Case Study: Ansan Commercial Interiors – Tim Burrow
“I strongly believe that without the LEAD programme we would not be where we are now and we certainly would not have the outlook to the future we currently have” – Tim Burrow
Tom Burrow describes how the LEAD programme gave him increased confidence.
The Issues
As with many family businesses, Ansan were experiencing difficulties due to the very close relationships between the directors and their relationship with the company. Although the situation provided an informal and enjoyable workplace, the lack of formal structure was holding the business back. Everyone worked hard and with the good of the business in mind but not necessarily in the same direction. As Tim said, “If a job needed to be done, someone would do it. There were no individual responsibilities or structure or direction.”
Alongside this lack of focus, the succession plan for the company was in some doubt. Without knowing if Tim was the right man to take over the company it was proving impossible to plan for the future. Tim felt he was humoured rather than respected in his role and felt he was some kind of imposter, playing at being a business leader. He wanted to become more mentor than manager. The ultimate aim was to exploit the real strength of Ansan – its project management experience – and expand the company to have different people leading different branches of a parent company. This would require a formal structure to be implemented.
The Power of LEAD
The ethos of the LEAD programme, to promote growth by improving leadership skills, was precisely what Ansan needed. Tim’s self doubt was preventing the business planning for the future and capitalising on their assets.
The course has, in Tim’s words, “Radically changed who and where the business is.” Interacting with other SME leaders gave Tim the opportunity to see that the difficulties and issues he faced were the same ones experienced by almost everyone in the small business community. He now has the confidence to be a leader, to step back from the everyday running of the business and to allow others to run the company while he concentrates on planning for the future.
As the programme has progressed, Tim can see how the different elements covered fit together: “The more changes we make, the more situations arise and with that the various masterclass topics come to the fore and become relevant.” The
programme has given Tim more confidence in the areas he was unsure of before – matters such as business finance, cash flow forecasts, and order qualifiers are now much less of a mystery.
LEAD has reinforced in Tim’s mind that his open and honest management style is the right way forward. In fact, he has realised he has a strong flair for leadership, and is enjoying challenging the more autocratic style of some of his LEAD colleagues and changing their minds about leadership.
The Times, They Are A-Changing
It seems LEAD has completely changed both Tim and the business. Increased leadership confidence has given Tim the opportunity to plan the future development of the company and this is being filtered through to everyone involved to give Ansan a renewed focus. New staff have brought a different perspective, communication within the company has improved and overall everything has become more efficient. A customer database and a feedback questionnaire have been established and an interactive brochure produced, Tim predicts Ansan can double its turnover within two years.
Whereas in the past Tim’s father was unsure if Tim was the right man to take over the MD role, he is now absolutely sure that when the time is right Tim can step in. “He is in absolute awe of where we are going and how we are changing and that is due to my leadership style. I am developing, inspiring and motivating others and I just think that is fantastic. I can’t get over it!” Tim explained.
With everyone pulling together in the same direction, Tim can see the company has immense growth potential. “I overheard a conversation in the office and heard someone say ‘let’s look at how we manage this,’ and the impact of that was huge. The future management team is beginning to emerge by itself,” Tim said.
Tim has said the greatest insight he has gained from LEAD is that leadership is about empowering, motivating and inspiring others; focussing on what they need, what they want to make the business work. With Tim leading them, Ansan’s future looks bright.
