Brett Marsh CFHRINZ
How did your career in HR begin, and what was the journey like to get to where you are now?
I started in social work, then moved through to senior ranks of police, then to health and disability in the HR space, organisational development consulting and then setting up my own company bringing academic interns from Europe into the NZ social sector to contribute to community outcomes. People are always the pathway to success and so it was university study, and HRNZ with its resources, colleagues and support that kept me focused on achieving through people.
What do you love about having a career in HR?
People are remarkable, sometimes difficult, sometimes surprising, but always the key to achieving great things. We are all different. We are all incomplete, but this does not mean that teams are like that. I love the challenge and excitement of building complete talented teams with a culture that ignites unlit skyrockets.
What are some defining moments from your career journey so far?
Leading people to achieve NZ’s highest New Zealand Business Excellence Foundation score over an organisational development pathway that took a short six years culminating in Chair of the NZBEF Board.
National workshops to prepare charity providers for business continuity planning for their workforce across multiple disaster scenarios, culminating in HR advice and support during Covid-19.
My career has travelled through police, health and disability, corporate and my own businesses. HRNZ has been the primary source of outside support in this journey. Access to resources, advice, innovators and successful practitioners has been there for decades for me and I can’t think of a better travelling companion.
What advice would you give to someone early on in their HR career?
Historically, CEO’s have come from financial or non-HR backgrounds. There is an emergent belief that nothing can be achieved without well- functioning teams. Yes, there are processes, and machines, robotics and IA, but people made these. There are no successful organisations of scale that do not rely on a talented, motivated, engaged workforce. Your job is to nourish that resource. Study, talk, listen, innovate, adapt, apply. Back yourself!
Why is HRNZ important for the HR community?
It is a collective source of knowledge, expertise and tools that does not exist anywhere else. It’s current, it’s informed by best practice, it’s innovative- and seriously, tell me where else you can get that quality of support and advice, not only from the resources but from the membership of like-minded workforce transformers!
What was your path to Chartered Fellowship like? What did you enjoy about the process?
I obtained academic qualifications which indicate I have some theoretical knowledge, but it doesn’t follow that I knew how to apply this learning. HRNZ gradings validates the effective application of your learning to make a difference at various levels. It requires evidence of the effectiveness of that application and is not lightly awarded. It recognises in a credible way, not what you know, but what you’ve achieved with what you know and mostly achieving that alongside other people.
What is next for you in this chapter of your career?
I’m semi-retired now. But I still mentor young leaders and do some consulting for small enterprises in the areas of leadership and organisational development. I am a director and co-owner of an internationally respected internship agency that operates without parallel in our social service sector that has an exceptional internal culture.
I’m co-writing a book in conjunction with a renown leadership coaching facilitator to share my insights, assisting new leaders in SME’s and particularly charities and small enterprises.