In today’s fast-paced world, we often encounter individuals whose journeys inspire us to reach for our own aspirations, to believe in the power of resilience, and to embrace change with open arms. Anoushka Fernandes, Vice President of Growth & Development at X5 Management, epitomizes this spirit of empowerment and transformation.
Anoushka’s path to leadership is not merely a tale of professional success, but a narrative woven with the threads of personal growth and unwavering determination. As we delve into her Power of 7 interview, we uncover the remarkable story of a dynamic leader who has navigated the diverse landscapes of public service and private consulting while gracefully balancing the demands of motherhood.
Her journey is one of profound self-discovery, as she candidly shares the challenges and triumphs of transitioning to motherhood later in life. Through her experiences, Anoushka found a deep sense of fulfillment in being a positive role model for her children and nurturing the leaders of tomorrow.
Drawing inspiration from her greatest role models – her parents – Anoushka reflects on the values instilled in her from a young age. Their guidance laid the foundation for her illustrious career and continues to shape her approach to leadership.
The pivotal moment of transitioning from the public sector to a leadership role at X5 Management marked a transformative chapter in Anoushka’s journey. It was a decision fueled by passion and purpose, a leap of faith that propelled her towards her true calling.
Now, as she shares her insights and wisdom through her Power of 7 interview, Anoushka offers a beacon of hope for those considering a career transition. Her journey serves as a testament to the power of embracing change, following one’s instincts, and staying true to one’s passions.
Join us as we embark on a journey of inspiration and empowerment with Anoushka Fernandes. Explore her Power of 7 questions for invaluable insights and tips that will ignite your own path to success and fulfillment.
1. What are you most passionate about?
I became a mother a bit later in life (I was in my mid-30s when my husband and I welcomed our boy-girl twins) and so I didn’t appreciate how much of my personal identity was tied to what I did for work. All of a sudden, I was scheduled to be away from my job for nearly a year, I went from zero to two kids overnight, and I felt totally lost in trying to reframe how to describe who I was outside of my career. Following my maternity leave, the first few years back in the workplace were a bit of a struggle. Trying to successfully balance an evolving relationship with my husband, motherhood, the joint running of a household, and a full-time job was difficult. I felt a lot of mom guilt for harbouring what seemed like selfish and ambitious career aspirations while my son and daughter were in full-time daycare. Ten years later, I am confident in saying that of all the things I do in my life, I am most passionate about being a positive role model for my kids. I want my son to see that men have an important role to play in raising children and doing things around the house; and I want my daughter to see that women can – and should – dream big when it comes to their careers.
2. Who is your greatest role model?
The older I get, the more appreciative I am of everything my parents have done for my younger sister and me. We were both raised to believe that we could achieve anything – we were never taught to consider our gender or the colour of our skin as a potential barrier to success (sadly, we’d learn that for ourselves later). They instilled in us the importance of setting goals, no matter how small or big (and how to work to achieve them); the mindfulness of being thankful for things we often take for granted in a first-world country; the need to give back to our communities through volunteer service; and a desire to explore things and places outside of our household bubble. My husband and I are working very hard to pass on all of these things to our children.
3. What is your greatest accomplishment in your career trajectory?
I feel very grateful to have several examples come to mind, but I think I am most proud of myself for making my recent career switch from the public sector to the leadership team at X5 Management. At first, the thought of leaving a tenured and secure career as an executive leader in the public service seemed like complete crazy talk, and the immediate impacts on my family’s approach to planning were not totally clear. However, I was so strongly drawn to the opportunity of being part of a team that exists to work across a variety of sectors to build better leaders and more enjoyable workplaces for their employees. My kids will be entering the workforce within the next 10 years – regardless of what paths they take, I want their career experiences to be filled with excellent leaders who are driven to invest in their growth and development. As X5 Management’s Vice President of Growth and Development, I have never felt a stronger sense of purpose in my work before, and that is incredibly satisfying.
4. What advice would you give a new or emerging leader who is building their career?
See every regular interaction you have – from the barista at your coffee shop, to the cleaning staff at your office tower, to your neighbour down the street, to the CEO of your company – as an opportunity for genuine relationship-building. Companies don’t get things done – individual people do. It’s never a waste of time to try to get to know someone on the periphery of your network a little bit better. I’m an extrovert and so I enjoy meeting new people when I’m in an unfamiliar room and getting to know where they come from and what makes them tick. In addition to providing me with the luxury of some wonderful friendships that may not have otherwise come to pass, I have also developed some business partnerships that have been mutually beneficial in ways I never would have contemplated at our first meeting. For those who are perhaps more hesitant about approaching new people, perhaps start by trying to develop deeper relationships with people already in your circle – you just might surprise yourself with some positive results!
Let’s talk about your career transition
5a. What made you decide to switch careers from the public sector to private consulting?
I want to start by saying that I had a truly fantastic 20-year career with the Alberta Public Service, especially my final 6 years, during which time I led the Central Logistics operation. Last summer, I reflected on how I got more joy from the time I invested in developing leaders (whether on my own team or through mentees in other departments), and building a strong workplace culture, rather than from delivering a particular line of business. I often wished that I could “do leadership” as my single job. Around this time, I was introduced to the amazing team at X5 Management in the context of their specialization in corporate leadership training and leadership/executive coaching; and the solid reputation the company has built within the Edmonton business community over nearly 20 years of operation. When the opportunity to join the leadership team presented itself, it was truly a no-brainer – I couldn’t possibly say no to the opportunity to live out my career passion full-time!
