view from above
in associationwith
DEIRDRE
O’SHAUGHNESSY on managing change
RACHEL
PANAGIODIS on staying the course
If there was ever a time that we as a population needed to embrace change management, it is now. Ireland needs to move on from its errors of the past and embrace the true essence of change. As Charles Darwin famously put it, “It’s not the strongest of species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones who are most responsive to change”. Companies and organisations operating in the Ireland
of today need to embrace change management in order to weather the existing market conditions. Change must be realistic, achievable and measurable, while also involving thoughtful planning, inclusion of those affected and sensi- tive implementation. In any company or organisation you need to be mindful
that the chief insecurity of most staff is change itself. Change needs to be understood and managed in a way that people can cope effectively with it. Change can be unsettling, so those orchestrating it need to be a settling influence. Pressure to change is all around us right now. Our cus-
tomers and clients are telling us so. Talk of regulatory reform abounds. Fear if we don’t change is palpable. For change to work, there needs to be a desire for things to be different. Ireland is ready and bracing itself, we now just need the leaders to take charge. Remember change does not happen overnight and, as a
leader, you can’t let up. You must be focused and deter- mined that the change is possible, be encouraging and highlight levels of success regularly. Tomake change stick takes tenacity and spirit – characteristics we Irish have in spades!
Deirdre O’Shaughnessy is general manager of Interim Executives.
To those of you who, likeme, have seen at least two reces- sions, have been passionate about our industry and might be losing faith and thinking of moving out of the financial services industry to grow cabbages, please stick with it. The industry needs your experience in our boardrooms.
The current regulatory zealmay be pushing you away, but there are those, including myself, who believe that the solution to Ireland’s financial services crisis is very much in upskilling the boardroom. A heavy-handed regulator will not achieve the answer
to the problems alone. It has to come from within. And the prospect of financial services management being run by the fast-tracked ‘tiger babies’ in an industry that is highly complex could result in a worse situation. As part of the board’s job is to challenge management,
we need the wisdom of your years. But you also need to take advantage of the courses that have emerged to update yourselves, and remind you of your strategic skill sets. The Institute of Directors runs a particularly good course in its Chartered Director training, and one-off courses on various subject matters to hone your skills. It is very easy to give up and to become part of the
‘problem’ getting worse. It’s much harder, yet ultimately more satisfying, to contribute to the solution. There are opportunities for professional people in new
careers as independent non-executive directors, and disil- lusioned executives who have had a passion for the indus- try should consider this path, and apply their acquired wisdom in the boardroom.
Rachel Panagiodis is managing director of Hansard Europe at Hansard Global plc. She is chair of the Association of International Life Offices, and is a graduate of the IoD Chartered Director programme.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72