For someone whose career has been so focused on education and training, it’s not surprising that Taryn Haynes-Smart places such importance on lifelong learning in her own life. Passionate about inspiring others to take up the journey of education, further study was always something on her radar and was what ultimately inspired her to do her MBA. 

“My decision to do my MBA was driven by a long-time desire to do a Masters degree, but I didn’t want to follow an academic career path. I wanted it to be practical and relevant to the business environment. Ultimately I wanted something that would place me in a better position to shape strategic business decisions, and the MBA delivered on all my expectations in that regard. It provided the perfect mix between strategy and application,” she says.

Haynes-Smart is currently responsible for growing and servicing the customer base in the Western Cape for the learning solutions division of LRMG Performance Agency, a position that exposes her to learning needs and challenges across a wide range of sectors. “I’m excited by the daily opportunity to influence the way learning is conducted in different organisations,” she says. “Every day there’s promise of growth and the opportunity to be creative, to apply my mind in different ways and instill in clients a sense of excitement about what learning can deliver to their businesses.”

believe in the solutions that I am presenting to clients – ultimately I strive to establish myself as a trusted advisor,” she says.

In so doing, she’s reminded on a daily basis of how important effective communication is.  The research component of her MBA thesis explored issues of change leadership, where communication is always critical. “Leadership is often hesitant to put out communication unless they are 100% sure of what’s going to happen. But in situations of change this is not always possible and failing to communicate is the worst mistake leadership can make. The grapevine always fills in the gaps of its own accord and creates a bigger problem than if leadership communicates what they know, even if such knowledge is incomplete,” she explains.

Haynes-Smart would like the opportunity to combine her interests in change leadership and learning. “I’d like to take on a role, either as an external or an internal consultant, where I’d be responsible for driving sustainable learning and change projects within an organisation, a project with a long-term perspective,” she says.