EPISODE 15
Change is inevitable. Adaptability a choice.
Duration - 61 mins
|
SHARE EPISODE
|
|
In a previous episode with Hedley Widdup, we spoke about the mining industry being a highly cyclic industry. One of the undesired consequences of this, is that we lose people out of the industry with each successive downturn in the commodity cycle. This industry is unique in the toll that it exacts from people wanting to stay within it. Add travel to this mix. And having to manage all the challenges that life, family and friends throw at you... and the equation gets harder to balance. So how can you build an effective career in this industry in amongst all of turmoil?
In neuroscience, there is a well understood concept called brain plasticity. It effectively refers to the brain's ability to change throughout an individual's life - e.g. a given brain function can transfer between different locations in the brain over time. Previously, we had assumed that the brain develops during a critical period and then stays static throughout the rest of a person's life. There are many scales at which you can observe the effect of this plasticity. One of the simplest, and most evident, would be in the survival of certain species. It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent. But the ones that are the most responsive to change.
Peta Libby epitomises this spirit. She is incredibly honest and wholly authentic, wears her heart on her sleeve and shoots from the hip; and despite all the challenges and setbacks this industry has thrown at her, Peta has managed to succeed on her own terms. Talking to Peta, you realise pretty quickly that she is innately adaptable... or in her words “she just gets on with things and focuses on being the driver rather than the passenger in life”. What if to survive in this industry, the most important thing is adaptability. We are continuously asking companies to change. But change is not about things. It is about people. Maybe it is time we think about being more adaptable as well. So the question is, how plastic is your mindset?
In neuroscience, there is a well understood concept called brain plasticity. It effectively refers to the brain's ability to change throughout an individual's life - e.g. a given brain function can transfer between different locations in the brain over time. Previously, we had assumed that the brain develops during a critical period and then stays static throughout the rest of a person's life. There are many scales at which you can observe the effect of this plasticity. One of the simplest, and most evident, would be in the survival of certain species. It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent. But the ones that are the most responsive to change.
Peta Libby epitomises this spirit. She is incredibly honest and wholly authentic, wears her heart on her sleeve and shoots from the hip; and despite all the challenges and setbacks this industry has thrown at her, Peta has managed to succeed on her own terms. Talking to Peta, you realise pretty quickly that she is innately adaptable... or in her words “she just gets on with things and focuses on being the driver rather than the passenger in life”. What if to survive in this industry, the most important thing is adaptability. We are continuously asking companies to change. But change is not about things. It is about people. Maybe it is time we think about being more adaptable as well. So the question is, how plastic is your mindset?
Peta Libby with husband John (centre) with daughters Courtney Libby (left) and Samantha Henderson (right). Image from Chamber of Mines and Energy (CME) WA.
|
WHAT WE REFERRED TO
Winner of Outstanding Woman in Resources Article Winner of Outstanding Woman in Resources Video Brain Plasticity Wikipedia |
WHERE TO FIND MORE INFO
Equality starts at home: resources leader Kalgoorlie Miner article on Peta Libby Digirock - Peta Libby Kalgoorlie Miner article on Peta Libby |