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Leadership

Learn how to become an effective leader.
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Latest on leadership

Read our latest features and articles on leadership.
Access resources to help you meet ICAEW CPD requirements
Free CPD: soft skills for leaders
  • Article
  • 13 Nov 2024
If you’re in a leadership role, an aspiring CFO, or even a CFO looking to become CEO, having strong people skills is a top priority. ICAEW has a range of resources to boost your Continuing Professional Development (CPD) hours while raising your EQ.
From CFO to CEO: the essential leadership skills
  • Article
  • 22 Apr 2024
Many CEOs have backgrounds in accountancy, but taking the leap from the finance function to the chief executive’s chair requires a much broader skill set.
How to move from a CFO to a CEO mindset
  • Article
  • 04 Jan 2024
Having a strong financial background is invaluable when becoming a CEO, but you also need the right leadership mindset and skills, says author Ben Renshaw.
Alan Vallance announced as new ICAEW Chief Executive
  • Article
  • 26 Oct 2023
The chartered accountant and CEO of the Chartered Insurance Institute is taking up the ICAEW leadership role in Spring 2024.
Accountants can steer shipping through a sea of megatrends
  • Article
  • 27 Jul 2023
Accountants will be increasingly vital strategic partners in an industry facing challenges from carbon crackdowns, technology shifts and sanctions, says Costas Constantinou - Global Leader, Shipping, at Moore Global
What do successful ESG leaders look like?
  • Article
  • 14 Apr 2023
Sustainability challenges call for new styles of leadership. Which attributes differentiate tomorrow’s ESG leaders from the crowd? KPMG partner Dr Muel Kaptein gives us the lowdown.
F-TEN leadership programme: enhancing skills with practical support
  • Article
  • 13 Mar 2023
Newable’s newly appointed CFO Rob Thompson talks about his experience in the F-TEN leadership programme.
International Women’s Day: ICAEW’s inspirational leaders
  • Article
  • 07 Mar 2023
Women leading ICAEW discuss the biggest issues facing accountancy and offer their career advice.
Read more

How CFOs create a fairer future

Read our interviews with CFOs on how their role is changing. Access the CFO fairer future toolkit to help CFOs navigate the changing demands and how to make the most of it. 
CFO fairer future toolkit
City meeting room

Reports

Special Report 72 - The aspiring CFO
  • Report
  • 2021
A practical, realistic, hands-on and immense learning opportunity of all you need to know to become the CFO
Organisational culture: leadership styles
  • Report
  • 2021
It is recognised that an effective culture can reduce risk and improve performance of an organisation, and that the success or failure of the culture is greatly influenced by its leaders. This guide, written by Jenny Jones, explores different leadership styles and the impact they can have on organisational culture.
Special report 67: Problem solving
  • Report
  • 2020
This month’s special report focuses on solving problems of all shapes and sizes in the workplace. Whatever your position in the hierarchy, there are practical hints and tips included to make your day-to-day work easier and more efficient.
Exclusive Special Report 64: Managing People
  • Report
  • 2019
  • PDF (1,487kb)
Managing people is one of the most important skills needed to successfully navigate your way to the top of the corporate ladder. This report provides practical tips and advice on topics such as team management, dealing with difficult people and the effect of technology on recruitment.
Courageous Leadership
  • Report
  • 2017
Courage is one of the skills that great leaders are deemed to need and perhaps the most important. This report covers the key areas that leaders might want to focus on.
Exclusive Special Report 56: Soft skills that FDs need
  • Report
  • 2017
  • PDF (5,953kb)
A special report looking at the soft skills that FDs need to succeed
Leadership (Special report 39)
  • Report
  • 2012
This special report on leadership has been compiled to point you in the right direction in your leadership search. The authors all firmly support the idea that, although some leaders may be born, many more are made, and the appropriate training and support forms a vital component in this development.

