Reflections

As I reflect on my 5-year journey with Equifax I am taking with me a few very important learnings. I joined the company in the best times, then came the more difficult times and left in the midst of transformation. 

There are key learnings that I am taking with me to my next stop on this journey. 

1.     Leadership and Emotional Intelligence – In good times it is not difficult to be a ‘good leader’ but when the business is faced with challenges that is when LEADERSHIP is tested. I learned that through consistency, transparency, empathy and constant communication I have been able to gain the trust of the teams I lead across the globe.  During the difficult times they looked to me for guidance; they trusted me to carry them through the storm. And we did it.     

2.     Security First – it is every employees job to ensure that they guard the company assets like data, passwords, etc. It is upon us leaders to educate the employees, arm them with tools to do the right thing! Many companies have access to confidential data (including PII) and we (the company and the employees) are trusted stewards of this data. This is not to be underestimated!

3.     Customers First – we can never lose sight of who purchase our products and services. They are the ones who keep our lights on and pay our paycheck. Through customer visits I leaned how they perceive our products/services are, how easy/difficult we are to do business with them. I also had the opportunity to share our global strategy and help them understand how they fit into our echo system. NO customer is too small! This is why the implementation of cloud technology has been so important or creating SaaS offers; easier and faster accessibility

4.     Employees First – ‘happy employees, happy customers’. The ability to attract, develop and keep talent is essential to any organisation’s success. Focus on D&I and culture, create a highly engaged workforce and these investments will pay long term dividend.     

5.     Technology and Data – companies have access to large amount of customer data but not all companies have been able to monetise data. Companies have used technology as an enabler to deliver on their data strategy but this requires a large amount of investment and a comprehensive data strategy. Cracking this nut is essential to move the dial and get ahead the competition.  

6.     Speed and Agility – The emergence of Fintechs have caused a root awakening for some of the larger companies who have been set in their ways. With the constant change of technology speed and agility are of the essence. Is your company winning this battle? Complacency is not an option as we know; many well-established brands are no longer trading as a result of them becoming slow to react to change.

I learned a lot from the challenging times; they are character building. I learned how leadership should work, how critical is to help employees understand the need for change and how to manage in uncertainty. These learnings have been engrained in me and now as I look to the future I am carrying with me new tools that I am sure will be well used in the future.