What fuels you matters – during her pivot from Regis, Linda Mellors upholds the personal with professional, reflecting on leadership as results through relationship

If there ever was a titan in the aged care industry it would be Linda Mellors. For those that have had the pleasure of working with her, and knowing her style, they would equally know she would quickly wave away such an accolade. But as is the case where an abundance of neurons make for fizzing intellect, and depth of heart make for sincere compassion, there comes a combination in an aged care leader that makes a positive impact that sticks. Mellors, in her time in the health and aged care services has made an impact. She has not just steered the ship at Regis through times of turbulence but done so with vision, brilliance and aplomb. While she got the results, she keenly stresses, she did not get them alone. As she gears up to take on her next professional endeavour, Mellors reflects back on how the substance of her leadership is in honouring what fuels her and to have a career not just of results but relationships that lead to them.

The early years

In a hopeful indication for parents the world over, that passion and brilliance can be shaped in later years, Mellors indicates hers was not a beginning through prodigy. As a six-year-old she had no inkling of the career trajectory to come, “I was busy playing like all the other kids.”

In fact, it was in a different approach to schooling that Mellors was able to understand that work had to be put in, and she could benefit from self-directed study, “I lived in the UK for a year in 1985 and completed school by correspondence. This allowed me to work at my own pace.”

Moving into secondary school, Mellors caught a lucky break that allowed her and her family to sharpen the mind she had, and to do so without worrying about cost, “I was awarded an academic scholarship for secondary school which expanded what was possible for me.” It is here that perhaps the first indication of the importance of relationship comes on to the scene. For schools that have resources to facilitate children to what is said on the brochure, ‘greatness’, scholarships are an integral offering. Aged care looks after those from the full gamut of backgrounds, it is worthwhile to consider that it’s leaders must come from all backgrounds too.

Key moments

As Mellors reflects back on the moments that brought her to the now, key themes emerge showcasing a willingness to self-reflect and action, alongside cherishing the relationships that guided. It becomes apparent that in Mellors ascension, while she worked incredibly hard, there were hands, hearts and minds pointing the way and even doing some hoisting.

“I was streamed into maths and science very early. I recognised at the end of my PhD in medical research that I wasn’t well-suited to a specialised focus and working in isolation.”

In honouring how she was ‘made, and what ‘filled her cup’, Mellors chose to acknowledge what she was not fit for, and to pursue paths that did click. She had seen out her PHD, she had completed it but not without bumps and discomfort along the way. What had initially been a step the professional world sees as excellent and esteemed, was not to be her road. The pivot with self-reflection, seeped in gratefulness to course-correct, helped set her in a new direction, rather than lamenting over the square peg not fitting.

More learning of ‘not for me, thanks’ was to come Mellors’ way. For those starting out in aged care, particularly in leadership, Mellors story is one that can be exceedingly helpful. Having head knowledge is invaluable yes but pairing it with a good glass of humility is what makes the career notes sing.

“I moved to the healthcare sector after my PhD and was appointed to an executive role quickly. It was there that I learnt I was a generalist (rather than specialist) with a strong preference for working with others.”

Mellors was listening to herself, how she was responding to roles, their tasks, and the substance of the leadership she wanted. Understanding that she did not excel as a specialist in leadership as well as the sciences, understanding the importance of working with others, and how that fueled her, was critical to her success later on.

Mellors’ story is also simple, at every step she was willing and ready to learn. She accepted that starting out there would be the need to see how things fit together, how the moving pieces interacted. For the aged care industry too, in hiring new leaders, making space for assured self-confidence in not knowing, but seeking to learn, is central to the building up of leaders.

“I was appointed Company Secretary as part of that first executive role and had extremely valuable regular exposure to Boards, CEOs and governance from there.”

Mentorship and challenges

Mellors treasures many of the mentors that shaped her career. The depth of relationship, and the pairing of personal and professional will continue to be a core ingredient in the nurturing of future leadership for her. She notes how a mentor was able to see her needs more than she could herself and the fruits that came from receiving wise direction, “a wonderful friend and mentor guided me to an operational role to round out my experience in governance, strategy and project management. This led to my first CEO role in the health sector.”

