The Principles of Banking, 2nd Edition

Foreword

Neal Ardley

Moorad asked me to write a Foreword for his book on banking, which wasn't as surprising as you might think – he'd previously asked me to present at an executive offsite when he was CEO of a bank. Just as he had on that occasion, he invited me to write about Leadership and Teambuilding, as these are as important to achieving success in a bank as they are in a football team.

For me, leadership isn't about being in charge or being the boss, but about being responsible for inspiring everybody around me! The days of managing from the top down are waning, and the bottom-up approach is more rewarding for the creation of good team spirit, employee buy-in, cohesiveness, culture and a rewarding work ethic.

Today's world needs a modern approach and a good leader can be “the boss” and a decision-maker yet also have the ability to facilitate creativity, opinion and self-worth amongst their staff.

Building relationships is key; this shouldn't be confused with friendships (although friendships can happen), it is more about creating the trust between a leader and the individuals within their team that allow a culture for success, enabling the leader to be demanding and push their staff to be their best whilst still maintaining the belief in the staff that you are with them, wanting them to improve and get even better.

I've always found authenticity is important for a leader. Hard conversations still need to be had with your staff, however the ability to “soft land” things ...