The true colours of Monash
Martin Doulton
By Martin Doulton
The latest Monash University GLOBAL walk/run was highly successful, with close to 600 members of the Monash community registering to raise awareness of and money for men’s health programs run by Andrology Australia.
Impressive as this is, the reason I’m referring to walk/run is to highlight the vibe of the event. Being part of the walk/run showed the true colours of those who work and study at Monash and what the real essence of being part of the Monash University community tastes and feels like.
I know I’ve banged on before about how great Monash people are at getting together to support good causes, and yet again I was impressed by the response to the GLOBAL walk/run. Across all campuses and at a few centres, including the Alfred Hospital, it was great to see staff and students taking a break from the day-to-day and using the opportunity to suck in some fresh air and explore our campuses and surrounds.
More importantly it was the smiles we saw, and the good natured banter and conversation taking place that actually made the event another special Monash memory!
The value of this community atmosphere cannot be overrated, but social participation in sport reveals much about individuals as well.
Recently I was talking to a recruitment manager of a large multinational about some of the activities and processes they employ to assess whether someone has the necessary attributes and characteristics the organisation is looking for in senior leaders. They found that some applicants were able to control their routine interview techniques at will; however, they became exposed when subjected to topics they hadn’t bargained for or situations they couldn’t control.
I, for one, think that it would be a good test to put candidates into a sporting situation, as many times I’ve seen an individual’s characteristics change when they cross the white line.
I believe the same applies when an individual is looking at joining an organisation. Sometimes the glitz and glamour of a website or a job advert is just the veneer - how do you understand the soul of the company? For me the true colours of Monash show not just in the fact that Monash people do participate in good causes, but the enthusiastic way in which they participate.
The GLOBAL walk/run was a great example of what Monash people do on a daily basis - making a difference and doing it together!
Martin Doulton is the Director of Monash Sport.