Leadership Insights
In the fast-paced world of technology and engineering, leaders who can navigate change while building cohesive teams are increasingly valuable. Chloe Anfield, Vice President of Global Service Delivery at AtkinsRéalis, shared her journey and insights on leadership in an era of technological transformation. What makes Anfield’s perspective particularly valuable is her non-linear career path that led to a senior leadership position within a global organisation.
Value-Driven Leadership
Anfield’s career philosophy has been remarkably consistent: “For me, it was always about what is the value that I can add to that role, what is the difference and the change impact I can make.” This value-driven approach has guided her career decisions and leadership style.
Rather than following a predetermined career plan, Anfield focused on opportunities where her skills could make a meaningful impact. “I didn’t plan to get here,” she explains. “I’ve just ended up here” by consistently seeking roles where she could deliver value and face new challenges.
This perspective offers a refreshing counterpoint to rigid career planning. By concentrating on creating value in each role, Anfield developed the skills and reputation that naturally led to greater responsibilities.
Her leadership philosophy stems from a simple principle: “I’ve always led by treat others as you wish to be treated yourself.” This fundamental value creates the foundation for her approach to team management, which balances clear expectations with empathy and support.
“I am unfortunately a completely open book,” Anfield admits. “There’s nothing to hide. What you see is very much what you get.” This transparency creates an environment where team members feel comfortable sharing challenges and seeking help.
The Human Element in Project Success
When asked about overcoming setbacks in major projects, Anfield’s response was illuminating. While many leaders might focus on technical or logistical challenges, she identified the human element as the most critical factor:
“The biggest setback has actually always been about people and the biggest challenges have been people,” she explains. This might involve team members who lack expected capabilities, personal circumstances affecting performance, or the complex dynamics of bringing diverse individuals together quickly.
Her insights highlight that successful project management extends beyond technical expertise to understanding human psychology and team dynamics. Building cohesive teams quickly, setting people up for success, and managing organisational change effectively are often more challenging than the technical aspects of project delivery.
Navigating Technology Transformation
As a technology leader, Anfield faces the constant challenge of balancing legacy systems with emerging technologies. “Anyone in tech has this challenge around legacy applications,” she notes. “We get embedded in them and trying to strive for this forward future… transitioning from where you are today to where you are tomorrow is a massive journey.”
This challenge is particularly evident in the current AI revolution. While recognising AI’s potential as “a really, really powerful tool,” Anfield acknowledges the legitimate concerns within her team: “Someone actually put on there as something they want to stop is advancing AI in the organisation for that fear of it taking our roles away.”
Her approach to AI adoption illustrates her balanced leadership style. Rather than dismissing concerns or pushing technology for its own sake, she acknowledges the fears while demonstrating practical applications that enhance rather than replace human work:
“I’m using Copilot at the moment in variety of ways for my job. Even simple things like, PowerPoint, please generate me an outline agenda for X and some template slides… it’s just saving you time to then do other jobs.”
Creating Inclusive Environments
Anfield’s thoughts on diversity and inclusion reveal a leader who recognises both the moral imperative and business benefits of diverse teams. She highlights the particular challenges of implementing D&I across global organisations, where cultural contexts and legally protected characteristics vary by region.
The most significant barrier she identifies is unconscious bias: “The biggest things for me are those inherent natural biases that we’ve formed when we’re really, really young that just drop out and we don’t consciously look at.”
Her approach to overcoming these biases includes actively examining her own social networks and team composition. She describes a revealing exercise where leaders evaluated their connections against different protected characteristics:
“That was really revealing… it’s quite thought-provoking to realise that you don’t have certain groups of characteristics in your network.”
The Flexible Working Challenge
Perhaps the most pressing challenge Anfield identifies for today’s leaders is balancing flexible working arrangements with team cohesion. “We want people in the office because we feel it creates the environment where we can form a team,” she explains, while recognising that flexibility is essential for inclusion.
“If we want a diverse workforce, we have to have some flexibility,” she acknowledges, highlighting the particular challenges faced by working parents and others with caring responsibilities.
This tension between flexibility and collaboration represents one of the most significant leadership challenges of our time. Anfield’s approach prioritises understanding individual needs while maintaining team effectiveness:
“There are some people who just said, don’t ever let me [work from home]. I am not someone who can work from home.” Creating an environment where team members can be honest about their preferences and limitations is essential to finding the right balance.
Leadership Development Through Self-Reflection
Anfield’s approach to continuous improvement highlights the importance of self-awareness in leadership development. “I’m very conscious of who I am and do a huge amount of self-learning,” she explains.
Her methods include seeking out mentors for different aspects of her development, working with coaches to address specific challenges, and learning from other leaders she admires. This multifaceted approach allows her to continuously refine her leadership style and address areas for growth.
Perhaps the most telling insight into Anfield’s leadership philosophy comes from her reflections on perfectionism: “I have to curb my perfectionist aspect of my life and the high expectations I have on myself.” She shares an anecdote about scoring 99% on a Six Sigma exam and asking the examiner where she lost a point—only to be told to leave the room.
This story encapsulates the balance many leaders must find: maintaining high standards while accepting that perfection is rarely attainable or necessary.
Creating Safe Spaces for Authentic Communication
Throughout the conversation, Anfield emphasises the importance of creating environments where team members feel safe to express concerns, admit limitations, and seek help. This approach not only improves team dynamics but often leads to better outcomes.
She shares a powerful example of an employee who initially inflated their skills but eventually felt comfortable enough to admit they were struggling: “In the end, she turned around, she pulled me aside one day and she said, ‘look, I’m going to be brutally honest, I’m out of my depth.'”
Rather than punishing this honesty, Anfield used it as an opportunity to help the individual find a more suitable role where they could flourish. This approach exemplifies her people-first leadership style and demonstrates how creating safe spaces can lead to better outcomes for both individuals and organisations.
Join the Conversation
Leadership is fundamentally about creating environments where people can do their best work—a principle that guides Anfield’s approach across technology, team building, and organisational change. By focusing on delivering value, building inclusive teams, and navigating technological transformation with empathy, she offers a model of leadership that meets today’s complex challenges.
For executives seeking to refine their leadership approach or aspiring leaders charting their career paths, Anfield’s insights provide valuable guidance on creating impact in an ever-changing business landscape.
Ready to take your leadership skills to the next level? GSC Executives offers bespoke executive search solutions tailored to the property sector. Contact us today to explore how we can help you build a diverse, innovative team that’s ready for the future of property.
Listen to the full interview with Chloe Anfield on the GSC Executives podcast, via the player below or subscribe via Spotify, Apple, Youtube or anywhere else you get your podcasts:
This blog post is based on the GSC Executives Podcast episode “Building Inclusive Tech Teams: Leadership Insights from Chloe Anfield”.
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