Back in late 2024, after a decade as Chief Data and Insights Officer at UNSW Sydney, and more than a decade working at UNSW, I decided it was time to leave. It was a big step. It was scary to leave the comfort of a role and place I’d come to know intimately. I’d invested a lot of myself in the role, in the university, and in the networks of relationships I was lucky enough to build. But ten years is a long time in one role, and it felt like the right moment for a change. So, I took my long service leave, decompressed, and contemplated what was next.
I am currently on my Xmas vacation in early 2026, and this period of reflection has had me thinking about what makes a job not just good, but excellent. It’s more than just the title or the salary; it’s about the texture of the work and the environment you do it in.
Note about privilege
It’s important to say here that I know being able to choose a job based on these criteria is a privilege. For many people, work is about survival, and the primary concern is a secure job that pays regularly. My reflections aren’t intended to dismiss that reality, but rather to think about what we should be striving for when we do have the choice, and what leaders should be trying to build for their teams. Creating environments with a clear mission, good people, and a degree of trust isn’t just for senior executives; it’s the hallmark of a decent workplace for everyone
Here’s what I’ve come up with so far.
First, and most fundamentally, it’s about working for an organisation with a mission and values that I can resonate with. Life is too short to pour your energy into something you don’t believe in. You need to feel that your work is contributing to something worthwhile, whether that’s educating the next generation, solving a tricky social problem, or building something genuinely useful.
Then, the very next thing is the people. What made my last decade bearable, and often joyful, were the colleagues who generously shared their expertise, the collaborators who were up for trying odd ideas, and the people who showed up with perspective when it was all a bit much. An excellent job is one where you are surrounded by smart, kind people who operate in good faith. It’s an environment of psychological safety where you can debate, disagree, and still respect each other. You need a team that has your back, and for whom you’d do the same.
And a critical part of the ‘people’ equation is your direct boss. A good boss is a force multiplier. They don’t just manage; they act as an umbrella, protecting the team from the inevitable bureaucratic nonsense and creating the space for you to do your best work. They advocate for you, they remove roadblocks, and they have your back when things get tricky. They provide air cover. A great boss invests in your growth, gives you honest feedback, and trusts you enough to let you take on challenges that stretch you. It’s a relationship built on mutual respect and a shared understanding of the mission.
Next, it’s about the autonomy and trust to do the work. An excellent job requires leadership that trusts you to get on with it. It’s about having the space to experiment, to nudge systems in slightly better directions, and to tackle hard problems without being micromanaged. This doesn’t mean working in a vacuum; it means having leaders who provide clear direction and support, but who empower their teams to find the best way forward.
Finally, it has to be about meaningful impact and continuous learning. The work itself must be interesting. It needs to be a role where you’re not just pushing paper, but are genuinely doing useful things – with data, with technology, and most of all with people. It should be a place where you’re constantly learning, where you’re challenged by hard questions, and where you have the opportunity to leave things better than you found them.
So, as I look towards what’s on the horizon, these are the things I’m holding in mind. It’s not a simple checklist, but a sense of the conditions needed for work to feel like a valuable part of a well-lived life.
