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Member Spotlight - February 2023 - Ed Skinner

  • 1.  Member Spotlight - February 2023 - Ed Skinner

    I'mLinkedIn
    Posted 06-02-2023 06:55 AM



    Name, Position and Company

    Ed Skinner

    Director, Actualiser Pty Ltd

    Actualiser helps unlock potential.  We help build performance of individuals, teams, and business.

    Career Highlights

    A background in engineering launched my career path in project delivery across 10 countries, each with diverse, complex and fascinating contextual challenges.  Sectors included power generation, mining and minerals, infrastructure, agriculture and renewable energy.

    The tensions that exist between community, government and business, set the frameworks through which conflicts can be surfaced and constructively resolved.  Issues vary according to each project, its geographic location, culture and impacts (beneficial and detrimental). 

    I was fortunate to be trusted to lead teams and creatively resolve obstructions; a skillset that lends itself well to conflict resolution and to assisting individuals, teams and business to achieve the best, positive outcomes.

    I have abandoned wandering and embraced my third career phase with gusto, retraining in mediation and expert determination, company directorship and executive coaching.  I have retained my engineering and technical skills and apply those now, in various industry and business consulting contexts.

    I am driven by the opportunity to make a positive difference.  I am an active proponent for diversity, equity and inclusion, with particular focus on social license and constructively resolving disadvantage.  As a parent of a special needs daughter, I chair a charity organisation that promotes social interaction among the special needs 18–35-year-olds.

    Accomplishments

    Executive and transformative leadership roles in various Australian and international contexts, Chair – Body Corporate, (heritage restoration project), Chair, Clique Brisbane Limited (NFP), Committee roles, water-sport club.

    Directorship and leadership roles in major infrastructure projects in Australia, West Papua, Indonesia, New Caledonia, Saudi Arabia, USA, North America, Peru, Chile and Kazakhstan

    Consulting and leadership roles in start-ups - agribusiness, renewable energy, dispute resolution and a NFP charity

     
    Career advice

    Embracing opportunity, taking the opportunity to say "yes" and "why not?" continues to deliver me an immensely rich and rewarding career. 

    The principle of "seek-first to understand", has developed my refined capacity to observe and listen deeply, notwithstanding the urgency of any particular context.  Efficient outcomes stem from shared objectives, shared appreciation of perspectives and aligned vision.  The time invested in alignment is never inefficiently spent.

    To emerging professionals, my challenge is to fulfill a debt the annual to your CV, adding two important achievements for each year.  Whilst many people achieve much more, even the most humble of roles can benefit from asking "what did I do to make a difference?"

    Maintain a "family first", "children are our future" focus.  More than ever, the criticality of maintaining work-life balance is essential for mental resilience.

    Knowledge and insight is owned at all ages.  With 4, and even 5 generations in the workplace, consultation and knowledge sharing across all levels is essential for high-performance cultures.  Respect across teams and making the time to hear, and to be heard are essential.

    Favourite way to unplug from work

    Any day spent on or by the water is my happy place.   Investing time away from work diversions with family re-charges the batteries, whether it's outings, home cooking or having a good laugh.

    Community question

    The opportunity to achieve expedient and fair conflict resolution exists at mediator/conciliator level, through novel dispute resolution practise, through the various strata of the legal profession, and ultimately to the courts.  What must we do as a collective, to improve time and cost efficiency for dispute resolution and to reduce load on the courts? 



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    David Chin
    Membership Manager
    Resolution Institute
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