Talking heads: Humour is a prerequisite for this job

Name: Debbie Altham

Position: Managing director

Company: Solution Partners

Age: 33

Born: Auckland

What makes your day at work?

Solving people's problems in a team-based environment. Business problem-solving is what we do and as a team we get a collective reward from coming up with a really clever solution, so that makes everyone happy.

It's the nicest thing to feel that you've reached a goal or solved a problem.

How did you get to where you are today?

A lot of hard work, really focusing on long-term objectives, and being willing to pull my sleeves up and get down and do the stuff that I'm now consulting on. If you want to talk about something knowledgeably, it helps if you've actually been there and done that.

Who was your most important mentor?

My boss at my first job, at Hawkins Steel in Hamilton. It really helped to have someone who you could rely on, who trusted you, who gave you that little bit extra. He did a very good job at passing on responsibility and making you feel good about the job you were doing.

What's the most important lesson you've learned so far in your career?

That it's the people that count. We're dealing in a really risky industry, but that's almost irrelevant when you get a good team internally - and we've certainly got a good team.

How have you dealt with pitfalls in your career?

I found myself in an organisation that didn't really support the ability for an individual to grow. Landing in a job I didn't enjoy was a pitfall, and it was a matter of working what I wanted out of that job, identifying what I did enjoy about it and trying to maximise that while looking for something else.

What advice would you give to a young person starting out in a similar career?

Don't undermine the importance of learning, at all. I took 12 years to become a qualified accountant - I financed it through working and I did it at night, part-time and through correspondence. And it made all the difference. But getting your degree doesn't mean you stop learning, and I think that's a trap a lot of people fall into.

What's the biggest challenge facing your organisation in today's economy?

The rate of change in the technology industry, and the movement of businesses out of New Zealand.

A lot of international companies working in New Zealand tend to see New Zealand as just a branch of Australia, so therefore the investment they're doing in technology goes into the Australian economy, rather than the New Zealand economy. The industry's reputation needs a lift too. The players in the industry need to get it right, and stop giving reasons for the image it has now.

What ambitions do you have?

To really make a huge difference in the software market by focusing not so much on the software, but on the value that it delivers. We don't look at technology for technology's sake. We're trying to strip away the hype and look at it from a practical, business value angle. We want to focus on solutions and raise the image of the industry.

Is there anything you would have done differently?

I would have tried to make more of my own choices rather than getting people to make choices for me. It's easy to accept the first job you're offered, and many people are guilty of being so excited they've been offered a job, that they take it without working out whether or not it's going to contribute to what they want long-term.

How important is a sense of humour in your job?

It's crucial. Absolutely crucial. The high levels of stress that get placed on us and our clients at times of great change ... well, the best way to approach some of these situations is "you've just gotta laugh." Being realistic and down-to-earth helps. We've got 11 staff, all with a good sense of humour. It's a prerequisite for employment."

How do you relax?

With a glass of wine, good music, friends.

* Debbie Altham spoke with Kim Williams.