Developing passionate business relationships: I recently visited an unassuming garage specialising in 911 tucked in the middle of no-where in the Gloucester countryside. On arrival the business owner generously greeted me and engaged in conversation enthusing me about his 32 years looking after the air cooled forerunner the 2.0 Porsche 911. At nearly 70, despite his wife’s suggestion to slow down, he was making plans to expand and create an engine rebuild room to support his young team. It was clear there was nothing he did not know about the product, yet when his team got stuck he just listened and asked questions? I arrived at 10am and had to be back at Ipswich at 4pm so there was a rush on, so 2 of the guys got started. While stuck there I requested an internet connection. Their response was they did not have broadband as it was unnecessary; explaining that their customers promoted them on the web forums and they did not need the extra business. So I sat on one of the 4 seats from a back seat of a coach that was the waiting room, and without being asked his 20 year old son made a tea, and apologised for the mess! The team got straight on with the job; they were clearly fully engaged to get the job done, taking plenty of care whilst engaging in appropriate banter and strikingly calling on the girl in the office to support them who happily held the exhaust whilst it was being removed. This was a staggering team that was fully engaged in their common purpose – passionate and motivated yet stuck in the middle of nowhere with the potential to do far more business than they could cope with. Why was this?
Are you passionate about what you do at work? Does your boss value your input or are they too preoccupied with their own agenda?
What is it that enables these people to excel at what they do? Do you let them do their own thing and what do you do when they get stuck? Do you support your team’s objectives or just set them?
What were the characteristics of your boss when You performed at your best?
What is your management style? If you are the boss your team will all behave just like you, so if you ever get an adverse response – grab a mirror and have the courage take a look at what you are doing…
Exactly the same methodology albeit on a slightly grander scale, was deployed on an icebreaker project to turn around an aerospace engineering team within a leading global group. In 6m the basis of a centre of excellence was created, and highly challenging / supportive – motivated environment. click here for case study. The SME boss seen here repairing the MX bike, is a great role model who has created an unassuming environment for his team to excel.
What is the main driver of an outstanding customer experience? Simply – a well motivated team
Tom (Owner Icebreaker Executive Interim Management) office@icebreakerexecutive.com T: 0207 193 5518.
