Strong leadership is at the heart of any successful business. It’s a quality that not all of us naturally possess, but with the right support and training it is something everyone can learn no matter what their age or life situation.

I have worked with many different types of organizations in my lifetime, including the military, professional sports teams, energy giants and academic institutions, training teams and leaders. However, I would consider myself a relative newcomer to the world of fintech. And as a novice in this industry, one thing that strikes me is the sheer depth and breadth of talent there is, with remarkably bright and driven individuals everywhere you look.

In my position as founder and CEO of an investment group, it is my responsibility to ensure that we make the very most of this potential in order to build companies that are capable of creating products and financial services that can change the world.

Without effective leadership, you cannot have an effective team. And it is important to have leaders at every level, in every position. Leadership training should recognise that each of us has our own particular needs, but be delivered using a consistent framework. This framework shouldn’t change regardless of who we are talking to, whether battle-hardened soldiers or fresh-faced primary children.

There are four guiding principles we should use to realise the leadership potential of an individual. Firstly, we must empower them to define their ambition and ensure that this goal remains firmly within their sights at all times. Secondly, we give them the access to the relevant knowledge they need to develop a clear strategy to achieve this ambition, a plan that can be clearly communicated to those around them. Third, we help them to establish a code of ethical values that they must always adhere to as they strive to reach their goal. Finally, we imbue them with the necessary resilience and determination that they will require throughout their journey.

When training leaders, there must be complete equality. We cannot tell someone what their ambition is - we can only empower them to define that for themselves. We cannot set their moral code for them and we cannot develop a plan for them to follow. They need to be given the independence and freedom to do all of this for themselves in order for leadership training to be effective.

While everyone is unique, creating the right type of environment for fintech leaders to succeed is no different to the approach we should take for any other group of people. Whether you are working with children or adults, you must address everyone as an equal. If you want to bring out the best in someone, then you shouldn’t talk down to them.

Treating children like grown-ups - and vice versa - is the key to inspiring individual and collective success in any walk of life.