From the private rental market to social and disability housing, Sheryl brings 20+ years of passion and experience to the table, and we’re lucky to have her at Big Picture Training. But how does she keep things fresh, what makes her tick, and what’s her proudest project moment? Let’s find out…
👋 Get to Know Sheryl
1. If your career was a movie, what would the title be?
🎬 “Tenancy Training and the City” – A story of finding your passion, a few laughs and drinks with friends and a weird little voice in your head doing a monolog of your day.
2. You’ve worn a lot of hats, private, social, disability housing. What’s the golden thread that connects it all for you?
💬 Community, being part of, lending a hand and helping those in need. I enjoyed working Private Rental but always struggled with the Big Landlord mentality that was around. Moving to social housing really allowed me to be more focused on client outcomes and keeping people housed.
3. What inspired you to create a training program for young people entering the rental market?
💡 When I made the move from being a Property Manager in private rental to Property Manager for the Transitional Housing Management (THM) program, my CEO at the time asked me what the major difference was between the two. I explained to him that the rules were the same, it was just maybe that THM tenants weren’t aware of those rules. He asked me what I could do to fix that and I suggest that a seminar or online training session would help, and he said “OK, make it happen!”. From there ‘Rent Ready’ was born.
💼 Work-Life, Sheryl Style
4. What’s one thing about the housing industry most people wouldn’t expect?
😲 The lasting effect that you can have on someone’s life! I was recently at Sydney airport flying back home, I noticed a lady waiting at the same gate who looked familiar to me. She came up and said that she knew me from somewhere but couldn’t remember where. I ran through some places we may have met and then I said where I used to work as a Tenancy Manager in THM, her eyes lit up and she said “Yes! That’s it! You were my Tenancy Manager”. She went on to tell me how she was at rock bottom when she moved into the THM and then from there she was able to finally get the DV help she needed, get clean and get her kids back. It would have been 5 years ago that we housed her, but that simple allocation task for us changed her life.
5. What’s your secret to delivering training that actually sticks?
🧠 Personal experience! When you add in a scenario that you’ve had personally that relates to what you’re training, people get it! Especially if it something out of the ordinary, they will remember the story.
6. You’ve got a Cert IV in Training & Assessment, a Diploma in Business Admin AND you’re a Project Facilitator… Do you sleep?!
😄 Haha! Sometimes it doesn’t feel like I do! I enjoy keeping busy. It’s so exciting to be a part of something new or something that is helping someone. I often bite off more than I can chew, but it’s important to surround yourself with like-mined people who can motivate and help you.
🎉 Fun Stuff: Quickfire Round!
7. Early bird or night owl? A bit of both, I have a heap of energy in the morning but love staying up late.
8. Coffee or tea? (Or something stronger… 😉) Coffee for sure! I am also known to have the odd espresso martini or two.
9. Most used emoji in work chats? 😄 – Why? I’m not sure
10. Your go-to karaoke song? I love karaoke! I’m not overly good at it.. but if I had to choose one song it would be ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’
11. The best piece of advice you’ve ever received? All you need is 3 seconds of confidence. And I use this all the time, when I am nervous or unsure of something, I give myself 3 seconds of confidence to say or do whatever I want, then you’re in it! You’ve started… off you go!
🧠 Big Picture Thinking
12. What’s one lesson you always try to pass on to people new to the housing sector?
📘 Be openminded! This could be for a number of things, change, new ways of doing things, training! But always be openminded and be speak up when you have a thought on how things may work better.
13. What does being part of Big Picture Training mean to you?
❤️ Training.. whether its formal or informal training, we should all be striving to learn new skills. Being part of Big Picture allows me to share my passion for training and meeting new people. But it has been incredibly eye opening for me as a person, I’ve surprised myself with what I’ve achieved and also the knowledge that I’ve been able to retain from my years of working in the industry.
🎯 Final Word: Complete the sentence…
“If I could change one thing about the industry tomorrow, I would…”
💬 More housing for sure! But, working in disability housing I also found that even though the properties are there, it is incredibly difficult for people living with a disability to get the right funding to be able to live in them! I would love to see more NDIS Participants be eligible for SDA funding.
🔄 Get Involved!
Want to ask Sheryl a question for next time? Drop it in the comments or DM us, we might feature it in the next team spotlight!