In Mitre 10 Mega Ruakura there is a saying for when you need to celebrate a personal achievement. It’s called ‘doing a Jess’ and involves shouting out an enthusiastic yes and giving yourself a resounding high-five. It is this fun, self-confident and infectiously positive attitude that exemplifies Jessica Fearnley’s approach to business and leadership and is a key reason she was crowned the Emerging Leader at the 2020 Westpac Waikato Business Awards.
Fearnley started in the human resources department at Mitre 10 in 2007, fresh from studying a double degree at Victoria University. She accredits Mitre 10’s willingness to let her explore new departments and areas as a core contributor to her growth as a leader.
“Mitre 10 has given me a massive amount of opportunities. I started in their payroll/HR department but since then have spent time in multiple departments. They’ve given me the opportunity to show my skillset and the chance to try new things and continuously do that. They’ve allowed me to add new portfolios to my responsibilities and have supported me along the way.”
She says winning the award means a lot. “It’s one of those things that are quite hard to put yourself into the fold. It requires a little bit of personal encouragement but I think even if you don’t come away a winner doing the process is a massive accomplishment in itself. To then have all the hard work you’ve been doing recognised by your peers and everyone else in the industry was an awesome feeling and I am really proud of what I have achieved.”
She also paid tribute to mentors, including CEO Clifford Buchler as well as Lynne and Terry Wilson, Myles Witcher and Gary Cornwall.
Fearnley says she tries to be an approachable leader, someone who can have a laugh and a joke and be able to connect to people from all levels of the business. “I don’t believe anyone in the team is more important than anyone else, no matter their position in business. It is so important to treat every employee as an individual and not a number in order to build a culture that encourages teamwork and communication.”
2020 was certainly a year of challenges and opportunities. Navigating a business landscape in a world altered by strict regulations and decimated supply chains taught her invaluable lessons.
“As a leader, Covid-19 really helped me see that in times of crisis it’s really about the bigger picture. It showed me that it’s not just about the business, but it’s about the people, about what’s happening with their families and in their world. It showed me that empathetic leadership is something that is really needed right now and it is vital to prove to your team that you care about them on a personal level.
“From a business perspective I learnt how important it is to stay agile and flexible because we really don’t know what tomorrow will bring. On a more personal level, rediscovering the importance of the simple things like playing cards with the kids for hours was really rewarding and reminding me sometimes that a simple life is just as good as a busy life.”
Fearnley encourages younger leaders to find people they can trust and whose experiences they can draw from.
“It’s really important to find your person, a mentor that you can bounce ideas off and ask for advice. You are not expected to know everything straight away and you are allowed to ask for help from those who have done it before. Also surround yourself with a network of people with different backgrounds and experiences. Being able to tap into a wide range of perspectives and ideas is incredibly helpful in order to approach problems in a different light.”
