INTHEBLACK December - January 2022 - Magazine - Page 17
THE RISE OF THOUGHTFUL CAREERS
According to Kala Kularajah, from
Malaysian global management consulting
and executive search firm Egon Zehnder,
the pandemic caused some employees to
“hit the reset button”.
“We are now hearing this term ‘core
purpose’, especially among younger people,
and they want to know what their purpose
is at work,” she says. “I do believe that
people have become a lot more thoughtful
about what they do and how they plan
their career.”
Kularajah also predicts a rise in gig
contractor roles among highly paid
professionals who choose to move
from contract to contract for greater
professional freedom.
“They may take a contract for a few
months, and then take a couple of months
off to travel, go hiking or learn a new skill,”
she says. “So, they really value their time.”
Traditionally, these workers have been
perceived as not knowing what they want
from their careers, but Kularajah sees
this changing.
“I think there will be a reverse of that
belief, as companies really value these
workers for what they are – people who
are brave and able to take risks, as well as
being committed and responsible,” she says.
Kularajah has also noticed quite a few
professionals considering early retirement.
“They are not so much interested in
retiring to play golf and drink coffee,
but to go and do something else entirely,”
she says.
“Employees are also wanting to try
a completely different field or industry
– they are taking huge risks, such as
launching a start-up. It’s interesting times.”
Johns certainly fits the role of this new
breed of highly versatile, curious and
flexible workers. While she still runs her
change management consultancy under
her brand Larsen C, she has found that
her business “naturally evolved” during the
pandemic, and she now offers leadership
coaching for women entrepreneurs.
Johns credits her former career as an
accountant for giving her the courage as
well as an edge in her new businesses. “It
gave me a niche, because clients loved that
I was a change management specialist
with an accounting background,” she says.
“It also helped me go out on my own,
because when it came to running the
numbers in a business, I thought to myself,
‘I know how to do this!’.”
“Clients are no longer interested if the
CFO has only grown their career in
the finance track. The most
sought‑after CFOs are those who
have done some sideways move,
either into marketing, or operations
or any other part of the organisation.”
KALA KULARAJAH, EGON ZEHNDER
THINK SIDEWAYS
TO REACH THE TOP
Finance professionals who want to be in demand and at
the top of their game should make strategic sideways
moves into marketing, sales and operations, says Malaysiabased consultant Kala Kularajah, at Egon Zehnder.
“Clients are no longer interested if the CFO has only grown
their career in the finance track,” Kularajah says. “The most
sought-after CFOs are those who have done some sideways
move, either into marketing, or operations or any other part
of the organisation.”
However, these moves must be made mid-career, when
employees are more senior and capable of developing a
unique perspective about the business.
“Employers want a business CFO rather than a finance
CFO, and by that I mean somebody who has a wider
perspective outside of the financial in the way they approach
making business decisions,” Kularajah says.
Her personal preference is for CFOs with a marketing
background. “Marketing skills have become really critical,
because it’s so competitive these days,” she says. “You
constantly have to understand who your customers are
and what your business model is.”
The more cross-industry experience you have, the more
versatile you become. “For example, if you are in FMCG
[fast-moving consumer goods], then you should also start to
look at other finance roles in other types of industries, such
as technology, healthcare or banking,” Kularajah says.
However, it’s important that versatility and breadth of
experience do not come at the cost of depth.
“You have got to try and build both, because that is what
employers are really looking for these days,” she says.
Employers want someone who is able to dive deep and
look at an issue at a very granular level, as well as being able
to telescope out and take a more strategic view. “People who
are high performers are able to do both,” she says.
17
DEC 2022
JAN 2023
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