By Rachel Houghton, managing director at Business Moves Group (BMG)

Long before the pandemic, I recognised the value of strong relationships. Not just in terms of how professional partnerships can reap mutual benefit for the parties involved but on a personal level, too. It feels good to know you can be yourself with those you work with, regardless of what’s happening in the world.

In times of crisis, we become more attuned to the relationships that enrich our home and work lives. It’s only when we must rely on one other, and when we let our guards down, that we can truly understand the power of a shared experience. If you have the right people around you, virtually or otherwise, you’re far more likely to join forces to become stronger, and to work together to see out the storm.

Adaptability and resilience are crucial. Over the last few months I’ve found myself astounded, time and time again, by how the Business Moves Group teams have adapted and, in some cases, completely transformed to support each other and our clients’ businesses. We work with numerous financial services companies and it’s great to see that the same level of resilience and bravery has been embraced by the sector. The banks we work with are not only trialling new innovations to support customers during these turbulent times, but they’re also adapting their work models to ensure employees are safe, healthy, happy and engaged. That’s where we come in: it’s been an honour steering these organisations through such change.

I am lucky to work with such a proactive, positive and driven team, one that is underpinned by the guiding principles of trust, bravery and loyalty. But, in reality, luck has little to do with it. Luck doesn’t build resilience, good leadership does. If you have built-in resilience, coupled with a team of people who aren’t afraid of venturing into the unknown or trying new things, then you will be able to pick yourself up even if the world turns upside-down. It’s about creating a stable foundation, and using that as a springboard for survival and success.

Creating a solid and stable foundation demands unity, a shared vision, a sense of belonging and strong relationships. Mentoring is key, particularly when working with dispersed teams. Being a mentor isn’t about blowing smoke. It’s about challenging, empathising and guiding. It’s not about being right or providing solutions. It’s actually about fuelling confidence. It’s very much a two-way street, too. Both mentor and mentee can learn from each other’s mistakes and their shared learnings can be applied to almost every aspect of life.

One of my biggest career lessons was realising that being true to yourself is a strength, not a weakness. Despite the progress concerning gender equality at work, we’ve still got a way to go. A case in point being that there are still misconceptions associated with how women in business think they should act in order to climb the corporate ladder.

I’ve always been proud of the fact that I am one of the few female leaders in workplace management, an industry traditionally dominated by men. Despite being almost a generation younger than the rest of the leadership team, and relatively new to the industry, I was fortunate to be given the opportunity to join the BMG board early on because the senior team recognised the need for diversity and knew I’d bring a fresh perspective to the mix.

My main objective back in 2008 when I first become MD, incidentally two weeks before the Lehman Brothers collapse, was to further enhance the BMG business. I therefore became the conduit for the inevitably difficult conversations with those I had previously worked alongside. Going from ‘colleague’ to ‘leader’ was quite unnerving. I had little experience in this arena, and no female role models in the business. I built a barrier and set boundaries to do what needed to be done.

Being assertive helped me gain respect and buy in, but this was coupled with the fact that I rolled my sleeves up and got stuck in with delivering projects. I assume my colleagues’ were thinking – ‘she might be hard but she doesn’t ask us to do what she isn’t prepared to do herself’ – and I imagine that’s what helped me earn their trust. I started to shift into a mentor rather than just a boss, and slowly that barrier that I built up started to break away.

As the business grew, so did my confidence. It wasn’t an overnight transformation, though. Bit by bit I started to feel confident in showing more of my nurturing side. I still kept some of those boundaries, of course, but I learned how to be more open.

I’ve learned a lot along the way and I’m a very different leader now than I was back then. I’m truly grateful that I had the foresight to change, because I now have a team of courageous people who show who they really are, and who aren’t afraid to step into the arena. This means we can share ideas and fortunes. It enables us to build solutions that come from a sense of integrity. And we have a very successful business as a result.

Successful leaders are not afraid to open themselves up or be challenged. They actively seek constructive criticism and new ideas. More importantly, though, the best leaders are comfortable in their own skin. Only when you’re true to yourself can you hope to take people on a journey with you. Now more than ever we recognise just how valuable relationships are. In many ways, we’re one another’s life-lines. We should celebrate that fact. And use it to propel us forward.