Bart Schofield CMgr’s Post

Does the UK have a management problem? Thought provoking conversation yesterday whilst on site with a new client. “As a country we tend not to view the role of a manager as a skilled vocation. More often than not it is a responsibility bestowed upon a high performing member of the team - regardless of their inclination or capability to manage”. An interesting assessment from this business owner and whilst this isn’t always the case, it did make me consider how we assess management capabilities as a nation and the impact this could have on immediate performance and the development of those around them. Across Europe there are differing approaches and levels of prioritisation when considering management training methods; 📈 UK firms rely to a far greater degree than other countries on outside educational training and generalist skills. 📈 Norwegian and German firms rely almost wholly upon internal firm specific training techniques. 📈 Danish firms are particularly effective in combining in-house and external methods. 📈 Spanish and French firms appear less committed to developing managers over the long-term. In the case of the UK, particularly within growing organisations, the highest performers or those who have shown loyalty and longevity seem the obvious management choice. This is often done with the best intentions, hoping that colleagues mirror their behaviours and performance levels. However, the harsh reality can often be that those who are phenomenal at their job, don’t always make the incredible manager that had been envisaged. Worse yet, they are often promoted into the role, then left in a ‘sink or swim’ scenario. I’m sure that we have all experienced great leaders who we remember fondly. In the same breathe, I’m sure we have all experienced leaders who will last long in the memory for all the wrong reasons. Interested to hear what you deem to be the qualifying factors of a capable leader and whether the UK is indeed missing the mark… #leadership #management #seniorleadership #careerdevelopment #careerprogression #promotion #recruitment #executivesearch

♻️NEW ROLE♻️ ♻️ Operations Director ♻️ West Yorkshire ♻️ Salary & Package to attract the best Are you a proven operational leader within the Waste Management & Recycling markets? Do you have experience of delivering operational excellence, creating a culture of proactiveness and working to the highest of safety standards? With a 400 strong team, 15 regional recycling centres and a fleet of over 150 collection vehicles, this is an excellent opportunity for an accomplished senior level candidate looking to take on their next challenge. Alternatively, you could be a high performing Senior GM or Head of Operations who is looking to advance their career with a forward thinking and recognised industry name. A couple of housekeeping prerequisites; ✅ Interested parties must live within a commutable distance of West Yorkshire and be willing to travel to various site locations. ✅ Given the level of role and technical understanding required, it is essential that you have previous Waste, Recycling or Environmental experience. In the first instance, please contact me directly for a confidential conversation. 📧 bart.schofield@newmanstewart.co.uk ☎ +44 7753 457 814 #wastemanagement #twm #recycling #wastedisposal #environment #executivesearch #searchandselection #retainedsearch

What keeps you coming back?... I’m a firm believer that dining out with two children under four should be classed as an extreme sport. Regardless of this, my wife and I decided that Saturday lunchtime was the perfect opportunity to visit a local Italian with the girls. It’s at this point you’d be entitled to question our sanity. So what made the experience so enjoyable and ensured we’ll be visiting again… Was it the best pizza outside of Naples? No. Was it the bouncing restaurant atmosphere at midday in a small market town? Absolutely not. It simply came down to the service we received from our waiter and the time that he took to ensure that our experience was as enjoyable as possible. You could argue, “Well isn’t that his job?”. Whilst I’m sure most restaurants will claim to offer a warm, welcoming service, it’s amazing how often the reality differs; Order. Eat. Pay. Reset table. Seeing we ‘had our hands full’, the waiter came straight over and starting speaking with our three year old (granted he didn’t get a lot in return), but it was effort he didn’t need to make. He then started asking us about our youngest and explained how he has two young children of his own with another on the way in December. In the space of 5-10 minutes and with a couple of parenting anecdotes, he’d turned a flustered family of four into a relaxed table of smiles. Whilst delivering the desired outcome is essential (in this case an outstanding stone baked pepperoni). What people will remember and what keeps them returning is the experience they received along the way. Anyone else feeling peckish?

Always make the effort… I can count on one hand the amount of times I’ve come away from an in person meeting thinking of conceivable ways to claw back the time that has been lost. The most valuable gift that you can give someone is your time and attention. Regardless of whether I’ve walked away without the desired outcome, there are always is always a nugget of gold somewhere along the way that makes it worthwhile. This could be something as simple as; Building a relationship that didn’t previously exist. Strengthening an existing partnership. Gaining valuable market insights. Learning something new (be this about a product, service or process). The rapid advancements in technology and the role this will undoubtedly play (and is already playing) across the business world should be embraced with open arms. However, this should be utilised with the intention of enhancing our in person time, by taking away those more mundane and time consuming tasks. Strike me down for saying so. Building and maintaining relationships is a ‘contact sport’. Get out there, build trust, build relationships and enjoy someone else putting on the kettle for a change. #executivesearch #searchandselection #retainedsearch #management #leadership #confidentialrecruitment #recruitment

