Pippa Berlocher has always had a natural affinity towards leadership. As a kid, playing highly competitive softball, she was drawn towards leadership roles on the team. Then, as an adult, she moved quickly into leadership early on in her career.
“Throughout my 20 years of experience, my leadership style, in some ways, hasn’t changed,” says Berlocher, who is now the CEO for EssenceMediacom Australia and New Zealand.
“I think the best leaders are really authentic to who they are as people, so I’ve always brought a lot of energy to leadership”.
Thinking back to her first leadership role in business, Berlocher remembers thinking that if she worked really hard, people would want to follow her.
“The reality is they didn’t,” she says. “And what I learned was that in leadership, you have to, first of all, have a vision.”
“You need to share that vision over and over, and then people get excited about coming on that journey with you.”
Berlocher shared this advice during her keynote session for Women’s Agenda’s new video app series, The Keynotes.
Giving a lot of feedback is another key aspect to good leadership, Berlocher says, noting that she’s “learned to be appreciative and say ‘thank you’ a lot”.
“I think that means a lot to people and I’ve learned to have the tough conversations and bring that honesty and engagement with people,” she says. “I am very big on authenticity.”
It’s that authenticity that Berlocher believes builds a foundation of trust between a leader and their team. It also allows for employees to feel more comfortable bringing their whole selves to work.
At EssenceMediacom, Berlocher says the “strategic proposition is all around breakthrough”, meaning that it’s important to help “people create breakthrough careers for themselves”.
In order to do this, she says the company’s culture needs to be honest, transparent, accountable and people-first.
“It’s really important to me that my team knows that I care about them,” she says.
“So, their whole selves and not just the individuals they are when they come into the building.”
Berlocher is also quite structured in how she engages with her team at EssenceMediacom. She asks them to create their priorities for the year and does fortnightly catch ups to better understand where they need support and how she can help.
“At EssenceMediacom, we have a fantastic platform called Culture AMP, where all of our people and structure is housed,” she says. “That’s where we can set our people’s annual plans and career paths.”
As for her own career plans, Berlocher says she feels “incredibly lucky to be surrounded by an amazing group of people, and an amazing group of leaders,” who she’s constantly learning from.
“There’s never been a better time in my mind to be a female leader,” she says.
The Keynotes app shares “Mini Keynote” sessions and insights on leadership, equity, current affairs, climate and so much more. To watch Pippa Berlocher’s keynote as well as other sessions, sign up to the app here.