46 | SEPTEMBER 2020
Skills
Read online at www.proinstaller.co.uk
INNOVATIVE LEADERSHIP HELPS
GLAZING MANUFACTURER
TAKE ON ITS TOUGHEST TEST
A glazing manufacturer,
supported by Made Smarter,
has embraced a new approach
to leadership during the
coronavirus crisis.
Forced to close or reduce
operations in factories
and offices, owners and
senior managers involved
in the North West digital
technology adoption pilot
faced their toughest test
as they figured out how
to restart, reassure their
uncertain workforce and
customers, and recover.
Dan Smith, technical director
at Twinfix, a glazing
and canopy manufacturer
based in Warrington,
revealed that changing
his approach to the new
needs of his workforce
and business is helping
navigate the impact of the
pandemic.
Agile leadership, flexibility,
transparency, open
communications and being
receptive to learning from
others have proved vital
new tools for the future.
Smith is part of the
second cohort on the
Made Smarter Leadership
Programme, which had to
switch online with virtual
tutorials to give leaders a
strategic view to support
the adoption of hi-tech and
digitally-based manufacturing
techniques into their
own production processes.
He said he has benefited
from the peer-to-peer
network.
“SMEs tend to operate
in an isolated bubble, and
as a leader, you can often
feel like you have no one
to turn to,” he said. “The
fantastic thing about the
Leadership Programme was
that it forged an impressive
bond of trust between
the cohort early on, which
meant I felt I could talk
about the company and our
challenges openly. I believe
that during the crisis we
stayed in touch more than
I suspected we would,
talking about the challenges
and sharing ideas about
how to navigate it.”
Donna Edwards, Made
Smarter programme director,
said: “From the start of
the pandemic Made Smarter
has been in regular contact
with leaders across the
region offering support and
advice. Our conversations
revealed some striking
changes in the traditional
norms, attitudes and behaviours
that guide leaders.
“They have demonstrated
agility and adapted to
an unprecedented and
emerging situation to
ensure people and plants
have remained functional.
New flexible approaches
have helped individuals
and teams cope with the
intense challenges to their
daily and working lives.
In many cases they have
‘
In the past 25 years I have led many different teams and I have
never experienced anything like this, but it is often at times of
great adversity that people’s leadership skills come to the fore.
I am sure many of us have seen that in the past few months
’
used the pain to change
longstanding practices and
find better ways of doing
things. At the heart of this
need for change is technology,
which has proved
invaluable in allowing manufacturers
to work remotely
to maintain operations
and communications and
prompted SMEs to accelerate
and broaden their
adoption of digital tools.”
It isn’t just SME leaders
who have experienced
lightbulb moments during
the pandemic.
Glyn Jones, chair of
Made Smarter’s North West
adoption steering group
and BAE Systems’ delivery
director for the Tempest
programme, said Covid-19
challenged long-standing
paradigms in his business.
He said: “Covid brought
a huge amount of focus,
energy and some amazing
innovation to get the business
back on its feet.
“Things we previously
thought impossible were
achieved in the space of
weeks and whilst it was
challenging both personally
and professionally for a lot
of people, we saw some
amazing things happen.
“In the past 25 years I
have led many different
teams and I have never
experienced anything like
this, but it is often at times
of great adversity that people’s
leadership skills come
to the fore. I am sure many
of us have seen that in the
past few months.
“There is no leadership
book on how we deal with
a situation like this, so being
open to learning from
each other adjusting our
approach is vital.
“We will continue to
face challenges for a long
while yet, but we must find
a way to harness some of
positive changes, embrace
this new attitude and new
ways of working rather
than simply going back
to the way things used to
be.”
Registration for the next
Leadership Programme
starting in October is now
open.
For more information or
to apply for your place
visit www.lancaster.
ac.uk/lums/madesmarter
or alternatively: email
madesmarter@lancaster.
ac.uk or call 01524 593 881.