Members of Made in the Midlands and Made in Yorkshire gathered for their monthly industry meetup to discuss a critical topic for the future of the manufacturing sector—leadership and development. The roundtable featured a diverse group of professionals, including Jacquiline Watkins from Hyfore Workholding, Luke Allsopp from Frederick Cooper Ltd, Simon Price from Power Plastics, Craig Martin from Coba Plastics, Mike Beirns from Henley Engineers, and Oye Alabi from South City College Birmingham. The conversation covered a range of important issues, including identifying leadership potential, balancing technical and soft skills, building cross-functional expertise, designing effective mentoring and coaching, creating clear career pathways, and measuring leadership effectiveness.
Identifying Leadership Potential
One of the key topics discussed was how to identify leadership potential in employees. Luke Allsopp stated the importance of exposing employees to all areas of the business, particularly during the training and onboarding stages. By broadening their perspectives, businesses can uncover hidden leadership skills that individuals might not even recognise in themselves. This approach is heavily influenced by Allsopp's strong ethos in leadership, rooted in team sports—many of his team members, including himself, have backgrounds in rugby. This shared experience helps foster a leadership mindset within the workforce.
Simon Price added that for businesses located in more rural or market towns, recruitment can be particularly challenging. In areas with a limited talent pool, young people may not see manufacturing as an appealing career. To counter this, Price’s company has built strong relationships with local prisons over the last five years, offering reformed individuals the chance for a fresh start. While this initiative has met with varying levels of success, it’s an example of how companies can think outside the box when it comes to leadership development.
Oye Alabi, representing South City College Birmingham, highlighted how they focus on assessing how potential leaders handle difficult situations. They don’t rush to appoint individuals into leadership positions but give them time to adjust and demonstrate their capabilities. Many of their learners come from diverse backgrounds, which requires leaders who can balance professionalism with empathy and understanding.
Building Cross-Functional Expertise
Jacquiline Watkins shared her experience of developing cross-functional expertise at Hyfore Workholding, where she has taken on roles outside the traditional engineering domain. Early on, she found that young people entering the company had a very traditional, process-focused mindset. They were reluctant to engage in cross-departmental conversations. However, by encouraging engineers to participate in project meetings and contribute beyond their narrow roles, Watkins was able to break down silos. Over time, this approach fostered greater engagement, and employees began to feel more involved and heard—resulting in higher retention rates.
Craig Martin also spoke about the ongoing issue of staff retention within the sector. He noted that many employees fail to see the wider role they can play in a business, which can lead to disengagement. To address this, Coba Plastics has focused on making the workplace more attractive by offering better work-life balance and flexibility, recognising that businesses need to match the competitive benefits offered by companies like McDonald's or Greggs, who provide flexible working patterns that appeal to younger workers.
Designing Effective Mentoring and Career Pathways
The conversation also turned to the challenge of designing effective mentoring and career development programs. Simon Price noted that younger employees often come into businesses with high expectations, sometimes wanting to be running the company within a year. Developing clear career pathways can be difficult, as not all employees are interested in rapid career advancement. Some are content with doing a good job and going home, while others want a clear trajectory. Price discussed the importance of being adaptable to these varying needs, ensuring that the business can cater to both types of employees.
Mike Beirns of Henley Engineers shared his belief that leadership development shouldn't be confined to the workplace. Reflecting on his own career, Beirns described a transformative experience he had during an outward bound course he attended as a young engineer. He believes that investing in such external development opportunities can uncover leadership potential in ways that traditional training cannot.
Measuring Leadership Effectiveness
When discussing how to measure leadership success, Luke Allsopp explained that his company looks at employee engagement and satisfaction surveys, along with their own observations, to assess the effectiveness of their leaders. This approach helps them gauge whether leadership is fostering a positive environment, but Allsopp admitted that it’s an ongoing challenge to truly measure leadership success in a way that captures both the tangible and intangible aspects of leadership.
In conclusion, the roundtable highlighted both the challenges and opportunities in leadership development within the manufacturing sector. From identifying hidden leadership potential to creating engaging work environments and offering career development pathways, it’s clear that leadership in manufacturing is evolving. As businesses continue to adapt to the changing needs of their employees and the broader industry, fostering strong leadership will be key to ensuring long-term success.