Marie-Claire Dwek discusses authentic leadership

Nicola Hunt: Today I'm joined by Marie-Claire Dwek, the CEO of Newmark Security. Marie-Claire's path to the top of the security industry wasn't a standard corporate climb. After helping found the company in the 1990s, she was forced to walk away from both her business and her home during a personal and financial crisis. She then spent 12 years rebuilding her career in commercial property before being invited back to lead Newmark as CEO in 2013. Today, she's transforming the company from a hardware engineering firm into a software-led global player. Marie-Claire, welcome to What Matters.

Marie-Claire Dwek: Pleasure to be here with you today.

Nicola Hunt: You have an authentic and unmasked approach to leadership. How has this philosophy helped to shape your journey?

Marie-Claire Dwek: [0.59] That's a really interesting question because my journey over the last 60 years clearly has changed at different points depending where I am in my life and at what point in business. And so it's remaining authentic throughout.

Marie-Claire Dwek: So people know who you are and you sort of remain that grounded force when things get particularly challenging. So being open and honest with people and not using management language or jargon but just being one's true self and showing vulnerability and working together as a team and so allowing people to be their true selves as well.

Nicola Hunt: [1:36] Have you ever had a situation where afterwards you thought, oh, well, I was my authentic and unmasked self but I'm not sure that in that particular scenario that played out as I would have hoped?

Marie-Claire Dwek: [1:52] Actually, I haven't really, Nicola, because I think I am who I am and I'm not going to change that person. And I've never reflected thinking, oh, I should have tackled this differently because I've always done it with honesty. So I'd want to be nothing but honest and authentic. So I haven't had a regret in that stance at all.

Nicola Hunt: [2:11] And looking back at the 12 years you spent away from Newmark Security, was there anything that you learned that you feel makes you a better CEO today?

Marie-Claire Dwek: [2:23] Yes, because I understand that we all have challenges in business, but we also have personal challenges and understanding the people around me and what they might be going through and helping with their leadership is important because whether it was my 12 years away, I had personal challenges at the time and had to overcome those. And as you mentioned, coming out of a marriage, rebuilding my home life and understand other people do. So, yeah, it was an interesting learning curve and one only learns from the difficult situations.

Nicola Hunt: [2:56] In a high stakes industry like security, does being authentic, which has a degree of vulnerability with it, ever feel like a risk to your authority?

Marie-Claire Dwek: [3:09] No, because I might be vulnerable, but I'm firm and strong and I know when to step it up when needed. So being vulnerable and authentic doesn't mean weakness. It shows strength to me.

Nicola Hunt: [3:21] And for you, does this interconnect with resilience?

Marie-Claire Dwek: [3:25] Completely, because resilience is something we all need to have. Some of us are born with it and some of us, it grows over time. And probably in my case, it's grown over time with the different challenges, but maybe I had a core of it growing up with parents who came into this country as refugees and had to deal with other challenges.

Marie-Claire Dwek: So I know that everything's possible. You know, if one focusses, one waits and one's patient, it's all possible. And resilience is a matter of just changing and adapting to different situations at different points of your life, whether it's in the workplace or in your personal environment.

Marie-Claire Dwek: And it's the most probably important tool that I use on a regular basis.

Nicola Hunt: [4:06] And I know that you consider team resilience to be important. Can you expand upon that?

Marie-Claire Dwek: [4:13] So as I said earlier, understanding that people go through different challenges in their life and they're not all associated with the workplace, but understanding those and hearing those, working with the team so everyone's authentic and everyone can be truthful and honest. And even if it gets challenging, that's okay. And it works. It works for me and the team around me.

Nicola Hunt: [4:36] I guess that authentic is one of those words that can quickly enter the jargon lexicon, but the importance, as you were describing there, is to actually live it so that people can feel it. Is that your thoughts?

Marie-Claire Dwek: [4:54] Very much so. I mean, a life time is really a valuable gift and one doesn't have time if someone's not going to be straightforward. And we're using the word authentic a lot, their authentic self, because you don't have time to try and weed out the weeds if someone isn’t authentic and clear.

Marie-Claire Dwek: And what are they trying to say? Who are they really? So, yes.

Nicola Hunt: [5:14] When it comes to the upper echelons of leadership, have you perceived any constraints or barriers to business leaders being authentic because they may be concerned about external perceptions, putting a foot wrong, doing something that might be detrimental to their career, saying something that inadvertently could backfire on them?

Marie-Claire Dwek: [5:40] I really don't think so. I think people are understanding that being true to oneself and getting life-work balances correct and the way they spend their time at work, which is the majority of their life, is very important. And I've not heard anyone say this is a challenge if I've got to be my true self.

Marie-Claire Dwek: I think that's what everyone's searching for in life as it gets so fast and with so much noise around us as individuals and humans, we want to be authentic and true without that noise. We just want to be simple and straightforward and deliver messages in a clear line of communication. So, no, I really don't think so.

Nicola Hunt: [6:16] In your own journey, was there a specific aha or reset moment?

Marie-Claire Dwek: [6:23] There've been several. And probably my first reset moment was when I was 21 and I had a wonderful sister-in-law and she passed away at a very young age. And I realised life is a gift and one has to enjoy every moment with its challenges and with its joy.

And that was probably my biggest reset moment and through financial challenges as well. I've realised I can rebuild and as long as I remain a true force, I'll be a much stronger person. And using those difficult times thinking, you know what, I can do it again. This is easy. I've been there, done that. Let's reset, refocus and do it again.

Marie-Claire Dwek: So, there've been several reset moments for me. And I think one has to reset every so often as well. I believe whether it's every eight years or 10 years, one has to look at one's life and look back, say, am I on the right path still? Is this still working for me? Is this what I want for the next 10 years of my life?

Nicola Hunt: [7:17] When you reflect back over those challenges, you mentioned health, you mentioned finance. Do you think that people find health the biggest challenge or finance or does it depend or is it how the two come together at a certain point in time?

Marie-Claire Dwek: [7:34] I mean, longevity is one of the biggest industries at the moment in the world. And I think people are very much focussing on their health and how they live their life, whatever age they are. And that allows you to deal with your finances in a more proactive way. Because if one doesn't have one health, one can't really deal with the financial situation. So, absolutely, the two go hand in hand and getting the balance between health and your well-being and dealing with your finances is really important.

Nicola Hunt: [8:04] Finally, is there one universal principle that listeners can take away for their own reset?

Marie-Claire Dwek: [8:14] I think one sometimes has to take time and look at oneself and sit quietly with oneself and reflect and just take stock. And it's really important to take stock, as I said earlier, every so often and look at where you are on your path and your journey and the people around you and if it works and if anything needs a reset. And I think that has to be done on a regular basis.

Nicola Hunt: Wise words. Marie-Claire, thank you very much for joining me this morning.