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On the eve of the launch of our new web series, After Hours, we spoke with co-host and industry leader, Mark Rantall about why he chose to get involved in the series and what leadership lessons he’s learnt from the guests in season one.
With a career spanning over 30 years, Mark Rantall may be one of the industry’s better known leaders, but that doesn’t mean he’s ready to stop learning from his peers.
In fact, it’s this passion for leadership and learning that led him to become involved in No More Practice’s new web series After Hours.
Season one, ‘Inspiring Women’, sees Rantall and Vanessa Stoykov interview eight female leaders about their experiences in the financial services industry, what they’ve learnt along the way, and how their upbringings shaped their leadership styles.
“It was great to be able to talk in an open and transparent way around what they got right, some of mistakes they made, and what they would do differently or better if they did it again,” Rantall says of the conversations he had with guests.
“I specifically enjoyed understanding the history, various backgrounds and influences that informed their lives and value sets and how they take those values into the workplace.
“Having been a leader myself, I almost wish I had of been able to participate in something like this 20 years ago as it gives you more confidence to engage and to be more vulnerable.”
Although leadership and its attributes are regularly discussed in the financial services industry, Rantall believes After Hours is different in that is provides a fresh take on the topic.
Leadership discussions in the past have focused on whether leaders are born or made, what motivates them, and the loneliness and isolation that often comes with being a leader.
These are all still relevant conversation points, however to truly understand today’s leaders, we need to get to know them as people first.
“The thing that surprised me was that the questions we were asking had not been asked of these participants before,” he says.
“By that I mean, the corporate veil was removed in terms of the standard questions asked and standard answers given so people will find it very interesting and insightful.”
By understanding the person first, the series discovers that although the guests’ worlds and backgrounds are different, and that they have different value sets, they all have a higher purpose which they are working towards and which informs their leadership goals and strategy.
“These weren’t the same, but there was a common theme around helping people and doing the best they possibly could do along the way,” he says.
“The second thing is the importance of family and sometimes the difficulties around balancing family priorities with all the other things in life.”
These are things everyone can relate to which makes this series relevant for anybody.
Previously, there was a perception that leadership was only for those at the highest levels of an organisation, but now it’s recognised that leadership is important for all people across many different levels of an organisation.
“We are all leaders at different times and need to be conscious of that and improve our skills in those areas to ensue we’re leading for the right outcomes, which are the good outcomes the customers deserve,” he says.
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