COVID-19 has caused a profound shift in the way we work, changing the way that employees interact with each other, bringing virtual platforms to the forefront and at times straining our interpersonal skills. Whilst the learning curve was steep (as all learning curves naturally are!) what is now clear is that some of these changes will remain in place for some time, if not permanently. One of the most prominent observations has been around leadership. Much has been written, said and critiqued with examples aplenty of both great and poor leadership during the past year. Like sitting down to wat ..read more

We love a good three letter acronym in finance and whilst ESG is not exclusive to financial services it is gaining increasing traction. You cannot read a daily briefing without a nod to this, or like me, you may have jumped on a webinar (or three) to try and get your head around this subject. Whether you are interested about it from a personal investment stance, concerned about how your money in your pension pot is being invested or whether you are starting to see the impact on your job as a result of all things ESG, it is clearly a topic here to stay and one we should all upskill our underst ..read more

If I asked you the question are you competent to perform your job? No doubt all of us would be shouting a resounding YES. What if I asked you what does ‘being competent’ mean in the context of your role? Would you be able to succinctly define that? Could it be that everyone’s view is subtly different? Or are there commonalities? Are these the same across an entire firm, do they differ between divisions and regions? These questions about competency are not new, commercially they define the success of firms. Having the right people, with the right skill set in the right role at the right time i ..read more

As Jamiroquai once put it “Future’s made of virtual insanity now Always seem to, be governed by this love we have For useless, twisting, our new technology Oh, now there is no sound – for we all live underground” Well, while we don’t quite live underground here may be just a touch of insanity starting to creep in, and of course we are all experts with virtual technology now, right? After the switch to remote working in 2020, the new year is an opportunity to reframe the not-so-new daily routine. While lots of us enjoy a new found flexibility, research shows working from home also led to longe ..read more

There was a banker, a sailor, a surgeon, and a…I know, I know this sounds like the start of a terrible joke but actually, this is only a few from the list of high achievers that I have had the privilege of speaking with this year. I am sure none of them would choose to describe themselves as such, but humility is certainly one of the common traits they all share. Rather than focus on all the learnings from these interviews (of which there are many and that you are welcome to watch back from the recordings) I wanted to instead share my experience of developing from an okay-ish interviewer to w ..read more

“Fortunately, most human behaviour is learned observationally through modelling from others” – Albert Bandura Culture and conduct are terms that we have long since heard about in financial services. It could even be argued that like video calls, there’s a fatigue element whenever these terms are yet again rolled out. What this means to us and why we should care is very easy. Behaviour, and not just words on a website or emblazoned across a corporate wall will impact everyone; colleagues, clients and potentially the market as a whole. The FCA published a useful document on “Transforming Cultur ..read more

We are all overwhelmed with content. The non-mandatory sections of corporate learning systems often go largely unused. Many of us go through our professional lives without ever being touched by the pearls of knowledge and inspiration that might make a big difference to our levels of productivity. Three Obvious Things: People want to learn Their time is limited, and They want results Most people have an interest in learning. Either they have a natural curiosity to be exposed to new and different ideas. Or, they have a strong desire to be better at what they do and recognise learning as the c ..read more

When firms first started the long road to fixing and improving conduct in financial services the focus around change efforts was the importance of ‘Tone from the Top’. The Board, Senior Managers, Business Heads etc were deemed hugely influential in terms of what they say and do – or don’t. Over time for firms this has cascaded down the organisation, driven more from direct line management than simply from above, queue the term ‘Tone from Above’. But wait, there is more…in the ever-evolving battle to improve conduct, the FCA has now introduced ‘Tone from within’ as an important new phrase to c ..read more

Recent events have proven that we can work in different patterns, locations, and virtually. 16 of the top 25 skills searched on LinkedIn did not exist 5 years ago, and that was before the Covid-19 pandemic. So, what does your skill set of the future look like? Like most folks my social feeds and inbox are awash with courses, suggestions and skills I should be focused on, but like all development it’s not a one size fits all approach. Consider it a pick and mix, where you need to select and curate the optimal combination that both addresses your challenges but also positions you to align your ..read more

This week we come to final part of the GRC trilogy: Compliance.  Of course, it is about a lot more than just rules, regulations and policies. In fact, that is the easy bit.  Let’s go back to our running example of Toyota to consider how they frame the topic of compliance:  “honour the language and spirit of the law of every country and region and undertake open and fair business activities to be a strong corporate citizen of the world.”  Toyota believes that adhering to this principle helps to fulfil duties in corporate social responsibility and ensure compliance…  To ..read more