Webinars

Exclusive Inclusive leadership: navigating inclusion and psychological safety in the workplace
  • Webinar
  • 04 Sep 2024
This Diversity & Inclusion Community webinar provides actionable strategies for leaders and managers to create a psychologically safe environment and promote inclusion throughout the employee life cycle.
Lessons in leadership from ICAEW's CEO
  • Podcast
  • 02 May 2024
In this special episode of Insights In Focus, we meet new ICAEW CEO Alan Vallance to discuss the leadership lessons of his career.
So you want to be a leader?
  • Podcast
  • 17 Apr 2024
In this Insights In Focus episode, we discuss how accountants can build the skills needed to take on leadership and executive roles during their careers.
Exclusive Leadership and executive presence
  • Webinar
  • 22 Feb 2024
Eric Sampson provides tips on how to expand your professional network, raise your profile, and increase your visibility in your industry.
Motivating your team: A three-pronged approach
  • Webinar
  • 19 Mar 2021
This webinar explores three aspects of motivation that need to come together to get the most from your staff.
Leading resilient teams
  • Webinar
  • 07 Oct 2020
Learn practical tools and techniques to help you manage stress and build a resilience management framework.
Exclusive Decision making under uncertainty
  • Video
  • 28 Sep 2020
How to make the most of the different ways in which people make decisions.
How to make the most of your life's work
  • Webinar
  • 12 Feb 2020
This essential webinar will reveal the twelve proven ways to fast-track your career, and teach you how to learn from your mistakes, kickstart some good habits, kick out some bad ones and make the most of your life’s work.
More webinars

Training courses

Our leadership training courses cover a range of topics including finance, resilience, corporate governance and communication.
A-Z of CPD courses by topic As a global leader of the finance profession, ICAEW offers a comprehensive range of learning solutions for every stage of professional development, designed for finance teams and finance leaders.
Business men and business women, hands together.
Leadership Development Programmes
Catering for those significant transitions in your career, these leadership programmes are instrumental to achieving your leadership ambition or fulfilling your succession planning goals.

eBooks

The ICAEW Library & Information Service provides full text access to a selection of key business and reference eBooks from leading publishers. eBooks are available to logged-in ICAEW members, ACA students and other entitled users. If you are unable to access an eBook, please see our Help and support advice or contact library@icaew.com.

Exclusive Practice of corporate governance
  • eBook
  • 2022
  • Bob Tricker
  • CRC Press
Every corporate entity has a governing body, whether it is called a board of directors, a committee, a council, or anything else. Many people, when appointed to the governing body of an organisation, have little idea of what to expect and what is expected of them. Even those with some experience find that the culture and leadership style of other governing bodies differ. The aim of this book is to help them understand and improve their controbution to the organisation and governing body they serve. It is a simple guide to the work of every board member.
Exclusive Reach the top in finance: the ambitious accountant's guide to career success
  • eBook
  • 2017
  • Sally Percy
  • Bloomsbury
A career development guide for finance professionals who want to know how they can succeed as trusted advisors, business partners, senior leaders and innovators, regardless of whether they work in industry, not-for-profit or public practice.
Exclusive Financial Times guide to management: how to be a manager who makes a difference and gets results
  • eBook
  • 2014
  • Anne Francke
  • FT Press
A guide to becoming an effective manager, full of practical tips and advice on to the everyday challenges of: Managing yourself; Developing communication skills and emotional intelligence; Managing others; Setting strategic direction; Managing change; Managing money, resources and technology.
Exclusive Communication strategies for today's managerial leader
  • eBook
  • 2012
  • Deborah Britt Roebuck
  • Business Expert Press
Provides the communication principles that are key for managerial leaders.
Exclusive Effective people management
  • eBook
  • 2011
  • Pat Wellington
  • Kogan Page
A short guide to team management and leadership.
Exclusive Operational leadership
  • eBook
  • 2010
  • Andrew Spanyi
  • Business Expert Press
Business leadership from a US perspective.
Exclusive Boardroom realities: building leaders across your board
  • eBook
  • 2009
  • Jay A. Conger
  • Wiley
Looks at building leaders across a board, with the latest trends in board leadership and performance as well as talent management for the board and the C-suite.
Exclusive Developing leadership talent
  • eBook
  • 2008
  • Andreas Koschan, Mongi A. Abidi
  • Pfeiffer
A book for human resource or organization development professionals responsible for designing leadership development and talent management.
Terms of use

You are permitted to access, download, copy, or print out content from eBooks for your own research or study only, subject to the terms of use set by our suppliers and any restrictions imposed by individual publishers. Please see individual supplier pages for full terms of use.

