Episode 39: How three very different careers multiply in surprising and successful ways, with Tim Drinkall

Leadership Amplified by Dr Karen Morley

In this latest episode of Leadership Amplified, listen in to Tim Drinkall’s wisdom about careers, their weird but wonderful trajectories, and the value of career support. Tim should know, he’s Head of Learning and Organisational Development at Metro Trains! While Tim has spent 25 years in various learning and organisation development roles, his career started on a surprisingly different trajectory – as a chef and then a Physical Education teacher. In our conversation Tim reflects on how the lessons learnt from these very different kinds of roles have stood him in good stead for the work he does now. And how his mentors helped and at times challenged him to learn and grow to make the most of his skills and capabilities – some he didn’t even know he had or that even existed. He recalls one particularly influential mentor saying 𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖'𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒏-𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒅 𝒆𝒏𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒆. Perhaps when you read those words it might seem like it’s all about what the mentor can teach, but not at all. Just listen to Tim speak about these experiences and how they inspired him – you’ll be inspired too!! We discuss the particular value of role models, people who both believe in and care about you and your growth, and who’ll both challenge and support you. If you're a leader and not sure how to support others in their growth, or a bit tentative about whether or not you should, listen in to Tim because he’ll make it clear why you should discard any reservations that you might have about how valuable your support can be. One thing Tim is very candid about is that he has had a yearning for leadership in whatever roles he has held. He is clear about wanting to lead a team, set a vision and be strategic. Again, referring to role models who have inspired him, Tim has seen some amazing L&OD leaders whom he aspires to emulate. He has self-doubts, yes, ‘asks himself ‘am I good enough?’, and then uses that mindset constructively to learn more and grow further. I asked Tim for his three pieces of advice for people in roles like his, and here’s what he shared: 📌 Provide leaders with what they need (he identified data as being the one thing he was currently focused on) 📌 Set up executive sponsorship of learning and development because then they own it and it’s a way of teaching it forward 📌 Never stop learning yourself – keep questioning and reflecting. 🤔 How might you inspire others to step out of their comfort zone to fulfill their potential? #Careers #Motivation #Personaldevelopment #Leadership