Mike Baird was born into a family with deep faith commitment and strong connections in the Northern Beaches area of Sydney, and beyond.
At 53, Mike has combined these legacies to create a valuable perspective on life and building a career. His years of public life alongside work in finance and now health and aged care provide broad experience united by his worldview of making a difference.
After studying economics at university, Mike went into banking, followed by a period where he thought seriously of becoming an Anglican minister and so took up theology. To that end he enrolled in Regent College in British Columbia, Canada, where he considered his options before finally deciding on politics.
Back home, his career in NSW took off. He became NSW Treasurer and then Premier after Barry O’Farrell resigned. On leaving politics in 2017, Mike returned to banking where he held senior customer-focused roles for NAB and was considered a possible candidate for the role of CEO in 2020. Instead he saw the opportunity to pursue ‘making a difference’ in a new career.
Now, he is the CEO of HammondCare, a leading independent Christian charity with a mission to improve quality for life for people in need with the unique ambition of setting the global standard for relationship-based care for people with complex needs and caring for those others can’t or won’t. Complex dementia and palliative care are two key focuses of service delivery.
This was made even more personal as his mother Judy, who died in 2021, live with a neurological disorder and was cared for in an aged care home.
Mike’s approach is to be purpose-driven in making a difference in the world but never forgetting that hard work and good financial stewardship are also important drivers of success. Part of achieving this is helping people find work that fulfils their individual passions as a key to their success and performance.
Mike is clear about what his career philosophy is all about and what types of influences have come to bear on him.
Life is about helping others rather than just climbing up the career ladder.
This might seem like a paradox but Mike’s career success shows it is possible to do well and advance while remaining clear about your greater purpose. For Mike, this is heartfelt and he is living that philosophy right now in job at the helm of HammondCare.
The Christian examples of his parents were an influence. His mother worked in disadvantaged areas of the Egyptian capital Cairo, supporting orphans - she had a big heart, also visiting people in gaol. His father Bruce, was active in NSW and then Federal politics as an MP, and Mike recalls that his dad did a lot for refugees.
Figures from history who inspired him in politics tell a story as well.
William Wilberforce, the great anti-slaver, is his emblem of integrity; Martin Luther King, the civil rights activist, of passion; and Sir Roden Cutler, the former NSW Governor, VC winner and Manly denizen, symbolic of someone who achieves results.
As for risk, he says there has been lots of it in his career.
When he was running for preselection in the seat of Manly, HSBC bank offered him a big job in the Asia Pacific region. It was one that would have set up his family financially for life, promising security for them and enjoyable and exciting work for him.
When he won pre-selection, he had to knock back the job, accepting the risk that he could lose the election.
Mike’s approach to risk is linked to his understanding of the role personal fears play in crimping peoples’ decision making, and how they should instead face challenges.
There is a normal upside to anxiety and fear. He believes those feelings can lead people to perform better than they otherwise would. There was no job he had ever started without some level of fear or inadequacy. But the upside is, that feeling can bring out your best.
Events and circumstance that occur that are beyond our control – both good and bad – are also part of any journey and you just have to roll with that randomness and see where it lands.
For example, after being NSW Treasurer for two years he started planning to stay two more years in the job before leaving. He even started talking to friends about it. However the premier suddenly resigned and he found himself in the running for the top job, which he won.
The takeaway here is that the unexpected happens and you have to grab the opportunity, even though you might never have thought of it beforehand.
Mike’s career philosophy is to be in a job that you are passionate about or feel connected to.
Each day he feels he can make a difference in his job.
He sometimes sees people who seem disengaged and can appear disenfranchised from their true selves because they are not connecting to themselves through their job.
This is the reason Mike treasures the utility of taking stock of a career. Have a bit of a soul search about who you are and what makes you passionate and excited. It’s an important thing to do.
If you find the thing you’re passionate about, you will be more influential and successful in your job.