INTHEBLACK November 2026 - Magazine - Page 17
100 per cent,” he says. “They will focus
on trying not to make mistakes. That fear
will weaken your team. You will develop
a blame culture and your people will
behave defensively.”
In a fear-based culture, people avoid
accountability, hide mistakes or risks,
and no longer offer full effort. For a CFO,
Ding says, that adds up to a lot more than
a people issue. It impacts risk visibility,
decision quality, public reputation and
organisational performance.
“One emotional problem can become
so many different problems before we
even try to solve a business problem,”
he says.
Ding warns against what he calls a “tense
culture”, where leaders and high performers
create pressure and blame around and within
teams by framing themselves as the only
people carrying the load. “They are creating
another kind of blame culture. You do not
want weak. You do not want tense. You want
to be firm.”
That “firm” culture is the ground on
which Ding’s alignment approach depends.
People need to feel safe enough to contribute
honestly, and be accountable and empowered
enough to act responsibly.
A DIFFERENT PERFORMANCE
FRAMEWORK
Within his own team, Ding seeks four
qualities. “I want you to be capable, which
means technically capable,” he says.
“I want you to have courage. I want
you to be curious and I want you to
have integrity.
“The three Cs, everybody understands,
but everybody interprets integrity differently.
To me, integrity is not about the individual
or the department or the branch. It is about
the company as a whole. How do we make
sure every time we make a decision we
align that decision to the best interests
of WM New Zealand?”
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