The Five Practices of Impactful Financial Leaders

Financial leadership requires more than vision—it demands discipline, process, and clarity amid complexity, as Dr. Jamie Ledin explains through her framework of five leadership practices. She shares practical strategies for creating clarity in chaos, having hard conversations quickly, and preparing teams for uncertainty through disciplined leadership.

• Perspective is crucial for financial leaders to cut through noise and focus on what matters most
• Leadership discipline creates freedom, not limitation, by establishing clear processes and accountability
• "Clarity is kindness"—having hard conversations quickly is essential in high-accountability environments
• Leaders should create systems that reduce ambiguity by defining purpose and focused priorities
• Excellence requires focus—teams can achieve 2-3 goals with excellence rather than 12 with mediocrity
• Generational differences require leaders to adapt communication styles while maintaining clarity
• Culture is defined by what the majority of people do most of the time, not what's on the walls

Transcript

INTRO: 0:00

Mike Ensweiler: 0:11

Welcome everyone to In Your Best Interest, an ALM First podcast, a show that explores common depository challenges, gives you an insider view of the latest market trends and shares stories and insights from industry leaders. I'm your host, Mike Ensweiler. 

Today's financial leaders face unprecedented challenges, from harnessing AI and navigating fintech disruption to managing regulatory pressures and economic uncertainty. In this complex landscape, effective leadership requires more than vision. It demands discipline, process and the ability to create clarity amid constant change. Today, I'm joined by Dr Jamie Leddin, Associate Professor at Vanderbilt University, who shares her framework of the five practices of impactful leaders. She'll discuss the discipline behind great leadership, the power of perspective and high decision making, and practical strategies for preparing teams for uncertainty. We'll explore how financial leaders can move beyond managing complexity to thriving within it. 

Dr Leddin, thanks for joining us and welcome to the show.

Dr. Jamie Leddin: 1:19

Thanks for having me. What an absolute honor to spend some time with you today.

Mike Ensweiler: 1:24

You know, we actually had the pleasure of meeting earlier this year at an industry conference and I really enjoyed your sharp insights and dynamic presentation style. So before we dive into effective leadership in today's challenging landscape, I'd love for our audience to get to know you a little better. Would you mind sharing a fun fact about yourself?

Dr. Jamie Leddin: 1:45

I'd be honored to. I don't know if it's fun, but I think usually people find it interesting. I live in Nashville, Tennessee, and I'm pretty biased. I think it's pretty fabulous here and people seem to be getting the word and moving to Nashville. But I say I have great authority that it is a wonderful place to live, because in my- albeit long life now- I have lived in two other countries and 10 states. So I think I have some authority when I say Nashville, Tennessee, is a fantastic place to live.

Mike Ensweiler: 2:21

Cool, awesome. Well, I think everyone enjoys visiting Nashville, that's for sure.

Dr. Jamie Leddin: 2:28

That's right. Nothing like Broadway.

Mike Ensweiler: 2:30

All right. You've worked with leaders across industries, from corporate executives to credit union boards. What do you love most about working with leaders, especially in industries like finance, where the stakes are high?

Dr. Jamie Leddin: 2:42

I love the complexity of it. I'm finding that leaders in this financial space aren't just managing teams- everybody's doing that;They're also navigating high-pressure decisions. Those decisions are affecting people's futures and livelihoods. What excites me most is helping these financial leaders find clarity in that complexity, because we don't want to act like the complexity isn't there. It's absolutely there and that pressure is getting stronger. So what can I do when I can help a leader, when they get grounded and purposed and start leading with discipline and intention, I find that everything changes, and, most importantly, not just for that leader but for that entire organization and those that they serve.

Mike Ensweiler: 3:41

So, without giving away your whole keynote, can you share one of the five practices and why it's especially relevant right now for financial leaders?

Dr. Jamie Leddin: 3:53

Absolutely. This feels like a teaser to get people to come I like that Good!

Mike Ensweiler: 3:56

That’s the goal!

