Welcome to our first episode! We kick off the show by speaking to Deanna Lomas, the chief integrated supply chain officer at NHP Electrical Engineering Products. Deanna shares her experiences working in a military coup environment and now navigating the challenges of COVID-19 as a team leader.

Every leader is confronted with the responsibility of providing direction and a sense of security to their team—particularly in difficult circumstances—yet they also face personal challenges that are required to remain at home in a professional environment. Deanna talks about how she has dealt with this conflict, has managed to bring a sense of order and calm to her team, and why a leader needs to have the self-awareness to know when to take a day for themselves. She humorously shares about the 1.5m blue stick she takes to work to educate employees on the social distancing requirements, how she has retrained herself to behave differently in the workplace, and she advises leaders on planning in the context of an unknown future.

Key Points From This Episode:

The career lead-up to Deanna’s position at NHP and the role she fulfils there.
The difficulties of navigating the COVID-19 crisis as a new team leader.
Hear about the biggest challenge of working in a military coup environment.
A leader’s responsibility to provide direction and a sense of certainty amid chaos.
Striking the balance between showing up in your professional and personal life.
Sticking to routines and other strategies for keeping your team going strong.
The importance of being self-aware and sensitive to signs that you need a day to yourself.
The value of connecting with peers and learning what they do to adjust to the current crisis.
How being on high alert and social distancing regulations are changing workplace interaction.
The psychological impact of keeping a 1.5m distance between ourselves and others.
Focusing on your own processes while also understanding what the collective needs.
A new perspective on making plans in the context of uncertainty.

Connect with Deanna here https://www.linkedin.com/in/deanna-lomas/?

Find out more about State of Matter: https://www.sofm.com.au/
Find out more about Adam: https://www.linkedin.com/company/adam-detwiler/

Don't forget to rate and review us, plus subscribe to hear next week's episode.