16th February 2021
Stories from an Inspiring Leader – Chris Cahill
Chris Cahill, Head of Consulting & Digital, Atos IT Services
By nature Chris is a pragmatic individual, tenacious yet empathetic, he is not overly complex to work with and is forthright in presenting his views and opinions which is appreciated by many. Chris has managed through the COVID 19 crisis by being extremely open, supportive and inclusive with all his team.
Chris has continued to sponsor collections for food vouchers and latterly to help buy computing equipment to help children unable to afford laptop devices to connect to online teaching resources. Through August Chris took part in a Prince’s Trust Fundraiser where he formed part of a virtual expedition from Lands End to John O’groats. Alongside cycling and some jogging, Chris climbed Ben Nevis as part of contributing to the mileage and fundraising attempt.
Chris has dealt with several serious personal issues faced by consultants through the crisis. His ability to offer pragmatic advice and encouragement has been critical in helping the individuals understand the importance Chris places on supporting his team and being an empathetic leader. Alongside the initial offers of support and reinforcing his belief in individuals, he has held regular one to one sessions through the lifetime of issues and beyond. He has given people time to heal and stabilise their lives and encouraged return to work only when all aspects of the problem are manageable at home and the consultant can come back to work confident that they can give their best. Only through his entire team ‘leaning in’ and collaborating has Chris navigated through the crisis successfully so far. He acknowledges that the strengths of his entire team have made it possible.
He openly calls out the unsung heroes; the Operations, Finance and HR personnel who oil and manage the ‘machine’ the workforce managers who act as quasi-career counsellors and the trust provided by his managers, allowing him enough editorial license to remain true to his key leadership principles.
Endorsement
“Chris has demonstrated a very emphatic and pragmatic leadership style. […]He volunteered to be one of our D&I Business Champions and used this as a theme for the recent virtual Consulting ‘Away Day’ confirming his commitment to support diversity and inclusion, both for the benefit of his team, and the business. […] He is able to inspire his team, and he takes them with him by engaging them through regular communications.”
About Inspiring Leaders
The extract above is taken from the Inspiring Leaders 2020 initiative which recognised exceptional leaders during the Covid-19 pandemic. You can download the full eBook with all the leader stories here.
Inspiring Leaders was created as a vehicle to recognize people who stepped up to help individuals, teams and organizations navigate personal and business challenges, and make a contribution to make their business, their community and the world a better place.
Due to the success of IL 2020, we have brought it back in 2021. We are now open for nominations. For more information about how to enter Inspiring Leaders, dates and fees – click here.