Lisa Lett: A 30 year career in getting comfortable with being uncomfortable

Lisa Lett
Portfolio Manager

Career snapshot

I have been working in the utility industry for more than 30 years. I moved to Zinfra from Jemena following a restructure where field services were moved to Zinfra. This change saw me move into the role of Distribution Manager.

I have always enjoyed operations as I find it real and tangible, with a direct line to people on the ground who are the people that influence organisational outcomes. I have performed many roles within the business but seem to keep coming back to operational roles in some shape or form.

I take charge and drive my career outcomes. Everyone should be in the drivers seat of their career. Opportunities rarely come knocking on your door, you need to go to them. My current role of Portfolio Manager is one of these real life examples. The Portfolio Manager role was vacant, I had a conversation with my leader on my interest in this role and soon after I was operating in this position. Of course this conversation included my experience, my why – why do you want to do this, and why I believe it would be a good fit for me and a good fit for the business.

At the heart of it, the portfolio functions are there to set up our operational teams for success. Have we got the right number of people to achieve the right level of work? Have we got the material and commercial arrangements in place? And are we monitoring the program to ensure financial goals are achieved? I have a keen interest in continuous improvement and one of the key skills for this is active listening. We need to ensure our people have a platform to tell us what is and isn’t working and how we can do things better.

Working at Zinfra

My career at Zinfra has offered me an incredible amount of development and opportunity. I have had amazing leaders, mentors and sponsors who have helped me along the labyrinth of leadership. The breadth of opportunity has added to the richness of my knowledge – It does feel like a lifelong internship.

I have found that everyone here at Zinfra is incredibly generous with their knowledge and time. If you want to understand something about the business there are a lot of people who are passionate about what they do and enthusiastically share that with you.

When you spend a life time at an organisation you form strong bonds with people. These people have been with you as your life has changed and they become part of your story, part of your family and these relationships build support networks. There is no question or reluctance for people to step in and step up when any of us need support. As I say to my team ‘ we are all in this together’ and I ask ‘What can we do as a collective to get to where we need to be?

Diversity and inclusion

I am valued for the person that I am at Zinfra and I extend that same thinking to my team.

We have recently established a diversity, inclusion and belonging network within our team. It is important that we have a platform where conversations can be had that drive a more diverse and inclusive environment where people feel that they belong. The network is new and we plan to utilise the team to help us shape and navigate the journey of DIB’s in the business.

Career opportunities

My advice to someone considering a role with Zinfra is that it is a great organisation that can provide a lot of opportunity. Be open to learning, be in charge of your career and seek the opportunities, get comfortable with being uncomfortable – that feeling is growth!. Develop a breadth of experience across the business, be open to new experiences and learning opportunities.

We are on the cusp of change and disruption in the energy environment. It is an exciting time to be part of the industry, we have the opportunity to be part of history as the energy landscape goes through significant change. I am very much looking forward to contributing to the energy solutions of Australia. Zinfra is well positioned to significantly contribute to the conversation and the solution.