10 Habits of Highly Effective Shared Services Leaders

We asked our active practitioner community to share the characteristics of leadership and work ethic that they believe make for a super effective shared services leader. Here are our favorite answers. With thanks for their input to… Ana Paula Calado Global Implementation Team Leader at SafeGuard World International Top Contributor to SSON’s LinkedIn group Marcin Maslowski, CISA Senior IT Auditor at Generali Poland Bosco Noronha Senior Manager - General Ledger at VMware Doneen Hobbs VP Transactions Delivery Center at National Grid Heinrich Wasels Financial Management Consultant Mary Fallert University of Michigan, LSA Akshay Kumta Assistant Manager - HR Shared Services at Williams Lea India Pvt Ltd Mark Simpson Sean Hart Anil Prem DSouza Chief Evangelist Officer at CBENSOL 1. Translate the vision A successful SSO leader will create a vision, and then translate it into action using an effective communications processes, all the while ensuring the vision is in tune with the surrounding environment. So: define strategy, then cascade it to other levels; and track metrics. It’s important to maintain constant contact with all levels and to perform active "listening". 2. Always track outcomes via metrics (make no exceptions) Start with a clear understanding of what is expected from the shared services organization, convert this expectation into measurable results, and define and measure the drivers that get those results. Also crucial is connecting people to those drivers/results, and communicating how they contribute to successful outcomes and what's in it for them. This is about linking action and effect, so that every decision at the shared services level leads to an expected and desirable outcome at the business unit level. It helps to be naturally inquisitive, and practice inside-out and outside-in thinking, as well as constantly looking for improvement opportunities, but also being able to rationalize and prioritize which opportunities deliver the most value, rather than chasing improvement for improvement’s sake. 3. Drive towards consensus If the question is what differentiates successful SSO people, let's start with the point of SSO: multiple clients with slightly (?) different goals … different points of view … different flexibility, etc. So I'd say the successful SSO person is oriented towards consensus (economical). Most of the business is concentrated on that … SSO is, in this context, similar to the ITIL's Change Manager of old: not TOO eager to materialize all the needs, not TOO conservative to freeze the environment. So: Consensus balanced with assertiveness ... 4. Know how to turn vision into action The ability to create a vision for your team and back that up with concrete plans on how to get there; but also to be able to roll up your sleeves and assist/lead your team through complex day-to-day situations. ‘Walking the Talk' on processes and delivery is very important. Quality should be everyone's job, including those at the top level. 5. Always manage expectations (before they manage you) Shared Services stand and fall according to how well they manage their clients’ expectations. Successful leaders deliver according to these agreed expectations, and manage those instances that fall outside the SSC’s targets to ensure that perceptions remain as good as they can be. 6. First find your voice – then inspire others to find theirs "The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness" is a book written by Stephen R. Covey, published in 2004 – and it still stands as a great SSO practice! The 8th habit is to "Find your voice and inspire others to find theirs." Some versions of the book come with a DVD, although all the short films on this DVD can be viewed via Covey's website. The stories from the DVD illustrate the themes of the chapters. The book talks of "5 Cancerous Behaviors" (page 135) that inhibit people's greatness: Criticism, Complaining, Comparing, Competing, and Contending. [eventPDF] 7. Seek first to understand the customer Spending more of your valuable time understanding your customers’ needs and value points, so that the right decisions can be made at the services support level. It can’t be emphasized enough that time spent listening, and listening again will be rewarded by results. 8. Practice effective communication (again and again) Questioning, listening, clarifying… having that reflective ability to step back, and to contextualize, measure and solve problems. 9. Recognize the impact of "quality of workforce" on output "Quality of the workforce" ultimately determines shared services’ success. So, if talent management is key to quality and consistency of service, which in turn impacts profitability and growth, then a leader that recognizes the criticality of aligning talent development with SSO performance and objectives will stand out. In addition, attracting and, most importantly, retaining employees is the difference between successful SSO leadership and standard leadership. Remember that individuals play the game, but teams beat the odds. It’s the people who make it all work, be it technology, ideas or innovations. Because when individuals come together and form successful teams, it becomes possible to achieve uncommon results and impossible goals (Editor’s note: see Germany vs. Brazil in 2014 World Cup semifinal!). 10. Remember the connection: people success = project success Based on PMP training: People are successful only if the project or work is successful! The creative approach to remembering each area is by remembering this line: "I Saw Two Cute Queens Having Coffee Roasted Peanut Salad" – where I = Integration Management; S = Scope Management; T = Time Management; C = Cost Management; Q = Quality Management; H = HR Management; C = Communication Management; R = Risk Management; P = Procurement Management; and S = Stakeholder Management. All of these are key attributes to success. In summary: effectiveness in Shared Services is about good general management PLUS … Good management transcends a specific area or function managed. That said, I do think that shared services staff at all levels need to be especially comfortable working in an environment with expectations and demands that are different from some other kinds of work; which naturally leads to a manager with strong skills in customer service, working with diverse groups of customers, measuring performance, using metrics, and dealing/leading through LOTS of change. Have another opinion? Add to this discussion in SSON's LinkedIn group: with 33,000+ members we are the single biggest LinkedIn community for shared services and outsourcing. Get more involved in information exchange: find out about SSON’s new interactive practitioner community – Shared Intelligence – launching later this year. Email Rochelle Hood: Rochelle.Hood@ssonetwork.com.

10 Habits of Highly Effective Shared Services Leaders

To continue reading this story get free access

HR & Future of Work Events

HR Shared Services & Outsourcing Week

Other Upcoming Events

The Future of Finance & CFO Exchange Europe

SSOW Autumn

Your Contracts Said One Thing. Your Invoices Say Another. Let's Fix That.

29th Shared Services & Outsourcing Week Asia 2026

Powering the Future of Indirect Tax: Connected Compliance, Driven by Intelligence

Follow Us

Latest Webinars

From 5% to 74% Touchless: How Motion LP Transformed AP Through Automation and Process Improvement

Beyond O2C Automation: Using AI to Predict, Prioritise, and Accelerate Cash Performance

Beyond the Plateau: Automating the Last 20% of AP Without Losing Control

Recommended

Maintaining Principled Leadership in Politicized Times

Looking Beyond the Process: What Employee Listening Can Tell Us About Work

People Who Shape Transformation

The Employee Lifecycle: The Structural Backbone of EX

Hedging Their Bets: Why GBS Candidates Write Resumes Like The Twelve Days of Chr...

Scaling Human-Centered Design

HR Metrics: 5 Ways Shared Services Can Prove Business Value

HR Leadership Through Layered Disruption: How Shared Services Can Build Resilien...

Purple People: The Great Unlock for GBS

Bridging the Experience Gap: Connecting Organizational and Project-Level Employe...

Human‑Centric Leadership in a Skills-Short Environment

The Future of HR Shared Services: 5 Lessons for Leaders

FIND CONTENT BY TYPE

SSON COMMUNITY

ADVERTISE WITH US

JOIN THE SSON COMMUNITY

10 Habits of Highly Effective Shared Services Leaders

To continue reading this story get free access

HR & Future of Work Events

Other Upcoming Events

Follow Us

Subscribe to our Free Newsletter

Latest Webinars

Recommended

FIND CONTENT BY TYPE

SSON COMMUNITY

ADVERTISE WITH US

JOIN THE SSON COMMUNITY