lifestyle
BUSINESS WOMEN SCOTLAND 43
The Fold
Polly McMaster is the co-founder behind The Fold. A successful business woman,
whose love of fashion was the inspiration to create a chic new brand for professional
women. Polly comes from the competitive world of consulting and finance, with a
Cambridge PhD in Molecular Biology and an MBA at London Business School. In July
2013, Management Today voted Polly one of ‘35 Women Under 35’.
The Fold Woman profiles extraordinary women and their tips of success to empower the
image of women in the business world. Kirsty Mac, Founder and Ceo, Leadership Styled, is
a business woman based in Glasgow and gives us her insight into her working wordrobe.
Could you give us a brief background
into your career before starting
Leadership Styled?
My plan was to be a Forensic Pathologist. I was obsessed
with Quincy and Diagnosis Murder and so I studied
Medical Biochemistry. That changed and my career
started in Marks & Spencer and then laterally, Mars and
Mattel. My last proper job was selling Barbie dolls! I was
Business Development Manager at Mattel and, as such,
the favourite Auntie – Barbies, Hot Wheels, Fisher Price
and Harry Potter make you a very popular girl. 12 years
ago I started my own business which has morphed into
the coaching and leadership consultancy: Leadership
Styled is the latest reincarnation of that business.
What has been your biggest milestone
since starting your own company?
I struggled to answer that question because there are
so many great stories associated with LS so far. Finding
Rachel, my Exec assistant, has been monumental as
she is so aligned with what we do, creative and a total
asset to the business.
Finding our office and decorating it in the way that fits
with our brand was pivotal, and the space seemed to
open up many opportunities.
Could you tell us a bit more about
what you do at Leadership Styled?
Every day is different. I am either delivering Leadership
programmes for corporate clients, this can range from
full development programmes, change programmes
or executive coaching. Or I could be researching a
new brand launch or writing for Leadership Styled and
the other blogs that I am a contributor for. We are also
developing 2 new brands, one of which is our own
stationery line - Inspirationery and another being my
new book. It’s full on! I am incredibly lucky as I love it. I
love variety – I call it ‘business tapas’.
You decided to change your career
path after a weekend coaching course
more than 10 years ago. Do you have
any advice for someone considering a
career change?
• Trust your gut – think about what you want to feel
in your life and notice if that change will assist
you in achieving those feelings. Every goal we set
ourselves is for us to achieve a feeling. Rather than
just looking at what the outcome is, think about how
you want that change to make you feel – what are
your core desired feelings?
• Resolve any issues you have in your current career
because, if you do not, you will take those same issues
and find them in your new career. It’s how we humans
work. The grass is greener where we water it…
• Know what’s important to you – will this give it to
you, or does it just tick some of the boxes?
• Seek conversations with people you trust – ask them
what their view may be.
• And take time to think – do you have to jump ship
right away? Is it one thing or the other? Perhaps you
just need to do what you have to do until you can do
what you want to do.
Do you have any tips for maintaining
a good work-life balance?
Anyone in my team will laugh at me being asked this
question as I am sure they feel I am non-stop (they
fear when I get on a flight, as the emails fire through
when I land). I prefer to call it work life integration or
separation. Balance suggests that they are opposite,
dualistic, and can feel that the two have nothing in