Vivien Thomson

Vivien was one of six women to win a scholarship to the 2009 Diversity on Boards Conference in Sydney.

Vivien runs her own consulting company specializing in emergency management and training and manages the family farm.  Previous roles include Project Officer at Murrumbidgee Catchment Management Authority, Team Leader at ACT Emergency Services Authority, Fire Management Officer at ACT Parks & Conservation Service and a Ranger in Charge at ACT Parks & Conservation Service East District.
 
Some of her achievements are:

• Awarded the Fire Service Medal for distinguished service
• Director of Australian Women in Agriculture.
• Service to the community in many ways, including serving on the boards of the ACT Bushfire Council, Tidbinbilla Volunteer brigade, Emergency Sector Working group and as Captain of the Parks Bushfire Brigade.

She aims to use her skills and leadership skills to secure further board roles to further develop her directorship skills as well as supplementing the farm income.

Comment

When I first joined Women on Boards, it was to gain access to the jobs that were advertised on the website.  I had been a member for several years and when the organisation changed I joined to maintain that access. What has unfolded since is a very memorable and joyful journey.

I remember many years ago when I was part of a team from Australian Women in Agriculture invited to observe the board of the National Farmers Federation, I was new to networking and did not have much experience.  I had passion and knowledge but basically I was green. 

I had a lovely conversation with the then President of the NSW Farmers Association Mal Peters who put me on the spot and asked “what can you and your organisation do for us”. I was at a bit of a loss as how to answer this question at the time it felt so abrupt and forward.  I vowed I would learn from that experience, it wasn’t that he was abrupt, he was genuinely interested in what our organisation could do for them, I lost that opportunity. 

I had the chance to meet the new President Charles Armstrong several months ago, and I certainly used the opportunity to promote women in Agriculture and I was probably the one that came across abrupt and forward, in the nicest possible way.  This really sums up my journey.  I am still learning and value opportunities where I can share and develop my experience base, and meet other women who share that passion to grow and develop.  This was one of the main reasons I applied for the scholarship in 2009.

Conference Learning’s

When I arrived on the first day I was a bit overwhelmed, as there were so many well dressed women and I felt a little out of place in my jeans and boots, in fact I remember realising I was the only one out of 200 or so women.  I felt at a distinct disadvantage as most people were networking and I really was coming in cold.  I have limited technology on the farm; I have a very small income and everywhere I go I have to travel long distances.  After I got over the feeling of being overwhelmed I put it all aside and told my self I am an optimist, I have passion which is what most of the women there had that day.  I felt grateful I have a very diverse background and I am grounded in what I want and what I want to achieve in my life, I have a vision.  

• My perceptions were, I had a unique opportunity with all the great minds and the enthusiasm in the room. 
• The majority of studies in terms of diversity that take place seem to be aimed at the board members whereas it is the Chairperson that sets the tone and leads the way, I always remember that Managers manage and leaders invite people on a journey. 
• Norway has a national business register that makes reporting easier.
• Stereo typing is a critical point, it was pointed out that we do it from both sides and this is evident in the way I felt when I entered the room on the first day, I felt very much out of place, I had made certain assumptions, but I moved past these very quickly. 
• We needed to be mindful of the danger of having so many like minded women in the one room and ensure we keep a holistic view. 
• We need to manage up and look for missed opportunity as I had pointed out in my introduction.
• Wok hard, as we all should to achieve.
• I found it interesting that there was a generation gap, the younger generation don’t really feel there is an issue they have more of an expectation that they will move up.  It shows the difference in our confidence levels.
• There was a lot of talk about mentoring but I was very impressed to hear Kate Rimer talking about coaching and mentoring.  As mentoring can only take you to the level of the mentor, whereas coaching focuses on your strengths and builds on that.
• Self promotion, self promotion, self promotion.
• Some times we have self limiting behaviours and we need to understand them, such as women tend not to understand the value of networking where men seem to do it all the time, I guess this is where the term boys club comes from.  We need to identify those in ourselves and work on them.
• Merit based does not always work because of the factor that men feel they only need to know 50% of the skills to apply for a job, whereas women feel they need to have 110% of the skills.
• Learn to listen more.
• Have a go by changing problems to opportunities, angst to good, and react to action.

Meeting with the NSW Office for Women’s Policy & the Dinner

The dinner I found much thought provoking and our mentor contributed a wealth of experience and enthusiasm to our conversations. 

When I attended the lunch with NSW Office for Women’s Policy, I found it very interesting, the interactions between all the women were exciting.  It would have been nice to have spent some more time together as it was for such a short period, which made it hard for everyone to share their story. 

A suggestion would be for next time, to have a meeting in the afternoon or evening before the conference begins, this way the women can already have met each other, this would increase the networking and help to set a tone for the two days.  Talking about what you would like to achieve before hand can consolidate your learning’s.  Once you express them it also becomes a reality goal. 

From my personal perspective coming from the rural area, the opportunity to have met someone or known someone before the event would have also removed that uncomfortable feeling that you have until you mix a little and meet someone. 

My goals for the future are

• To develop a network and use them to promote myself and my business and to help others in their field where I can.
• To look at the state based Agriculture organisations such as NSW farmers and the National Farmers Federation to include in their annual reporting the gender equity or what roles women hold.
• To continually improve my skills at developing applications and my resume.
• Focus on the positives and build on them.
• Attend the company director’s course finding a sponsor.
• Ensure Invitations are sent to the National Farmers Federation Executive, and all the state organisations for Primary Industries for the next WOB conference.

Achievements to date

I had been procrastinating for a while as to what direction my life was taking after leaving the workforce for a break and looking at my skills and where I wanted to be.  Before the conference I had been researching this and I had decided to retrain myself with a view to returning to my former industry in a different capacity.  I had been informally coaching for many years so I decided to retain as a coach. I want to coach before any major incidents and then return to assist people after experiencing a major incident. 

I had several conversations with people at the conference that confirmed that the institute I had chosen to undertake my training was the most credible and relevant.  Which was a boost in confidence, I am also backing that up by undertaking a Bachelor in Applied Social Science.  This is my long term goal.  I have started a coaching business specialising in the rural area and I have applied and won a board position.  I intend to achieve one more board position that is paid not just to supplement the farm income but to keep me in touch with the world and ensure I have a holistic view of the world around me. 

• I retrained as an executive coach
• Started my own coaching business
• Began studying a Bachelor of Applied Social Science
• Secured a board position on the National Parks & Wildlife Southern Ranges Advisory Committee (which pays expenses).
• My life generally has become much happier and relaxed. 
• I have my goal set on another board position (Murrumbidgee CMA) in my area that is paid and I am slowly working towards that goal.
• I ran for a local council position, there were 5 candidates I was the youngest and the only female, I did not win the election but I really enjoyed the experience and I learnt a lot from it.  I would have never contemplated something like this before. 
• I ran a strategic planning for the executive of the Australian Women in Agriculture board of which I am a director. 

All of this has been achieved over the last 7 months and I have no doubt that I will continue to build on the positives and the experiences that I have gained during this time.

I hope this has helped the board of WOB and the NSW Office for Women’s Policy to see what positives can come from encouragement for women especially from the rural area as opportunities are much fewer than for those in the urban areas.  Thankyou to the WOB and the NSW Office for Women's Policy, for allowing me to share my journey and learn from the experience I gained at the conference in September last year.