Last month, NSCG hosted a networking event for the Financial Services community, bringing together clients and senior interims in the market.
Here host, Joseph O’flynn looks back on the evenings’ discussion which focused on “How to Build Effective Leadership Teams,” and the key takeaways for those in attendance.
Seasoned entrepreneur and founder of Arena Flowers and Smart Pension, Will Wynne, provided insight into his experiences and the tactics and strategies he employed to onboard and develop teams. Our very own Rianne Silvey, Occupational Psychologist and Leadership Consultant joined Will and added value and expert perspective to the conversation of leadership development and how to assess for desired capabilities.
Below are the four key themes Will and Rianne highlighted as essential to effective leadership:
- The Co-founder Model
- Delegation vs. Control
- The Importance of Context
- Horses for Course
Co-founder Model
Drawing from his experience founding two businesses, Will detailed valuable insights into the co-founder model. He emphasised how having two founders can strengthen leadership teams, provided they are aligned and supportive of one another, reminded attendees of the saying, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”.
Delegation vs. Control
Will also highlighted the tricky balance leaders must navigate. While delegation is key to building an effective team, finding the right level of autonomy versus centralised decision making is a challenge for any leader. “Sometimes it’s about keeping things simple and trusting the team”. Rianne expanded on this, exploring the challenges leaders face when transitioning into roles, such as learning to balance empowerment and delegation with maintaining control in an environment they are new to..
Why context is important
Will and Rianne emphasised how great leadership teams excel at adapting to unforeseen events. Going on to stress why the diversity of thought within a team is crucial, especially when facing crises. Will humorously illustrated this point, saying, “In a crisis, you need someone who can hit the nearest crocodile to the canoe before finding the next one.”
Rianne continued by emphasising the importance of unlearning old habits, redefining purpose, and being introspective as part of leadership development. She also touched on the need for leaders to adapt to complex, unprecedented situations, highlighting how organisations can benefit from different assessment methodology to identify leaders with strategic insight and flexibility.
Horses for Courses
Finally, Will addressed the reality that different teams, companies, and cultures require different leadership styles. This led to an engaging discussion with the attendees about the concept of a company’s “North Star.” As Will pointed out, a clear North Star helps guide a company, cutting through complexity and providing a clear direction. Recalling the analogy from Team GB Olympic Rowing: “Does it make the boat go faster?” If yes, do it; if not, don’t.
Additionally, Rianne discussed how NSCG partners with clients to deeply understand their context, helping to identify the right leaders for specific environments and providing targeted coaching to support their growth in role.
This was followed by a lively Q&A session, with a lot of interest around how leadership and work culture have evolved post-COVID. The challenges of communicating with more dispersed teams and adapting to this new reality sparked some healthy debate.
The evening concluded with informal networking allowing everyone to reconnect with familiar faces and meet new ones.
You can learn more about NSCG, and our future events, contacting us, alternatively you can contact Joseph O’Flynn, Senior Consultant at NSCG.