HOW DO YOU LEAD A TEAM, RATHER THAN HEAD UP A LARGE WORKFORCE?

Leading from the front is the best way to inspire, encourage and motivate your workforce with the ultimate aim of boosting productivity. We talk to two business leaders about how they are tackling the issue and where leadership training has helped them.

“It is a big investment in leadership training,” admitted Hayley. “But because of the practical nature of the QuoLux training, it allows us to take our learning straight back into the business to develop our teams and complete projects.”

“Everyone is now working to a 12-week plan,” Hayley explained. “The purpose is to ensure the whole workforce understand what we are trying to achieve and their role in getting there.

“We have done a lot of leadership training through QuoLux and it has really changed our approach to organisational development. Most of our senior management team have gone through QuoLux’s LEAD and GOLD training which has helped us to lead and communicate better and develop our business’s vision and strategy into something that the entire workforce understands and buys into.”

Hayley has gone further, studying through QuoLux’s GAIN, which focuses on the leadership of innovation, and later this year will begin an MBA in leadership.

MF Freeman believes so strongly in the value of training that the company is investing in its middle management team, inviting them to participate in a special six-month development programme along similar lines.

One such project the company is working on is around the concept of Good Dividends.

“We are exploring what business value is for us and considering social concept as key to our vision. We believe that a focus on the social concepts, such as working more closely with local communities, can create positive impact for the business. Rather than perceiving such social good as a cost, we believe this helps us to drive innovation and profitability.”

The company’s workforce also feels more involved – a great way to develop loyalty.

MF Freeman’s senior team is increasingly thinking ahead and involving everyone within the business, so that every individual knows their purpose and how it fits into the company’s business plans.

“We start with presenting the high-level objectives, then each team discusses and agrees their team’s role in achieving this. Each individual then agrees what part they will play, and these tasks and projects form the basis of the individual’s 12 week plan. This keeps everyone focused and makes sure every individual understands what they have to achieve, by what date and mostly importantly, why it matters.”

It sounds simple, but it has been a huge amount of work for the business. The outcome, however, is positive. All the staff have a much better understanding of what the business is trying to achieve and their personal contribution to the overall objective. “It is certainly better than each individual feeling that they are a small cog in a big wheel,” added Hayley.

“Everyone’s work is valuable to the business. We want to show them that it’s appreciated and that they have a role in the business’s success. And leadership training is helping us communicate that better.”