PEOPLE

It goes almost without saying that these happen to also be key ingredients for future leaders .

“ Leadership is something that can be taught – there ’ s no magic or secret sauce ,” Mears continues . “ It ’ s about building self-awareness , developing authenticity and creating the right environment for individuals to thrive as leaders .

“ Our role as leaders is to ensure we give everyone we employ the best development opportunities we can and , if they are eager and open to it , we guide and support them throughout their career with us .”

Navigating change Clearly , some skills are non-negotiable for all employees . Leaders must not only meet these requirements , but go that extra mile to set an example to team members and fellow managers .

Mears ’ own leadership playbook includes the following skills :

• Self-awareness .

• Strong ability to communicate

• Empathy

• Patience

• Innovative mindset

• Problem-solving mentality

• Ability to deal with an ever-changing environment

She points out that , given the rapid pace of change in financial services and beyond , it ’ s that ability to guide employees effectively through change that is perhaps the most important asset a leader can have in today ’ s business environment .

“ The most effective leaders also have the ability to foster trusting relationships and strong teams , and to bring out the best in their teams ,” Mears goes on .

“ They understand that they won ’ t always be the expert in the room , and they recognise the quietest person or a junior colleague may have the answer that ’ s needed .”

This attitude is reflected further by leadership development programmes which , these days , have more of an emphasis on coaching and mentorship .

“ They ’ re designed to encourage a leader to exercise empathy and not back away from having the difficult conversations ,” Mears adds .

Leadership : A constant learning process As mentioned , Mears leans towards the belief that leadership skills are learned , as opposed to innate , and believes improvement of these capabilities should always be part of any senior manager ’ s development focus .

“ You ’ re never done and , not to sound too corny , but it is a journey ,” adds Mears .

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