Interview with Carmel Moore
Brewer Morris is proud to be supporting International Women’s Day 2019. International Women’s Day celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. Whilst we all know that gender parity within the workplace has improved over the past decades, we all also know that there is still a long way to go.
We would like to join the discussion and be part of International Women’s Day 2019 #BalanceforBetter campaign on the 8th March by interviewing inspiring women we work with and, in particular, understanding the role confidence has played in their career.
We interviewed Carmel Moore, Director, The One Moment Company
How do you define confidence, particularly in the workplace?
Confidence is the ability to convey your message, your worth, your expertise clearly, without arrogance, equivocation or apology. Confidence is how you show up each day, every day. Confidence demonstrates to others that you can be trusted, relied on, that you are accountable. Confidence allows you to see and be seen.
How important have confidence and self-belief been in achieving your career goals? Please explain why.
Confidence has been one element which has helped me move forward but it is never enough on its own-you need listening, empathy and a whole range of other skills. I realised about 15 years ago that when I spoke or presented in the workplace I lacked confidence. I absolutely sounded like I knew what I was talking about but there was a confusion and a tentativeness which held me back and got in the way. It all came to a head when a director in our team was asked to present on a project which our team was very proud of but they didn’t really know the detail. Hurt and confused, I asked why I hadn’t been chosen to speak instead. I was told I lacked the ‘gravitas’ (grrrr…) so I did something about it. I signed up for a Toastmasters program and practiced and learned until I got it right. You have to try and fail, take risks and have a true growth mindset when it comes to trying new things.
Can you give an example of a risk you’ve taken that has paid dividend?
I have recently stepped outside Tax and used everything, and I mean everything that I have learned over the years to start a new business; ‘The One Moment Company.’ My business partner and I met at a Mindfulness conference and we realised we had a deep and shared interest in time and how our individual beliefs about time impacts how we show up in the workplace and inform the choices we make. We agree with Bill Gates who said recently that ‘busy is the new stupid’ and that is our mission; to help others dial down crazy busy and find time for what matters most. A career in tax…in-house and in practice has allowed me to experience every type of crazy busy you can think of!
How important is mentoring, coaching and sponsorship in helping women to grow their confidence at work?
Massively, hugely and undeniably important. A good coach or mentor helps by holding up the mirror for us and allowing us to see that the strategies which helped us progress in our career, working hard, executing well are not the most useful when it comes to confident leadership. We need to grow confidently in other areas such as innovation, creativity, relationships in order to lead.