Meet the leaders: Amanda McIntyre

Amanda McIntyre is a senior strategy leader who has worked across the public, private and not-for-profit sectors. Here, she lays out the three-step framework she swears by when navigating tricky career decisions.

What is the best piece of feedback you’ve received?
Probably the best feedback was to share a bit more of “me” as I progressed in my career. 

Early in my career, I had a tendency to project a persona that I had it all together a bit like the duck skimming the water, when in fact there was lots of peddling underneath! I started sharing with my team insights into who I was, where I had come from, and what was going on in life outside of work. We are all human and need to connect on a human level.

What advice would you give to anyone juggling work and other life commitments?
It’s OK to drop the ball occasionally! Long ago I stopped ironing everything but school uniforms, got a cleaner and accepted that pre-made meals were OK — outsource if you can and accept 80 percent is good enough and ditch the 20 percent that doesn’t matter to you.

What keeps you awake at night?
[Recently] it’s two things — menopause — we don’t talk enough about the effects this has on women. I’m also between jobs — so I’m finding the uncertainty of what’s next both exciting as to possibilities but also the uncertainty a little daunting.

Who is the best leader you have ever worked for and why?
A deputy secretary in the public service. Why? Because she was brilliant — so I learned so much from her. 

She had really high standards, so I was constantly challenged to be better and everyone who worked for her knew that she had your back. I try to emulate her leadership every day. 

Was there ever a time when you felt stuck in your career and if so how did you work through it?
Not so much stuck, but a few times I have come to a crossroads, including when I left the public services to join the private sector. Over time I have come up with a very simple framework for working through career decisions using three criteria: 

1.  Will I learn and grow where I am versus a new role?  
2. Who will I be working for and do I trust them, admire them and can I learn from them? 
3. Who will be my team — my peers and direct reports? Are they a diverse and inclusive team that I will enjoy working with?

Who do you most admire?
Probably a cliché but my mum. She had a high IQ but was expected to leave school at the equivalent of Year 10 and work. She taught me grit, determination and to stand on my own two feet. 

How are you using AI in your life?
I use it every day! I’m becoming a better prompter — but have used it [for everything] from creating dinner recipes with random fridge ingredients to summarising text I’ve drafted to be more succinct, to researching new topics for client work.  

What if anything would you like to see change for women in the workplace?
Participation, progression and pay. 

What if any are your professional regrets?
I wish I had taken time in my early career to try different things. I had the opportunity to be a Youth Ambassador with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and turned it down as I was in the middle of my Chartered Accountants Professional Year. I saw the choice as black and white, one or the other. I wish I had taken that year and expanded my horizons a little.

Do you make new year’s resolutions and if so what is it?
I’m 50 this year and plan on doing 50 new and fun things in my 50th year including a wine appreciation course and (re)learning the piano.