“In my last year in my last role when I was Chief Executive Health Services, I took on the private aged care, home care and retirement living services as well, which had been under the leadership of a Chief Executive Aged Care. This opened my eyes to aged care and the need for transformational reform.”

Far from limiting leadership to the sectors that are only thriving, Mellors found in herself an appetite to take on the need for big changes. The quality and substance of her leadership was to take on areas that needed deep sifting and alterations to the structural integrity of operations. For leaders in the aged care sector, one of significant complexity and need, a willingness to roll up the sleeves and ‘get stuck in’ to the big changes, the changes that need years and years is an important consideration to assess whether the fuel is there to see the big lifts through.

And a huge lift for Mellors was to come, moving to Regis in late 2019, she came on board, “part-way through the Royal Commission (extended twice) and a few months before the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

At Regis, her fuel, that of working with others and to take on the big changes came to fruition in earnest. Yet in reflecting, Mellors sits the time firmly in the invaluable relationships she found there, “[it has been] a wonderful opportunity to lead one of the largest aged care groups with a supportive Board and committed employees.”

Thriving in leadership

Now at her cross-roads to the new, Mellors shares that in discerning best fit for a role, particularly in leadership, it is integral that leaders take the time to figure out what helps them thrive, “for me – I need to be connected to the purpose of the company/organisation. I like to be contributing to broad, systemic improvements. I am highly motivated by people-businesses.”

For Mellors being fulfilled personally in her professional life is not glib or pithy, it is paramount.

“For me, it’s critical. I pour a lot of energy and time into my work. Work is also my hobby. The more fulfilled I am, the more I can contribute. The more I feel my contributions matter, the higher my motivation. I look for roles where I can lead positive outcomes for consumers and workers.”

Expanding operations, developing people

In reflecting on her key strengths in developing and expanding large operations, Mellors showcases an aptitude for large-picture thinking and a heart for people development. In partnering these two areas of growth, she highlights how big-picture growth must have its roots in sincere personnel growth in the journey to build up corporate capacity.

“At some point, I worked out I was a systems thinker. I could see patterns and connections that weren’t apparent to others.”

Mellors shares, “I also love people and derive enormous satisfaction from watching people grow and develop. I was extremely fortunate to have older and wiser heads take an interest in my career and development from an early age and I now get to pay that forward.”

Mellors found her fit and thrived. Seeking the trajectory that fuels you as a leader is not sentimental, it’s a lynch-pin of success, “I really enjoy moving between strategy, operations, policy and governance. Developing and expanding large operations has been a natural fit.”

Pivots

In her decision to resign, Mellors offers a glimpse into the need for personal and professional flexibility and change. Her time at Regis has been marked by quantitative success, and while the old adage goes, ‘don’t mess with a good thing’, her decision opens up the space to consider the value of being open to pivoting and stepping into balanced discernment on responsibility and choice.

“I wasn’t looking to leave just yet but the time was getting closer. I was offered an opportunity in another purpose-filled sector and, on balance, decided it was the right time”, Mellors says.

“I considered the strength of the Regis Board, Executive, management team and workforce. There is enormous capability and experience in our team and I will leave with confidence that Regis is in great hands.”

Mellors conveys that in her decision to leave, she understood and was deeply proud of the team at Regis. While departing means change and shifting relationships, those relationships maintain importance throughout the transition and beyond. She showcases the ability to navigate leaving well, to honour any feelings that come up with clarity, openness and support. Through robust and sincere relationships, seeking excellent results does not need to falter.

“We have a great strategic plan and lots we’re wanting to achieve this year so it’s full- steam ahead with the Board and Executive. I will also focus on supporting our people to prepare for and manage a CEO change. Finally, I will be working hard to ensure a smooth transition to the next CEO.”

In addressing where she is headed, she indicates she will start on July 1. She shares that her fuel points, of people-centred, opportunity to expansively learn, and profoundly develop, are deeply embedded in the new opportunity.

