Kate Ludlow, Director and Partner in the Retail practice group at Saxton Bampfylde, looks at why a multi-faceted approach to finding, developing and nurturing leaders in the rapidly changing retail sector is so important to deliver the best results.
The revolution going on in the UK consumer sector continues apace, leaving in its wake a hugely changed environment with winners and losers across the country. In both the physical and online worlds, the change in behaviours, habits and expectations is so marked that it can be hard for many to keep up. In order to evolve, survive and hopefully thrive, the need for leadership, and more specifically great leadership, is more fundamental than ever.
Saxton Bampfylde has been engaged in finding leaders in the consumer and retail sectors for years, and we are committed to identifying and developing both individuals and teams to realise their full potential. We believe strongly that any service should feel special, meaningful and purposeful to the participants and relevant to the organisation – not ‘off the shelf’ and so generic that it lacks impact and is forgotten about by the next day.
The demands for our expertise and knowledge of the sector, and particularly our observations and experience in search for the highest calibre leaders, have led to the development of a more tailored leadership offering – Leadership Services (LS).
In the consumer and retail space there are areas of our Leadership Services offering that are proving invaluable including:
EXECUTIVE ASSESSMENT
A comprehensive approach using the latest tools and methods to evaluate the way in which an individual goes about their work and their ability to perform: cognitive ability, day-to-day behaviours, what their motivations are, what culture they create and how they perform under stress. The results of these assessments can be harnessed to de-risk the selection process, get a new appointee on-board quickly, or in feedback with individuals to highlight strengths, ambitions and key development areas.
COACHING & EXECUTIVE DEVELOPMENT
Guidance from industry experts and experienced coaches, providing individuals with devoted time for critical thinking, self-reflection and targeted progress, producing impactful results.
TEAM DEVELOPMENT
High-functioning, high-performance teams are universally characterised by a diversity of styles and a strong dynamic between the individuals involved. Unlocking this dynamic within groups can be transformative and begins with thorough individual and team profiling. This profiling provides an accurate snapshot of current strengths as well as highlighting the characteristics of communication and the inter-relationships between individuals in the group.
TALENT MAPPING
Talent Mapping utilises evidence based techniques to identify internal talent worthy of investment to become tomorrow’s leaders, external talent can be mapped for benchmarking or as a potential candidate list.
BOARD REVIEW
Our Board Review is designed to be relatively light-touch; to allow boards to comply fully with corporate governance recommended practice and to provide data that can be used to improve board effectiveness, maximise strengths, and tackle weaknesses.
GET IN TOUCH
To find out more how our leadership services can benefit your team contact: kate.ludlow[at]saxbam.com
