Training comes a long way in these situations — not just to benefit the overall organisation , but the people that built it too . It ’ s no surprise that Isuzu UTE , under Rod ’ s leadership , partnered with AfMA on a series of personal development courses .
“ It ’ s a big industry . There ’ s a lot of people who have dreams , there ’ s a lot of people who could benefit from [ personal development training ]. Where do they go ? Where do they get it from ? We ’ ve got a central source .”
Isuzu UTE ’ s partnership with AfMA in developing personal development courses has been part of the company ’ s training for the last few years . With topics like “ The Power of Conversations at Work ,” “ Gearing Up for Performance Reviews ,” “ Manage your Attention , Not your Time ,” and many more , AfMA ’ s personal development courses are more than just a series of webinars . They ’ re a series of lessons curated by fleet industry professionals at AfMA and Isuzu UTE , designed to inspire its participants and help them flourish in their careers .
Development at work
With the essence of Isuzu UTE being “ continuous improvement ,” Rod described the partnership project as “ a good fit .” The implementation of the personal development program in Isuzu UTE is positively effective .
“ A lot of this training along the way has helped people keep focus on what ’ s important and it ’ s helped them adapt to more changes , in my opinion . I can see it in my team ,” Rod observed .
“ They participate in six of these seminars in a year . It ’ s part of their job . They see the relevance of it . Understanding different styles , coaching styles [...] to understand other people ’ s techniques , like how to understand me ,” Rod explained .
Implementing a training program for a team not only boosts customer relationships , but team dynamics as well . In Isuzu UTE ’ s case , Rod noted that , because of the personal development courses , he and his team have learned to better communicate with each other .
“ There ’ s a bit of upward management going on right now because they know I ’ m a very busy person ,” he recounted . Many leaders like Rod tend to have a lot on their plate at any given moment . It ’ s not always easy for both members and leaders to see eye-to-eye if they ’ re not adjusting to one another . Concepts taught in the personal development courses , like upward management , aid team members and colleagues in navigating in-office relationships , fostering better company culture and social skills .
A style of his own
Unique like a fingerprint , Rod ’ s leadership style is distinctly his . A combination of laissez-faire , democratic , and even transformational , Rod doesn ’ t just stick to one method . Conclusively , his style is very much situational , the most recommended leadership style .
“ I ’ ve got a very distinct style . People aren ’ t really wondering what I ’ m thinking , I ’ m a bit oldfashioned like that . But I have learned more over the years ,” he said .
With an experienced set of professionals behind Isuzu UTE , the General Manager trusts his team to work independently , without much interference from him . But Rod ’ s not completely hands-off , he ’ s still paying special attention to the team . Every week , the Isuzu UTE team has a meeting to discuss the ongoings with the company . This seems normal enough , until you hear about Rod ’ s unique approach to professional development .
Every month , he sets aside some time to have individual discussions with the people on his team . These discussions aren ’ t your run-of-themill catch-ups . Rod takes the time to individually check-up on his staff regarding their individual KPIs and “ strategic focuses .”
Instead of using the word “ goals ,” Rod and his team see the bigger , long-term picture and prefer to use the term “ strategic focus .”
“ It ’ s all about our employee engagement and [...] customer experience ,” he emphasised . Using the term “ strategic focus ” is just one of the manifestations of Isuzu ’ s UTE ’ s “ continuous learning ” culture , lending much to the transformational aspect of Rod ’ s leadership style .
From his end , Rod gives the whole team a monthly update too . “ Not everyone does that but
32 ISSUE 50 DECEMBER 2024 / WWW . AFMA . ORG . AU