Vulnerable and heartfelt, Corbett’s story inspired much support, a few tears and a standing ovation from the audience of travel leaders.
Corbett’s speech evoked a similar response during A Force for Good in Sydney on International Women’s Day.
Here are a handful of the insights that Corbett shared:
Lead by your values
Corbett’s father Warren Adcock OBE was a savvy entrepreneur who previously owned manufacturing giant King Gee.
If he were alive today, he would have been 96 years old.
As Corbett explained, he was a man of a different generation, who never considered women as business leaders.
However, while he held old-fashioned views, he instilled in Corbett a value system which she continues to use every day, both at work and at home.
And as her career developed, Corbett broke the mold and began to create the building blocks of what would eventually become a highly successful career in business.
On his deathbed, the pair continued to talk about business, as Adcock shared some final lessons with her.
“He said, ‘Darling, I don’t care if it’s a person putting the garbage out, or if you’re sitting with the queen having tea, speak and treat people the same’,” recalled Corbett.
Other lessons included always being on time, always telling the truth, never look back and dwell on things and to “feel grateful, be humble and cherish family moments”.
“Your values don’t just make you a better leader, they make you a better person,” said Corbett. “I believe the best leaders are the ones who lead with both their head and their heart.”
Learning how to be a tough negotiator
When Corbett worked at Utag as a marketing exec reporting to Bob Steel, it was a “massive learning curve” and she learnt how to become a tough negotiator. As a result, she also learnt how to think strategically, analyse and problem solve.
“Bob would only accept the best supplier deal. He used to literally throw the supplier contracts back at me if they were not strong enough. And he’d say, ‘Deb, do it again! I don’t want to see you back here until you unlock better terms!’” recounted Corbett.
“I was so frustrated, but looking back, it was his weird way of testing me to see how resilient I could be.”
“I had to listen to my suppliers’ needs and understand their priorities, while staying firm and confident of our business needs. I slowly got better each time, learning from my mistakes.”
Developing cultural intelligence
While at Garuda Indonesia Holidays, Corbett had to navigate different forms of business etiquette across different cultures, whether it was finding different ways of negotiating contracts or closing deals.
“I had to adapt and learn traditions, and the biggest one of all was trying to read non-verbal cues to understand what wasn’t being said directly in the negotiations,” she recalled.
Navigating self-doubt
Like many during her career, Corbett has experienced self-doubt, but she has learnt how to find the resilience required to work through it.
“Many times, I was so close to throwing it all in, but I wanted to continue being a role model for my girls, to show them that when things get tough, you can find inner strength and keep bouncing back stronger,” she said.
Managing gender inequality in the workplace
Before she was handed the role of CEO for Ponant Asia-Pacific, Corbett admitted that she had never experienced gender inequality in the workplace (or recognised it before).
Until one day, a male staff member said of her new position: “Congratulations, but it’s going to be a really big challenge.”
“I felt like saying to him, ‘Did you say that to Chris (Hall) when he got the job? Or did you say to him, ‘Well done, mate’?” Corbett said.
“I said, ‘Yes, it’s exciting. I’m more than ready. Are you? Because I have lots of ideas for your area’.”
“Mic drop!”
Going back to basics
Whenever Corbett or her team are feeling overwhelmed, she asks four questions:
- What am I doing now?
- What should I continue doing?
- What should I stop doing?
- What should I start doing?
“Every time I answer these honestly and take action, things move forward, faster, smarter and with real impact,” she said.
“But the real magic happens when these actions align with something deeper, because making real progress isn’t just about what we do, it’s about staying true to what matters most, and that’s where our core values come in.”
