Respect your firm’s heritage
It is very important to respect the heritage of a thriving company like LeasePlan, and understand why it is successful. However, at the same time I am a big believer in developing new ideas to ensure an organisation changes and is modern, fresh and exciting. It is this blend of old and new which will deliver success.
Get feedback from customers
It is critical to get feedback from your customers at all times, whether it’s great, average or otherwise. An organisation always needs to know what its customers are thinking. For this reason, we work hard to get honest appraisals from our customers and this informs everything we do. This level of in-depth understanding allows LeasePlan to deliver better products and services which directly benefit our customers’ businesses.
Challenge and change
Customer requirements are constantly changing. Any service organisation must adapt and continue to deliver beyond expectations to be successful. This means constantly challenging the business to stay ahead of its competitors and to evolve over time. People are at the heart of any successful organisation and I believe that by hiring and retaining the very best in the industry we have succeeded in making LeasePlan the outstanding business that it is today.
Be clear with the media
Knowing what you want to say and why you want to say it are two key considerations before any interview. Umming and aahing doesn’t help anyone, particularly if it’s a recorded piece!
Practice doesn’t necessarily make perfect, but it certainly helps with authentic delivery and clearly understanding what is required in a particular situation. No interviews are ever truly “off the record” and as a result it’s always best to be completely transparent when answering questions.
Maintain a work/life balance
I believe that maintaining this balance is critical to personal and organisational success. When I work hard during the week, I always make a concerted effort to spend quality time with my family at the weekend.
Despite my best efforts, complete relaxation can be hard to achieve, particularly as a long suffering Leeds United fan. Here’s hoping that the 2013/14 season will bring happier times and a charge back towards the Premier League.