Our Training & Client manager Dave gives his management tips

Dave reflects on his management experience and what makes a good leader.

-How did you get into management? I worked my way up into management at Owen Daniels Consultancy. When we began to grow at a fast rate, I was trusted with mentoring the new starters and helping them pick things up as quickly as possible. After a few months of developing the new starters, my role changed into a managerial position, which involved managing both a team and clients.

-How many people are in your team? There are currently 5 people in my team, with another two starting in the coming weeks.

-How long have you managed a team? I have been managing a team for almost the last 4 years, and was mentoring others for 2 years prior.

-What are the pros of managing a team and the challenges? For me, the best thing about managing a team is when you see committed, motivated, and hard-working individuals develop, progress, and ultimately succeed after taking your advice and guidance on board. Managing a team does come with its challenges, as people have varying attributes, learn in different ways, and are motivated by different things, but these can always be overcome by understanding the people you’re working with, finding out what makes them tick, and getting the best out of them due to this.

-What team outtings have you run/or plan to and how regularly? I took my team bowling, and treated them to a Nandos, and plan to arrange another team outing soon!

-How did you learn to support a team? I learnt early on in my managerial career that the best way to support a team, is to understand the person you’re trying to support and what their frustrations/struggles are. Once you know this, you can make a plan, work together, and set achievable and realistic goals for them to work towards.

-How do you incentivise and motivate your team? I incentivise and motivate my team in a multitude of ways, although for me, the first thing I try to do is build rapport with them, as you’re always going to be more motivated working with people you get on with, and have respect for. After this, I set goals for my team to achieve, and work with them closely to achieve these. There are also other financial and reward-based incentives I put in place to ensure all areas are covered!

-Why are you excited about Future Leaders? I’m excited about the Future Leaders programme, as I believe we not only have a team full of talent here at ODC, but we also have great characters who have all of the attributes required to lead from the front in terms of both performance and management. It’s a great opportunity for career development also, which is something we’ve always prioritised here at ODC.

-What advice would you give to someone looking to join the ‘Future Leaders’? The best piece of advice I’d give to someone looking to join the Future Leaders programme, is to always be happy to help. The most important part of managing and leading a team is the willingness and ability to help and support them. Without this key attribute, it’s harder to build trust, respect, and loyalty within your team, which is an essential part of long-term success.

-What is your leadership style: Coaching, as I always look for certain traits, attributes, and qualities within people’s personalities (even at interview stage), and think about when  and where they can develop within the business, and how I can get them there.

At ODC we are lucky to have a diverse team of managers who use different styles to help support their team. If you are interested in joining our team – contact natasha@owendaniels.co.uk