The Drinks Association’s eighth annual Inclusive Leadership Program has now reached its halfway point. Starting in April this year, the six-month program, facilitated by Serendis, brings together mentees and mentors from various organisations within the beverage industry. It serves as an effective platform for nurturing talented individuals in readiness for more advanced leadership roles.
This year's cohort includes 23 pairs of mentors and mentees (four more pairs than last year) representing a broad range of businesses, including Accolade Wines, ALM, Bacardi-Martini, Brown-Forman, Campari, Casella Family Brands, CCEP, Diageo, Lion, Moët Hennessy, Paramount Liquor, Pernod Ricard and Taylors Wines.
Coles Liquor, the Drinks Association’s first retail partner, has also joined the program for the first time.
Leading the program is Serendis Director Julie Thompson, who has been engaging with all the mentors, mentees and the organisations putting forward participants.
Thompson facilitated the Mid-Point Check-In and Signature Strengths Workshop with the group at the Vibe Hotel in North Sydney last Tuesday, 23 July. She commenced the session by sharing some feedback from participants about their experience in the program so far.
Verbatim from this year’s mentees
“Great match in helping me to slowly unlock my potential and challenge me to do things differently. He has also been able to support me in areas I had not originally considered when entering this program.”
“My mentor has provided me with exercises to complete that will help me identify my strengths…. this will enable me to understand my default leadership settings which will help me become a better leader.”
“My mentor is a great match - I love that he comes across as an authentic leader, has had a wide range of experiences, and has been able to prompt me into acting on my future plans.”
Inclusion360 Survey
Earlier in the program, all mentors and mentees were asked to complete an Inclusion360 Survey. The survey, administered by Serendis, measures and provides valuable feedback and data on how the participant’s leadership style is perceived through the lens of inclusion.
The process involves the individual filling out the survey and nominating an additional 8-12 people they work with (direct reports, peers, senior leaders) to complete the survey.
The mentees in the workshop collectively said that completing the survey and reviewing the results had been the standout experience so far. They said the process was very valuable and at times, confronting, but the conversations that had happened on the back of the results were beneficial.
‘Overwhelming feeling of support within the program’
Amy Darvill, Marketing Director ANZ at Accolade Wines, is a first-time participant and mentor in this year’s program. Having worked outside of drinks and now back in the industry, she said she has been struck by the overwhelming feeling of warmth and support within the programme.
“Everyone is incredibly supportive, there for the right reasons, and looking to enhance our leadership across the board. It’s a good feeling,” she said.
Darvill said she and her mentee, Dakila (Daki) Falcon, immediately hit it off when they met at the program launch event.
She said: “Whilst in different areas of the drinks industry, we both share a somewhat similar life stage, balancing the demands of our careers and young families, and overall outlook on life. I was so glad we could both skip past the small talk phase and get straight into the deep and meaningful stuff.”
When asked which of her key strengths has been most valuable in facilitating her conversations with her mentee, Darvill explained that time and experience can be powerful resources when hearing about the issues others are facing.
She said: “I really value the humility and ‘heart’ that Daki brings to our conversations – and it makes me reflect on my own journey from being ‘task’ to ‘people’ oriented.”
‘Being intentional with applying learnings requires effort, vulnerability and courage’
Daki Falcon, National Business Manager - Accommodation at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) said he was very humbled and appreciative to be nominated by his leader to join this year’s program as a mentee.
When asked about his mentor, Falcon said he admires Darvill’s ability to balance her high-performing work ethic with a flourishing family life.
“Whilst Amy and I have similar thinking styles (according to our HBDI), her experience, I believe, has enabled her to harness intuitive thinking into organised action plans, something that is an opportunity for me,” explained Falcon.
He added: “Amy is so good at being able to zoom out and provide perspective on certain career situations I may be facing. We try to discuss medium to longer-term career strategies and it’s always interesting to hear how she faced or leaned into certain situations in her career, how that made her feel, what actions she took and how they may have affected balance to her family life.”
In response to what his mentor may have learned from him during the program, Falcon said, “I’m hoping through sharing my experience as a father of a child with a disability. My passion to be part of facilitating change in the workplace to provide opportunities for those with disabilities flows through.”
“Amy has been a big reason for me having the courage to step in and get involved when otherwise I would have been a spectator.”
Following the day’s session, Thompson said that this year’s cohort of mentees and mentors are making significant progress together. They have spent the first couple of months getting to know each other and establishing a sense of trust so that they can have unfiltered conversations.
“They have also established their goals for the program which were partly informed by the 360-feedback data gathered from their critical stakeholders in relation to their inclusive leadership behaviours,” she said.
Thompson also explained that the Mid-Point Workshop focused on the participants identifying and articulating their unique value proposition and acknowledging how uncomfortable it can be to promote themselves and their strengths, but also how important it is to be able to demonstrate their values and potential through their behaviours and communication.
She said: “Having the support of a mentor helps to scaffold this experience. The mentees all left the session feeling energised by focusing on what provides a sense of meaning in their work, by having crafted their signature strengths statements.”
The Mid-Point Workshop wrapped up with networking drinks at the Vibe Hotel, allowing mentees and mentors to continue sharing and discussing their experiences in the program so far.
The program continues in the coming months before concluding in October with a Grand Finale event hosted by Serendis.
Serendis is a Commercial Partner of the Drinks Association