Kate Shead's journey to HR executive at Telviva, formerly Connection Telecom, is a testament to a deep-seated passion for people. While her early life found her navigating her career in a different field, it was a pivotal role she had as a PA to an HR director in the late 1990s that supported and ignited her true calling.
“I realised what a great field it was - exciting, complex, people-focused, and meaningful, with so many moving and impactful parts, and the rest was history,” she recalls.
That "history" is one marked by a dedication to nurturing talent and fostering growth. At Telviva, this commitment shines through in the company's focus on grassroots development, as she describes moments that solidify her purpose.
“I can think of several moments where an individual who was shy and hesitant to begin with begins to gain momentum as their skill and confidence grow. Seeing someone who didn’t think they had many opportunities begin to shine is truly special. It is in these moments that I have no doubt about what I do.”
Kate’s journey to Telviva was a reunion with familiar faces, as she recalls, “I worked with Telviva’s founders many years earlier at UUNET. That was such an exciting time in the SA tech industry and it was a wonderful team. We all moved on but kept in touch. When I was consulting, Telviva was one of my first customers and we were lucky to grow together.”
According to her, she enjoys her role as Telviva recognises the importance of HR. “We have a genuine ‘seat at the table’. This is very exciting because it allows us to contribute in a meaningful way.”
Addressing the unique challenges of the tech and telecommunications industry, Kate points to skills scarcity as a common one.
“The industry is evolving so quickly that it is tough to keep up the pace. This also keeps it interesting - building your skills pipeline and, as many of these questions revolve around, growing a mindset of continual improvement and learning is essential.”
Despite the challenges, her inspiration keeps her going as it stems from the endless potential of people. “Thankfully, people are an endless source of inspiration,” she says.
Navigating the delicate balance between business needs and employee well-being is a core aspect of her role. “For me it is about finding a business with strong people-centric leaders and then contributing to building a culture of trust, performance and care.”
Looking back, she acknowledges the importance of work-life balance, a lesson she wishes she had learnt earlier.
“Like many, I experienced imposter syndrome and often felt I didn't deserve my relative success. This led to poor boundaries and a sense that my worth was directly linked to the size of my workload. While this brought valuable experience, I believe I could have had a greater impact with better work-life balance.”
Her approach to HR is now grounded in continuous learning and adaptability, through a collection of insightful sayings from lessons learnt. She shares a few sayings she has learnt from:
- “When the student is ready, the master will appear. Not everyone learns or grows at the same pace. This is why the layered learning approach is so important. We need to be consistently coaching, upskilling, and providing opportunities so that team members have a chance to shine when it’s the right time for them.”
- “One man’s motivator can be another man's demotivator. One size does not fit all. One individual may flourish in a competitive environment whereas another may be paralysed by it. Insight and adaptability is key when it comes to managing a team.”
- “Attitude determines altitude. People who know that their level of happiness is largely determined by their own actions bring accountability and proactiveness to their work. This gives them a real advantage.”
- “Hold the vision and trust the process. It’s important to keep your eyes on the horizon but to take each step in order to get there. Keep an open mind, allow things to emerge, course correct when you need to and persist to achieve it.”
Outside of her professional life, Kate says she finds solace in family, and the natural beauty of her Cape Town surroundings.
“My life outside of work revolves around family and friends. Living near the beach means we spend a lot of time outdoors. I'm also passionate about music and art and I dabble in both whenever I have the chance.”
Her deep passion for music and art, she believes, is transferable to her HR role.
“People are surprised to learn that I have a background in the creative arts. During my teenage and young adult years, music and songwriting were my whole world. I only took on what I call a 'real job' out of necessity to pay the bills. For many years, I continued writing and performing part-time and it remains my primary hobby.”
“I believe creativity can be applied in whatever we do, so I have plenty of opportunities to be creative in the workplace too. The principles remain the same: practice, practice, practice. Hone your skills and then you can have some real fun and do some of the best work of your life.”
