Marching to her own beat

Not many would think Thistle Anderson an introvert. “This surprises people, but in a social situation I’m actually pretty quiet.” The Organisation and People Development Specialist is modest when talking about the staff workshops she facilitates.

“I’ve been in this game for 35 years; it’s just who I am. But often even I have to work myself up and give myself a pep talk beforehand. After the workshops I need 20 minutes to be on my own – I read or do some cross-stitch and recharge.”

Anderson’s workshops – in particular Communication Styles and Dealing With Difficult Behaviours – are so popular that UTS directors are booking in their whole teams. The day-long sessions identify how you communicate with others and how to best recognise and adjust to the various communication styles and personalities of your colleagues.

“If someone’s being difficult, how do you deal with that? One of my mantras, and I’m sure a lot of people have heard it, is: ‘You can only change your own behaviour. You cannot change the behaviour of others.’ You can influence it, but you’re responsible for your own. That’s important for people to learn because they’ll usually think, ‘Why should I change?’.”

Born in Toronto, Canada, Anderson moved to Australia at the age of 13 with her family. She is full of fun tales about her youth – all relayed in the Canadian accent she’s proudly kept.

“I was once a theatrical fencing instructor – you know sword fighting, like in The Three Musketeers. I became an instructor at a fencing club and even appeared on the Tony Barber Show in the 70s. That’s how I started ‘teaching others’, if you like, before joining the Army Reserve.” 

It was here that Anderson’s skills in professional learning and development began to flourish. Keen to meet people (and indulge her love of camping), Anderson was recruited into the Army Reserve while studying a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at the University of New South Wales.

“I was 19, starting uni and overwhelmed by the whole experience. There was a recruiting stand for the university regiment during ‘O’ week and lots of hot guys in uniform. I was curious and the next thing I knew, I’d signed up.”

As the number of women grew, however, Anderson says sexual harassment started to become an issue. “When I got promoted to Lieutenant, part of my job during camps away was to look after the welfare of the other females in the regiment, which had grown to about 150. These women were uni students – you’re talking 17- to 19-year-old women, many of them away from home for the first time. We spent a lot of time giving them the skills to say ‘no’.”

After finishing university, Anderson started to work for the NSW Public Service. Though in her words, “It’s not nearly as thrilling as theatrical fencing or teaching people how to strip and assemble a self-loading rifle, blindfolded, in 30 seconds.”
These days, Anderson is relishing her varied role at UTS, which this year will see her running workshops, developing online courses and getting ready to project manage the 2011 UTS staff survey.

“We are launching an online business writing course in March. You do it at your desk and work through the modules on spelling, grammar, tone, how to structure a document – all core skills.”

With learning and development a life-long passion for Anderson, it’s clear she feels rewarded knowing staff are happier and more motivated at work.

“People have said to me, ‘Why are you still here at UTS after 15 years?’ You know, I used to change organisations every three years, but people here are great and the job keeps changing. It’s a friendly, supportive group – why would I want to leave?”