“Having that formal recognition can change people’s perceptions”

People-focused leaders are typically undervalued, says Deon Pillay CMgr MCMI, head of marketing technology, enablement and governance at Legal & General. 

“Things that are really important for real people leaders, like empathy and emotional intelligence, are harder to visibly acknowledge and appraise compared to measuring outcomes based on productivity and performance from a financial and technical perspective.” 

This can often mean that those who reach management positions do so not because of their leadership abilities, but because of their experience in a particular market or area. 

When Deon first started leading teams, people would typically promote subject matter experts into leadership roles. Most of those individuals were very insular, he says. 

“Sometimes they’re focused on themselves and a specialist subject and not really people.” 

Validation

As a contrast, Deon says, “real people leaders” are those who try to facilitate the wellbeing, growth and development of their team. They put the time in to develop their skills as leaders to better foster relationships, create good working environments for their people and empower their team to meet their full potential. He adds that undertaking a technical role and leading a team are two very different skills. 

“You need some natural leadership ability, backed up by the proper training and development,” says Deon. 

• More Chartered stories: “I’m a big fan of educating myself as much as possible”

This was one of the reasons Deon decided to become a Chartered Manager, as it was a professional accreditation that would demonstrate his leadership abilities and provide validation of them. “It helped me to be taken more seriously, to be seen as a trusted leader because of that accreditation.” 

“I needed to prove myself”

Deon has always tried to develop himself and his abilities throughout his career. He originally studied engineering in South Africa, and came to the UK and entered the finance industry in the mid-2000s. After years of experience and working his way up to various leadership positions, in 2021 he did a professional apprenticeship with Corndel Business School to become a Chartered Manager. 

“Coming into a very different environment and entering the world of finance, which wasn’t my skill set, I always felt I needed to prove myself. Every learning opportunity I’ve been given since I’ve taken with open arms,” he says. “Nobody can take my education away.” 

Education gives Deon a sense of accomplishment and motivates him to keep progressing and build his resilience and adaptability. Deon has needed resilience in his career, not just in starting out in the finance arena, but also after being outed in the workplace by a colleague at a leaving drinks event. 

Coming into the workplace and being bullied again and being outed at work – those things build resilience and make you more confident

Building a network

“I was a very shy young boy growing up, and when you face those challenges in life you start to build resilience,” he says. “Coming into the workplace and being bullied again and being outed at work – those things also build resilience and make you more confident.”