Women in Leadership Mentoring Program: An Interview with Paige Walker, Mirvac
Abby Jandro sat down with Paige Walker, General Manager – Residential Developments WA, Mirvac to discuss her career, leadership and mentoring experience in Property Council & Serendis Group’s Women in Leadership Mentoring Program.
Dr Abby Jandro, Senior Consultant at Serendis Group has had the privilege of knowing and working with Paige since 2015 when the Property Council first launched the Women in Leadership Mentoring Program in conjunction with Serendis Leadership in WA. Whenever Paige’s name comes up in conversation, people comment on how impressive Paige is as a leader and person. She holds the top job in WA for Mirvac and remains approachable and generous with her time to the broader industry, her team and her mentees. What follows is our discussion on career, leadership, culture and mentoring.
Abby Jandro: Hi Paige, how long have you worked for Mirvac and how long in your current role?
Paige Walker: Just over 12 years with Mirvac, and two and a half years in my current role as General Manager for Residential Developments in WA.
Abby Jandro: What does a day in the life of a General Manager look like?
Paige Walker: It varies every day. At Mirvac we develop masterplanned communities and apartment developments so our roles are quite diverse. Sales are paramount, particularly in the current market, so I am always involved in our sales meetings. I work with the team to understand our customers – who’s buying, what they like about our projects, and what they don’t.
Some days I can be dealing with local government, talking through the latest development approval with the Council, or working with our architects on the design of our next apartment building. I am always focussed on our next initiative for the WA business.
I also deal with admin and HR issues on a daily basis to make sure all our staff are generally happy. I am often reporting to the team on the east coast regarding the WA market or discussing upcoming projects and requirements. Every week is different, and at least once a month I’ll travel to our head office in Sydney.
Abby Jandro: Have you always aspired to senior leadership?
Paige Walker: I’ve never been one to have a step-by-step plan or a specific role in mind. I always knew the general direction that I wanted to go, and that property is an industry that I love and want to be a part of. I think that’s benefited me, because I was open to all the opportunities that have come my way throughout my career. Even when I only felt I met 70% of the criteria for a role or that I wasn’t quite ready, I have found my feet and I am happy with how things have progressed.
Abby Jandro: What are some of your leadership philosophies?
Paige Walker: Primarily treat people as you want to be treated. You really are only as good as the people that work with you. It is important for people to feel appreciated as part of the team, and to get the acknowledgement for things they do.
I back my team 100%. And if there is ever an issue, I want them to know I have their back. I try to understand what motivates each person. Everyone’s motivated by different things, so you can’t have just one way of motivating your team, you must be adaptable and creative.
I try to make informed decisions and consider everyone’s thoughts and feedback. We recently moved our office into the city, which was a significant change. We implemented several measures to make the transition as smooth as possible including, paid Transperth cards and pool cars, and even though it has been an adjustment, overall it has been a wonderful move into a great office. Also, I try to not act too quick before making any big move.
Abby Jandro: You mentioned you didn’t have a specific plan for where you wanted to be in your career, were there any key decision points that have propelled you to this leadership position?
Paige Walker: Yes. When I was based in Melbourne, we had a change in CEO. When that happened, there was a change in the structure. I had a choice of going one of two ways. I attribute a lot of my success today to the manager I chose at the time. He was a big sponsor of mine and a mentor as well. I learned a lot from him about leading a team, and as a sponsor he was always putting me forward. He gave me exposure to senior management, so as other opportunities came up, they knew my name.
The turning point for me was when I moved back to WA. I didn’t anticipate being exactly where I am now, but people leave organisations, structures change, and new roles are created. I was fortunate enough to take advantage of the opportunities as these roles came up, and I have always been very supported throughout my career progression.
Abby Jandro: You attribute a lot of your progression and success to the environment in which you found yourself. That speaks a lot to the culture of Mirvac. I know you also worked really hard. If you were giving advice to anybody who’s aspiring to a leadership position, what did you do that worked well?
