"When you are vulnerable, people respect you more."

As a leader in the recruitment industry, Jeremy Piotrowski has always loved building people up, challenging them and giving them opportunities to succeed.

“Recruitment is the people business,” Jeremy said. “People don’t grow until they’re pushed out of their comfort zone. When people say they’re uncomfortable, I say ‘that’s great, you’re learning’.”

But it wasn’t until he completed the Rising Leadership Program that he learned the value of accepting and embracing vulnerability and of truly being out of your comfort zone.

“The Rising Leadership Program taught me that being vulnerable is OK. As a leader, you can still demonstrate that you have empathy and put yourself in the shoes of others. You can have an open mind, rather than just pretend you have all the answers.”

“Being vulnerable is a real leap of faith. But when you do it, people respect you more, trust you more, and I believe are prepared to work harder for you.”

For Jeremy, embracing vulnerability makes it easier to foster trust in a team, which is important because in a trusting environment, people are better prepared to face challenges.

“One of the things I’ve learned from Leadership WA is to trust your judgement. You’ve been put in the role because of your skills and the values you demonstrate. You are appointed into a role for a reason.”

The Rising Leadership Program also taught Jeremy the importance of understanding his own values.

“I had an idea of my values before, but they weren’t clarified. They were probably a bit scattered.”

When dealing with a challenge, Jeremy favours fast action and a willingness to change course.

“I’m quite an analytical person, so I try not to procrastinate. I will spend a small amount of time analysing the problem, then choose an option. If it turns out that my solution isn’t the right one then I’ll pivot to something more appropriate.”

“Any challenge is an opportunity to fail, but it’s also an opportunity to succeed.”

“Having this agility, open mind and clarity means people are better positioned to know whether a role is right for them, and whether they’re on the right path.”

“I openly encourage my team to consider their role and whether it’s right for them throughout the different stages in their career – ‘If you’re not excited by your career pathway or feeling valued or motivated it’s time to consider a different way’.”