More eBooks

Business press

The ICAEW Library & Information Service provides access to leading business, finance and management journals. These journals are available to logged-in ICAEW members, ACA students and other entitled users subject to suppliers' terms of use.
Exclusive What the best leadership teams do right
  • Article
  • 22 Oct 2024
  • Ron Carucci, Mindy Millward, Eric Hansen
This article outlines three critical, highly interdependent roles that executive teams must play in order to have lasting impact on their company’s performance, culture, and ability to adapt. The authors provide tips as to how teams can play each of these roles successfully.
Exclusive 6 essential leadership skills — and how to develop them
  • Article
  • 18 Oct 2024
  • Rebecca Knight
This article highlights six leadership skills that have become essential in the contemporary workplace, and provides practical advice on how to develop them.
Exclusive Shift your leadership from "power over" to "leading through"
  • Article
  • 09 Oct 2024
  • Kim B. Clark, Jonathan R. Clark, Erin E. Clark
An excerpt from a new book which calls for the end of the power-focused leadership model and the rise of a new approach — one which is caring, consciously seeks to do good, and mobilises people to solve tough problems.
Exclusive Why leadership teams fail
  • Article
  • 01 Sep 2024
  • Thomas Keil, Marianna Zangrillo
Drawing on interviews with more than 100 CEOs and senior executives, this article outlines three main patterns of dysfunction within leadership teams. The authors aim to help leadership teams to diagnose their failings, and find ways to improve.
Exclusive Teamwork at the top
  • Article
  • 01 Sep 2024
  • Gregory LeStage, Sara Nilsson DeHanas, Pete Gerend
This article sets out a four-step process to help leaders to promote beneficial patterns of collective behaviour within their teams. The authors point to five key behaviours — direction, discipline, drive, dynamism, and collaboration — as being crucial to the effectiveness of leadership teams.
Exclusive Move fast and fix things: Questions for Francis Frei
  • Article
  • 01 Jan 2024
  • Karen Christensen
An interview with Francis Frei, co-author of the new book 'Move Fast and Fix Things: The Trusted Leader’s Guide to Solving Hard Problems'. She discusses the importance of leadership in nurturing a culture of trust, inclusivity, and collaborative problem-solving. The article compares the mottos of Mark Zuckerberg ('Move fast and break things') and the author's preferred mantra ('Move fast and fix things'), highlighting the drawbacks of the former approach. The article concludes by suggesting ways leaders can create a safe and inclusive work culture.
Exclusive Lead your team to victory: the do's and don'ts of effective group leadership
  • Article
  • 01 Jan 2024
  • Alan Vengel
The author provides several tips for successful group leadership, including mentally separating the group, forming a common ground coalition, making desired results clear, providing rationale for ideas, asking open-ended questions, creating a brainstorming atmosphere, and voting when appropriate. The article also highlights what not to do: such as allowing people to take a fixed position, putting people into likeminded discussion groups, and letting objections sabotage the team.
Exclusive Three key elements of trust for leaders
  • Article
  • 01 Dec 2023
  • Joseph Folkman, Jack Zenger
Based on data from 360-degree assessments of 87,000 leaders, the authors have identified three key elements that are often the foundation for trust towards leaders. By understanding the behaviours that underlie trust, leaders are better able to elevate the level of trust others feel towards them. The authors detail the behaviours leaders should carry out to achieve this.
More articles

Online magazines

These journals are available only to logged-in ICAEW members, ACA students and other entitled users. To access them, please log in.

