Learn how you can maintain a trajectory of growth across your career and step up into positions of leadership – even before you feel ready.

Catherine McLachlan FCPHR didn’t plan to work in HR. She started university studying human nutrition, switched to psychology and assumed she’d end up in clinical practice. 

Catherine McLachlan, CPO, Department of Finance

However, after landing a graduate placement at Calvary Hospital in Canberra, she discovered a field that combined everything she loved – human behaviour, organisational dynamics and the kind of practical, people-centred problem-solving she’d been drawn to since her years in retail. 

“It was this beautiful mix of the client service and interaction engagement that I really loved, as well as being able to exercise some muscle around human behaviour and human thinking,”  says McLachlan, who is speaking as part of an AHRI webinar on 15 July about navigating and evolving your HR career. 

More than two decades later, she’s now the Chief People Officer at the Australian Department of Finance, managing the employee lifecycle for people in the department.

Below, she unpacks four key insights she learned on her path to HR leadership which she encourages emerging leaders to bear in mind:

1. Draw confidence from others in your team

One of the most formative moments in McLachlan’s career came early, when she found herself managing a team of 16 as an Executive Level 2 (EL2) in her mid-twenties.

“I’d been in the public service for three years and all of a sudden I was in an executive role, leading people who’d been around longer than I’d been alive… [it was] the best learning curve,” she says.

McLachlan sees herself as someone who draws energy and passion from the people around her.

“I knew I had knowledge to build, but the best way I could do this was through experience and relying on the professional expertise of those in my team to learn and grow,” she adds.

Initially, there were a small number of people who questioned her placement into her first Executive role.

“I like to think I won them over when I was able to demonstrate I was comfortable making decisions, progressing work and giving feedback, while being a team player, learning from those around me and genuinely enjoying the work we were doing together.”

2. You don’t have to have all the answers

One of the most significant leadership challenges McLachlan faced early in her career occurred during a machinery of government change that brought together two teams from different organisations under a new structure.

While the functions were similar, each team had its own culture, processes and ways of working.

“As a relatively young leader, I quickly learned that combining teams on paper was much easier than bringing people together in practice,” she says.

The change created uncertainty for team members. Some worried about their future roles, others felt their expertise might not be valued and a few openly questioned the reasons for the change.

Despite being relatively short on leadership experience, McLachlan realised she could thrive as a leader by shifting from always trying to be the problem-solver to creating the conditions for others to solve problems.

“The experience taught me that successful leadership during change…is about listening, creating clarity where possible, and helping people navigate uncertainty together.” 

When she focussed on creating opportunities for people to raise concerns, involved team members in shaping new ways of working and ensured she recognised the strengths that each team brought to the new organisation, trust grew and the team developed a shared identity. 

“It remains one of the most valuable lessons in my leadership journey,” she adds.

McLachlan learned to pause and ask:

• Have we actually identified the right problem? 
• Have we given ourselves the space to work through it properly?

“We can often be so reactive –  ‘we’ve got this problem so we better do this’ – but it’s about identifying the problem we’re actually trying to solve and giving ourselves space to do that.”

“I’d been in the public service for three years and all of a sudden I was in an executive role, leading people who’d been around longer than I’d been alive… [it was] the best learning curve.” – Catherine McLachlan FCPHR, CPO, Department of Finance

3. Don’t underestimate the value of who you work with

Some of McLachlan’s most significant professional development came not from job titles or responsibilities, but from managers who took the time to explain the ‘why’ behind their feedback. 

She recalls a manager from early in her career who guided her on structuring written work.

“Rather than just fixing it for me, she was really clear and purposeful in explaining why that was important. I still think of that now when I’m clearing or writing briefs.”

Beyond the practical implications of that feedback, she says it taught her about the importance of taking the time to explain yourself to your team as a leader.

She also urges mid-career HR professionals to look beyond the position description when evaluating an opportunity.

“There is great versatility in HR roles. I think it’s important to consider whether the role will help you grow… A role doesn’t need to be perfect, but it should move you closer to the professional and leadership goals you have for yourself.”

She reminds HR professionals not to see roles that are misaligned with their intended career trajectory as failures or setbacks, as she believes “every move is the right move because you can learn something from it”. 

4. Take steps to build your trust circle

As HR professionals move into more senior roles, it’s easy to feel like you need to lead on your own.

However, McLachlan says, “The most effective senior HR leaders have one or two people who they continue to seek mentorship from, not about the HR issues specifically, but about leadership in an increasingly complex people environment.”

Her mentor of 20 years is someone she first met in an early HR role. 

“He is such a stabiliser for me. In HR practice, you see a lot of the same things in a cyclical way, and it’s really great to have somebody to help you draw on experience you’ve had before, that you might have forgotten, so you can re-equip yourself for the current challenge.” 

Beyond formal mentorship, she encourages mid-career professionals to invest in a broader support network.

“Leadership opportunities often come because of what you know, but also because of the confidence others have in your judgement and your integrity,” she says.

“My advice is to surround yourself with people who you can talk things through with, to get inspiration and test out ideas.”

🧰 HR’s career resource toolkit

• Learning: To hear more about McLachlan’s career in HR, register for the Real Journeys, Real Leadership: How Senior HR Leaders Build Their Careers webinar on Wednesday 15 July, 12-1pm AEST.
  
• Certification: Receiving your CPHR post nominal is a great way to signal to your employer that you’re ready to step into a leadership position. Learn more about HR Certification today.
• Learning: Gain critical foundational skills with AHRI’s Leadership and Management Essentials course.
• Watch: For other useful career insights and advice, check out In the Thick of It with Jess Anderson FCPHR