Firm on values and having a broader purpose – The Public Trustee on the Couch
On Monday 5th June 2023, IPAA Queensland was privileged to host another ‘Stewards on the Couch’ event featuring The Public Trustee, Samay Zhouand. Samay sat down with our valued partner, Russell Fairbanks from Luminary, who delved into his journey in both work and in life.
After telling the audience about his and his family’s intense life-threating escape from Afghanistan with the help of a hairbrush…(stay tuned for more about that soon). Samay shared several insights and personal experiences that have shaped his sense of purpose and strongly held values as a public purpose leader in Queensland.
We invite you to read more about what Samay shared at this inspiring event.
Russell: We’ve talked previously about those moments that define us as leaders, those key moments. So what have been key moments in your leadership journey?
Samay: I think there was a time when I was at a forum and David Mackie was giving a speech… I think he had just become Director-General of the Department of Justice and Attorney-General.
He was giving a speech to various people and I think it was predominantly staff there.
He was talking about his vision in terms of the people side of things for the department and how he wanted the department to become an employer of choice. The key message that he was conveying was that he wanted the lawyers, the policy officers, the administrators, the accountants and everyone to not just try to be great at their craft, to just not be the best lawyer, to just not be the best policy person, and for them to first and foremost see themselves as public service professionals.
And, for whatever reason, I think I was at that moment in my career and my life that that really resonated and really hit hard and really inspired me.
I really embraced the idea and the concept of always looking at the broader purpose, thinking about those really important higher values of public administration and public sector work, as well as the public purpose work. And to be quite honest, I haven’t looked back since then in terms of that.
Russell: The next question is going to make you a little bit uncomfortable, and I promise you it’s not an interview question.
Leadership. One of the things that strikes me having known you a little while now is the humility that underpins your leadership. What are the other characters or attributes that you hold dear, either yourself or that you look for in others?
Samay: I think the Public Sector Commission leadership competencies are actually really good and I quite often refer to that. But for me also personally, I genuinely think that you’ve got to have a deep sense of purpose and integrity and you got to start from that because if you have that, it just makes everything else so much easier.
I think you’ve got to have strong focus, persistence.
You got to have a level of versatility and pragmatism.
I think I have, going back to my earlier point, a broad perspective and am not too tunnel-visioned.
I think for me, those are some of the attributes I’ve gleaned from those around me. Those are some of the attributes I’ve learned from those around me, some really generous people and they’re the type of things I try to aspire to.
Russell: You obviously impressed somebody along the way because they gave you the easiest gig going as your first CEO role, the Public Trustee role. You joined under very difficult circumstances, it’s fair to say. Now just the Cliffsnotes version of what you walked into, because I know some of it you won’t want to talk to, but what did you find in your first three months in the role?
Samay: I think what I found quite genuinely was a really good team, some really good people in the organisation.
I think what had happened was that over time, some of the systems and processes we had I think weren’t doing them any favors and they had some unintended consequences, not only for the experiences of staff.
There were also some challenges in terms of some things that as a leadership, as all leadership groups can do more, but I think those were the core things. I think that was a time where staff really needed a lot of support, and I think my first job was to make sure that they felt that support and they were listened to.
At the same time, there was quite a lot of attention for us, obviously, from the media. I think it was a balance of making sure that staff were supported, making sure that essential services were continued and making sure that we managed obviously some of the stakeholder challenges, but first and foremost that I supported and we supported the really great people there.
Russell: You’re right. There was a lot of attention, a lot of media focus nationally, not just in the local newspaper. And I know it was quite overwhelming at times for not just you but the entire leadership team. So how do you get on top of that?
Samay: Well, it depends on at what level you address it, but just so you know, I’m a great believer in having … to the extent that you can and don’t strive for perfection under any circumstances because that’ll make it worse, but I’m a great believer in having some balance in your life.
I’m a great believer in making sure that you’re spending some time and effort so that your family life is functional, that you’re doing something from a health perspective, you’re doing something from a social connections and interests perspective.
I’ve always done that in my senior leadership career, and I find that if you’re doing those things and if one area is not going well, then because you’ve spent the effort to make sure that that handful of those other things are functional, it really takes the edge off some of the pressures.
Secondly, I find, just from a perspective point, if you know that you’re doing things from a place of integrity and deep purpose and you’re doing it with full effort and with the right absolute best intentions, that often, at least in my experience, often is a way to just keep you moving forward. And sometimes, the most courageous thing is to just keep going forward.
I think things like that for me have always got me through any difficult situation.
IPAA Queensland members can watch the entire event recording on the members portal.
Visit the Public Trustee of Queensland website to learn more about the work of the Public Trustee.
We thank our partners at LuminaryTM for their support.
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