How we’re investing in our leaders at Finance Now – through the Leadership Academy, our leadership framework, and the Leaders Days that anchor our year.
At Finance Now, we reckon the quality of a leader shows up in the quality of their team’s day.
That’s why we take leadership development seriously – and why we’ve put real investment behind it.
A framework and an academy
Earlier this year we launched the Finance Now Leadership Academy – a monthly training programme for every leader in the business. Alongside it, we rolled out a leadership framework that sets out what good leadership looks like at Finance Now, whether you’re a first-time team leader, a senior specialist, or part of our executive team.
Together, they give our leaders something that’s easy to overlook until you don’t have it: a clear picture of what’s expected of them, and a clear path for growing into it.
“Our leaders have a huge influence on our team’s experience of work, so investing in them properly is one of the most important things we do. The Leadership Academy gives our leaders training and development every month, and our framework sets out what good leadership looks like here. Our leaders know what’s expected of them, and they know we’re backing them to get there.”
— Maria Coupland, GM People & Culture
Twice a year, we bring everyone together
Twice a year, we put everything else aside and bring our leaders together for a full working day. We run a Leaders Day in both Auckland and Invercargill, so the same conversation happens in both places.
Leaders Days aren’t conferences with slides and lanyards. They’re a chance for our leaders to take stock of what’s ahead, test their thinking with each other, and come away better equipped for the team they lead.
A typical day covers what’s on our teams’ minds, what’s coming up for the business, and what our leaders need to do differently to lead well. That might mean working through recent team feedback and agreeing what to do about it, or figuring out how to bring our purpose and values to life with their teams. It’s also a chance for our leaders to focus on themselves – what they need from us, what’s working, and where to double down. There’s always an external focus too – thinking about what’s happening in the world and what it means for our customers, our team, and the way we work.
“Things feel busier and less predictable than they did a couple of years ago. That’s just the world we’re in. What we can control is how we lead through it – staying steady for our team, being clear about what matters, and keeping the focus on the people who rely on us. Days like these are how we make sure our leaders are set up to do that.”
— Hadyn Halls, CEO
Part of a bigger commitment
Our purpose is helping Kiwis make their NOW count. It’s our people and culture that bring that to life. Investing in our leaders so they can be better today is one of the most direct ways we do it.
In the months ahead, we’ll share more about the people-focused work happening across Finance Now – from the partnerships that support our team’s wellbeing, to the community work our people lead, to the ways we’re investing in the place we work.
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