From terrified to unstoppable

Hello, Nadia here (and now).

You may be wondering who I am and why you should trust me.

TL;DR - I suggest you skip this whole paragraph and simply read my direct reports recommendations below to see if it resonates and inspires you - perhaps make a list of inspirational qualities as your first homework? (I am not here to brag and I was the first one to be astonished by what emerged when I was given a leadership opportunity.)

If you want a longer story, the truth is that I never wanted to become a manager, nor was I attracted by power positions (I had too many bad role models growing up in USSR!). But I’ve always been interested in human potential and felt intrigued by why some people end up thriving despite all sorts of challenges while others stay unfulfilled—a pale version of their true Self. After a few fruitless attempts to changes people around me (we all start learning this as babies, and some become quite good at it, while others, well…), I followed Gandhi’s advice to be the change you want to see in the world. And the lifelong work begun… and still continues.

When I was offered project management position back to France, I was terrified and refused. I wasn’t ready, and I wasn’t taught how to make it work, nor did I have confidence. But this was to change.

My first experience at leadership was in a Hackathon during the pandemics where I gathered a team to develop a feature we all wanted but could not get on the roadmap. We got a Ship It award and I realised that when you feel passionate about something and respect other people as professionals, you can pretty much trust them to do their best job while you are “simply” coordinating them.

Then I took more initiatives. And more. Worked with a software developer to design a scam protection feature called Ban Hammer he developed in his “magic time”, to make content moderation easier for the team. Was it leadership? I didn’t think of it in these terms back then… I was just trying to do what seemed right.

When I was eventually promoted to a people manager role, what saved me was realising my ignorance and lack of skills (I guess you can call it humility and lucidity). In my first year into the role I spent all my free time educating myself—taking online courses on first time managers typical mistakes, best practices and coaching skills (the one I can definitely recommend is this specialisation—the bad and good coaching sessions video examples are gold!). And, of course, I tried to apply those learnings, even if it sometimes felt scary. One of the best decisions was to start delegating early on. Then it became easy. Then I implemented Agile in Operations. Then involved a senior analyst in the hiring process—and actually listened to his input, so he would wholeheartedly support the next analyst we hired as he was part of that decision.

I hired, trained and managed multicultural distributed fully remote teams of up to 12 people successfully, helping them develop and improving “metrics”. Then I was made redundant. Twice. It was not a “blessing in disguise” - it was an outright blessing as it gave me time to rethink what I really wanted to do in life. So here I am.

Oh, credentials? I have two Masters and a freshly earned Diploma of Counselling. I speak 3 languages fluently (bonjour !) and also run private retreats.

Nadia dressed as a Diva Plavalaguna costume she made, wearing a large blue gown with sparkles and a black necklace, standing on a pink carpet inside a building at the entrance of SEEK Christmas party in 2019.

What direct reports say…

  • She gave me plenty of autonomy...


    “In my time at Jora I felt very lucky to have Nadia as a manager. She gave me plenty of autonomy to carry out my work however I liked, but was always giving me very valuable and motivating feedback as well. Nadia encouraged me to grow my skills-particularly in coaching more junior teammates— and I feel I was able to leave the position much enhanced by her guidance.

    More generally, it is clear to me that Nadia cares deeply about doing her work well and that she is motivated by a very genuine desire to make the world a better place. Kudos Nadia!”

  • Her guidance has been invaluable.

    “Working for Nadia has been an excellent experience. She has given me really great advice and mentorship in my role and has taught me important fundamentals that has improved my learning and problem solving skills.

    Her guidance has been invaluable. Nadia has a warm, helpful and positive attitude that has made me feel supported and empowered to make decisions which has motivated me to learn and want to make a valid contribution to the team and company. She cultivates a collaborative environment and gives us all opportunities to lead and contribute which has helped make the team strong and autonomous.

    Nadia wants us all to succeed. She helps you find your purpose and helps you develop both professionally and personally. We have a great working relationship and it's been a pleasure to work with and for her. She is destined for great things!”

  • [she] was the first boss I have had who lived up to the ideals of what a good boss can be


    “Nadia hired and managed me in my first tech job, and to be honest was the first boss I have had who lived up to the ideals of what a good boss can be. She did an excellent job at welcoming me to the team, directing me towards the resources I might need and offering opportunities for me to take on greater responsibilities and develop my skills. Nadia is a great communicator and was a welcome change of pace from previous bosses I have had who seemed to live in fear of clearly telling people what they would like to have happen. However, feedback was always sought, and perhaps more vitally actually acknowledged and acted upon! Most importantly Nadia is an excellent delegator who does a very good job at conveying the high-level goals her subordinates are working towards, naking prioritisation much easier. Because of this I can highly recommend Nadia as a smart, skilful manager who is able to get the best out of those working under her.”

  • ...fostering a culture of continuous improvement and a positive and supportive work atmosphere


    “I have had the privilege of working under Nadia's supervision at Jora. She is always approachable, actively listens to her team members and encourages everyone to think creatively and problem-solve effectively, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and a positive and supportive work atmosphere. She is a knowledgeable and aspirational team leader. Especially as this is my first job in Australia, I have learnt a lot from her regarding workplace culture and the essential soft skills to prioritize and tackle tasks effectively. I wholeheartedly recommend her to future employers.”

  • Nadia was a comfort and support to me...


    “I was fortunate to have Nadia as a valued colleague and then as my manager over four years at SEEK - within the Jora section. Nadia always fought for what was best for the company and for its customers and brought her extremely advanced skills in search and language understanding to the real problems that needed to be solved. Those skills are now particular relevant as Al takes off.

    Nadia was a comfort and support to me in my career through an oft-changing environment and was always open to healthy debate. She is very organised and readily adopts new tools to improve the efficiency of operations. She is a true professional.”

  • She was the one who offered me the opportunity to join the team, even when I questioned my own skills

    “I had the honour of working under Nadia's supervision for a year and eight months at Jora. She was the one who offered me the opportunity to join the team, even when I questioned my own skills. Her trust and confidence in me, despite my reservations, have been priceless.

    Nadia has excellent communication skills and a thorough understanding of how to motivate and grow her team as a manager. She helped me understand the company's operation and provided guidance on essential tools […]. She also helped me to improve my confidence and communication skills, not just in workplace interactions but also in connecting with people outside of work.

    On top of that, Nadia is a good listener and great motivator. Despite her busy schedule as a manager, Nadia always made time to offer support and provide constructive feedback, which enabled me to improve in the areas where I needed to grow.

    Working with Nadia has been a wonderful experience and I would be happy to collaborate with her again in the future. She is an outstanding mentor and leader, and I highly recommend her without hesitation.”

  • Her guidance helped me grow both professionally and personally


    “I was fortunate to have Nadia as my manager and to work closely under her leadership at Snowplow.

    Even though we worked together for only a few months, the impact she had on me was truly meaningful. Her guidance helped me grow both professionally and personally, and I always felt supported, encouraged, and trusted. Nadia created an environment where I could learn, stretch myself, and do my best work.

    I'm really grateful for having had the opportunity to work with Nadia, and I highly recommend her as a leader.”