Episode 26: Cultivate a mindset of helping others because it helps you too with Annie Lacombe

Leadership Amplified by Dr Karen Morley

Annie Lacombe is Engineering Manager at Boeing. She says that one of the leadership lessons she has learned is this: there is enough for everyone. Her mindset of abundance is an important part of her philosophy of leading: it means her focus is not on herself, but on how she can help others. Her philosophy is based on generosity and ego-awareness, yes, but also on self-fullness and personal integrity. Annie began her career as a chemical engineer in Canada, then working in a FIFO role in New Caledonia before moving to Australia in 2009. She loves cultural differences and working with diverse teams, as she strongly believes that it makes it more interesting. In this episode of Leadership Amplified, we talk about Annie’s work and leadership experiences, including some of the cultural challenges she faced along the way. She says ‘In difficult situations we tend to focus on ourselves, we think it’s about us, but we put too much emphasis on ourselves, rather than on the situation. We need to be able to step away and come back with fresh eyes, otherwise we get too emotionally hooked.’ Her leadership approach has strengthened through these, as well as the positive experiences she’s had along the way. She believes she has the power to bring diversity into the traditionally non-diverse areas she’s worked – she is passionate about bringing women into trade roles and giving them access to well-paid roles. She says ‘People can feel your support and interest in them. They come to work to do their best and as leader, you have to empower them.’