Managed services - nurturing growth

Following on from my article inthe Feb 2025 issue of Workplace360 regarding Managed Services/supply chain and the positive impact on diversification, I thought I would expand on the how our vision was implemented and how buy in from suppliers (partners) and our own team was achieved and nurtured, and why it was critical to our success.

Suppliers – Partners

We established very early in the process that having the ‘right’ suppliers would be critical to any success and that the traditional relationship of ‘we order/demand and they supply’ would not work, especially when part of our strategy was for some of the suppliers to interact directly with our clients thus have a direct impact on our clients levels of service and perception of Anglo as a business. It was obvious that these companies’ performance and approach would make them a massive factor in the success, or not, of the project. It was clear from the start that they would need to be partners in our evolution, not just suppliers, and we adopted that approach right from the beginning, Partners they would be!

As the lead on the project, it would ultimately be my responsibility to ensure that the selection of, and negotiations with our ‘new’ Partners would lay the foundations to allow the effective supply of products and services, so where to start?

Experience

During my long career at Spicers, apologies most of you reading this will have no memory of the ‘the god old days’, I was very lucky to work directly for a variety of senior people, before joining the gang, the vast majority of which were inspirational leaders and who were natural mentors, more of which later.

From a supplier point of view the two that stood out, and from who I learnt so much with regards to suppliers’ relationships, were Stewart Barton-Taylor the legendary Purchasing Director, and Graeme Loudain the MD of Furniture, the division that grew sales month on month for approximately four years! Two highly successful individuals with differing approaches but both so knowledge and able to create fantastic relationships with their suppliers. Critically in terms of my development and progression, both shared one common trait in that they allowed their people to manage and to make mistakes, albeit not the same mistakes!!

I was determined to take this knowledge and ensure that Anlgo formed respectful, proactive and enduring relationships with our Partners, both new and existing, furthermore I knew it would be key that my team understood and were equipped to take those relationships forward, again more of this later.

Process

Having identified the new types of products and services required by our clients we now had to identify the Partners who we wanted to work with and who shared our customer service ethic, it was research time! We had a certain geographical area in which our clients were based so it was essential that any potential Partners ‘covered’ those areas. Google was invaluable to identify who provide the services in the areas we were looking at; we refined that search by looking at online reviews, albeit a pinch of salt is sometimes required. We overlaid the internal supplier knowledge/contacts we had, plus feedback from clients who had previously used some of these people and critically we engaged with our then current suppliers in like-minded industries.

This last element was invaluable! What better than a recommendation from a supplier/Partner who we already trusted and had proven to be a dependable and with whom we had a simpatico relationship. This proved to be a very fruitful avenue for us and ultimately provided some of the very best leads.

I now had a ‘hit list’ with several candidates for each of the areas we wanted to pursue, we had internally agreed the margin expectations/minimums and service levels we needed to work to, so we moved on to draft a proposal document that outlined our requirements and terms. Having sourced what, we believed to be the appropriate contacts I made initial phone calls to introduce myself/Anglo and gain permission to e-mail to document to the contact.

We were now actively looking for our Business Partners!

One critical element was missing!

Staffing

Given everything that I have outlined I felt that the makeup and skill set of the Managed Service team would be a defining factor as to how successful the whole project would be. The people involved would need to be able to own the ongoing relationship with the Partners and would require the relevant abilities to do so but would also have to have a customer service skill set as they would also be dealing with the clients. Traditionally two different skill sets?

I reasoned otherwise as I wanted to re-invent the supplier relationship from what can you do for us to what can we do for each other and together for the client. As such I thought a customer service background would be the best starting point and believed, however arrogantly it sounded, that I could teach/coach the Partner relationship element, and develop people to provide the hybrid skills we would need.

I confess the idea of mentoring and developing people was personally very appealing to me as I always enjoyed that aspect of management and had an excellent track record of developing people who had moved on to have great careers and achieved some outstanding achievements, I won’t name names as some read this publication!

I was looking for people who were.

Dedicated and loyal – there was going to be a lot to learn, and I wanted people who would stay and develop with the business.

