Why productivity matters
Productive companies get more out of what they’ve got, enabling them to increase their profits, pay higher wages and invest in their future. More productive businesses mean a more prosperous country. Discover why productivity matters below.
Filter
Article
A networking culture helped substitute competition for community
Turning an underperforming business round is never easy, but Steven Hawke is using the help of people running similar firms to make the challenge easier.
Benchmarking
Article
Joining a peer action learning group helped Tina regain her confidence
The sudden loss of Tina Fairhurst’s husband and business partner hit her leadership confidence hard. An action learning group has helped rebuild that.
Networks
Article
Our mentor’s productivity improvements saved us time and money
Allsee Technologies managing director Baoli Zhao joined the Mentoring for Growth scheme to get advice on his rapid expansion plans.
Mentoring for Growth
Article
I’ll never stop investing in myself and my team now
Taking a step back helped Stephanie Chamberlain turn a lack of direction into clarity, a confused message into a clear vision, and lost mojo into reinvigorated passion.
Productivity through People
Article
Learning to become a better leader, without the guilt
Having become a leader through her business naturally expanding, Emma Heathcote-James always felt guilty about investing in her own development.
Productivity through People
Article
There is nothing I wouldn’t want another person to see – even a competitor
An open approach to business, and a belief in the power of networking, has seen Lisa Smith, founder of Ginger Bakers, through a multitude of personal and professional challenges.
Benchmarking
Article
My mentor’s experience gave me leadership confidence
A mentor helped Jake Lavelle transition from being the creative driving force behind his busines to one more befitting of his managing director status.
Mentoring for Growth
Article
Mentoring felt almost like business therapy
As a new non-engineer recruit in an engineering company, Nicola Seferta felt she faced a steep learning curve. A mentor helped her successfully adjust.
Mentoring for Growth
Article
Shielding, but far from isolated from his team
When a health condition for Mark Holden required him to shield during the pandemic, the pub landlord sought advice from a mentor to help him lead effectively from a distance. The results have been astounding.
Mentoring for Growth
Article
The family business that relishes a challenge
Second generation sales and marketing manager Izzy Whitehead explains why and how a Be the Business Next Gen workshop helped.
Networks
Article
I felt like I was in my dad’s shadow
It took Liz Davis a long time to realise she didn’t need to be her dad after taking over the family business – she just needed to be herself.
Mentoring for Growth
Article
I’m sharing info with my advisory board that has never left the business
With ambitious growth plans of 20 per cent a year, Hydraulics Online are using an advisory board made up of experienced business leaders to mark a clear route.
Networks
Article
Being accountable was exactly the kind of challenge I needed
As a business leader who operated at a mile a minute, a mentor made Jo Scott accountable and encouraged her to slow down and look at her company objectively, rather than emotionally.
Mentoring for Growth
Article
We were suffering from growing pains
Milexa managing director Richard Wilde joined the Mentoring for Growth programme when he realised he needed some guidance with growth.
Mentoring for Growth
Article
Could you be the mentor someone’s looking for?
Lloyds managing director and Be the Business mentor, Keith Softly, gives his thoughts on the challenges, benefits and positive outcomes of mentoring.
Mentoring for Growth
Article
My people management skills improved overnight
Fairmont Residential had little scope to develop in-house expertise and its technology infrastructure was stretched. Mentor Nick Rubega stepped in to help.
Mentoring for Growth
Article
Four things hospitality leaders gained from peer learning groups
By sharing issues and insights with a trusted group these Cornish hospitality leaders have overcome complex challenges in their businesses and gained new leadership skills along the way.
Networks
Article
There’s lots to be learnt from businesses outside your sector
When Sally Ainsley realised her Productivity through People course was full of manufacturing sector firms she did wonder if there was any value taking part.
Productivity through People
Article
I knew marketing, but finance and logistics were way out of my comfort zone
He is a marketing expert, but a mentor gave fitness brand owner Mark Robinson the finance and logistics help required for his business to reach new heights.
Mentoring for Growth
Article
Being a mentor has helped me keep my ideas fresh
Being a mentor to three different SMEs has helped BAE Systems’ Pete Boddy bring new and relevant insights and ideas to his day-to-day job.
Mentoring for Growth
Article
It doesn’t have to be lonely at the top if you find like-minded people
Finding a way to regularly meet with other business owners going through similar challenges has made life less lonely at the top for hotelier Clare Bond.
Networks
Article
To have a business mentor of this standard is like a dream come true
A carefully-selected mentor has helped Ella Mesma develop the skills and confidence required to launch her business into the corporate arena.
Mentoring for Growth
Article
What a butcher can learn from a steel supplier
Sharing common business problems has brought companies from very different backgrounds together and begun to form long-lasting support networks.
Networks
Article
It’s been like a top-level coach working with a top-level sportsman
When Andrew Connors started mentoring Rupert Cross at the end of 2019 neither of them knew just what a challenging time lay ahead.
Mentoring for Growth