The Power Behind Pulse: An Interview with Mercy George

“People are the heart of any business”, says Mercy, who is enthusiastic about transforming workplaces, nurturing deeper relationships, and creating environments where people thrive professionally and personally.

At Pulse, we believe that fantastic leadership comes in all shapes and sizes. As part of our efforts to keep on celebrating influences within our organisation, we’re excited to shine our light on Mercy George, our Associate Director of the Quality Team. From being on our quality team for a short period of time, Mercy’s story is a powerful testimony to the values of continuous improvement, proactive leadership, and people empowerment.

In this article, we take a look at some of the fantastic work Mercy undertook, the leadership principles that have guided her along the way, and the innovative solutions she has brought to life at Pulse.

A Rapid Career Journey Built on Results and Empowerment

It all began on February 5th, 2019, when she joined as a Quality Leader. From day one, her commitment to delivering exceptional service and pushing the boundaries of business performance became immediately apparent. Mercy wasn’t content with just maintaining high standards — she wanted to transform processes and create value for Pulse and our clients, ensuring we stood out in a competitive landscape.

This drive to innovate quickly earned Mercy a promotion to Quality Manager, where she led efforts to streamline operations and introduce better management tools and real-time insights. Her work on the Quality Performance Management System (QPMS), which improved monitoring and business processes, played a pivotal role in elevating Pulse’s business credit score and key business metrics across the board.

Her leadership style focuses on empowering teams, driving forward financial management practices, and introducing financial technology solutions that provide real-time financial data to enhance decision-making. This passion for innovation and improvement was the foundation for her promotion to Associate Director in April 2022, where she took on a broader leadership role and continued to advance Pulse’s strategic goals.

True to her name, Mercy has a heart full of compassion. In a broader sense, she is also about recognising the vulnerability in others, extending grace in the face of imperfection, and offering understanding when it would be easier to judge. She also states being patient with your team’s failures, providing second chances, and empowering people to learn and grow rather than merely imposing consequences.

Mercy in leadership may seem contradictory—after all, leaders are often expected to maintain authority, enforce rules, and ensure the team’s success. Yet, effective leadership is not just about making hard decisions or demanding results. It’s about inspiring others through empathy, understanding, and support. It’s about fostering an environment where people can do their best work without fear of being unfairly judged for inevitable mistakes.

Mercy’s Role in Leadership

Mercy creates a culture of trust, loyalty, and growth. Here’s how:

1. Building Trust and Loyalty: Mercy manifests the fact that she cares about what people in the teams can do and who they are. It brings an atmosphere of mutual respect and trust. Such staff members know their failures make them human beings but still have a chance for redemption, thus having loyalty.
2. Creating Safe Spaces for Innovation: If team members feel that they would be cruelly punished, then they are less likely to innovate or take risks. Mercy creates a psychologically safe space wherein people feel empowered enough to experiment and take creative liberties without failure.
3. Empowering Growth and Development: Mercy acknowledges the fact that people, as well as professionals, grow through failure. She provides her teams with support and guidance so that they can learn from setbacks in the future.
4. Reinforcing Ethical Behaviour: Mercy has set an example of how she expects her team to treat one another—the respect, kindness, and fairness with which they should treat one another. This creates an ethical basis for integrity in the workplace.

Leading with Innovation and Collaboration

In her current role, Mercy has been instrumental in pioneering excellence within the organisation. One of her most notable achievements was implementing automated quality assurance processes that improved business efficiency and introduced ethical practices within operational functions. By utilising real-time data, she has driven the development of systems that have enabled Pulse to make informed business decisions and enhance customer experience.

Her leadership has also extended into cross-departmental collaborations, where she has worked to align the quality teams with other departments, such as process streamlining and business operations. This holistic approach has enabled Pulse to integrate processes more seamlessly, contributing to business growth across multiple regions and enhancing our customer base.

Recognised Leadership: Global Accolades and Industry Recognition

For three consecutive years, Mercy has been nominated for the Gallup Award, which is a direct indication that she continues to strive daily for an environment of excellence and improvement. She was also included among the 500 best managers in the world, which speaks to her significant influence and leadership being in line with global standards.

Recognition is just a byproduct of her real motivation, however: to help her team grow and push the boundaries of what’s possible. She puts the success down to the team members who have worked with her and the mentoring she has received along the way. “Leading is empowering those around you,” she says. “I’ve always believed that people are the heart of any business”. One of the most pleasing things about a career is assisting others in discovering their strengths and creating opportunities for them to shine.

Mercy’s Leadership Philosophy: Empowerment, Proactivity, and Balance

Mercy’s leadership philosophy revolves around three core principles: empowerment, proactivity, and balance.

• Empowerment: Mercy is passionate about building solid, self-sufficient teams. She believes that the best leaders are those who bring out the best in other people. Whether it’s by giving them feedback or creating an environment that promotes creativity or develops skills, Mercy puts a lot into empowering people to realise their very best.
• Proactivity: In a world of constant change, Mercy certainly knows the need to always keep track of and outpace change. Being proactive means looking before challenges come ahead, seeking new business opportunities, embracing innovation, and, above all, keeping an eye on the bottom line. “You must take initiative, not just wait for things to happen,” she says. “With real-time financial data, we can find new business models and stay ahead in this fast-evolving market.”
• Balance: However, despite such a demanding role, Mercy teaches that work-life balance is paramount. “It’s critical to recharge,” she says. “I love my job, but I also love spending time with my family and pursuing hobbies like music. That balance allows me to return to work with renewed energy and focus, which is key to maintaining high levels of business performance.”

Global Leadership: Empowering Women in Business

Mercy comes in as a female leader in a robust male-dominated industry, inspiring role models for diversity and inclusion in the handling of leadership roles. She terms it as “Leadership has no gender,” but celebrating women in leadership inspires others because when women see women in positions of power, they know that their efforts will be recognised and career progression is possible.

“It’s amazing to be a part of an organisation that values me,” she says. “A workplace that promotes diversity and inclusion and acknowledges that all employees have value, regardless of their background or gender.” Mercy continues, “When you have a diverse leadership team, it becomes a more dynamic and innovative environment. It is a way of creating avenues for everyone not just to succeed but to do so depending on merit-to put merit at the forefront of everything.”

Looking Forward: Growing Pulse and Building a Legacy

Mercy is hopeful and excited about the future as she believes Pulse has numerous opportunities to revolutionise and innovate. Primarily, her areas of interest comprise business models that will expand the reach of Pulse, process polished financial planning, and seek better financial performance to improve business credit scores.

She says, “I am really excited about how technology can help us better understand and meet clients’ needs.” We can leverage data in real-time to make more informed decisions, create new business opportunities, and continue providing innovative products and services that help our customers succeed.

Mercy George: A Leader Shaping the Future

Mercy George’s fabulous story is a testament to the power of leadership, innovation, and empowerment. She made foundational changes within Pulse and outside it through strategic thinking, a collaborative spirit, and a passion for learning and personal development.

As an Associate Director, Mercy continues to spur success through her very focus on business growth, financial planning, and operational excellence. Whether it is changing business models or championing a culture of innovation, she embodies what it really means to lead such trends in business.

Mercy reminds us that with the right mindset, dedication, and balance, one can do great things and leave a well-deserved legacy in the world of financial technology, business processes, and customer experience.