Georgia

She’s like a human Trevi fountain spewing forth joy, laughter, hope, angst, a kaleidoscope of emotions. She’s naturally curious, a self-described over-sharer and in her words ‘just likes to know’. She is extroverted, chatty and loves being part of the team. She’s a collaborator, a natural ESTJ if I have to predict her Myers Briggs (I’m sure she’ll tell me otherwise. She later did. It’s actually ENTJ). Not surprising really, because she can speak her mind. She’s strong in her convictions but is willing to have the debate and to be proven wrong. 

I ask her what’s shaped her to be the person she is today. Hands down it’s her parents. She adores them. They’re her heroes. She describes her parents’ relationship as being like a kite. Her mum, Jane, is the kite, bright and charming, soaring into the sky, circling about, zigging and zagging, while her dad is the expert handler reeling in the line and letting it go out again, allowing her mum to be the free spirit that she is but simultaneously grounded. It’s a lovely paradox if ever I’ve heard one. 

I sit approximately 1.5 metres from Georgia. She cracks me up. She has such an expressive face. It’s a dosimeter of her emotions. She wears her heart on her sleeve and as much as she tries to contain her feelings, her eyes give her away. Glasnost may have played a role in exposing Chernobyl but Georgia’s eyes tell-all. There’s no need for external forces to show her hand, she subconsciously shows it herself. I can’t help but smile as her chair swivels around because I know she’s bound to impart some knowledgeable insights about matters of importance. Whether it’s the latest political machinations, her exciting travel plans or her varied dating experiences.

She’s very intelligent. Smart beyond her years. She also has a positive outlook on life. I’m not sure if everyone has utilised or leveraged her intelligence though, perhaps it’s because of the parameters that come with organisational structures I’m not sure. I often plead with her to save me a part-time job for when she’s a future CEO. If you’re reading this Georgia two days would be optimal but if it must be three then three it is. 

I can just imagine her running an entrepreneurial enterprise or a not-for-profit organisation. She tends to bound when she walks. She’s got spark and she also has natural leadership tendencies with that unique ability to think and respond on her feet. Her spirit is like a burst dam, like when the exuberant water breaks through and swirls and embraces everything around it, regardless of whether ‘everything’ is ready or not! She can digest and interpret large swathes of information with ease and articulate learnings succinctly and accurately. She’s respectful of management but doesn’t bow to subservience. I’m not sure if you can really learn that trait. It seems to me like something you either have or you don’t? 

I’m not sure if the world is big enough for Georgia. It’s her oyster and it’s there for the taking. She’s curious, empathetic, grateful for every good thing that comes her way, not to mention fun, she’s super fun. She’s the girl you want on your hens day, she’s the first player to embrace comrades following a win, to form the circle and sing the club anthem. She’s the nucleus of the team and her enthusiasm is the DNA that links all. She’s an effervescent, infectious personality and has a way of leading without being aware of the fact.   

Georgia travelled to Scotland a little while ago. It was a little disconcerting seeing her appear quite nervous the night she flew out. She’s usually confident and sure of herself, not in arrogant way, just in a way that says ‘I got this’. Then it dawned on me that while she embraces spontaneity she’s also a planner. It was important for her to have her first night arranged and she was naturally a little anxious before the flight and early stages of the trip. She also describes herself as being ‘obsessive’ and a ‘control-freak’. She’s ENTJ, so I guess it makes sense. Yours truly is your classic INFP, only off the richter scale. The type who asks, after three hours driving to the camping destination, ‘have we got the tent?’  

I remember reading a quote that one of the greatest threats to humanity is indifference. She’s passionate about social issues and is not afraid to say so. It was only recently she told me she had volunteered to build houses for possums in the wake of the bushfires that have so ravaged the east-coast of NSW and Victoria. Climate change is another issue of importance to her and she’s taken up the leviathan challenge of minimising plastic in the workplace. I think she’d make a great politician even though I think it’s quite sad many have such a pessimistic view of politics. While I can appreciate how people might reach that point of view, I truly believe irrespective of a person’s political stripe, the majority of politicians enter parliament for intrinsic reasons. When you consider the hours and criticism involved, frankly the pay doesn’t cut it. Ultimately you could say ‘Today is Wednesday’ and surely someone’s bound to say, ‘not according to Greenwich Mean Time’. I think it’s refreshing and exciting to see someone so young be interested and passionate about issues and it makes me hopeful about the future.

There remain some unknowns for Georgia. Her maternal grandmother died when her mum was 12, and her paternal grandmother died when she was three. For someone who likes to know things she deeply misses this ancestral connection. How proud her grandmothers must be to see the person Georgia’s become and how she continues to evolve. I suspect they secretly visit Georgia in her sleep, whispering stories, sharing their wisdom and tuning her moral compass. There are other unknowns such as who her life partner will be, whether she’ll have a child. Life has a funny way of sorting itself out and throwing curve balls, but in the interim, I say strap yourself in and enjoy the journey because it’s gonna be one hell of a ride.    

Sometimes Georgia can be found at her desk simply laughing. She explains ‘there’s just so much going on in my head you’ve got no idea’. That’s true, I don’t, but you can almost see the cogs turning over in her mind.

What is known is that this woman is special. I’ve no doubt the universe has grand plans in store for Georgia. Grand plans indeed.