New-look boss clinches award

SIX years ago engineering boss Allan Meek had an epiphany. Mr Meek realised his company and its staff were being held back by his desire to control every detail of his firm's operation and a self-confessed tendency to rule by fear.

His insight led him to enrol on a course that would see him abandon tactics which were causing the company to stagnate, and embrace a much more unconventional approach.

Where once he relied on a fiery temper and a culture of "command and control" to run his business, he now uses motorcycle training, golfing trips and nights out in Bristol to inspire his 20-strong workforce.

And his new leadership ethos has not only created a more motivated workforce - it has delivered the growth Mr Meek craved when he enrolled on the Cardiff Business School course in 2000.

Six years ago turnover was around £900,000, whereas now it stands at £3.5m.
Mr Meek's achievements were recognised in last month's Leading Wales Awards when he won first prize in the category for leaders in businesses with fewer than 250 employees.

In the early years Mr Meek was too busy managing his Caerphilly-based company Smoke Control Services Ltd, which designs ventilation systems for tall buildings, to think about the impact his leadership style was having on the firm.

"I started the business 13 years ago and I hadn't really worked on leadership and development before that. I was just an engineer running a company the best way he could.

"I had reached as far as I could go with the way I was running the company. People were referring up to me for every little decision.
"I realised I was an obstacle to the business growing. I went on a course called sustaining profitable growth.

"It was a big turning point because it helped me understand how to influence people and changed me from command and control to facilitation and coaching."

The managing director, from Cardiff, now sees flexibility as the key to man-management.

He said, "Flexibility is a big thing. You cannot just have one style.

"I used to be very volatile and lose my temper a lot, which was appropriate in some situations, but not in most.

"In a crisis you have to be commanding, but most of the time it's about facilitation and helping people find the answers themselves."

Mr Meek, 45, sees vision as the key to leadership. But it's not enough to simply have goals, you must also communicate them to your staff and persuade them it's in their interests to share them.

"You've got to have an idea about where the organisation is going. You also have to communicate your vision to everyone so they know what you're trying to achieve.

"Building the right team is also important, because you need the right people. All the training and development in the world won't help if you don't have the right people."

Mr Meek won the leading Wales award for his skill in "setting the tone of the team", and his ability to "live by the organisation's values at all times".

Being seen to practise what you preach is crucial to earning the respect of your staff, he believes.
"You have to live the values - walk the walk and talk the talk. You cannot say one thing and do another.
"People will take their cue from your actions rather than your words."

Now Mr Meek is happy to admit that he rarely gets involved in his firm's day-to-day affairs and instead concentrates on staff development and the company's long-term plans.

"Now I'm really working on strategy and developing people. I don't get hands-on at all. It's great.

"I can go away for a week and my only post when I get back will be a building magazine."

And Mr Meek believes his changed attitude and role has improved the quality of his life away from the office.

Mr Meek, who is married to freelance HR consultant Jacquie and has two grown-up children from a previous marriage, says he spends less time at work thanks to his improved people skills.

"I probably work less hours now - though I've never been big on long hours anyway. I don't buy into the myth of self-employed people working 16 hours a day.

"I probably start at about 8am and finish around 5pm."

And his new-found work-life balance allows him to pursue a wide range of sporting interests.
"I've just taken up boxing, I'm training for a triathlon, I play five-a-side football and I enjoy skiing," he said.
But he stresses that though his approach may have altered, he is as passionate as ever about growing Smoke Control Services Ltd.
"The business is growing all the time and I'm really ambitious because we've got a great crowd of people here.

"Everybody who comes here to the office gets a buzz from it. We pay for people to do motorcycle training because many of us are keen motorcyclists. Every month the engineers have a meeting and we hold that at a golf club where we have lessons.
"It's about trust. As long as we are delivering we can afford to do these things and everybody has bought into that."

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