Leadership Development New Zealand
P O Box 26044, Epsom, AUCKLAND 1344Phone : (09) 83666 08
Terry Horne, General Manager - Sealord.
"Our team leaders have really coalesced as a leadership group"
Ian Hunter, Managing Director - Canterbury Leather
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Infratrain and Leadership Development New Zealand have been working with Taylors Contracting in Nelson to help their management staff reach their full potential.
The initiative had been a great success, with eight staff honing their skills and successfully achieving a Level 4 National Certificate in Business (First Line Management).
Infratrain Regional Manager Dave Gidden's got on board by signing up as a trainee and achieving a National Certificate with the rest of the group, as did Paul Fahey of Fahey Contracting in Greymouth.
Taylors Contracting CEO Charlie Taylor identified an opportunity for training for middle and senior level staff. He explains, "A lot of our guys had reached management level by working their way up through the ranks, for example from being an operator. But while being great operators, many had never been taught how to be a manager. We wanted to help the guys perform more effectively and gain a formal qualification at the same time."
Trainer Shaaron Adams of Leadership Development New Zealand delivered regular training sessions to the group, which were specially tailored to meet their needs and covered concepts including managing conflict, leading groups and managing time.
The initiative has already resulted in improvements, particularly in the way that conflict is managed. Previously, some mangers faced uncertainty around how to raise issues with their staff. However, the training has equipped them with practical tools and techniques, giving them the confidence to step up and deal with challenging situations.
As well as people management, the training focused on wider issue facing mangers, such as how they can use their role to add value to the business. The group worked in pairs to complete and exercise looking at the six 'highest paying' parts of their role. Through this, they identified ways to use their role to grow the business or reduce costs, for example through financial planning around repairs and maintenance of plant.
Charlie Taylor says that this exercise was "hugely useful" to the company. He explains, "The training has really taught the guys how to think as managers. They have a greater understanding of where they fit in the company, and are now able to work at a strategic rather than just an operational level."
Charlie continues, "The whole experience has been positive. Working as a group meant that the guys could bounce ideas off each other and really get the full value of learning, as well as gaining a better understanding of other people's roles. At times the guys were slightly out of their comfort zone. They were scratching their heads wondering where it was all leading, but in the end they felt a real sense of achievement. And they gained a range of practical skills which they have been able to put into practice straight away.
Taken from Infratrain Newsletter 2010