PROTAGION
  • Proteges
    • Career Goals >
      • Promotion
      • New Skills
      • Further Qualifications
      • Moving Countries
      • Switching: Consult/Contract/Startup
      • Transition: Specialism/Profession
      • Managing a Business
      • Portfolio Career
      • Purpose & Meaning
    • CPD
    • Our Services
    • Subscribe
    • Conference 1-5 March
  • Mentors
    • Encore Mentor
    • Featured Subset >
      • Anne - Australia
      • Boniswa - S Africa
      • Bradley - UK
      • Lee - Hong Kong
      • Lusani - S Africa
      • Margaret - S Africa
      • Michael - S Africa
      • Natasha - UK
      • Nikki - UK
      • Sumit - India
      • Trevor - UK
  • Sign Up: Free
  • Login
  • Stories
    • Our Stories / Blog
    • My Journey
    • Our Principles
    • Books

We help professionals achieve their career goals
OUR STORIES
Over 120 career-related articles and counting...
Scroll down to read


Follow @Protagion
SHARE YOUR STORY
FREE SIGN UP

Understand and empathise: Mark Halewood’s Personal Journey

31/7/2017

0 Comments

 
Mark Halewood has over 30 years of experience in financial services, has run an international company, and held a number of director positions. His roles have spanned operational, sales and relationship management, and general management, and he has lived in the United Kingdom, on the Isle of Man, and in the United States. This is his story:
Picture
Picture
From humble beginnings til today
“Hi. My name is Mark. I started my career as an immature, quiet, stressed 21-year old in a financial services company over 30 years ago. I graduated in history and geography, and my aim was to be a geography teacher passing my passion for geography to others. My aim was and still is always to help others, to understand others and work with people in a constructive meaningful honest way. I’ve got to admit that it is not always easy in the political unstable corporate world we live and work in. There are always challenges, egos, agendas etc etc but if you are always honest and true to yourself you will shine through.
I started my career with a small company of 4 people and stayed with that company through takeovers, changes in management, dramatic strategy changes, uncertainty, many changes in direction – 30 years later I am still with the same business although everything is much different. The company now employs over 600 people and I am proud to say that I led the business through many changes and helped it become an award-winning international company. I am very proud of the people and the business we created and grew together.

My influencers over my career journey
I had many early influencers in my life from my family to my school teachers and my close friends.
I enjoyed growing up in a large family with my brothers and sister (7 brothers and 1 sister). My dad gave me my first paying job which taught me many lessons I still value today. I was the first person in my family to go to university and thought of myself often as the odd one out! 
Picture
In my business life I have again had many influencers but two people always stood out for me. Both of them were strong leaders and women at a time when women in leadership positions were much less common in the workplace, reflective of the society and times I worked in. As a result, they had experienced their own career challenges, and were encouraging of others. One told me to always be myself and bring myself to everything I do. I knew I had to do this but struggled to really allow myself the freedom to open up and be myself – when I finally did decide to be myself I was much happier, my colleagues worked much closer with me and I achieved my main objective of following my retiring boss to lead the company and its people. My other lesson was to genuinely believe in and support your colleagues. Don’t just say that people are important and write it in your mission or vision and forget it, but genuinely believe in people, care and be there no matter who they are. Consistent feedback from my colleagues over the years has been that my ability to talk to others intimately and understand and empathise but be honest was my strongest trait. It has helped me work closely with my colleagues and have an open, honest, and rewarding style. 

Career guidance and growth
I have loved my career. I have loved working with others and seeing people change and grow as I have changed and grown. Working life is never easy for anyone from junior to director - we all need help, advice, and someone to talk to and be open with – ask and you will be surprised what you learn about yourself and how to improve your own and your colleagues’ performance!!"
Picture
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Bradley Shearer
    ​Founder of Protagion
    My Personal Journey
    I'd love to hear your stories

    Categories

    All
    Active Career Management
    Branching Out
    Connection
    Consulting
    Contracting
    Future Of Work
    Inspiration
    Leadership
    Learning
    Mentoring
    Non Executive Directors (NEDs)
    Personal Journeys
    Professions
    Psychology
    Real Life Examples
    Role Options
    Routes To The Top

    Tweets by protagion

    Archives

    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017

    RSS Feed


Follow @Protagion
Home / Proteges
> CPD
> ​Services
> Subscribe

​Mentors

Our Stories / Blog

Sign Up to use our System
​
​
Privacy Policy​
PROTAGION currently offers services in English across a range of countries.
Please email us if you have any questions.
Picture

​© 2017-2021 PROTAGION LIMITED (10721032) is a company registered in England and Wales.
Registered Address: Kemp House, 160 City Road, London, United Kingdom, EC1V 2NX
Photos used under Creative Commons from Pjposullivan1, paul.horsefield, flazingo_photos
  • Proteges
    • Career Goals >
      • Promotion
      • New Skills
      • Further Qualifications
      • Moving Countries
      • Switching: Consult/Contract/Startup
      • Transition: Specialism/Profession
      • Managing a Business
      • Portfolio Career
      • Purpose & Meaning
    • CPD
    • Our Services
    • Subscribe
    • Conference 1-5 March
  • Mentors
    • Encore Mentor
    • Featured Subset >
      • Anne - Australia
      • Boniswa - S Africa
      • Bradley - UK
      • Lee - Hong Kong
      • Lusani - S Africa
      • Margaret - S Africa
      • Michael - S Africa
      • Natasha - UK
      • Nikki - UK
      • Sumit - India
      • Trevor - UK
  • Sign Up: Free
  • Login
  • Stories
    • Our Stories / Blog
    • My Journey
    • Our Principles
    • Books