No one succeeds in finance without building strong relationships. The best leaders in finance know how to nurture relationships with clients, colleagues, and other stakeholders. By building trust and credibility, they create a solid foundation for success.
In this lesson, we’ll explore the key ways that finance leaders build relationships and why it has such a positive impact on their careers.
1. Grow a strong network
The best finance leaders are fantastic at developing a strong network. They attend industry events and meetups, join professional organizations, and connect with colleagues online. These activities help them build high quality relationships with potential clients, partners, and mentors.
Their strong networking connections open doors to new opportunities and help finance leaders achieve their goals.
2. Communicate well
The best finance leaders tend to be excellent communicators. They articulate their ideas clearly and concisely, both verbally and in writing. This helps them to build trust with clients and colleagues.
Good communication also makes it easier for finance leaders to collaborate effectively with others on projects. They obtain people’s buy-in up-front, which allows them to set the direction, dictate the pace and ensure quality output.
3. Build rapport
Building rapport is essential for developing strong relationships with others. It involves creating deeper connections through shared views, experiences and passion.
The best finance leaders develop meaningful relationships that make other people feel respected, heard and seen. This allows you to understand their needs and to identify ways that you can support one another. It takes time to build rapport and trust with other people, but this is essential for developing long-lasting relationships.
4. Dedicate time
It takes time to build a strong relationship and powerful network. The best finance leaders allocate significant time towards this within their daily work routines.
This involves making yourself visible by scheduling social interactions, attending industry events and putting yourself in the spotlight.
Whilst these activities may not always tick items off your to-do-list, they are all vital components of growing and nurturing a powerful network of relationships.
5. Act with integrity
Finally, the best finance leaders always act with integrity. When people know they can trust you, they’re more likely to want to do business with you. Acting ethically and honestly establishes credibility and builds long-term relationships.
Building strong relationships is essential for finance leaders. By developing a network, communicating effectively, and acting with integrity, they can create the foundation for success in their careers.
Assess your skills
How long do you allocate each week towards growing your network and developing your existing relationships?
Which activities would best help you to achieve this?
What actions must you take to free up the necessary time?
