Words by Dwayne Alexander | About Dwayne

Mandy Groube has always been associated with caring professions. She was a dedicated registered nurse working in research that (amongst other things) enrolled 500 babies into a study that continues to look at the risk factors that lead to the development of asthma in children. 

Like many of us, she entered a phase in her life where she felt that she needed a change as she was rather sick of entering data into a database for this study. 

From there she took on a role as account manager at Baxter Healthcare in a new territory for one of their products.  She called on every rest home and built relationships with the people and the management and eventually built a profitable new business in the Wellington region. 

Mandy soon transitioned into a role as national account manager for chemotherapy, intravenous nutrition and other intravenous medications. She made a huge impact here, but the commercial healthcare world took a personal toll on her and she sought help via a mentor.

This mentor happened to be on the marketing advisory board for Cure Kids.  At the initial phase of the mentoring relationship a role was mentioned but she was not in a position to consider the opportunity as she was in "burnout". This was a period in her life when she had to be really strong to overcome the challenges and create a new lifestyle for herself.

Ironically about 9 months later the role was on offer again and Mandy grabbed the opportunity with both hands.

Curekids is like a calling for Mandy. She is an integral part of Cure Kids success over the last 5 years and has thoroughly enjoyed working "for the kids". (The children who suffer from illnesses that Curekids fund research for.)

"There is nothing more heartening than to be able to tell a child and their family that we are looking for some answers through the research that we do", says Mandy.  She looks at the photos of the ambassadors on Cure Kids walls every day and they are a continuing source of inspiration.  Mandy is suitably proud of what she does and gets a buzz from making a difference.

1. An interview with:
   
   Mandy Groube
   


2. My company: 
   
   http://www.curekids.org.nz/
   
   I am the Business Development Director for Cure Kids - an established charity committed to supporting research to help improve the quality of life, length of life and ultimately find cures for kids diseases.
   
   
3. My interests:
   
   Interesting people, good food, nice wine, cafes with great coffee, kids, travel, walking, fishing when I get the chance.
   
   
4. The roles that I play:
   
   Cure Kids champion, wife, step mother, friend, nurse.
    
5. List a few of your recent accomplishments that you are proud of:
   
   Got married!
   
   Working with Cure Kids has been an incredible journey.  When I started five years ago we were officially associated with three major companies.  My mandate was to secure other companies via an event - the Cure Kids Great Adventure Race.  At that time no-one had heard of Cure Kids and there were many cold calls to companies to seek their support.  Over time I have seen the organization grow from a team of three to a team of nine and many more associations that have assisted Cure Kids to grow their fundraising four-fold.
   
   In the last year I have successfully secured high profile Paperplus Group and Pumpkin Patch after 3 and 5 years respectively to become key partners for Cure Kids.
   
   
6. Did you celebrate them?
   
   Quietly...
   
7. I am busy at the moment doing:
   
   Campaigns, campaigns, campaign for the kids including -Add a Dollar, implementing a capital campaign and developing a new farming strategy
   
   Balancing my new families needs
   
   
8. My big hairy audacious goal this year is to:
   
   Concentrate on Bree (my 10 year old step-daughter) and making sure that she has the best start in life possible
   
   Settle into my first year of marriage and all the exciting things that go with it
   
   Raise at least $500,000 of new money for the charity, and still have balance in my own life.
   
   
9. My secret for getting things done is to:
   
   Stop procrastinating. 
   
   A great read is 'Eat the Frog' by Brian Tracy.  My CEO, Kaye Parker, put me on to this.  I have a great big Cane Toad from Queensland on my desk to remind me. 
   
   Also, you need to support yourself by having the right people around you - those that are supportive, positive and don't mind you asking 'dumb' questions.  If you are at a time when things are tough the best thing is to ADMIT IT then the help seems to come....that you have been struggling to find
   
   
10. My darkest hour was when:
    
    I have had what is clinically called 'Burn-out' twice in my career.  It is usually a combination of work and personal things. 
    
    Admit that you are not coping and seek the support of 'supportive people'.
    
    Reflect on your achievements. In my books, you don't reach burn-out if you are not 'burning' i.e. you are not an achiever.
    
    
11. I came through it by:
    
    Enlisting the help of a mentor who believed in me and introduced me to an incredible network of people.
    
    
12. What has been your career highlight so far?
    
    Implementing a fundraising campaign from scratch, enlisting company support from a 'cold call' situation to become a 750,000 fundraiser for Cure Kids and is now taken over by two very capable Event managers.
    
    
13. What do you do to cope with stress?
    
    Hide often and then, when I am ready to admit it, enlist the support of supportive people who I trust.
    
    Also, get exercising!
    
    
14. How many hours do you work each week?
    
    Between 40-50 hours, depending what is on. Recently, we have purposely made adjustments to give me more quality time with my beautiful step-daughter, Bree.  I am enjoying the best of both worlds: family and work.
    
    
15. What do you do when things aren't going your way?
    
    Wait. Patience is a virtue. 
    
    I maintain that there is always an opportunity for everyone to 'win' on some level.  There is no need to burn bridges to get your way.  If someone says 'no', it doesn't mean 'no', it just means 'not now'. 
    
    
16. What is the most important piece of advice you'd give to people who are struggling to create a positive change in their lives?
    
    Surround yourself with the right people who give you support to pull together the jigsaw puzzle of life.
    
    
17. What is the hardest lesson you've had to learn in life/business?
    
    Your psychological wellbeing is the key. It is imperitive to exercise, have objective reasoning (you may need help from outside to see it sometimes), and learn to trust others. 
    
    Be kind to managers they don't have all the answers.
    
    
18. What separates successful people from unsuccessful people?
    
    A positive attitude and a network of like minded people
    
    
19. Do you have any daily rituals that help you keep focused and in the right mental state to succeed?
    
    I try to walk each day and eat well. (I don't always succeed).
    
    
20. What was your working background before you started what you are doing now?
    
    Nurse, internationally and locally, Research, Baxter Healthcare
    
    
21. Do you have any school/study qualifications?
    
    UE, Registered Nurse, Post Graduate Diploma of Public Health
    
    
22. What are the three most important personal qualities you've had to develop to become a successful business person?
    
    Believe in your intuition.  It is right 99% of the time
    
    Relationships are key.  Take as much time as you need to build them 'right'
    
    Tenacity pays-off
    
    
23. What are the three most important skills that you would advise up and coming youngsters to develop?
    
    Don't be afraid to ask for help from anyone you admire. Or, ask them about their experiences. Afterall, they have been just like you.  Most people are flattered to be asked for help...
    
    
24. How do you know when you've found a good idea?
    
    When the business case stacks up and the money is collected
    
    
25. Do you have a formal goal setting process?
    
    Usually during the summer holidays when I have a whole, new, fresh year ahead of me.
    
26. Have you ever been scared in your role/business? What did you do about it?
    
    Yes, petrified when I had to step into CEO's board rooms.  I was incredibly intimidated.   These days I love the opportunity to meet successful business people and to learn from them.
    
    
27. What comes first...success or confidence?
    
    It is a constant see-saw for me.
    
    
28. How do you build confidence if you're not a confident person?
    
    Surround yourself with supportive people who believe in you and 'fake it 'til you make it'!
    
    
29. The Parting Shot: When I feel frustrated that things are not coming together as I wish, I proceed to:
    
    Hang in there, be tenacious, and keep your intuition on high alert.
    
    

Article by Dwayne Alexander. 
Dwayne is the founder of http://www.livemygoals.com/