At Ampol, everyone is a leader

As someone embarking on his maiden voyage in formal leadership, the only thing that I truly know is how much of a privilege it is to be in a position where you are allowed to guide others on their own journeys from the vantage point of being called a “leader”.

Being fortunate enough to have mentors who have demonstrated values associated with leadership, I had the benefit of coming to Ampol with a sense of the sort of leader that I wanted to be. One focused on service and helping those in the team achieve their own goals along with the wider business goals.

My introduction to the leaders here was a surprise, an extremely pleasant one, in that they exemplified the value above while coupling it with a deeply profound humility. Between my direct manager and the function lead, they personify this principle of keeping one eye on delivering for the business while keeping the other firmly fixed on guiding the members of the team towards their aspirations.

There are many a moment where my direct manager has proactively stepped in to act as a sounding board to refine my ideas or to stand as a bulwark against the more aspirational ones, all the while keeping space for me to find my way. I truly appreciate how my line manager is constantly looking for opportunities for me to grow and learn through new work or courses to buffers skills that need more polish. Moreover, I have found that the leaders here are generally approachable and willing to provide anyone who asks with their rationale and guidance. All this while doing the work themselves, truly leading from the front of the line.

I firmly believe that through the examples that are being set and from the mentorship that is readily available, there is ample opportunity for me to shape my leadership journey to truly become a leader that is capable of effectively leading a team to personal achievement and growth as well as delivering business efficacy.

If I had one lesson to share it is that leadership is an absolute privilege but it is also rather a scary one. I would urge anyone exploring a chance to be a leader to take it and surround themselves with the sort of leaders that inspire them. Thankfully, there is no shortage of that here in Ampol, especially in the Legal team where I belong.