates is surely a good thing.
All (polite) comments are most
welcome to [email protected]
or to myself directly at
[email protected]
Steve Heather
Managing Director/
Principal Executive Search
Mining People International
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