White eggs are spread out on a blue background with one golden egg in the middle, symbolising great leaders.
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The lesser-known traits of great leadership

22 May 2020

Leaders from different industries shared their insights with us this week, from the importance of compassion to preparing for a new era of working.

Leadership is something that many people aspire to. Leaders can take different shapes, whether they’re a CEO, a team manager or a representative for some area of the company.

And regardless of the exact role they occupy, there is a vast amount of advice out there for leaders – career blogs, professional coaches and online courses are just a few that spring to mind.

But the leaders featured on Siliconrepublic.com this week offered unique perspectives, some of which are very timely, and that’s something I wanted to share with you.

Although many of us are still adjusting to remote working, leaders are starting to think about the future of work and what it will mean for their staff. Hays’ James Milligan believes there are five key skills that will be vital for technology companies as they transition to a new era – one he describes as “hybrid working”.

Milligan foresees “transformed industry landscapes beyond recognition” awaiting us on the other side of the Covid-19 pandemic, which will need tech experts with the right skills, from cybersecurity to infrastructure.

In other advice from Hays, Christoph Niewerth outlined the importance of compassionate leaders. He explained why showing compassion doesn’t mean being a pushover as a leader, and gave four examples of the actions compassionate leaders take for their teams.

Karan Kanwar, engineering lead at Wing AI, discussed what he learned from transitioning into a leadership role. He believes there is a “distinct difference” between being a leader versus being a boss, especially in the field of engineering. To learn more, read his story here.

Another person with a fresh perspective on leadership is Owen Murray, recruitment lead at Zalando Ireland. Murray has worked in tech recruitment for more than 15 years and one of the most important things he has learned in that time, he told us, is the value of “enabling and educating” your staff as your “ultimate ambassadors”.

Finally, we featured scientist and author Rana el Kaliouby who, having moved from Cairo to Cambridge to pursue her dream job, is now the CEO at Affectiva. She wears her heart on her sleeve as a leader, she told us, which is something she doesn’t hide – to her, business and emotions don’t need to be treated as separate entities.

Jobs news

I also spoke to EY tax partner Michael Rooney this week to answer some questions on the impact of Covid-19 on tax. From what to do if you own a company car to how to claim tax relief for electricity bills while working from home, he explained six key aspects here.

A number of jobs were announced this week, too. Boston-based cybersecurity company Cygilant revealed plans to create 65 roles at its new security operations centre in Belfast.

Belfast will also see 25 positions created by fintech consultancy Vox Financial Partners. Announcing a £1.5m investment to more than double its workforce, the company will be hiring for roles across operations, analysis and consulting over the next two years.

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Lisa Ardill
By Lisa Ardill

Lisa Ardill joined Silicon Republic as senior careers reporter in July 2019. She has a BA in neuroscience and a master’s degree in science communication. She is also a semi-published poet and a big fan of doggos. Lisa briefly served as Careers Editor at Silicon Republic before leaving the company in June 2021.

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