Trustworthy and honest - they would be party to confidential information.

Accurate – there would be a lot of detail that needed to be understood, processed and communicated.

Proactive and enthusiastic – new opportunities would need to be developed; Partners and clients will gravitate towards enthusiasm.

Team players – supporting teammates and having a ‘one for all’ ethos would be critical.

Getting the team recruited and working out who would look after which Partner, once I had identified them, was of the essence as I wanted the individuals involved from the get-go, those working relationships would be theirs to develop and maintain albeit with my ongoing support and guidance. We recruited some excellent people, a couple internally from Customer Service, albeit as usual there was the odd ‘mistake’!

Logitics

The logistics team, specifically the Manager, at Anglo would need ‘educating’ as to some of the new inhouse requirements for additional Partner deliveries and stocking of products as well as having full understanding of what Partners would be delivering direct to clients and any related collections that may be required. There were services being provided as well as product, so any logistic requirement would need to be understood. Would this new project impact of The Logistics team staff levels?

As Operations Director I was already responsible for the logistics at Anglo so it was relatively easy to dovetail the two teams together.

Mentoring

‘Mentoring is a powerful and transformative relationship that fosters personal and professional growth. This dynamic interaction between a mentor and a mentee can significantly impact the trajectories of individuals, leading to success, fulfilment, and the development of important skills.’

Not my quote but as good a summation as I could come up with.

As I have alluded to earlier, I was very lucky to have benefited from some fantastic mentoring and have always believed that you should give your employees/colleagues support and guidance wherever possible/appropriate. Having identified and negotiated with what were to be Anglo’s new Partners it was now my job to provide knowledge, support and wisdom, the last one might be a surprise to some that know me!

‘Treat people in a manner you would want to be treated’. Again, not my quote but it was my Dad’s.

The success or otherwise of the Managed Services team and the people within it would be critical to the future success of Anglo. I made sure all the team understood the vision and commercial rationale behind the project focusing on the positives for the business and for all the employees.

Once the team members (TM) were ‘paired’ with the Partners I established bi-weekly meetings with each Partner, which I initially chaired. Once the TM was ready/confident they chaired the meetings, and I attended at their request. This was supported by regular diarised one to one meetings, plus ad hoc if requested, between the TM and myself to cover of any issues they might have had.

We followed the ‘situational leadership’ model - direct, coach, support, delegate.

In hindsight I was unwittingly being mentored by Gary Nap the MD at Anglo at the same time, who had provided direction, was supporting me with everything I needed and was the king of delegation!!

Mentors offer valuable insights and advice based on their own experiences. They help mentees set realistic goals and provide feedback on their progress. I think there are very few people who don’t benefit from having a mentor/mentors. The journey toward personal and professional growth can be challenging. Mentors can provide emotional support and encouragement, helping mentees build resilience and confidence.

Mentors assist mentees in developing critical skills, through hands-on experience and constructive feedback.

As you can see, I am a massive advocate of mentoring and I truly believe I have benefited tremendously from the mentoring I have received, even when I didn’t realise I was receiving it! It does of course help when the mentee understands and appreciates their ‘role’ in the process.

Constructive criticism is a valuable tool for growth. Mentees should be receptive to feedback and willing to make changes based on their mentor's advice. They will hopefully take some responsibility for their own development, seeking out their mentor's guidance, and actively working on the areas they need to improve.

Mentoring is a powerful tool for personal and professional development. It offers opportunities for individuals to learn, grow, and achieve their goals with the support and guidance of a more experienced colleague. The impact of a positive mentoring relationship can be long-lasting, I certainly look back and am humble about those that took the time to help me, and because they have said so I know others have appreciated my time also.

Anglo’s Managed Service offering was unique and industry leading at the time, and with the continued growth and development of the service and the individuals within it, would I believed continued to thrive, had circumstances not changed.

Immensely proud of what was achieved and moreover I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Whatever you are doing to diversify and grow your business, always consider ‘investing’ in your staff, with the right mentoring and encouragement their personal growth and development will help to fuel the same for your business.