This september marks a good opportunity for evaluating your own skillset
Welcome back, everybody, to the world of work! Yes, it’s that time of year – for our US readers, Labor Day is over and, for our European friends, the summer holidays are officially done.
That can only mean one thing: the pitter-patter of tiny feet as they scamper energetically back to educational establishments heralding the ‘back to school’ season. It’s a good time of year to reflect on your own professional development – as well as making sure your workwear is up to scratch.
The former was the topic of conversation for our next IR Impact Masterclass video – which should be with you later this month – where I spoke with Nick Stone, head of IR at German healthcare company Fresenius, about making sure your IR team has the skills it needs to thrive in the modern marketplace.
You’ll have to wait until the video is published for all of Stone’s words of wisdom, but one section that has really stuck with me is when he detailed his process for reviewing his IR colleagues and the mix of education, skills and professional knowledge that he wants to achieve. It’s all in aid of ‘thinking about where the profession is going next’, he explains – and trying your best to get in front of that curve.
Another key aspect for Stone is the IR community. ‘One of the things I’ve found most impactful is spending times with peers,’ he says, adding that a trip away with the IR team of a listed oil company gave him insight into the granular, ESG-focused questions that their investors had at the forefront of their mind. That, Stone says, gave him a fresh perspective on how to approach the topic with his own investors.
For those with large teams, this may be something that the wider corporate culture provides for already, such as the environment described by Debbie Belevan, multiple IR Impact Award-winner, in her recent interview with Gill Newton .
She also extols the virtues of working alongside a regional IR trade body (in this case NIRI). ‘It’s a collaborative community and a great platform to support the next generation of IR professionals,’ she says. ‘I love helping support others and find it really rewarding sharing my experience and passion with younger IR professionals.’
With all this in mind, perhaps this September is a good time for you to consider your own ‘back to school’ approach to your IR program. Perhaps now is the perfect time to benchmark some IR data about your peer set and competitors in order to understand the lay of the land better, or delve into our library of research to read more analysis on the same.
Or maybe – like the hordes of schoolchildren returning to the playground this week – it’s a chance to catch up with your friends and peers, trading news and rekindling connections.
How are you approaching this ‘back to school’ season? Let us know, either via LinkedIn, or email us on [email protected].
