Hi, my name’s Bev White. I’m the CEO of Nash Squared.
And these are my biggest lessons.
I'll start with being open with people.
I think this is really particularly important when you're new into a role, new to a team,
to really sit down and let people know what they can expect from you and what you really like to
expect from them. For example, I don't personally like surprises, not in the work context. I love
birthday surprises and Christmases, of course. But to get unexpected news, good or bad, when you've
not really been expecting it, I'm not great at receiving that. I think the way to look at it is,
you know, I think if you're clear with your team upfront, you're really open about, you know,
I like to receive information in bite sized chunks or just drop me a WhatsApp message. I
think you're very clear. I think the opportunity also is the other way around. Because this is
a two-way relationship, right? So, to ask your team, how do they like to receive information too?
Trust in people. I think This one's really important to me. I implicitly trust people.
That's my go to position. But we've all worked with those people that say, “You have to earn
my trust.” I really don't agree with that. I think if you show people they're trusted,
they're going to do their very best work. Nine times out of 10, that's always going to be what
happens. And of course, if that trust is broken, it's going to take a long way to come back from
that. I think if you're really clear with people right out front, they're going to do their best.
They really will. And if you feel trusted, you know you will always do your best to repay that.
Don't avoid issues. I think This is very connected to my point earlier on,
which is around having open conversations. I think if something isn't working,
say for example, somebody isn't performing,
you owe them the opportunity to have that conversation. Being honest, being straightforward
about replaying what you're what you're concerned about. I think this is really important.
If you don't, those around you will certainly see it. They'll know what's happening. And they'll be
watching you to see are you going to address it? It’s the elephant in the room, right? We've all
seen that happen. So, sitting down, being honest, being straightforward and dealing with the issues,
the unspoken challenges that people see around the business, is an important part of being a leader.
The power of storytelling. As a leader, I find this a really important tool.
There was someone that I had in my life who became a really strong mentor, an American called Doug.
And I remember I was really deep in a project one day, and he said,
“Let me tell you about the woodcutter.” And I thought, “Really, I haven't got time for this.”
But as he started to talk, I started to think more about the message behind the story of the
woodcutter, and what he was saying to me was continuing to do the same thing over
and over wasn't going to get me a better result. I needed to go back and rethink it.
I've used this power of storytelling throughout my career. I think if you use ideas and concepts,
it can really bring a message home in a way that just simply telling doesn't.
Embrace diversity. As a woman that started out in tech, I'm very consciously aware and really
passionate about doing my part. After all, today, only 12% of tech leaders are women.
This is something I can help with, and here at Nash Squared, we're always talking to our clients,
our candidates, and ourselves about what we can do to create a more inclusive workplace.
Take flexible working, for example. If you think about the needs of parents,
of carers, you can shape the work around those times of their availability,
and really make them feel at home, be part of the workforce, not excluded from it. This
is a really important part. It's a lesson we've all learned in the last two years.