SCIENCE OF DOING THE BEST YOU CAN
THE TOWNSVILLE BULLETIN IS CELEBRATING THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF 12 FORMIDABLE FEMALE LEADERS IN OUR CITY. THEY ARE FROM ALMOST EVERY SECTOR AND ARE SHAPING THE CITY NOW AND IN THE FUTURE. TODAY PROFILES JCU VICE- CHANCELLOR SANDRA HARDING AND MAYOR JENNY HILL .
IT was the inspiring story of Marie Curie and her pioneering research on radioactivity that prompted a young Sandra Harding to study science.
These days it’s Professor Harding’s role at the forefront of North Queensland’s education sector, as the Vice- Chancellor of James Cook University, that positions her as an inspirational role model for many.
“As a young girl, I was most taken with the story of Marie Curie, a woman whose personal, extraordinary dedication to her work over many, many years resulted in the discovery of new elements and the theory of radioactivity,” she said.
“Marie Curie was awarded a Nobel prize, the first woman to receive a Nobel, and then became the first person ever to win a second Nobel prize – and they were awarded in two different fields. She inspired me to study science.”
Prof Harding ( right) said there were so many impressive women in today’s era that were carrying out important work.
“Be it in the boardroom, at univer- sities, in politics, in enterprises of all sorts, at home and in the community, and often juggling family and other responsibilities, they all make their own contribution,” she said.
“I admire them all. I also find great inspiration in young women, including my own daughters, who have their life’s work ahead and who bring new energy and a fresh perspective to the world to come.”
Prof Harding said a love of the job was important to get through the challenging times.
“The demands of any CEO job are relentless, so you need to stay fit and healthy,” she said.
“And, most importantly, you have to love the job, and then love it more when it is hard.”
Prof Harding said four traits that were consistent with any executive leadership role were integrity, energy, humility – and a thick skin.
Q& A BETTINA WARBURTON
Q: What’s the single best guidance you could give other women wanting to climb the career ladder? A: Think about where you want to go and how you might best get there. This doesn’t mean planning all your moves from where you are to PM ( but why not?). I firmly believe that the best approach is to focus on doing your current job really well, and doing more to add value wherever you can, to think about the next step or two and what you need to do to get there but always be open to changing course if that seems to be the right thing to do. Q: What initially inspired you to follow your career path? A: Universities are fantastic places to work in that every day we can see the benefits of what we do in preparing the next generation of professionals, creating new knowledge and adding value to our community. Many in our community bring a particular dedication to their work advancing knowledge, teaching and advancing the university, all the while knowing the job is never done. That’s inspiring to me. Q: What strengths do you think women bring to the workplace? A: This is tough in that women are not all the same and will bring different strengths and perspectives depending on the woman. That said, while women bring their own professionalism to the table, as do men, women can bring a diversity of view, one that is informed by being in a structurally different place in what remains a gendered society. Q: Who has been your biggest inspiration? A: There are very many people who inspire me, every day. Fantastic people at JCU and beyond. Many stories in the Townsville Bulletin showcase courage and resilience by people in our community, and I admire that greatly. In my professional field, two vicechancellors with whom I have worked, Emeritus Prof Dennis Gibson and Prof Peter Coaldrake ( a JCU Outstanding Alumnus) taught me a great deal. Both are men of integrity who always worked very hard for their university.