5b. What would you say to someone considering a career transition?
I think the most important thing to consider is the fact that the decisions worth making or risks worth taking are the uncomfortable ones that cause us a little bit of anxiety – that’s how we grow. It’s also important to be honest with ourselves about our personal relationship to the word “failure.” If you take the leap and it doesn’t work out – how will you assess it? That you’ve failed or that you’ve grown and learned from trying something new? We are all our own worst critic, so learn to be kind to yourself (and speaking from experience, I know this is much easier said than done). It’s a big world and there are lots of paths to explore. The story of my career includes both brilliant successes and painful setback – I don’t keep score, but I do make a point to always learn. Taking the time to intentionally reflect on my experiences, good and otherwise, has been the key to making me a better decision-maker.
5c. What considerations or risks should someone think about before making the leap?
In fairness, I think this going to vary based on a person’s sense of risk-tolerance. I am a very risk-tolerant person (often to the annoyance of my husband!), and so I tend to focus more on the future potential for payoff rather than the more immediate risks associated with first few steps of a change. Generally – it’s always important to do research and other elements of due diligence, but what comes next will be different for everyone. In my case, I am very intentional about trusting my instincts. In fact, on reflection, some of the biggest trouble I’ve gotten into personally and/or professionally has been when I’ve ignored the inclination to go with my gut.
Let’s talk about leadership
6a. What does a bad boss look like for you?
Sadly, I suspect most of us could write for days on this topic! However, this can be a useful question. The concept of leadership continues to be elusive for so many – perhaps by identifying aspects of obviously bad leadership, we can steer ourselves towards better practices. I have certainly struggled when reporting to managers who don’t make the time to build a genuine relationship with me or get to know me as a multi-dimensional person, beyond my job title or responsibilities. I’ve never understood people who claim to be too busy to do this. In my opinion, if getting to know your team members isn’t your primary focus, you are actually setting yourself up for failure. After all, without knowing who you’re working with – how can you understand how to communicate with them in a meaningful way, or discover (and leverage) talents you didn’t know existed, or support their professional learning and development, or create an environment in which they feel safe to fully participate and empowered to achieve larger organizational goals?
6b. How have female leaders shown up for you in the past?
I’ve been in the professional workforce for just over 25 years now, and I am so grateful to reflect on the number of amazing female supervisors I’ve had. I’ve been so lucky to work with those who have been explicitly invested in helping me find my own success as a fellow female leader. Specifically, they have all given me the latitude to experiment with how I arrive at certain goals; or invested in building a relationship with me to learn how to support my personal or professional ambitions; or gifted me stories of their personal successes and challenges so I can learn from their experience. It’s one of the reasons why I have made the time to continually volunteer as a mentor to women and people of other traditionally under-represented groups. If we want to see leader encompassing diversity at senior leadership levels, those of us already here need to consciously invest in developing them.
6c. What is your leadership superpower and why?
I always find it a little uncomfortable to answer questions like this for myself – the proof is in how others feel. However, I would like to think that over the course of my leadership experience, I have developed a solid track record for building trusting workplaces focused on personal and team accountability. No matter what my role or where I might stand within an organization’s hierarchy, I have always focused significant portions of time on building productive two-way communication. Whether that’s meeting with team members or clients on a 1:1 basis, being physically present on the shop floor, or ensuring that team members have clear direction on team goals, I make a point to build in constant solicitations for feedback. When I implement changes arising from team member suggestions, I make the time to recognize them. I believe this has helped me to build workplace cultures where people feel safe to provide their opinions and ask questions, and know that their input is not just appreciated, but necessary to the effective achievement of larger organizational goals.
7. What are the top 4 things you would recommend leaders consider when building their own leadership brand?
- Don’t confuse “brand” and “status.” We all contain multitudes – this is something I never truly considered until I became a mother and was facing an unexpected identity crisis. Any of us is more than the title on our desk – we need to bring our whole self to our leadership roles to be effective.
- Be clear on your personal values. Take some time to reflect on what your values are – and then, more importantly, hold yourself accountable for living by them. There is nothing more disillusioning than a leader who claims to be one thing and then conducts themselves in a totally different way. As the saying goes – say what you will do, and then do what you say.
- Know Thyself and to Thyself be true. We all have preferences, we all have weaknesses, we all have fears, we all have imperfections – and all of these things make us uniquely and wonderfully us. Don’t build a brand that espouses something you’re not – not only are you setting yourself up for certain failure, but you also risk perception as an insincere or inauthentic person. And ultimately, that doesn’t make a lot of friends or win a lot of influence.
- Vulnerability is a superpower, not a weakness. It can be hard enough to be a woman in the workplace, let alone a woman of colour, a woman with a disability, a woman of a minority gender identity or sexual orientation, and so on. I personally know what it feels like to be “othered” and so I understand how it can seem tempting to try and fit in with the dominant power structure just to hang on or otherwise get ahead. However, we shouldn’t discount the power of leadership vulnerability (another often misunderstood term; look it up – it’s likely not what you think) to help us build stronger teams. Leadership vulnerability is not weakness – in fact, it’s an amazing show of strength and confidence to be the person in the room who feels empowered to express their opinions (even if they may be unpopular), call out inappropriate or disrespectful behaviour (instead of pretending it’s not happening); and set and respect clear professional boundaries (rather than overcommitting yourself and then failing to meet expectations).
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