Valerie Veira: Listening to the song of her team members
Valerie Veira grew up in a home in which confidence was not lacking. She was told she could be anything. Today, she is CEO of the Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC) — a position she could have envisaged occupying eventually, since she has grown up in the public sector.
She, however, has no regrets, “I grew leaps and bounds working in the public sector system. Many people have grown and made their contribution. I am totally in awe of the learning I received working in the public sector, because you get an opportunity to make a contribution and to transform in a real way.”
A Harvard Kennedy School of Government graduate, Veira and the JBDC go back some 20 years to its genesis from a United Nations Development Programme (Undp)-supported initiative. Since then the organisation’s contingent has trebled and their work in promoting the interests of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSME) has been the subject of much critical acclaim.
Indeed, Veira herself has been the recipient of a national honour, but she sees recognition, especially for her team, as more than just material plaques or monetary rewards, “It’s not always the big things, but the little things you do that makes someone feel recognised. People like recognition, and it’s not always a dollar bill, but in the appreciation you show to the little things. Those are important to the person, and I feel that has more impact than a ceremony and you give out a plaque.”
Veira considers her integrity as non-negotiable and paramount in all her dealings. She notes, too, that making people feel comfortable in speaking to her is essential. “What I learnt early in the day is that I need to listen to the song of my team members. What I mean by that is that people are feeble, but because you’re the leader they don’t always feel comfortable to expose themselves, in a sense. So I’ve always learned to listen to the song of my team members to hear when they say ‘Everything is okay,’ and you know it’s really not okay; because the team is not about the eight hours they spend at the office. You are engaged with a team member who is a full person with a full life.”
She cited an interaction with the gardener employed to JBDC when she just arrived. He had believed he should not be supervised by a woman boss. Instead of reeling negatively from his views, she engaged him in a frank discussion. The result was that he told everyone afterwards that his views changed in terms of leaders and that women can lead. The fact that he felt comfortable enough to come into the CEO’S office and sit down and feel that he could open his heart to her was very important for her.
Indeed, Veira is not one given to antagonism and malice, “I prefer to say we have a misunderstanding, and we have to talk about it. I don’t have any space in my heart for those things. I think that if you want to transform a system or an entire process, or if you want to transform entire people, you can’t start by alienating them.
Alienation comes when you are so arrogant; that you believe everything you say or do is right. That blocks people. You are to always be open in a discussion.”
A self-proclaimed country girl, hailing from the cool climes of Manchester, Veira has an almost inextricable relationship with nature, and uses natural phenomena to compartmentalise her own views on leadership and succession planning, especially at the JBDC.
“When I see the flowers bloom…it brightens the garden. I am linked into nature. There are seasons in nature, and we have to help new buds come out. And if you have a plant, and there is no bud coming out, it means you’ve failed.
“I mentor quite a few people. My cycle is when I see the young people around me blossom, whether family or friends, it really lifts my spirit in a way that I can’t explain. I can only relate it to nature. That process of renewal is so critical,” explained the true leader.
She acknowledges her own faults as a leader, emphasising that she is not perfect, but considers the three tenets of inspiring, motivating and encouraging as central to her approach.
National development is a mainstay in her thoughts, and as such, “My last job will be in government. I’ve said to people that I don’t think anything is coincidental. I’ve always had a mission of contributing to national development. And I know you can do that in a private company — a lot of people do that — but it dawned on me after a couple years…that this was the place to be; in this system where, through hard work, creativity and innovation, I can impact the development of Jamaica in my small corner.”
For Veira, transformational leadership hinges on being a navigator with a vision. Using the example of a team of rowers in a canoe, she said: “If people at the front are rowing away, and the team behind you is going in a different direction, something is going to happen — either we aren’t going anywhere because we’re pulling in different directions, or we’re going to drown. And if one person is digging a hole in the canoe, then all of us are at risk. So it’s about everyone understanding, while we’re rowing, that we are going in the same direction, and know how to get there.”
Before crossing the finish line of her career, Veira would love to see the diversity of the JBDC’S services continue through the establishment of a centre that the MSMES can see as their main reference point, dubbed the MSME Business Development Building, with new sectors coming on board and the identification of new opportunities for the small business sector.
“Whether you’re an entrepreneur or you’re employed by someone, it cannot be a chore. You’re supposed to be smiling at the end of the journey,” said Veira.
Jacqueline Coke lloyd is founder and managing director of Make Your Mark Consultants. She is a transformational leader, coach, organisation and people development specialist, and national productivity ambassador. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or jackiecokelloyd@gmail.com.