Making a Bold Career for Career Transformation
We had the incredible privilege of speaking with Vanessa Teo, Senior Vice President of Global Human Resources at ST Engineering. This insightful conversation is adapted from the “Making Sense of Work” podcast with Jean Balfour in July 2023.
Vanessa’s career journey is a remarkable example of strategic growth, pushing beyond comfort zones, and demonstrating agility in one’s career.
She has cultivated a strong strategic mindset for navigating diverse cultural settings, demonstrating cultural sensitivity at every career stage.
This episode is a must-listen for leaders who believe in making bold career decisions to stretch and grow and explore the unknown.
Vanessa Teo’s Professional Journey
Vanessa is a strategic, business-focused HR leader with a passion for transforming human capital into a competitive advantage by developing people to their fullest potential. With over 20 years of experience spanning both HR and commercial functions, she brings a wealth of expertise to her roles.
In 2023, Vanessa joined ST Engineering as Senior Vice President of Global Human Resources. She is also an adjunct faculty member for postgraduate HR modules at the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS).
Previously, Vanessa worked at AbbVie, where she led Strategy Planning for the Medical Aesthetics function.
Her HR career includes various leadership roles, such as Director of Talent Management (Intercontinental), Director of Talent Management and Development (JAPAC), Talent Acquisition (Japan), and HR Director for Singapore (JAPAC HQ and site operations).
Vanessa holds an Executive Master’s in Change (Organisational Psychology) from INSEAD and a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from Indiana University, Bloomington.
You can follow her on LinkedIn.
Making a Bold Career Move
When was the last time you made an intentional career move for your personal growth? One of the most inspiring parts of Vanessa’s career journey is her willingness to embrace discomfort in pursuit of growth.
In the podcast, Vanessa shared her story on the opportunity she had to transition from HR into a strategy and commercial planning role at AbbVie. This marked a significant departure from her area of expertise where she had spent over 20 years building a successful career.
Taking on a new role outside her comfort zone meant she needed to approach work from an entirely new perspective. Some of us can relate to this if we’ve ever been there!
For Vanessa, this leap into the unknown was essential for her development.
Vanessa describes her move into strategy as “putting herself out there to go on an adventure,” a journey where the outcome isn’t always clear.
“When you go on that adventure, you don’t always know what is going to happen next,” she says.
Vanessa embraced the unpredictability, viewing every career shift as a chance to expand her skills and learn something new.
1. Embracing Being a “Beginner” Again
Having built a strong foundation in HR, she was used to providing guidance and insights based on years of experience. But in her new role, she found herself on unfamiliar ground, navigating the technical aspects of strategy from scratch. This shift required her to let go of her reliance on HR knowledge and adopt a beginner’s mindset.
This meant going back to reading about the subject and understanding in depth and asking curious questions.
Vanessa explains that she had to remind herself of the skills that were transferable and could transcend different functions, such as her abilities in communication, collaboration, and understanding how networks work.
“These are skills that transcend all different kinds of functions,” she notes, adding that the challenge was to learn the technical aspects of her new role quickly while leaning on the skills she had honed over her career.
This balancing act between familiar strengths and new technical demands defined her initial months in strategy.
The balancing act is something we see in a lot of leaders.
2. The Role of Courage in Career Transitions
Taking on a new field also required Vanessa to develop what she calls “the courage to show up, ask questions, and to know that you’re not going to know all the time.” She shares that it was essential to be courageous in acknowledging what she didn’t know and to be willing to ask for help when needed.
She was open to learning and vulnerability. “It takes quite a bit of courage, but I always remind myself of the decision I made when I said, I’m going to try something different,” she explains.
Vanessa’s courage was also bolstered by the perspective that “the risk of not learning something new and not challenging myself beyond was far greater than the risk that I would take with an opportunity like this.”
She felt that if she didn’t seize the chance to step outside her comfort zone, she would be missing an invaluable opportunity for growth.
Vanessa’s curiosity is a powerful lesson for us all. Curiosity is a key ICF competency that every coach must nurture to excel. It’s about asking the right questions to unlock deeper insights and guide meaningful conversations.
3. Learning Through Persistence and Patience
In the early months, Vanessa found herself spending extra time studying the details of her new responsibilities. She viewed this learning curve as a necessary part of the transition and remained committed to pushing through, knowing that persistence would eventually pay off.
Vanessa shares that she had to do her own research to get up to speed. This proactive approach to learning was crucial for her as she adapted to the technical aspects of strategy. She made it clear that learning something new requires a great deal of patience, as well as the willingness to be courageous in asking those questions and seeking clarity whenever she needed it.
By continuously reminding herself of her long-term goal, Vanessa was motivated to keep learning, even when things felt challenging. In speaking with Vanessa about her story, we’ve come across many other leaders facing similar challenges and their approach in how they overcome it.
One example is Mukta Arya, Chief Human Resource Officer at Société Générale, who also experienced moments of uncertainty and had to dedicate substantial time to reading and research before attending meetings that were beyond her expertise. You can read about her story here.
4. Viewing Career Stretches as a Catalyst for Career Growth
Vanessa’s perspective on a career stretch is refreshingly positive.
Her journey reminds us that growth often requires us to leave behind what’s familiar and venture into the unknown.
She encourages others to see discomfort as a natural part of development, an experience that ultimately leads to “stretching oneself.”
This attitude has allowed Vanessa to not only adapt to a new field but also to deepen her resilience and expand her ability to navigate uncharted territory with confidence.
Much of this can be attributed to a character trait that can be developed: a growth mindset.
This mindset involves not limiting oneself to existing knowledge but actively seeking to learn and grow by asking questions and exploring beyond one’s immediate scope.
Growth mindset is also part of the ICF competency and a trait that powerful leaders hone. Read more here.
To sum up…
We can all learn so much from Vanessa. She believes that individuals must actively seek ways to stretch themselves, whether through cross-functional moves, international relocations, or taking on special projects.
These experiences challenge us to go beyond our current skill set, helping us build a more holistic and adaptable approach to work. We can learn so much from Vanessa’s bold career move.
Many of us have likely faced similar situations where we find ourselves one step ahead, navigating an entirely new environment.
Let’s learn to embrace these moments as opportunities for growth.
You may not immediately see how they’ll benefit you, but they will undoubtedly serve you in the future.
And Vanessa is an incredible example of bold intentionality.
In our next blog, we share more on Vanessa’s perspective on cultural sensitivity. Having led teams across Singapore, the United States, Indonesia, and China, Vanessa has a wealth of knowledge about navigating cross-cultural dynamics that we can all learn from! Read more on leading cultural teams here.
Be sure to check out the full episode on Apple or Spotify
Here are more resources:
1. How to Have Courageous Career Conversations with Vanessa Iloste
2. The Impact of Coaching on Leadership
3. Check out her podcast on Career Transitions
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About the Author
Jean Balfour is Managing Director of Bailey Balfour and Programme Director of our ICF Accredited Coach Training Programmes. Jean is passionate about helping people to have good conversations both at work and at home. She believes that coaching is a life skill and that you never regret learning to coach.