IB Woman
Issue No. 48 - August/September 2009
Libby lives to learn
by Penelope Herbert
Challenging convention and creating businesses of helps organisations create environments that engage, retain and inspire their talent. She says when work doesn’t feel like work, the problems of modern corporate life can be overcome by changing outmoded ways of thinking.
Q:You have a high degree of self-motivation revealed in training a horse to Olympic level and owner-building your own house. From where does this self-motivation come?
I have always loved learning; I can’t go past a bookshop without going inside. I think too many people have a limited perception of what is possible. I’m not complacent about life; I’m interested in how I can contribute both on an individual level and more broadly.
Q:unconventional thinking seems to have been an early personality trait of yours. has this helped or hindered the development of your business? My dad always taught me to ask why, and this was reinforced by Ricardo Semler who has been my biggest inspiration in business. I think this way of thinking has helped in that it tests assumptions, gets to the real cause of issues and encourages better thinking.
Q:It seems modern thinking about hr does revolve
Lost productivity costs $360 billion a year. There is a scrapheap of human life in the corporate world with most people and organisations not tapping their true capacity and potential. We are stuck in a work model that was invented in 1917. How many other things are we using from 1917? There isn’t a moment to waste in sharing ideas that might invite possibility.
Q:As a relatively young woman in business, consulting to CEOs and business leaders, have you been surprised at how receptive they have been to your innovative methods?
At times yes, but I focus on ideas and outcomes for the client rather than any perception they might have of me. Being an HR Manager in law firms trying to conv...
