Generation Success — Telstra CEO David Thodey always looks for ways to improve processes

AS part of the Generation Success youth employment initiative, Telstra boss David Thodey recalls what life lesson he learned as a 14-year-old.

‘Don’t just accept the status quo’ ... Telstra CEO David Thodey is backing the Generation

LOADING suitcases onto buses going to Wellington airport as a 14-year-old schoolboy on Christmas holidays taught Telstra boss David Thodey never to accept the status quo and always look at ways of improving the process.

This has stuck with him as he revolutionised the nation’s biggest telecommunications player and turned it into a major corporate player.

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The New Zealand-born executive admits a series of low-end boring jobs during school and university, including as a tractor driver on pea farm, taught him about responsibility and that hard work pays — even if it is just a few dollars it is better than none.

“Even just the way you carry or stack the bags, I wanted to make things even more efficient. This taught me that no matter how you do things you can always do them better and don’t just accept the status quo,” he said.

“Young people can’t just sit there and just wait for the perfect job to arrive. I still don’t know what the perfect job is. It is about going and out and working as this will open doors and opportunities.”

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It was his first real job at IBM however that was the real turning point for Mr Thodey. He was accepted into the internship program following an Arts degree in anthropology and religious studies.

Learning curve ... Telstra boss David Thodey says change can bring both heartache and opportunity.

“I did an IQ test and then they trained me for a year,” he said.

“Just getting going is the biggest step. It is up to companies like us to provide those opportunities. It can be really disheartening and we have all felt that but young people need to just keep going.”

However, the boss of the $63 billion telco says the employment landscape is changing as more menial and blue collar jobs are being replaced by automation.

This transition going on in the economy at the moment still has some way to go with many experts comparing it to the lost decade after the industrial revolution between 1820 and 1840 that left millions of jobless as people moved from rural areas to cities.

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Mr Thodey said change could bring both heartache and opportunity in equal measure.

This change has seen Telstra shed about 2000 workers annually over recent years while replacing them with around a similar amount of new jobs in growing areas.

“We are broadly flat,” Mr Thodey said.

“But the nature of work is changing dramatically. I’m not sure if there is enough resilience in this internet age. People are very quick to criticise or complain.”

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Ahead of this month’s Generation Success summit with Prime Minister Tony Abbott — a program that aims to shine a light on youth unemployment — Mr Thodey said young workers must just get out there and stop waiting for their perfect job.

The jobless rate among young people increased to 12.4 per cent in January, with some regional areas registering levels of almost 20 per cent.

Mr Thodey is optimistic next week’s summit is a chance for governments, businesses and young workers to come together to try and find solutions.

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Generation Success ... News Corp Australian has teamed up with Woolworths for the jobs initiative.

News Corp Australia and Woolworths Limited have joined forces to launch Generation Success, an initiative to focus on youth employment. Gen S brings together some of the country’s biggest employers including Leighton Holdings, National Australia Bank, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Toll Group, Spotless and Telstra. As part of the initiative, business and government leaders will come together on April 16 for a youth employment roundtable discussion.