Q&A: Rachel Hind, broker and founder, Best Capital

In my view, the foremost mark of a good business leader is the ability to build trust: trust with individuals you work with/work for, trust with those who work for you, and trust with your business partners and so on.

I believe there needs to be a personal, human side to every engagement in business.

It’s about serving your team in a way that allows them to have the right mindset and the right skills to be the best they can.

It’s not about barking decisions at people that you have made in isolation. It’s not about trying to command and control a situation or business. It’s not being seduced by the ego of leading a team or becoming a masculine, egotistical power woman (we all know one of those, think Sue Ellen Ewing from the Dallas TV series)!

There is a natural tendency to want to step into the ego and make everyone’s decisions for them. I’ve been there, too. When I was in corporate and investment banking, it was almost as if this was what they thought or expected. It didn’t sit well. 

It’s about imparting your experience and empowering your team to make their own decisions, not hierarchical delegation. No man or woman becomes great on their own!

Who inspires you in business, and why?

There are a host of individuals that I have admired. Most recently, the world has lost a legend with the recent passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the Supreme Court justice and legal pioneer for gender equality, age 87.

As a trained lawyer myself, she was one of the reasons I wanted to train and study. Ruth was a female icon for gender equality and gave me the faith that a woman in law is possible.

For me, it’s not always about women in the spotlight. There are many female role models I admire and am inspired by who have overcome some form of adversity to change for the better.

I facilitate group sessions voluntarily in the mental health space, and there are countless men and woman who stop their pain and suffering in a moment by taking immediate action. Change is never about the ability; it is always about the motivation.

What’s the hardest thing you’ve had to do as a business lead/principal. And what did you learn from that experience?

You have to learn to have the courage to fail quickly and walk away from a situation that no longer aligns with your core values, whether that is as a leader, as a woman, as a boss, or even as a parent.

Personally, I had to learn that most recently when a professional partnership was not heading in the way I wanted it to be. As a leader, I had to have faith in my instincts (my own moral compass) that I needed to exit.

Trust your gut. Everything you have to succeed is inside of you, you are in the driving seat of your life, no one else.

How are you helping support women in the finance space? 

I am obsessed about helping women unlock their full potential and be the best version of themselves.

Along with being a finance broker, I am also a qualified lawyer and accountant. I wanted to bring together a group of like-minded business and professional women to work together to collectively inspire, empower and create change. So, I am now the founder and CEO of Women Leading Change, a networking events company that brings together professional women to share and collaborate plus gain knowledge from other female experts in property investing, estate and tax planning, success mindset, health and more. This has been a great success with now over 2,500 members and seven national events so far.

Most recently, I was asked to be a national steering committee member for the Women in Commercial Finance Forum by co-founder Yasmine Shah. Again, this is an incredible group of like-minded entrepreneurial women in finance who are working together as a collaborative community to grow, inspire, empower and create change for female brokers. 

I also have been a coach and mentor for professional women reaching for the bottle. I had lived experience with unhealthy coping mechanisms and disempowering emotions and beliefs, so this pushed me to study and qualify to help professional women learn healthy ways of dealing with stress, burnout and fatigue.

What advice would you give to other female business leaders looking to succeed in the finance industry?

First of all, ask yourself if it’s really what you want and why. What is it about the finance industry that attracts you? Then, you can make that your niche, your strength.

I absolutely believe you need to understand what ignites your passion. Once you are aligned with your passion, it is effortless to wake up and work every day. You are being pulled towards your goals rather than having to push yourself – and you never lose momentum! 

If you don’t know what this is yet, find a coach/mentor/trusted adviser (or advisers) and talk through what ignites your passion. Look for someone that is already achieving the gap you need to close and follow their strategy. There will be many women in finance out there that have previously conquered the challenges we have faced, or will face, so reach out to them!

Personally, I love humour. People say I am always smiling and often laughing! I believe humour is important in all relationships. Be a person that smiles, laughs and enjoys humour to diffuse challenging situations.

Also try to read, read, read. I read for at least 30 minutes a day and am an eternal student in business and personal development seminars. Why not take what 10 years of learning and making mistakes away by reading someone else’s book or attending their seminars? I am a big follower of Oprah Winfrey, Brene Brown, Maya Angelou, Tony Robbins and Gretchen Rubin.

Lastly, be unique, be you.

The month of November marks The Adviser’s Women in Finance month, as we profile some of the leading women in this industry. As well as the Women in Finance themed magazine, we’ll also be having female-centric podcasts and running profiles and content in the daily bulletin, too.

Make sure you’re subscribed to The Adviser’s bulletin to ensure you never miss a beat and never miss a podcast episode by subscribing to us now on your preferred podcast provider!

[Related: Top tips from the broker industry winners of the Women in Finance Awards 2020]