Strengthening your leadership muscle in the new financial year

The most effective leaders aren’t those who fit a particular mould or style. They are intentional about the impact they have on the people around them and show a willingness to continuously adapt and learn. Leadership is about understanding who you are, how you show up, the impact you have and want to have on others, and what your team and organisation needs to be effective.

Start with purpose

Strong leadership starts with clarity of purpose – understanding what matters to you and the difference you want to make. Understanding why you lead, helps bring clarity to your purpose, which in turn anchors your decisions and shapes your behaviour. 

Once you have the ‘why’, think about how it connects to your organisation’s purpose and strategy. Working in professional services environments means keeping the impact you want to have on your people, your clients and the business front of mind.

Build self-awareness

After clarifying your intent, the next step is understanding how others experience you as a leader. At times there can be a gap between intention and impact. Self-awareness is one of the biggest differentiators in leadership effectiveness. It’s about recognising your values, strengths, areas for developments and the effect you have on your team.  

Some strategies for building self-awareness include:

• Seeking regular feedback, from your managers, peers, and team. This can also include from those in different areas of the business you may have the opportunity to work with. Consider how different people would describe your leadership behaviours on a good day...and when under pressure.
• Reflecting on your experiences and decisions, how have you managed certain pressures before? What decisions did you make then that you may change or keep now?
• Learning from others through mentoring or coaching can be a great way to expand your perspective and challenge your thinking

The more insight you have, the more intentional you can be in how you lead.

Focus on learning agility

As a leader, you’re always building on your knowledge and sometimes it isn’t about having all the answers. Given the fast pace of change in the current world of work, the ability to adapt, learn and respond in the moment is critical. This is often described as learning agility – the capacity to learn from experience, stay open and adjust your approach when faced with something new or uncertain.

In practice, this might look like:

• Being comfortable with saying “I don’t know yet”
• Actively seeking different perspectives
• Staying curious, even when situations are challenging
• Testing and adjusting your approach, rather than sticking rigidly to one way of working

Leaders who develop this capability are better equipped to navigate change and lead through complexity, not just stability.

How to apply it

Leadership development doesn’t happen overnight or through insight alone. It comes from consistent, deliberate action, reflection and adjustment over time. As you approach the year ahead, think about small, practical ways to strengthen how you lead. This could start by taking ownership of your development, rather than waiting for formal programs, you can actively seek opportunities to learn and grow in your day-to-day role. You might focus on:

• Clarifying the impact you want to have
• Seeking out a mentor to challenge and support you
• Taking on informal opportunities to lead and mentor others
• Asking for feedback on specific areas of your leadership behaviours

Progress is built through consistent habits, not one-off actions.

Next steps

Leadership development is an ongoing exercise and even the most effective senior leaders are constantly learning and refining their approach.

We encourage you to stay connected and speak with your peers about how they approach leadership. Collaboration is powerful, and learning from others can help broaden your perspective of impactful leadership habits. 

Over time, consistent reflection and action will help you build a leadership approach that is both effective and authentic.