INTHEBLACK December 2025 / January 2026 - Magazine - Page 15
STRATEGIES TO SUPPORT LEADERSHIP CHALLENGES
The challenges of modern leadership — and the strategies to combat them — vary, depending
on career stage. Here are some strategies for three key leadership stages.
EARLY-CAREER LEADERSHIP
Challenge: Transitioning from peer to leader
Strategy: Seek mentoring and guidance from more experienced senior leaders. Establish open lines
of communication with the team and set clear boundaries. Be humble and embrace the opportunity.
Challenge: Building trust
Strategy: Focus on enhancing interpersonal skills, seek to influence through collaboration and set clear
goals for the team. “You can be very good technically, but you need to have communication skills to take
people along with you,” says Hafizuddin Sulaiman FCPA, officer in charge and CFO of Malaysian property
development company UEM Sunrise.
Challenge: Developing leadership confidence
Strategy: Step out of your comfort zone and seek out new experiences. “When I was progressing
in my career, I consistently volunteered for challenging projects, some across regions,” says
Chuang-Li Khoo FCPA, senior finance director and Penang site lead at multinational technology company
AMD. “Taking on a really tough project gave me the opportunity to venture into an unfamiliar environment.”
MID-CAREER LEADERSHIP
Challenge: Leading through complexity
Strategy: Use scenario planning and involve diverse perspectives to navigate uncertainty. Jamie Getgood,
founder and CEO of People Avenue, recommends networking and asking industry peers about their
experience. “If you meet someone who you really admire, ask if they’ll make time to have a coffee with
you and ask them for their career advice.”
Challenge: Career plateau
Strategy: Take calculated risks. “When I missed out on a promotion, I was so disappointed, but I took
an opportunity to become a site leader, which was a completely different experience to the finance function
I’d been working in,” says Khoo. “It helped me to develop different leadership attributes and build
a network with non-finance teams. It also accelerated my path to become a senior finance director.”
Challenge: Balancing strategic and operational demands
Strategy: Delegate more day-to-day tasks and invest time in longer-term thinking and planning.
Sharpen focus on organisational purpose. “Having that sense of purpose can be very helpful in being
less self-focused,” says Megumi Miki, leadership and culture consultant and author of Quietly Powerful.
PEAK-CAREER LEADERSHIP
Challenge: Maintaining resilience
Strategy: Focus on the present and make time for personal wellbeing. “Too often, we’re distracted
by external and internal things, and that takes away from being able to connect with people and to build
trust — which is the job of a leader,” notes Miki.
Challenge: Increased stakeholder scrutiny
Strategy: Maintain integrity and ethical judgement. Ensure clear communication and prioritise meaningful
engagement through one-on-one meetings and advisory boards.
Challenge: Avoiding stagnation
Strategy: Stay curious, engage with new technologies, spend time with diverse thinkers and encourage
innovative thinking.
THE ART OF MODERN LEADERSHIP intheblack.cpaaustralia.com.au 15