Dr. Jamie Leddin: 3:58

I like it. I like it. So there are five practices. I'll just highlight one that feels extremely relevant, especially for this audience, and that's perspective. I think that it's extremely critical right now. There's so much noise, with markets shifting, teams evolving, regulations changing. Maybe that's an understatement, but it's easy. It's so easy for leaders to just get stuck in the weeds. I can't control this, I can't control that. So if I can help people think about perspective, about stepping back and asking, “Am I focused on what matters most, and what matters most right now?” I find that when leaders will just pause, realign, it doesn't just help them make better decisions. It gives their teams clarity and confidence. I think it also models for the rest of the team that thinking and discerning are key skills and sometimes that's something we overlook. Again, kind of winding back to the first part of my answer here, there's so much noise that there's real power in practicing this practice of perspective and getting clarity. So I think that's what I'd like to highlight and maybe tease a little of- hopefully inspiring people to think about that today and then when we're together next month.

Mike Ensweiler: 5:48

So you know, I've heard you say before that leadership doesn't just require vision, it requires discipline and process. Can you break that down for us?

Dr. Jamie Leddin: 6:00

Absolutely. Thanks for asking. I think we tend to glorify maybe a little bit of a strong word, but I'm going to use it anyway. We tend to glorify visionary leadership. but I like to say that vision without execution is just a wish. Leaders I’ve seen thrive, especially in demanding environments, like one that this audience is working in, have to have discipline. They operate with intention, they build processes around, how they set priorities, how they plan and how they hold themselves accountable. But this type of discipline- sometimes people hear that and think that's limiting, Jamie- this kind of discipline does not limit you. It actually gives you more freedom to lead effectively. Someone once told me- and I'll talk about this a lot more in the keynote- Someone once told me that discipline is a consistent regimen leading to freedom of action. And who doesn't want freedom of action?

Mike Ensweiler: 7:15

So you know, what's one leadership behavior you believe is underrated but essential, especially for leaders managing complex financial organizations.

Dr. Jamie Leddin: 7:28

It's difficult to narrow it down to one, but the first one that's coming to mind is, I'd say, it's being willing to have hard conversations quickly. And you'll notice I carefully chose those words- being willing to have hard conversations quickly. So, not just conversations, sometimes we do that, but it's having those hard conversations and having those quickly. Leaders, well, let me back that up- People, just people in general, not just leaders. Sometimes-sometimes-I just said I chose these words carefully-sometimes, a lot of times, if we're going to be honest, a lot of times, avoid uncomfortable topics.

Dr. Jamie Leddin: 8:17

Oh, performance issues, misalignment on goals, tough trade-offs right, you're thinking of those. You're thinking of different ones, I'm sure, but, to quote Brene Brown, “clarity is kindness” and that's such a simple statement. But it's true. We need to, as leaders, be willing to have those hard conversations, have them quickly, let people understand what we're thinking, because clarity is kindness. The best leaders that I know lean into those moments with empathy and directness and again, I want to really emphasize those word choices but lean into them with empathy. Everybody likes that, but people also appreciate directness. In a high accountability world like finance, avoiding tough conversations. That only adds risk and that's not something that you're looking for.

Mike Ensweiler: 9:22

Have you seen that change over time? You know, in your experience as a professor with the different generations of folks- and I know this is a gross you know kind of I don't want to say stereotype, but generalization- I mean, do you see that changing over time? Because we certainly see that with our workforce, just different perspectives and behaviors. And you know, I see with my kids, you know, because they're so glued to their phone it's hard to have one-on-one difficult conversations that really need to be had.

Dr. Jamie Leddin: 9:56

Yeah, I think that's- I'm with you. We want to avoid over-generalizations, but I can look at my own household. I have two children. They're five years apart.