“It’s another role that has salt of the earth people walking alongside families in a time of need. It’s a new sector to learn about and contribute to, with digital and operational transformation opportunities, and great growth potential.”

The importance of fuel

For countless aged care leadership and front-line staff, pouring themselves out to further the sector, to safeguard the vulnerable at its heart and to bring about good is not a walk in the park. Burnout is both a real and frustrating circumstance for many. In contemplating the need for fuel, ie, energy, Mellors acknowledges the critical need to be aware of where energy levels are at, for both leaders inwardly assessing and caring for those in their responsibility.

In seeking to develop and grow staff, she advises that leadership must note that energy, “it’s such a person-dependent scenario so it changes with every person. It depends where you derive energy and where you give energy and ensuring that the energy supply stays ahead of energy demand.”

As well as shaping and guiding staff, and for leadership pushing themselves, there is space to realistically honour the demands of aged care. Continually sweeping difficulty under the rug with pure positivity robs the opportunity of bearing witness to true struggle and challenge faced by many, for both leadership and staff. Mellors recognises these challenges.

“Aged care has been an extremely demanding sector over my time, with protracted funding shortfalls, uncertainty in policy and funding settings, a Royal Commission, a pandemic, the beginnings of transformational reform and many other unusual events.”

Mellors kindly and openly steps into the conversation for leaders in aged care to contemplate what is asked of them, by the role, by the industry, by the complexity and profound importance of the work, “aged care leaders have needed gigantic stores of energy and resilience.”

In supporting the professional, she articulates the value and legitimacy of honouring what is happening in the personal. She advocates for leaders, “to take some time for self-care and kindness to ensure [they] the industry’s leaders can keep going.”

Seeing the personal and professional as a symbiotic pair is not sappy, it is strategic. To ensure that energy levels are high and work-fit is best means that leaders can be in a position to impact, “aged care leaders have such a lot to offer and can help to shape the reform so it delivers to expectations in a way that supports older Australians, their families and the workforce.”

Cheering on

Forget diamonds, for those that poured themselves into the aged care industry, many will attest you can leave to another sector or retire but aged care will never leave you. Hoping for its best, cheering on progress and improvements, advocating for change and supporting in new ways those at its heart, by those in the aged care ‘village’ does have an impact. Caring does not stop with departure.

Mellors is one such professional who has not just thought about wanting to see progress and change continue after she leaves. She has, and will continue to, actively pour into those around her until June, through relationships and results, to help the leaders and staff at Regis to grow, to learn and adapt past her tenure, as cherished mentors did for her.

“With a new rights-based framework in place, I hope to see the industry enter and enjoy a period of certainty with sufficient funding and the right policy and regulatory settings to support the wonderful people who choose aged care as a career, so they can provide the best support to older Australians.”

At the center of her hopes is relationship bolstered results, “I want to see a rightfully proud industry with a strong commitment to excellence and continuous improvement. Finally, I’d like to see a confident industry expanding its services and enjoying the confidence of the community.”

Treasuring relationships

Mellors is proud of her tenure at Regis. She is proud of the team she has worked alongside. Navigating through extreme complexity and achieving powerful results has been gratifying and from an industry perspective, a well-deserved report card.

And in the same breath, the moments of relationship stand out brightly in a career of quantified success. Reflecting back these moments in her career, it is in engaging with others that Mellors particularly treasures.

“I laugh a lot! Most of my heartiest laughs at Regis have been with residents over lunch. The jokes, funny stories and banter can be hilarious. I have cried with laughter!”

The personal and the professional, underpinned by relationships of learning, respect and humour have made for a nourishing mix that has fueled Mellors.

“I have met some of the best people of my working life in the aged care industry. The commitment, energy and generosity of leaders have been outstanding. I will leave the sector with great respect for its leaders and people, and keep cheering it on from the sidelines.”

“I will miss the residents, clients and families as well – and how much they contribute to vibrant aged care, retirement and local communities.”