Janet Sernack, Founder and CEO, Compass Learning Pty Ltd - ImagineNation
Janet is a brave, bold, and serial entrepreneur who, since exiting a highly successful global corporate career in the Australian retail industry, has creatively re-invented herself to become acknowledged as a pioneering thought leader on the people side of innovation.
She founded ImagineNation™ as an Israeli start-up in 2010 and now leads a learning and consulting collective in Melbourne, Australia. Where she partners with organisations, leaders, teams, and coaches, to help them become future ft in a constantly changing and uncertain world.
Teaching, mentoring, coaching, and facilitating bespoke deep learning programs enable, equip, and empower them to change, adapt, innovate, and grow through disruption.
She has 33 years of experience consulting and leading culture development, change management, leadership, and innovative learning interventions to some of Australasia's and Israel's top 100 companies.
As a Fellow of the Institute of Managers and Leaders, an ICF PCC executive coach, a Certified NLP, Mbit, and Coach for Innovators. In addition, she is an award-winning global blogger. She has presented the group, online ICF CCE Coach for Innovators Certified Program™ now for the past eight years and certified almost 100 people around the globe as Professionally Certified Coaches for Innovation.
She is a sought-out speaker, presenter, and facilitator at global conferences on innovation learning, coaching, culture, and leadership.
What is your favourite social media platform, and why?
LinkedIn - I love connecting and collaborating with peers.
Tell us about you and your current role or area of interest.
My focus is on the people side of innovation, where I partner with individual coaches and leaders, with functional and hybrid teams, globally and virtually. Where across all industry sectors, aiming to develop their confidence, competence, and capacity. To lead, coach, and collaborate to plan and execute digital, cultural transformational and innovative learning initiatives.
What do you like about your career or area of focus?
Enabling people to adapt, innovate and grow through disruption.
What is the best advice you have ever received?
Focus on just one thing.
What inspires you, motivates you, or helps you to move forward?
Love change and learning, experimenting with novel and wondrous ideas, being imaginative and creative, yet pragmatic and practical in applying these to real life.
What are you proud of in your life so far?
Surviving a dysfunctional childhood, being married for 27 years, being a successful and serial entrepreneur for 33 years.
What is your preferred way to meet new people/network?
Love connecting with people online and sharing live face to face coffees.
What skills or qualities do you feel have helped you?
Being adaptive, resourceful, determined and persistent, as well as my love for learning and willingness to embrace change (moved homes and countries 19 times).
What do you wish you had known when you started out?
It's a marathon, not a sprint.
Who do you most admire in business, academic or creative circles and why?
Joseph Jaworski and Peter Senge because they are both pioneers and global thought leaders who initiated system breaking ideas.
Outside of your professional/work area, what hobbies or interests do you have or what other areas of your life are of real importance to you?
I have three elderly pets, two geriatric dogs, and a geriatric cat, all of whom turn 16 soon; I love walking in nature and by the sea, read prolifically, love the cinema and appreciate great film making, love art and design and create my own beautiful graphic designs. I meditate every day and travel to far away and exotic locations, sometimes to meditate on a rock for a few weeks.
Has the pandemic had a positive or a negative effect on you and/or your business, and how have you managed it?
It has been a "both/and" experience, living in what once was the most "liveable city in the world", Melbourne in Australia to the now "most locked-down city in the world". A valuable personal and professional window in time to pivot and consolidate our team, value proposition, and innovative learning programs.
As well as enjoy the beauty of my seaside location, great relationship with my husband, and fabulous home. And good and healthy eating and cooking - the small, simple and important basics.
It has also been frustrating not having the freedom to move further than 15 km from home, not eat out, etc. Yet, as I had already been working online since 2012, I managed it quite easily and delivered some amazing and innovative client projects.
Do you have a mentor, or have you ever mentored anyone?
I have been mentoring women and students for more than 20 years.
What advice would you have for someone looking to get into the same area of work or interests?
Be brave, bold, passionately purposeful and coherent in making the world a better place.
What do you feel is the most common reason for people failing or giving up?
Usually lack confidence, or conviction, in either themselves or in their idea or project.
Is there a phrase, quote or a saying that you really like?
"Possible in the world, possible for me; it's only a matter of how!"
What companies, brands, or institutions do you like or do you think are getting it right?
Huge question, here in Oz, Macquarie Bank, Elon Musk, Canva, Atlassian.
How do you define success, and what lessons have you learned so far that you could share with our audience/readership?
It's about balancing your personal passions, purposeful work, key relationships and a healthy lifestyle in ways that are both fulfilling and self-transcendent.