MY CAREER IN SIX SPOTLIGHT
Anna Orriss-Baxter
Senior Leader, Payments
Baringa
Sharing her career journey by answering the six questions below.
Who or what has been your biggest source of inspiration throughout your career?
My family. Both of my parents had careers they loved but they also changed professions over time. They showed that both men and women could actively parent and have fulfilling careers. This meant I was inspired by seeing both of my parents in leadership roles (at the right points for our family) so went into my professional career without any pre-conceived limitations in mind. I have emulated a similar setup with my husband. We met young and he has been there through every professional high point, promotion, challenge or setback. We have two girls aged seven and four and I’m inspired now by them. I am lucky to be able to role model that you can both do something you love and raise a family.
Would you say your success is primarily due to luck or hard work?
Hard work. There is always luck involved but this is rarely enough without hard work. I believe that through having a mindset of “giving things a go” and making the best of a situation you will help to create your own luck. Rather than wait for the perfect role or project, I’ve tried to be open minded to opportunities and make the most of them. I had great mentors early in my career who helped me to see that if things don’t go to plan, that’s ok as these are the times that you learn most. With hard work and a bit of humility, I think you create the right conditions for success.
For me, the effort doesn’t stop at work though. Balancing careers and family life requires constant teamwork, managing of logistics and mental load. So it is important to note that career success is rarely down to just the individual, and is a team effort with partners, family and friends cheerleading in the background. The best professional decision I’ve ever made is choosing my husband – someone who understands and champions my career ambitions.
What is the driving force behind your career aspirations?
I am motivated to keep learning and feel like I am progressing onto new and bigger things. Often, I find women can be apologetic about ambition or see it as being “pushy,” but the truth is that I am driven by wanting to be the best I can. This means solving the most interesting client problems, working with the most inspiring people, becoming an expert in my field, and aspiring to be the type of leader people want to work with. I get a buzz from feeling like I’ve achieved something when it has been difficult to do. I think the driving force was having parents that instilled in me the belief that you should do something you love and are passionate about but with an expectation that this requires hard work. I have always wanted to challenge myself and push towards the next level.
If given the chance to do one thing differently in your career, what would it be and why?
I would have put less pressure on myself. I had to learn the hard way that if you don’t look after yourself properly and expect too much, it can have awful impacts on mental health. When I started my career, we spoke much less about wellbeing but I was fortunate to be in a company that looks after its people. I’ve now had to reframe looking after myself as part of my job – if I don’t take time to do the things that keep me healthy and happy, I will not be able to perform at my best, either at work or at home. And given I work as a Management Consultant and our product is our people you can’t afford to not be on form. Once you take this perspective, looking after yourself stops being an indulgence to feel guilt over, and instead becomes good business sense.
On a similar thread I wish I’d spent less time worrying about the “what ifs?” When I decided I wanted a family I worried this was incompatible with my consulting career so completed both a masters degree and a diploma whilst working full time. My idea was to have a back-up for if I ended up having children. When my children did arrive, I found I didn’t need Plan B and had just made myself miserable taking on additional academic work when I could have been enjoying the day to day. Whilst qualifications may be useful one day, the motivation for completing them feels misplaced when I look back on it now. I’ve seen too many women take themselves out of the race early based on assumed barriers. You need to be clear on what you’re willing to sacrifice and keep contracting on this with yourself and your partner, but too often I have conversations with women who I believe are reducing their ambitions because of perceived future challenges with work-life balance.
What was your most favourite job/role and why?
I am lucky to say that I am in it; slightly unusually for today’s workplace, I have worked at the same company for my entire career. I joined Baringa thinking I’d be a Management Consultant until I worked out what I wanted to do long term but it turns out that consulting is what I want to do! I’ve certainly had insecurities around whether it is right for my career to stay in one company. However, if I like the people I work with, do interesting work that adds value to my clients, then for me I’m in the right place. My favourite aspect of my current role as a leader in our payments and transaction banking team is supporting my team to be out in the market, staying abreast of what is happening in the industry and building relationships. My best moments are when I see my team developing their expertise and confidence.
Do you have a favourite motto or quote that guides your professional life?
Yes, something that a mentor said to me early in my career was to “seek forgiveness not permission.” I have repeated this many times to myself but also when giving advice to others around their own careers. Obviously, this motto needs to be taken with a pinch of pragmatism and you shouldn’t run around like a bull in a china shop! However, for me it encompasses the need to be bold, to try new things and to back your initiative. I think once you’re ok with getting things wrong and know you have the resilience to come back from mistakes, you become more willing to take risks and try new things, which is ultimately how you progress.