Protecting your mental bandwidth
Every day we need a certain mental bandwidth to think clearly, make decisions and solve problems, big and small. We also need it to relate to others well and respond to their needs and wants appropriately. But we are living and working in an increasingly overloaded and fragmented world. Our attention skates over one screen […]
Promoted, but not prepared: The hidden cost of poor leadership transitions!
What are the challenges that Managers face during transition into new roles? Businesses need a proactive strategy to support transitioning leaders in order to avert failure and create added value by increasing a new manager’s effectiveness. What is the problem? The scarcity of talent in the marketplace often leads to fast-tracking leaders. This is a […]
Long-term incentives – anchoring executive pay?
Executive rewards in financial services are entering a period of recalibration. In South Africa’s financial services sector, remuneration discussions now centre on one core theme – balance. How do organisations protect themselves from excessive fixed salary commitments while still attracting and retaining leaders capable of steering businesses through economic uncertainty, regulatory pressure, and rapid digital […]
The quiet power of mentorship on the leadership journey
There’s a widely held assumption that mentorship is about career advice – helping someone get promoted, mapping out a five-year plan, or sharpening their CV. And yes, sometimes it is. But from what I’ve seen over the years, the most powerful mentorship moments aren’t packaged that way. They come in the form of presence, perspective, […]
3 Leadership challenges SA Asset Managers face at the end of 2025
Against the backdrop of unending global economic and geo-political turmoil, the South African financial sector faces significant localised challenges. Asset Management firms have spent most of 2025 navigating the country’s modest economic growth as well as the significant demands from evolving regulatory frameworks, and ongoing investor demand for more innovative products. Without a meaningful economic […]
Leadership and talent retention often part of year-end business challenges
Against the backdrop of unending global economic and geo-political turmoil, the South African financial sector faces significant localised challenges. Asset Management firms have spent most of 2025 navigating the country’s modest economic growth as well as the significant demands from evolving regulatory frameworks, and ongoing investor demand for more innovative products. Without a meaningful economic […]
3 Leadership challenges SA Asset Managers face at the end of 2025, heading into a new year
Against the backdrop of unending global economic and geo-political turmoil, the South African financial sector faces significant localised challenges. Asset Management firms have spent most of 2025 navigating the country’s modest economic growth as well as the significant demands from evolving regulatory frameworks, and ongoing investor demand for more innovative products. Without a meaningful economic […]
4 changes in 30 years still shaping recruitment in SA financial services
The scope and rate of transformation today is so intense that it can be easy to overlook that things have always been changing, often radically. Just over three decades ago, when businesses were still sending faxes, the country made the stunning change to a democratic government, setting in motion the long journey to heal, restore […]
Save your firm from the ordeals of succession
Phryne Williams highlights the importance of succession planning. Pause for a moment and scan your company, department or team – do you recognise the potential successors, the individuals poised to assume pivotal roles within the organisation? Where can they be found? Who are these successors, are they well-prepared to assume leadership responsibilities? In South African asset management […]
Can succession planning for women break barriers in SA Financial Services?
As several annual general meetings have taken place across the South African Financial Services sector this month, progress towards gender parity has been high on the activist shareholders’ agenda. In its annual round-up reports non-profit shareholder activism organisation, Just Share has so far put the leadership of Absa, Nedbank, Sanlam and Old Mutual on the […]