‘If I could give any advice to my younger self, it would be…” – MD Pamela Quinn on her path to success

A day in the life

Managing people is the main part of Pamela’s job, and on an average day she can often be stuck in back-to-back Zoom meetings – a habit she tries to break out of when she can.

“My work days are definitely different because of the pandemic, so right now my average day fluctuates a lot,” she explains. “I could have days of literal, back-to-back Zoom meetings, where I’m covering every aspect of the business. No two meetings will be the same – I could be meeting with customers or staff on a regional or global scale. 

“I actually try to avoid that for a lot of days in a row because I don’t particularly enjoy it. And it’s nothing to do with Zoom (it would be the same as in person), but I also need to try and block out some time to think. It’s something that I practiced over the years and something that I’ve learned to do because it’s critical for my role.”

Multitask, then focus

One of Pamela’s rare abilities is how agile she is when it comes to changing mindsets. Because she is constantly speaking to different departments, customers, etc., she has to change focus at the drop of a hat.

“I remember somebody saying to me once how quickly I can change from one topic to the other, but that’s exactly what my job is like. I tune into a person and what they need for 30 minutes to an hour, and then I switch to the next one.”

However, this one-to-one attention doesn’t mean that Pamela doesn’t multitask. She does, but she does so with a well planned strategy.

“I like to give you my undivided attention, but I multitask so that I can give you my undivided attention,” she explains. “So, if I’m in a meeting I won’t be typing up an email because I find that distracting, and I’m not being as decisive as I could be. Staying in the moment is the best way of giving myself to a person and they get the most out of it too.”

This acute focus and flexibility can only be maintained if one has reached the high levels of organisation and determination that Pamela has.

Key leadership qualities

“I’m very determined and I think that’s been key,” says Quinn. “When I did anything, I tried to do it right, do it well and learn from it in the process. I think that’s something that has really benefited me and allowed me to be successful. 

“Being really positive has been essential too – believing in my ability to make things happen. I personally think attitude wins over everything, including experience and qualifications. But not falsely, so I’m not saying that I’m positive and nothing knocks me off course (it does!). But overall, I try to stay positive, and, most importantly, I’m very honest.” 

Pamela has learned that, as a leader, honesty is synonymous with respect from your staff. “I’m honest with myself and I’m honest with people, and over the years I would say this has definitely been key to my success. I think honesty is really important as a leader and it helps gain you a level of respect.”

However, on the other side of that coin as an employee, we need to be able to take this honesty with a positive attitude as well. “Sometimes being honest doesn’t always go the way you want it,” says Quinn. “It hasn’t always worked in my favour, but I know that I’ve done the best I can do. I’ve told the truth to a person and set them on the right path, then it’s up to them to listen. If they’ve got the right attitude, they’ll go far.”

Gender balance in leadership roles

As a young female MD at a global-wide company, Pamela has continually championed women in leadership roles across K+N – a goal that has always been important to her.

“Honestly, I find it so frustrating that this is even a topic,” she says openly. “I’ve often wondered why is it that there are not more women in key leadership roles. It’s always been important to me, especially working in a male dominated industry, to inspire and encourage other women into believing in themselves and going for senior roles. 

“Through various discussions with many women at all levels, I know that for most, lack of confidence has played a part in their careers and can be a reason for their hesitancy in climbing the ladder.  This is why I want to share my story and try to make a difference by being honest about my own career and confidence issues along the way. 

“As MD, I encourage the women I work with to use me as a resource whether it’s for knowledge, experience or guidance, I want to be able to relate to them and make a difference in how they think about their own careers.”

And what did this kind of rearing look like on the ground level? “It involved sharing my own journey including the times I’ve struggled, lacked confidence or doubted if I was doing the right things etc…  It also involved having the confidence on their behalf.

“I’ve convinced women to go into roles because I truly believed in them even when they didn’t.  It’s always worked out and it’s so rewarding to see them grow and develop and most importantly pay it forward to other women.  We’ve a great number of ladies in management roles and the business is benefiting from it every day.

“It has been empowering and inspiring for both the ladies and the men in the company, and it has opened up opportunities for younger people coming in. They see a balanced gender mix and are encouraged by that.”