Standard Bank Group's chief people & culture office Sharon Taylor believes that executive alignment is less about everyone agreeing on everything and more about building the trust to argue, decide – and then stand united.
Speaking at Executive Day in a panel discussion with Standard Bank’s CFVO and CIO, she drew on years of shared leadership experience to illustrate the point.
“Between us, we have 86 years of service to Standard Bank. That's a key data point,” she stated. “It's a little bit like a married couple, over time, they can start predicting each other's movements. But it also means we've got trust and relationships where we can have real robust conversations together.”
She continued to address a frequent question about how the bank's leadership remains aligned, regardless of their individual roles.
“My focus is people and culture, but all the PNC people know you don't do it alone. Every single leader in the business is a custodian of what you're doing. In all of our businesses, our tech and many of the products can be quite easily copied by competitors, so for many of us, our single biggest competitive advantage is our people.”
She further explained that the bank's commitment to its people is reflected in its focus on employee engagement. Sharon noted that the environment created for employees is a leading indicator of what the bank can do for its customers.
Speaking with one leadership voice
“I think it's Richard Branson who said if you look after people, they look after clients, and I think that is really so, we don't just talk about judgment, we measure it. Last year, Forbes recognised Standard Bank and they named us actually in the top 18 employers in the world for 2024. That's only as a result of our people feeling that they can do the best in the environment that we create.”
Sharon also shed light on how the leadership team manages differences of opinion. She believes that a strong leadership team must speak with one leadership voice, and shared that the key to avoiding conflict is alignment. “You are going to find greater levels of discord where you are not aligned,” she stated.
While alignment is crucial, Sharon stressed that it doesn't mean a lack of debate. “We have a very robust way of working where we know we're quite prepared to put the right issues and the right data points on the table because we've got one common outcome in mind. The shared objective is to do what is best for the group.”
She noted that when individuals are focused on their own interests or bonuses, it undermines the collective effort. “The more people understand that our collective effort grows one thing, the share price of Standard Bank, that's quite an important orientation for people to have.”
Sharon likened the effort of leadership alignment to a soccer team. “You can be the team with the best striker, but that doesn't necessarily mean you'll win the World Cup alone. The goal is to get everyone focused on winning the World Cup. This starts with hiring the right people, galvanising collective effort behind a shared purpose and ensuring every person understands how their job contributes to the overall goal.”
