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5 Points On What Makes An Effective Leader By Dawn Coker

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There are no two businesses, or business leaders that are the same. That said, it’s certainly true that there are a set of skills and attributes that create an effective leader, therefore breeding a happy team, and this almost certainly increases the chances of a business being successful. Shining a light on the great things women in finance can achieve, Dawn is an inspirational leader who aims to revolutionise the culture of the financial services sector. Joining the business in 2016, Dawn progressed from head of training to chief executive officer and major shareholder in just four years, whilst implementing successful business growth strategies.  With an impressive history of surpassing ambitious business goals and delivering innovative learning and organisational development initiatives, Dawn strongly believes the biggest asset to any organisation is its people and is committed to nurturing all employees. So what makes an effective leader? Dawn Coker, the CEO at Access2Funding explains 5 key points. Life experience  Having a certain amount of life experience as a woman means that problem-solving becomes easier due to the ability to empathise with certain situations and having experiences to draw upon. Often a transactional leader means that order and structure are valued, and this is something that is often learnt over time. Life experience also allows relationships to be built more easily and means that teams are more likely to complete tasks without the need for praise and reward (although that should always be offered!). Having a good relationship with the business’s senior leadership team is also vital for an effective leader or CEO. Lead by example  A leader should never ask a team or team member to do anything that they wouldn’t do themselves, even if it comes down to washing the mugs at the end of a client meeting! Knowing when to be a democratic leader is one who invites participation from others in the organisation as part of the decision-making process and that’s important, but there is room for autocratic leadership tendencies, too.  Be visible & actively demonstrate emotional intelligence Having a transparent diary, for example, is a great way for a leader to show the team that they are visible and open to staff members coming to them with any ideas, suggestions or worries. It’s important that staff know how to best communicate with their manager or team leader, whether that be via email, phone call or text message. Having a business that doesn’t have a hierarchical approach will help the senior leaders with accessibility. It’s important to also get involved in the smaller stuff, such as wishing team members a happy birthday or remembering those people that may struggle with mental health and making allowances for that. Communication and transparency  Being a good communicator and creating effective tools to communicate with teams is essential. Some examples of how to communicate well within a team are to get the company together once a week for a weekly whole team virtual meeting or to have an open-door policy in the office.  Motivation and confidence A confident leader can make a team believe in them and be much more likely to feel motivated in their job. This doesn’t just mean confidence within themselves but also having confidence in other team members, such as the senior leadership team within a business to be able to go out and do certain tasks such as recruit the best people. This also feeds in to having a passion and desire to allow teams to develop – development of people is a key part of any successful business. Confidence also refers to a leader that can tolerate stress, be it recruitment stress, financial or relationship. As well as the confidence to make difficult decisions at times. About Dawn Coker Shining a light on the great things women in finance can achieve, Dawn is an inspirational leader who aims to revolutionise the culture of the financial services sector. Joining the business in 2016, Dawn progressed from head of training to chief executive officer and major shareholder in just four years, whilst implementing successful business growth strategies. With an impressive history of surpassing ambitious business goals and delivering innovative learning and organisational development initiatives, Dawn strongly believes the biggest asset to any organisation is its people and is committed to nurturing all employees. Dawn’s financial services career spans more than 20 years, and her passion alongside her tenacity are qualities that have assisted her in leading Access2Funding to where it is now – one of the UK’s fastest growing R&D providers. Demonstrating the highest degree of finance excellence, innovation and leadership, Dawn actively supports women’s advancement in business and actively seeks to bring more diversity to the finance sector.

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