In this episode of The Talent Game, Erla Gunnhildardóttir shares her inspiring journey into the gaming industry, starting with her love for board games and leading to her role at CCP Games. She opens up about her experience with layoffs at CCP, providing valuable insights into navigating financial planning and the emotional challenges during such times. Erla praises the leadership at CCP for their empathy, professionalism, and focus on maintaining a positive workplace culture despite difficult decisions.

The conversation dives deep into the importance of company culture, with Erla emphasizing the role of leadership in shaping it through clear communication and setting behavioral expectations. She highlights the power of trust, psychological safety, and coaching in building high-performing teams. Erla also discusses how finance teams can play a strategic role beyond traditional back-office functions by fostering collaboration across departments.

Toward the end of the episode, Erla reveals her favourite interview question, which provides insight into how candidates discuss their current or past employers, offering a glimpse into their attitudes and values.

Key Takeaways

• Finance teams should be integrated into broader company functions, fostering collaboration rather than being siloed as a back-office role.
• Empathy and care are essential when navigating difficult situations, such as layoffs, to maintain a positive workplace culture.
• Effective leadership shapes workplace culture through clear values, communication, and behavioral expectations, fostering resilience in challenging times.
• Building high-performing teams requires trust, psychological safety, and coaching to enable team members to bring their whole selves to work.
• How candidates discuss their current or past employers during interviews reveals key insights into their mindset and attitudes.