Articles and books in the ICAEW Library collection

The collection of the ICAEW Library & Information Service includes a range of articles, books and reports on leadership skills. Use the links below to see what we have available to request in our Library catalogue (Libcat).
Game of thrones on business: strategy, morality and leadership lessons from the world's most talked about TV show
  • Library book
  • 2015
  • Tim Phillips, Rebecca Clare
  • Oxford: Infinite Ideas Limited
Encouraging their readers to learn through stories, the authors have drawn parallels between Game of Thrones and today's business world. The authors also use examples from the series to breathe life into management theory.
Why should anyone be led by you? What it takes to be an authentic leader
  • Library book
  • 2015
  • R.Goffee, G.Jones
  • Harvard Business Review Press
The authors show how great leaders essentially act as 'authentic chameleons', consistently displaying their true selves throughout the changes of context that require them to play a variety of roles. They illustrate authentic leadership in action and provide practical advice on how both experienced and aspiring leaders can become more authentic - and more successful.
Act like a leader, think like a leader
  • Library book
  • 2015
  • H.Ibarra
  • Harvard Business Review Press
This book "offers advice to help you: redefine your job in order to make more strategic contributions; diversify your network so that you connect to, and learn from, a bigger range of stakeholders; and become more playful with your self-concept, allowing your familiar- and possibly outdated- leadership style to evolve."
Lean in: women, work and the will to lead
  • Library book
  • 2013
  • S.Sandberg
  • W H Allen
Examines why women's progress in achieving leadership roles has stalled, explains the root causes, and offers solutions that can empower women to achieve their full potential. Sheryl Sandberg is a former Chief Operating Officer of Facebook/Meta.
The essential manager: 30 core elements of leadership
  • Library book
  • 2013
  • E.Larkin
  • Dublin : Chartered Accountants Ireland
Aims to encourage the reader to reflect upon, and perhaps consider changing, how they currently respond to some common trials and tribulations of managerial life. Divides "the 30 essential building blocks for management success" into three parts: about you; about employees; and about business.
Management in 10 words
  • Library book
  • 2012
  • Terry Leahy
  • Random House Business
Written by the former CEO of Tesco, this book draws on the author's experience and expertise to pinpoint the ten vital attributes that make successful managers and underlie great organisations. Chapters are headed: truth; loyalty; courage; values; act; balance; simple; lean; compete; and trust.
The essential Drucker: selections from the management works of Peter F.Drucker
  • Library book
  • 2001
  • P.F.Drucker
  • Butterworth-Heinemann
An introduction to Peter Drucker's expert writing on management and leadership, containing extracts from his books published between 1974 and 1999.

To find out how you can borrow books from the Library please see our guide to borrowing books.

You can obtain copies of articles or extracts of books and reports through our document supply service.

External resources

Acas guide on leadership
  • Website
  • Acas
Guide from Acas designed to support people with leadership responsibilities at all levels of an organisation. Outlines the essential qualities, actions, considerations and implications associated with leadership using the Acas framework for effective leadership.
Investors in People leadership articles
  • Website
  • Investors in People
Knowledge base of articles on leadership from Investors in People, covering topics such as motivating and empowering your team, democratic leadership and improving team wellbeing.
Leadership in the workplace
  • Website
  • Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD)
This factsheet investigates the concept of leadership and how it differs from management, the factors that can influence leadership development, and briefly examines how a principles-based approach to practice can support the development of leadership skills in people professionals.
The Gender, Leadership and Inclusion Centre (GLIC)
  • Website
  • Cranfield School of Management
The GLIC is a research community which collaborates with industry and produces high quality research in the areas of gender, leadership and inclusion at work. The centre, which is part of Cranfield University's School of Management, is responsible for an annual benchmarking report, The Female FTSE Board Report which has been published since 1999 and includes details of the number of female directors on FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 boards. The website provides information on the work of the centre, its research projects and published research papers.
The role and expectations of a CFO: A global debate on preparing accountants for finance leadership
  • Website
  • International Federation of Accountants (IFAC)
Discussion paper and selection of resources from IFAC. The paper looks at the changing scope of CFO and finance leadership roles and how accountants can prepare for career progression.
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