Developing Leadership Skills in Experienced Managers

As a global leader in the pneumatics industry, SMC is recognised amongst its peers for representing constant growth and innovation across its vast array of products. Its prosperity is based on the excellent performance of the people that it employs.

In order to secure the long-term success of the business, SMC UK decided to invest in the development of their management team, recognising that they needed to tear down their personal barriers to achieve their personal and departmental goals.

Dave Westbury, Head of Operations explains,

“The majority of our leadership team have been with us a long time; are high performers in their fields, with exceptional technical skills who became effective managers,  but lacked the leadership skills to empower their teams and lead the next phase of SMC’S growth. Excelling in one area doesn’t mean you will in another and we knew we needed to develop this key group so that they could develop the talent in their teams, which in turn would improve engagement, communication, culture and ultimately the bottom line.”

Change doesn’t happen overnight so working together, Dale Carnegie and SMC UK developed a 10 day leadership programme delivered over a 12-month period, to embed change into the behaviours of the leadership team. This spaced learning environment enabled the participants to practice the strategies and skills they developed, receive feedback and share experiences. The format not only grew individual confidence but, as a leadership team, they began to work together as one unit, solving problems and removing departmental silos.

“The results have been phenomenal across the whole business. If I was to estimate the ROI of the training, it has delivered improvements of over £250,000 over the years. With a new leadership culture now embedded, we can expect these improvements and initiatives to continue in future years. Our managers are more confident in themselves and their teams which has improved their relationships. They delegate more and are more engaging. They’re constantly looking to improve and problem-solving has become a team effort. They’re bringing value to the business without even thinking about it.”

Dave Westbury

Head of Operations

“Since the training, there are improvements everywhere, improved relationships and communication has reduced conflict between departments, people now look at problems from the other person’s perspective and work together to solve them! Teams are now more structured and understand our vision and goals. They are now involved in managing large problems and upcoming change strategies so there’s less obstruction and more collaboration.

Our ageing workforce (average age is 46+) means that we need to develop our future leaders and the leadership team’s new confidence has resulted in more younger people being mentored and developed, safeguarding our business for future generations.”

 

Dave Westbury

Head of Operations

Challenge

Improve managers leadership skills.

Improve communication.

Foster greater collaboration and eliminate ‘silo’ thinking.

Create a culture of innovation and change.

Increase engagement across the business.

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