Sionic has today called on financial services to “radically accelerate a different style of inspirational leadership in our sector”.
The call comes as Sionic launches a brand new series of ‘open market’ development programmes, focused on building leadership behaviours, and unlocking the value of experts and specialists. These equip anyone who is responsible for people in financial services to inspire, motivate and sustain performance levels in a new pandemic-shaped world.
Sionic is the leading specialist provider of leadership and talent development programmes in financial services. The firm has a 25+ year global track record of developing staff across the world’s major banks and financial institutions.
Sionic’s new programmes are based on a six month study of the correlation between leadership behaviour and high performing people, which the firm’s specialist Learning & Development team conducted as COVID took hold. This research has shown that remote and digital working can energise, rather than demoralise, staff working in financial services – but only if leadership adopts a new mindset and patterns of behaviour.
Sionic’s Learning & Development Practice is led by Managing Partner by Peter Stone. He comments
“It’s time to stand the leadership model on its head. Leadership is about behaviour, not hierarchy. High performing firms are created by high performing cultures – which in turn are created by how people behave. The pandemic has shown us the power, as well as the vulnerability, of the human. Whilst financial institutions proved incredibly resourceful and resilient in pivoting to digital as the pandemic took hold, they now need to encourage a different style of leadership to permanently sustain performance. We are being presented with a massive opportunity to radically accelerate this change so that anyone who is responsible for people can bring a greater and healthier balance to the lives of their teams whilst unlocking motivation and discretionary effort. Why would we ever want to go back to the old normal, why wouldn’t we take ownership and create a new, better normal?”
“Sionic’s existing portfolio of global development programmes typically see a senior executive send a large cohort of staff onto single programme. By contrast, our new programmes are aimed at smaller groups of individuals from a range of firms and geographies who wish to invest in their own careers, either as private individuals or sponsored by their employer, to hear new thinking and translate into actions to tackle common challenges together. I’m really excited by the buzz our first taster session has already created – this is a new way of learning, a new way of working and a new way of leading as we all adapt to the new way of living.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors
1. Sionic is a global consulting firm which specialises in accelerating business and people performance in financial services. It has a staff base of c 300 based in North America, Europe and Asia with main offices in London, New Jersey and Toronto and specialist Practices in Asset Management; Banking & Markets; Client Lifecycle Management; Financial Crime & Compliance; Learning & Development; Wealth Management & Private Banking. For more information see www.sionic.com
2. Sionic’s specialist Learning & Development Practice has over 25 years’ experience of developing high performing individuals, teams and firms in most of the world’s major banks and institutions. Sionic has several thousand ‘alumni’ worldwide who have taken part in its technical excellence, change excellence, operational excellence or leadership and management programmes, particularly in North America, Europe and India. Two of Sionic’s programmes have recently been formally accredited by the Chartered Banker Institute.
3. Peter Stone is one of financial services’ leading experts in organisation transformation and leadership development, with over 30 years’ experience in the sector. He is Sionic’s Chief Strategy Officer, Managing Partner and Head of the firm’s specialist Learning & Development Practice. Peter is also an expert practitioner, who specialises in 1:1 coaching, workshops and masterclasses for finance leaders. Through Peter, Sionic is a member of the Leaders’ Council of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
4. Deborah Challinor specialises in developing high performing organisations with a focus on creating the climate, skills and behaviours organisations need to transition. Deborah works worldwide with many of the world’s largest financial firms. She is also an active advocate of gender diversity in finance and works to empower women to overcome perceived barriers to advancement.
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