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What if the most valuable thing you could do for your team today was to stop doing things for them?

In this episode, I sit down with Melinda Howes, Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries of Australia, former CEO of the Actuaries Institute, and current Group Executive, Superannuation & Investments at AMP, to talk about what three decades in the industry has really taught her about leadership. Melinda is someone who has led through some of the most complex environments in Australian financial services, and she's refreshingly honest about what she got wrong along the way, and what finally changed.

We cover three leadership lessons that will resonate with any actuary navigating the shift from technical expert to senior leader.

Key takeaways:

·       Step off the dance floor and onto the balcony. Your job as a senior leader is to see the whole picture, not to be the best dancer in the room.

·       Allocate a third of your time to leading your people. Coaching, developing and clearing the way for your team isn't a nice-to-have, it's the job.

·       Colour-code your diary. If you're honest about how much time is genuinely dead time, the picture might be sobering. 

·       Invest in external relationships before you need them. Melinda's CEO had to give her a direct goal to get out there, and it changed everything.

·       Don't wait until you're ready to lead. Nobody has all the boxes ticked before they step up. Go for it anyway.

Thirty years in, still being coached, still learning. What would it look like to take your own leadership development as seriously as you once took your actuarial exams?

Connect with Melinda on LinkedIn. 

Connect with Julia on LinkedIn.

Click here to learn more about the Guardian Actuarial Leadership Program.

Read Julia’s leadership development books written especially for actuaries:

• For new and aspiring managers: "Aspiring Actuarial Leaders: The Modern Manager’s Toolkit"
• For new and aspiring senior leaders: "Senior Leadership: An Essential Guide for Actuaries"

We are featured in the Top 15 Actuary Podcasts here on Feedspot.

Thank you for listening to the We Are Actuaries podcast. Connect with Julia and Guardian Actuarial on LinkedIn. For more interviews and articles, visit our website.