Dr. Jamie Leddin: 10:09

One is at the end of this generation we call millennials. One is at the beginning of a Gen Z and it's amazing to see their difference, the differences of how they view the world, of how they operate. There really is a shift that has happened. As leaders, we need to be preparing for that risk. And how do we have that conversation? Again, we want to manage people as individuals and treat people as individuals. But I think, as leaders, if we want to have difficult conversations with people and have those hard conversations happen quickly, we do want to be mindful of the individual. Is this a Gen Z? And be careful of stereotypes. But how do I communicate with them? What do these words mean to me? Maybe lean a little bit more into empathy. I think it's a really fair question.

I've been at Vanderbilt. This will be my ninth-year teaching there, which is hard to believe, but I've absolutely seen a change, and I was teaching only in the MBA program, so of course I had much older students and now I've switched to undergrad. And it's definitely- as you know, a leader in the classroom, as a professor- I've had to change some of those things. I would recommend a book called Anxious Generation. I know it's been a runaway bestseller for those leaders that are leading Gen Z parenting in the office- whatever it may be, professor- I found it to be a helpful resource. And again, we don't want to lean into a stereotype too much, but we also, as leaders, want to be prepared to have those difficult conversations and thinking about something I said earlier about perspective what is the perspective of that individual? We're not always going to get it right as leaders, but I think that your folks that work for you will appreciate that you're at least trying to understand and asking those right questions. So I hope that's helpful.

Mike Ensweiler: 12:15

No, that's great. I appreciate that. So what should leaders be doing right now to prepare their teams for the uncertainty ahead?

Dr. Jamie Leddin: 12:24

That's a great question, because that's sort of the theme of 2025. I think that they should be creating systems that reduce ambiguity. Ambiguity is not a good place to work, and what do I mean by that? That means clearly defining purpose, setting maybe a small number of focus priorities and consistently reinforcing the plan. That's what I mean by a system. People don't need certainty to thrive, but they do need clarity. And again back to that, clarity is kindness, right- when things inevitably shift- which they are and they will continue to- when things inevitably shift, it's the leaders who've built that clarity into their culture who adapt the fastest. Now I know I've got people's attention because that's what we're looking for. We're looking to adapt the fastest. We have to accept that it's uncertainty Okay, we all kind of agree with that.

But what have we, as leaders, what systems have we set up? If I ask your team what's the purpose? What is your purpose? What are the one, two, three focus priorities of your team? And then what are you as the leader? What are you doing to reinforce that plan? Because your folks can thrive if they've got clarity and you as a leader, we don't want to sugarcoat it. ‘Oh, things are going to be great. We think things are going to really change in 2026.’ Don't think anyone believes that. So what are we doing right now to prepare them? I think we also can help ourselves and our team and our peers and our bosses and just our whole culture. We help people understand that uncertainty is kind of normal and becoming more normal and in those moments we need to focus in on what matters most and here's my professor hat and learn? What are we learning from it.

Mike Ensweiler: 14:37

So you know, I love that kind of ‘the only thing constant is change idea’, and so how do- you know this sounds great- but how do you really help people put this into practice? Because you know, whether it's me to my team or me looking to my boss. You know I love that ‘clarity is kindness’, that when things inevitably shift, you know there's always going to be this uncertainty, but how are you prepared for it? How do you change quickest, like how do you help people go through that process?

Dr. Jamie Leddin: 15:08

Well, we have a framework and I'm going to teach you that during the, the keynote. But I do want to go back to when I work with teams, I ask them, ‘what is your purpose?’ And we think that's a pretty simple answer: “At XYZ, our purpose is…..”. But what I find interesting- and helps me look smart- is I'll go to three leaders in the C-suite and then I'll go to three leaders on the front line and then I'll go to three middle managers and I'll get 12 different answers. You'll notice I didn't even name 12 leaders, but I go to five leaders and I get 12 answers. Well, that is the opposite of clarity, is kindness, because then I can go to the leader and go: “You have a problem. People are not understanding what the purpose is. They heard you in a meeting say this, so they thought that was the purpose. And then they saw this printed on the wall.” But then culture is- in my Jamie Leddin definition, “what majority of the people do the majority of the time”- not what you have on your website, not what you have laminated on the wall beautiful poster, none of that. But what do the majority of the people do the majority of the time is your culture. So, as leaders, we need to be constantly and consistently working on systems that reinforce the culture and the purpose to have us not just survive 2025, but thrive in 2025. And that's what I'm always pushing leaders that I'm working with and teams that I'm working with. What is your purpose? What are the goals? Really, really simple we cannot execute on 12 goals. We can execute on two or three.

