A Voice Worth Hearing

Who is Sandy Burgham?
Sandy is an executive coach/brand strategist/writer/speaker. Her 30 year career includes roles as Managing Partner for Mojopartners, Consultant for Beaufort Management Consultants in London, Founding Director of The Providence Report social insights research company, Director of Barkers Men’s Clothing and Max Fashions, the latter where she was Acting CEO, Marketing Director and a founder of the Max Foundation for NZ Women. She is recognized as one of the NZ communications industry's most senior representatives and has frequently judged industry awards. Sandy has provided social commentary to the wider public via news, columns, public speaking and latterly her blog the wtfproject.com. A half Japanese New Zealander, she is married with two children and lives between Auckland and Great Barrier Island.
 “My working life (the word ‘career’ seems so dated) has been in distinct phases.
Phase One: Advertising; from office junior at 18 to Managing Partner at 33.
Phase Two: The social insights researching and writing years.
Phase Three: The board positions and retail years in my 40’s. I was the Marketing Director and on the board of Max and also Barkers for a number of years.
Phase Four: I have just started Phase Four which will feature Exec Coaching and Writing amongst other things.”
 
Where did you grown up?
Pakuranga, Auckland. I thought it was great and that everyone wanted to live there. In the 60’s, new suburbs like this were all very “now”!

What did your parents do?
After years of being a housewife, Mum was starting to find her feet as a Japanese teacher before she died way too early when she was 56 years and I was 18. After retiring from the army, Dad became a toll-booth operator on the Auckland Harbour Bridge. They sought ex-military personnel for values like dependability and stability. Dad said it was a stress-free job he quite enjoyed. I remember thinking it was quite glamorous!

How did your culture influence your career choice?
Both parents focused on who we were as people, our value system and were uninterested in “careers”. My Mother was Japanese, an intellectual and spiritual person and my Japanese heritage is increasingly influential in my work/life choices as I mature. I am interested in the philosophical nature of who we are and how this is expressed in all realms including work.

Where did you attend school?
Edgewater College Pakuranga. Looking back I’d call it a fairly standard unremarkable state school. But being a positive and optimistic sort, I thought it was fabulous. I had a great time and did well.

What qualifications do you hold? 
Diploma of Marketing, Certificate in Advertising from years ago when AUT was ATI. I have a global certification in Coaching as well. Sometimes I think academic qualifications are overrated in certain vocations. My view of study is changing and certainly I have become more interested in the sheer joy of learning and am currently assessing study options for 2013.

What has been one of the proudest moments you’ve had as a parent?
The word “proud” makes me squirm a bit - I think we should be saying “Good for you!” not “Good for me!” Aren’t we always kind of proud as parents? This week I watched Pete who is 12 finally nail his backhand turn thing in surfing. Pippi just got NCEA2 endorsed with excellence. I was happy for them…. not me.

What does your husband do?
He is passionate about innovation and creativity for kids. He has a TV show called Let’s Get Inventin’.

How important is it to have a supportive spouse with a demanding corporate role? 
Completely critical. A lot of planets have to align for women to swing these top jobs. When I was in the corporate game Luke was supportive conceptually but I thought fell a bit short practically and could have done a lot more housework. So I brought in a cast of thousands to make it all work.

What do you love most about living in Auckland?
I like the diversity of a big city. I love being by the water and the Hauraki Gulf inspires me - we have a place on Great Barrier Island which I adore. But so much of the practical side of Auckland underwhelms – the public transport for starters and over the years so many beautiful buildings have been pulled down.

Describe yourself in three words:
Honest, Investigative, Creative

What are your hobbies?
Fishing, Mahjong, Writing and Blogging (www.theWTFProject.com), Vegetable gardening, Stand Up Paddle Boarding. (Check out more on Stand Up Paddle Boarding on page ……….) 

What was your first job?
Part time - Snowfreeze girl at Woolworths when I was 14
Full time - I was the office junior at an advertising agency at 18. 

How are you pushing yourself to think in new ways … ‘outside the box’?
My whole life is about living this way. My blog www.theWTFProject.com records my progress – my guest blogger, niece Jenna does the Music section to make sure I listen to new sounds. I am always searching and interviewing for new inspirations, and I have a “play up’ section which challenges me to do new stuff every week.

When did you make the change to be self-employed?
When I had my daughter 17 years ago. I was Managing Partner of an Ad Agency, she was being brought in for breast feeding. I would get home at 6.30 pm, tired. And to top it off, I had to ‘apply for holiday leave’ through some young person in accounts. I thought to myself – someone else seems to be driving my life. 

What is the greatest barrier women in business face? And how can we overcome this?
Self-limiting beliefs, so I recommend working in partnership with an executive coach!

How can corporates retain top female clients?
Simplistically, for all to admit and appreciate that women are different from men. I wish more women would admit to this. Women are not the same as men. They are not better or worse. They are wired differently. 

Can you talk about how ego can get in the way of effective coaching?
Well ‘ego’ is about sense of self and it’s where judgment of yourself and others sits. This sense of self is constructed from past experiences. Coaching is about looking and moving ahead. Often people have very set beliefs and judgments about themselves, others and how the world works. So building self-awareness is critical to help one become transcend ego and become an observer.

As an executive coach, what is the most common question you are asked?
“What do you do?” People do not really understand how coaching works and mistake it for mentoring or counseling. Coaching is a forward focused change partnership that supports people to be and achieve what they want. Sometimes they need help defining just what it is they do want, but the answer lies within the client not the Coach. Coaching unlocks your potential to optimize your performance in any area.

How does the critical, self-sabotaging internal voice (the voice of self-doubt or lack of believing) limit your clients?
They choose to follow it even though they know it’s an imaginary voice in their head. Clients learn how to turn the volume down.