Kris Barnes

Associate

Writing a "my story" about myself and career is not that easy and can seem a little self-fulfilling. To me, it feels like writing an episode of "This is Your Life" where the guest star is no one particularly famous at all. But, if my time with the media has taught me anything, it is that everyone has an interesting story in them -even those of us that aren't particularly famous.

I guess there are two things that would stand out in my story. The first being an ongoing battle to try and keep a good work/life balance. Yes, this sounds like a cliche and for many of us, including me at times, it often is. But since having children, I can no longer talk of career success in the same breath without asking the question "Am I good father, husband or friend?" I vividly remember a Kalgoorlie miner once telling me how his life/work balance had got so out of wack that his dog bit him when he got home from work. He had just spent 5 weeks away in the mines and the dog had simply forgotten him.

The second that has defined my career may also sound a little cynical. That is, over the past 10 years I have completely changed my view on how effective businesses, community groups, governments, etc. really are at solving problems and/or issues. I have now come to the conclusion that they (me included for a long time) really struggle in this area. Think of issues such as water, transport systems, governments in general, land use, the union movement, welfare and health. All these issues have multiple stakeholders to be considered with different needs and expectations. Traditional methods for solving these problems just haven't worked. My revelation in my career was to stumble across a new process that actually helps different groups of people work through complex issues to achieve a good outcome.

Growing up in the 1980's as a country teenager involved sport, beach, play and work. Life was good and well balanced. People were reluctant to work more than 40 hours a week, we generally cared about our community and we put a lot more time into our family and friends. It was a period where 90% of people finished year 12, there was a booming economy and the concept of environmental protection just was starting to come of age.

As someone now approaching my 40's and writing a "my story", it is interesting to reflect on the influence that this period has had on my outlook on life. The concept of life/work balance seems to be a new phenomenon, but it is a concept which I believe has always been with us.

In my mid twenties after completing my environmental degree, I conformed to the status quo of working hard to be "successful" - what ever that means. In the eyes of my family, friends and work colleagues, I was well on my way to making it. I had worked very hard at a number of large mining and consulting companies and even obtained a second degree in my "spare" time. What I didn't realise was that this path was pulling me away from all those things that actually mattered - a life.

By my late twenties, I was now positioned to finally make it in the big time - management. But something happened on two fronts. Firstly, and most importantly, I was no longer happy with the way things were going. I was continually working away from home. I played no sport. My life/work balance really sucked. Although the dog never got around to biting me.

Secondly, I had become disillusioned with the corporate body and how it tries to deal with complex problems. To me, it felt like the organisation believed it could solve any problem with a long winded meeting, a decision by a manager and then the generation of an action list. But I was no different either, following this true and tried formula for most of my career. But it was during my working stint with Rio Tinto that I came across a company offering a new way to solve problems. Based deeply in Greek philosophy, it involved using the power of people and conversation as opposed to analysis and isolated thinking to solve problems. Did it work? Well it did for the areas it was applied in Rio Tinto and most importantly it also empowered the people involved in the process.

In 2000, I left Rio Tinto and started the "good life" as a consultant. My main aim was to try and get two things right - firstly a good life/work balance and secondly, to offer a different type of service to clients, one that offered an alternative to traditional problem solving using the skills I had learned from Rio Tinto.

And it worked - mostly. Over the past six years my life/work balance is getting into sync. Most importantly, I have been able to help a number of clients deal with some wide and wonderful problems through the art of using people and conversation. This work has included large mining companies, insurance firms, NPO's, construction companies and even the Anglican Church.

I have also found a natural fit for this type of work in the area sustainability. Hence, my picture on this website. Sustainability is a fantastic area screaming out for a method that can balance the needs of the environment, social and economic values.

I have no doubt that my outlook on a successful career will continue to evolve. My main aim now is to try and make a difference at home, in the workplace and in the community. Do I believe that I can help different groups of people through difficult paths to a shared outcome? Most of the time I would have to say yes. As for the dog, we are also getting along.