And that’s with Jamie Leddinism- I always say, “do you want to do things with mediocrity?” No, of course not. What a silly question. Okay, then let's drop some things, because you can do two or three things with excellence. You cannot, your team, your people cannot do 12 things with excellence, so they're doing them with mediocrity. Then you have mediocrity. Mediocrity is the norm of culture, and you have mediocre results. That usually gets somebody's attention when I can say it like that.

Mike Ensweiler: 17:31

Well, that's great and, especially for me: “keep it simple.” Like I think people have a tendency to overcomplicate things and I think the simpler it is, the easier it is to adopt, to adhere to, to believe in all of those. Well, that's awesome. Well, I'm really getting excited to see you in action at The Forum. So what are you most looking forward to about the ALM First Financial Forum?

Dr. Jamie Leddin: 17:53

So much. What an honor to be included in this Forum. I'm really looking forward to being there. I love being in a full room with thoughtful, committed leaders, and I like this Forum where it's creating space to step away from the day-to-day and think big. Let's think big. And for me, it's the energizing part, for me, of being a part of conversations like this, of helping people hopefully reconnect with why, why they lead, and leave them some practical tools that they can use immediately. That's how I always try to do these things is get you excited, get you energized, teach you some stuff and when you walk out an hour later, it wasn't just, “I hope you feel good, I hope you enjoyed it,” but I also hope you felt, “oh, and I have some tools that I'm going to put into practice today.”

Mike Ensweiler: 18:55

Well, I'm excited to think big, especially, you know, keynoting this event for the non-financial aspects of running a high-performance organization. So this is going to be a great time really, looking forward to hearing more of your insights and any closing thoughts you want to leave us with today.

Dr. Jamie Leddin: 19:15

I think that the time to prepare for financials upheavals that are coming is today, and I think that listeners and people at The Forum need to come with an open mind and the willingness to learn and lead and always get better, and that's one of my mantras too: “Let’s always get better.” I hope that they come in the beginning ready to relax and hopefully reconnect with old friends, make new friends, but learn and get back, get better and let's, take on this conference with gusto and excitement.

Mike Ensweiler: 19:58

Awesome, well, thank you so much for your time and your insights and we very much look forward to seeing you in Banff.

Dr. Jamie Leddin: 20:03

I am very much looking forward to it. Take care.

Mike Ensweiler: 20:06

As we conclude our discussion on impactful leadership, it's clear that effective leadership in today's financial landscape requires both vision and disciplined execution. The conversation with Dr Jamie Leddin highlighted several critical practices that distinguish exceptional leaders in complex environments. My three takeaways from today's conversation: First, perspective is essential. Stepping back to focus on what matters most right now helps leaders cut through the noise and provides teams with the clarity they need to perform effectively. Second, leadership discipline creates freedom of action rather than limitation. As Jamie emphasized, vision without execution is just a wish, highlighting the importance of building intentional processes around priorities and accountability. And lastly, clarity truly is kindness. Leaders who are willing to have hard conversations quickly, particularly around performance and alignment, create stronger cultures and reduce organizational risk. Thank you for joining us on In your Best Interest. We hope this discussion provides valuable perspective as you develop your own leadership practices and prepare your teams for the challenges ahead. We have a robust workshop, conference and webinar schedule, so be sure to visit our website for more details on these, as well as our Education Hub and Resource Center for recorded webinars, articles and more. As always, stay safe, stay healthy and thank you for listening to, In your Best Interest, an ALM First podcast.

Disclaimer: 21:39

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