Paige Walker: I took advantage of opportunities and stepped out of my comfort zone. Public speaking was good for my career, providing exposure within the industry and within the organisation through presenting to our board and our senior management team.
I also looked to broaden my knowledge and experience. I went back and did my Master’s in Property Development and focused more on the construction side of the industry, because I didn’t have the construction background. I also did the Australian Institute of Company Directors course.
I worked to build my network. When I moved back to WA, I joined the Residential Committee for the Property Council. I didn’t know anyone on the committee. I remember the very first meeting was a bit overwhelming walking into a room where I knew no one. I worked to get comfortable speaking up. In all the networking I have done, I have developed strong relationships in the industry.
Abby Jandro: Let’s talk about Mirvac for a moment. I recognise Mirvac as being very forward-thinking when it comes to diversity and inclusion. What areas of focus does Mirvac have that really support those ideas?
Paige Walker: Mirvac really is a leader in this space. Flexible working arrangements is a big one. 75% of the Mirvac workforce have some form of flexible working arrangement, which is fantastic. You can work from site. You can work from home. You can come into the office. You can come in early. You can leave late. Everyone likes to work differently. We still get the job done, but it’s not just having a standard 8:30 to 5:30 at one desk. That doesn’t really promote the most productive workforce.
Another initiative Mirvac has introduced is called My Simple Thing. It’s picking one thing a week that you can incorporate into your day to improve your work-life quality. Mine is every Thursday I pick my kids up from school. I make sure that I leave by 2:30, and I spend the afternoon with them.
Every year we do a gender pay analysis to make sure that everyone is paid fairly. Last year we had zero pay gap. Mirvac is recognised as an employer of choice in terms of recruitment and selection as well. We require % female/male in any selection. The best person will get the job, but by having those requirements we all have the responsibility to go out and find great people. Women in particular do not always put their hand up, so you go find them.
We’re also one of a handful of ASX 200 listed companies that have % female representation on the board. We have strong succession plans in place for senior female leaders, and women at every management level.
Abby Jandro: The research shows that organisations that do have that level of equal gender representation perform better on financial and human metrics. Would you say that that’s been the case for Mirvac?
Paige Walker: Our performance has benefited from everything we’ve done. We have scored in the 88th or 90th percentile for employee engagement three years in a row, and Mirvac has been extremely successful in terms of what we’ve been able to achieve as a group financially. All the initiatives we have in place are paying off.
Abby Jandro: Amazing. You have been involved with the Property Council’s Women in Leadership Mentoring Program since the very beginning when we launched in 2015. Could you please tell me about your experience?
Paige Walker: It’s a great program. From a mentee point of view, it’s very rare that you get somebody that will sit with you to focus purely on you, your career, and what it is you want to achieve in your life. It is a chance to receive guidance on how to get where you want to go. Rarely do we get the opportunity to just sit and think about what it is we want from our career and how best we can achieve that.
As a mentor, I think a lot of the experiences that I’ve gone through in my career applies to my mentees. It’s also made me aware of other challenges and concerns people have, which often apply to members of my team. I think for the senior males doing the mentoring, I have seen greater understanding of the challenges that the females come up against. We all become more aware and think about how we can make it easier for women coming up.
Abby Jandro: We’ve been doing research into the outcomes of the mentoring program. Our data is coming back saying that mentors feel they’re better leaders and mentors after participating. They’re surprised at just how much they’ve learned throughout the program. Would you agree with those findings?
Paige Walker: Yes, definitely. The program makes you reflect on your career, on what worked and what didn’t work. I suppose I underestimated how much my experiences can help others within the industry to navigate their career.
Abby Jandro: For other senior leaders in the industry, is the mentoring program something you would recommend as part of their own development?
Paige Walker: Absolutely, and it’s good to give back and promote women within the industry.
Dr Abby Jandro is an executive coach and facilitator passionate about helping individuals, teams and organisations achieve their goals. For more information about the Women in Leadership Mentoring Program, please contact her at [email protected]. Applications are open now, and the 2019 program commences in May.