In this article Darren, currently on the Executive Management Graduate Programme, examines the importance of local knowledge to drive global success. The Business Language Champions (BLC) are a team of graduates who have a key role to play in promoting the importance of languages in business. Darren's article demonstrates how it is vital to understand the local language and culture, through initiatives such as the BLC, if you are going to achieve success in a global market.
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Daisy, from the Operations Leadership scheme, travelled ‘North’ to Sheffield to start work for HSBC anticipating a local project – little did Daisy know that the inter-connected nature of the bank means that an international role can be carried out from one office.
When I first think of international opportunities within HSBC; exotic locations and having a year round tan springs to mind however, there are many opportunities within the UK to gather international experience. More...
This post marks the launch of our next monthly series of articles: HSBC Around the Globe. HSBC is one of the most international financial services organisations in the world, and the articles over the next month will cover different aspects of HSBC's extensive international presence.
We have got some great articles coming up, covering many different aspects of HSBC's operations around the world. In our first article of our new theme James, a current Executive Management Trainee, gives his thoughts on the modern global economy, and how successful individuals today have to appreciate that they are part of a truly global market.
Globalisation as we know it today originated with under the auspices of the British Empire, where 1/3 of the globe fell under the steely gaze of London. Gone, however, are the days when a cadre of a few thousands civil servants administered the far flung corners of the globe via telegram and steamship. We currently find an increasing proportion of roles in the professional services include an international aspect to their functions as businesses look outside their domestic markets to grow their revenues. Running in tandem with this trend is the rebalancing of wealth between East and West in the post financial crisis period, a marked consequence of this being that a high quality education is no longer the preserve of the developed world. The OECD Education attainment rankings had Shanghai, China placing first whilst the UK trailed at 26th , indicative of the shift in the potential for the modern global workforce (Source OECD). More...
Over the past month we have had some fantastic articles, covering many different aspects of this month's leadership theme. We have seen some genuinely honest, thought-provoking and, at points, inspiring articles. So as we come to the end of our leadership focus, we are taking this opportunity to look back over the past month’s articles and discover the secret to success when it comes to leadership...
Find your own way:
Our first article this month was truly thought-provoking and contained some great advice on improving your own leadership style (http://www.graduateblog.co.uk/post/2013/04/02/Leadership-from-a-Graduate-Point-of-View.aspx#continue). Dan offered three key ways to build your leadership effectiveness. Firstly, don’t be afraid to actively seek out positions of responsibility and opportunities to develop your leadership ability. Jess, a Retail Management Trainee, also stressed the importance of taking every possible opportunity to lead, developing your own leadership style and ‘becoming the best leader you can be’ (http://www.graduateblog.co.uk/post/2013/04/29/John-F-Kennedy-Martin-Luther-King-Richard-Branson-You.aspx#continue). More...
Perfect leaders simply don't exist. Everyone has elements of their leadership style which they can work on and improve, and it is incredibly important to be aware of these elements. In this article Toby, a HSBC Operations Management Graduate, discusses a few of the actions and traits which can lead to a poor leadership style.
I believe being a good leader is actually inherently difficult. Your approach to leadership will constantly need to be adjusted to every situation you are in. Given that defining good or bad leadership is highly dependent on that which needs leading, I am not going to try. Rather, I am going to discuss three ways in which leaders can fall down - learning from our mistakes is incredibly important, as it is one of the only ways we can develop and grow. More...
Jessica, a Retail MT, gives her best piece of advice for differentiating yourself at interview or assessment centre stage and drums home a key message from the Leadership theme – take every opportunity to take the lead!
Leaders can take many different forms, including those on the HSBC graduate scheme. A leader is described as someone who can get all to follow a common task for some common goals. So what can you do to be prepared for leadership within our schemes? More...
In this article Sarah, a current graduate on the Executive Management Trainee (ET) graduate programme, gives us an insight into her leadership experience so far. Sarah also shares with us her key advice on becoming a more successful and effective leader.
While at university, I began shaping my idea of what it is to be a “good leader”, an idea which has been further moulded by my time working at HSBC. As I reach the seventh month on the Executive Management Trainee (ET) programme, I find myself adopting myown unique leadership style; trying to take the good from all those who I felt led a team well, while trying to avoid the not-so-desirable traits I found some leaders have. More...
In the first of our ‘You Ask, We Answer’ monthly features, the Graduate Blog Team answers all the questions that have been sent into us over the last few weeks. If you have got a question about HSBC, or graduate applications in general, and would like to have it answered by our team then simply email it to graduate.blog@hsbc.com and we’ll feature it in next month’s ‘You Ask, We Answer’.
If you do have any questions about the application process, be sure to check out the FAQ page on the graduate careers website (http://jobs.hsbc.co.uk/graduates/faqs.aspx) for answers to many of the most frequently asked recruitment questions!
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Leadership features heavily in all of HSBC’s graduate programmes. Here Tom, a current graduate on the Executive Management Trainee Programme, gives his thoughts on the leadership element of the graduate programmes. The key message Tom delivers is simple: you need to learn to lead…
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In this blog, Sean from the Operations Leadership program looks to the World of football for clarity on what makes a great leader. An Arsenal fan who declares Sir Alex the best manager and puts light praise towards a Tottenham star, the key message is to look to lead in every situation you find yourself and not wait for somebody else to take the reigns.
Who are football’s great leaders? Who is football’s greatest leader? What is a leader?
It is easy when looking at leadership to think of the boss, the manager the decision maker, but looking into something such as football, it becomes less clear who the leader is and furthermore if such a role specifically exists. More...