Changed
Changed
Sean Taylor is the kind of person who thrives in the face of a challenge.
Whether it’s a hurdle in the workplace or a difficult hiking trail on the weekend - or even riding the highs and lows that come with being a Brisbane Broncos fan – Sean enjoys the work it takes to overcome whatever lies in front of him.
He’s been doing it ever since he started at Brisbane Airport.
Now the company’s Workplace Health & Safety Manager, Sean began his career here as a contractor and remembers exactly how he felt as he walked through the doors, with the self-described introvert slightly overawed by the task that lay ahead.
“I walked into BAC not quite understanding just how big and diverse and complicated this role would be,” Sean said.
“I felt very intimidated by the size of it. I felt a little bit out of my depth… I knew nothing compared to what I thought I did. I'd come from the construction industry and this was nothing like I expected. It was so much more. But there were great people to support and mentor, and I just really wanted to do a good job.”
Despite that initial overwhelm, Sean was determined to learn as much as he could and soon started to find his feet.
Then a WHS Officer, he went on to join BAC fulltime in 2018 and has continued to develop over the years, becoming a Senior Health and Safety Advisor before moving into WHS Manager.
As someone who once wanted to be a lawyer, Sean loves that his job entails both legislation but also a people focus. Balancing each side is the challenge he thrives in most.
“The biggest challenge that's unique to Brisbane Airport is probably the different mix of people we have here,” he said.
“It takes a lot of different people and a lot of companies to run the airport and we all have to work seamlessly together. I like when people are a little bit challenging and you have to try to get to a good outcome for BAC, a good outcome for them, a good outcome for safety, but do it in a way that is collaborative.
“It’s understanding, what's this person's driver? How can I work with them and build that relationship to a point where they respect me enough to listen to me? How do we get that good outcome?
“Then the other challenge that’s unique, is to appreciate how often we get things right by successfully getting people to their destinations safely… what we’re chasing is the absence of something. It's the absence of an injury. Seeing how many times people have ruined holidays and those kinds of things, knowing that we're working to just reduce that.
"There are times when you look back at data and you can see that overarching reduction in injuries and be really pleased with the work that you've done to achieve that. When it comes to being motivated with workplace health and safety, a lot of it needs to come from within… You just need to know that you've made a difference to someone's life, whether they know it or not.”
A husband and father-of-three, Sean knows that without those elements of his job – the problem-solving, the unpredictability, chasing the absence of something – he wouldn’t be truly fulfilled.
Doing a role where no two days are the same is what keeps him coming back, year after year.
And it’s what has helped him develop both at work and beyond.
“I think if I didn't enjoy a challenge, then working at Brisbane Airport Corporation wouldn't be for me,” he said.
“There's so many moving parts here and so many days that you've got your whole day set up and you just need to drop everything and respond to a curveball - and it's usually on a Friday afternoon. But that's also what makes the job really interesting and is what has kept it new for me for more than ten years now.
"I could not stay at this company for 10 years if I didn't think it was still developing me. It’s just fostered that growth, that continual growth. There's still so much I’m learning.
“I've got a lot of pride in the role and a lot of passion for safety at Brisbane Airport. I think it's a great place to learn and grow and develop. And I think I can look back at my journey from where I've started to where I am now and just have a lot of pride in that.”
