Whenever I look back at the careers of the most successful treasury professionals I’ve spoken to, there’s usually one thing they have in common…
Things rarely went smoothly.
At some point in everyone’s career, something sprang out at them and changed things in a way they never expected.
It might be an acquisition, a restructure, a new CFO, a new integration, or something like AI comes along and completely changes everything.
You can’t plan for those moments.
They just happen to you.
But what really matters is how you respond to them…
Take one deputy treasurer I know, for example. She was in a fantastic role. Close to the CFO, involved in strategic decisions, getting exposure across the whole business. She’d just been promoted and couldn’t have been happier.
Then the company was acquired.
Almost overnight, everything changed.
Treasury moved into a much larger organisation with a completely different structure.
Instead of seeing the CFO every week, she’d be lucky to see them once a quarter.
Instead of being involved across treasury, she became responsible for one small area.
Her job title may have remained the same, but she was doing a very different job.
She’s now looking for her next move.
I’ve seen the opposite happen as well…
Another treasurer found himself thrown into a major integration project after his business was acquired.
Initially, he wasn’t even sure he’d have a job six months later.
Instead, he embraced it.
He stepped into projects he’d never expected to lead. He proved himself. And he’s since been promoted twice.
That’s the thing about change – it doesn’t automatically make your career better, but it usually creates opportunities that simply don’t exist when everything is ticking along nicely.
The mistake I see people make is assuming the project is the destination.
It isn’t.
They all have a beginning, a middle, and an end.
The smart treasury professionals enjoy the project, but they also keep one eye on what comes afterwards.
Because eventually the project finishes, or the company changes again, or the role you’ve loved simply isn’t the same role anymore.
That’s why I often say:
When’s the best time to look for your next job? Yesterday.
When’s the second-best time? Today.
I’m not saying you should be actively applying for jobs every week…
But you should know what’s happening in the market.
So, keep your LinkedIn profile up to date.
Have a coffee with someone in your network.
Understand what opportunities are out there.
And answer the occasional call from a recruiter (especially if it’s me 😉).
This is an extract from one of our recent Treasury Career Corner LIVE Events where Louise Woodroffe, Head of Treasury at Hastings Direct, gave some great advice about keeping in contact with recruiters…
Mike: “Who were the people who helped you progress and helped you believe that you could be more, and what impact did it have on you?”
Louise: “Mike Richards.”
(Whilst I was blushing, Louise carried on to say…)
“To a certain extent, recruiters. I think in hindsight, there’s a couple of bosses that have been incredibly kind to me and said how much they liked working with me, how much they could see potential.
“But that’s not something I felt in the moment while working with them. So it’s been a real development in our relationship.
“Therefore, it has been the recruiters. Getting to talk to them about my experience, what it is that people are looking for. They are the ones who have really pushed me, and pushed me to consider taking roles that I might not have necessarily thought I was going to be right for.”
Now, to close, I’ll just finish with this…
When change arrives (and at some point, it WILL!), if you take all this advice on board, you’ll be able to make your decisions from a position of strength, not reacting because you have no choice.
The biggest career moves I’ve seen in treasury haven’t happened because someone sat still.
They happened because someone recognised that change creates opportunity…
And they were ready when it arrived.
Best regards,
Mike
P.S. Some of the best examples of treasury professionals navigating change have come from guests on the Treasury Career Corner podcast.
If you haven’t listened recently, it’s a great place to hear how others have handled the unexpected. Click here to get the latest episode.
