Spotlight on Women: Liezl McKenzie
At Valentia Partners we focus on making our workplace a more diverse and inclusive environment for everyone. Operating in a male dominated industry, we wanted to shine a spotlight on our women and enable them to tell their stories of success and what inspired them to pursue a role in Management Consulting. Below you can read more about Liezl’s experience.
Liezl McKenzie | Senior Consultant
What inspired you to pursue the career path that you are on?
I have a passion for solving/fixing challenging problems from a strategic level. I have had the opportunity of previously working throughout the value chain, at various levels, which further complements this. In addition, I believe my strengths, in terms of my skills and deep knowledge of process enhancements, governance and systems, complements my current career path.
What does a typical day for you look like?
My typical weekday usually looks like the following:
Before work: Have my first cup of coffee, make up my bed, mediate/journaling, walking/stretching, eating breakfast and studying.
After work: Study, attending lectures, making supper, watching series, reading and then planning against my goals for the next day!
How do you continue to grow professionally?
To ensure that I continuously learn a new skill and try to read as many books as possible together with audiobooks (love these)! I also lookout for relevant short courses; and, I am currently studying a yearlong Postgraduate Diploma in Digital Business.
Tell us about an accomplishment you are proud of?
Being the first person in my family to obtain a university degree.
Tell us about a woman who has made a positive impact on your career?
My previous manager had a positive impact on my career, as she had extensive banking experience, and used this experience to further develop and grow others just joining the bank. She is someone that actually lived the practices that I read about in leadership books, and it was an awesome experience to be mentored daily by her.
How do you define success?
I must agree with Winston Churchill’s definition of success “as walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm” and everyday being better than I was yesterday.
How do you achieve balance between your work and personal life?
Having a daily to-do list and sticking to my routine really helps me to balance my work and personal life. This is complimentary to the goals I set for both work and personal life. I find it crucial to prioritise my outstanding tasks and setting the necessary time aside for each task.
What advice would you give other women starting out in their career?
Be yourself, work hard, be willing, keep growing, set goals and make sure you have a business sponsor/mentor.
What has been the best advice you have received to date relating to your career?
My best advice given relating to my career is the following two quotes:
“If a job’s not scary, it’s not worth doing.”
“It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.”
What do you enjoy most about working in Financial Services?
Working in the Financial Services sector is something that I always wanted to pursue. This sector continues to challenge and excite me, as it is a sector that is fast-paced and keeps me on my toes! Further to this, the Financial Services sector has also offered me many opportunities for self-development.
What makes a great leader?
I believe a good leader has the ability to motivate, inspire and grow people in order to achieve the set vision, whom individually, could not have achieved it on their own.
““I believe a good leader has the ability to motivate, inspire and grow people in order to achieve the set vision, whom individually, could not have achieved it on their own”.”