Interview with a CEO - leading with vision, drive and a client-centred purpose

PE: What is leadership; what do good leaders actually do?  

JN: Good leaders create the conditions that enable people to thrive, stretch themselves and achieve. This is less about being at the desk and more about being around the people, encouraging them to press forward. It’s about listening to ideas and opening the way for them to bring their creativity and energy to the business. Leadership is all about curating the business now for the people who will follow, building a living legacy, mobilising and motivating the people to pull together towards an even better future. It’s the success of the collective company – everyone benefitting - that good leaders are seeking to achieve.

For example, Investec is at a milestone moment right now. The original company was founded 50 years ago and launched in the Channel Islands 25 years ago. This gives us a natural time to reflect on the fantastic legacy that we have inherited and at the same time to look forward to how we can, together, build on this for future employees and clients. It’s exciting!

PE: What would you say are the top qualities of an excellent leader?

JN: The ability to provide clarity on direction and priorities and foster a sense of belonging and safety with purpose and integrity. Energy is important, too. The quality of a leader’s energy will inform the whole company. Good leaders are enthusiastic about the positives and bring challenges in a supportive way when things are not going to plan.

A high-trust environment – critical for the success of any company – is built on the combination of purpose, integrity and safety.  Leaders create this environment.

That’s one of the joys of being part of Investec. The company cares about living and acting with purpose as an organisation for the benefit of our company, clients and the communities in which we operate. 

PE: What has been the toughest challenge you have faced in a leadership role and how did you overcome it?

JN:  There are many challenges that I have faced together with my teams at work. However, as a leader, I have personally challenged myself to understand my ‘why’ (read anything by Simon Sinek!), exploring my personal values based upon my own experiences, unpicking my own behaviours and responses and how I present myself. A former leader in our business, who I would like to give my thanks to here, recommended reading ‘True North’ by Bill George. I highly recommend this read for those contemplating who they are and who they want to be as a leader of people. Doing so enables us to be present as our true selves, leading from our core. There is no greater joy and I, resultantly, find such joy in my role.

PE: It has been said that leadership is lonely. From where do you draw your strongest support?

JN: It’s an interesting idea and perhaps true. Whether lonely or not, I’ve certainly observed that leadership is a constant; it’s not possible to switch being a leader on and off. It’s ever-present; work and life are integrated. With that in mind, my family are a brilliant support. We discussed the role and realities together before I was appointed as CEO and their buy-in and support have been crucial – and wonderful.

Ensuring that I am fully present with the right people at the right time – fully into work when that’s important and fully with family when that’s the right thing to do – is part of what makes for an integrated life. I have also built strong partners as a support team, some within the business and some outside of it, as well as drawing on coaching support. The ability to process my ideas, intuition and frustration in a trusted environment is extremely valuable.  

PE: What helps to sharpen your decision-making and leadership? 

JN: Being part of a great team is important. No individual has all the answers, and I wouldn’t want to, either. Great things can be achieved when a group of purpose-oriented, positive-minded but diversely thinking people work together. A collaborative environment helps us all tap into the joy that exists in working to overcome challenges together and create great products and services for our clients.

There are practical ways to keep sharp, too. It’s about curating the conditions for clear thinking in body, mind and conditioning. That means taking care of the basic ‘hygiene’ factors of good sleep, eating real food, moving your body and managing stimulants. I don’t pretend to be perfect on this, but when I am paying attention to these factors, the difference in how I show up in the workplace is meaningful.

PE: Which leadership skill do you think you’ll need to draw on the most in the coming year?  

JN: Leading change. The speed of change in the world is ever faster and we need to be able to adapt to, or at least accept, this pace. This includes external factors outside of our control including some of the geo-political and global economic factors we are facing and also internal aspects, including technology and AI. This will take foresight to imagine how our worlds will look into the future, combined with the ability to hold and support our people – employees and clients – through change. We need to create an environment where change is welcomed and shaped to the benefit of our clients, our team and our communities. Awareness to think ahead and take the necessary decisions to adapt and benefit from this, calmly, listening to people and working with them through change will be essential in the months ahead.