Quarter zip season is upon us... 🍂 Forget about the darker mornings. Forget about the changing colours of Autumn. When you start seeing one of two these wardrobe essentials making an appearance in meetings and on Teams calls, you know we're on the home straight to year end. This period is always a poignant one in the recruitment calendar for individuals and businesses alike. Put bluntly, it's 'stick or twist' time. If you have a three month notice period (perhaps longer?) and are looking for a fresh start in the new year, I would suggest you need to start typing out that resignation letter rather swiftly. Or, do you hang tight, hoping and praying your surroundings improve? Equally, if you are a business leader, do you maintain a steady course hoping that the winds of good fortune turn in your favour and rescue a challenging year? Alternatively, do you take action, get ahead of the curve and set the pace now? Whilst this boardroom uniform for men over 30 won't change within the next three months, a lot of other things can. So, do you stick or twist? #executivesearch #searchandselection #retinedsearch #leadership #management #csuite #careerprogression #recruitment #newmanstewart

Put your money where the waste is... Or at least that's what an ever-increasing list of venture capital and private equity firms are doing The waste management and clean energy sector’s growing importance in the climate debate and rising environmental, social and governance (ESG) budgets are fuelling continuing investment interest. The sector has received much more of the economic spotlight in recent years with this critical industry seen as a more stable investment platform during uncertain times. Couple this with a maturity of industry compliance and regulatory improvements, perceptions of ‘unsophisticated’ waste organisations potentially causing reputational damage to willing investors are now proving to be less of a concern. Instead, we are now seeing increasing number of both UK and international investors citing the industry as one with attractive and actionable opportunities for further transformational growth. As Governments globally commit to considerable environmental agendas we are seeing emerging technologies and new sub-markets coming to light which is making the sector feel like a very dynamic and exciting growth area at this moment in time. Overall, private equity firms see the industry as a stable, growing, and strategically important space with significant potential for innovation and consolidation, aligned with broader trends in sustainability and regulatory compliance. In the last 18 months alone, we have seen a several deals close in the UK market, a couple of which surpassed £1bn and this appetite for further investment in the circular economy only looks set to continue. Has the waste sector ever been so attractive? #wastemanagement #recycling #efw #rdf #ad #biomass #weee #privateinvestment #privateequity #venturecapital #ukeconomy #environmental #esg

Don’t do that. Do this… You won’t have to venture far on LinkedIn to be told you’re getting it all wrong – particularly in a business sense. Building and maintaining business relationships seems to be the current flavour of the month when it comes to do’s and don’ts. Given the subject matter is all about ‘people’, is the answer as linear as some will have you believe? When you start seeing instruction manuals on communicating and navigating a working style that best suits all parties, you’re right to think that the robots could well be taking over. You’re a client who wants to discuss the trials and tribulations of parenting a toddler? Let me get my list. You’ve just completed a marathon and want to tell me all about it? Putting me to shame! But let’s jump into it.   You think Blur are far better than Oasis and the reunion is being blown out of all proportion? We may be here a while, but I’m all ears.   Equally, you may have no intention or inclination of discussing any of the above or any other personal topics other than the task at hand.   Does this mean that the project and the longevity of our partnership is destined to fail?   Of course not!   It’s easy to get hung up on the glamorization of close-knit, transformational relationships and the demonization of transactional partnerships. Since when has one size worked for all? Know your network, add value and share a mutual respect. The rest will take care of itself.

Call that a summer? I'm not sure it ever really started here in North Yorkshire! With holidays a distant memory and ‘work mode’ officially being switched back on for the vast majority, I’m being regularly asked for an assessment of the current market. Here are some of my key takeaways; 💠 Increased demand for senior leaders who can navigate complex market dynamics, drive digital transformation, and implement sustainable practices.   💠The sectors experiencing particularly high demand include Technology, Waste/Environmental, Professional Services.   💠There is also a noticeable increase in demand for interim and fractional leadership roles across these sectors as they face rapid change.   💠Experienced professionals are becoming more selective about the opportunities they pursue. Skill-set shortages are driving up salaries and prompting businesses to offer more competitive compensation packages, including enhanced bonuses, equity, and restructured working arrangements.   💠Competition is particularly intense for roles such as Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Chief Information Officer (CIO), Chief Financial Officer (CFO), and Chief People Officer (CPO), where specific expertise and leadership qualities are in high demand.   💠Regulatory changes around ESG compliance and corporate governance are influencing strategic hires. Experience in managing compliance and sustainability reporting is becoming an increasingly valuable asset.   💠Economic uncertainty due to inflation, interest rate hikes, and geopolitical tensions has led some companies to adopt a cautious approach to hiring over the summer months.   If you’re a senior professional thinking about your own next steps, or you’re a business leader looking to make a critical appointment within your own team – lets have a conversation. #marketinsight #executivesearch #searchandselection #retainedsearch #ukeconomy #seniorrecruitment #managementrecruitment

I’ve been missing some important KPIs...   Back in the office today after welcoming my second daughter into the world. The first thing to say is that both baby and Mum are doing amazingly well and whilst our latest addition has been settling in to her surroundings I’ve been more hands on with our three-year old. Never a great start when you pull up at the nursery collection to be asked, “Who are you?” – a sign of how few times I’ve done this in the last two years since she started attending. I love my line of work and being busy (sad I know!), always have and hope that I always will. I’ve had a typical Yorkshire work ethic instilled in me from a young age of giving everything and doing what it takes to get the job done – but has this come at a cost? I guess you could call the nursery collection a personal epiphany… 💭 When was the last time we had a meal around the table together? 💭 How many times have I told my eldest daughter, “I can’t right now”? 💭 How often am I present when we are having conversations or playing, versus tapping away emails on my phone? There is no such thing as perfect and I certainly don’t want to change the pace at which I’m operating, but it has made me recognise and acknowledge where I’m falling short. One of my biggest motivators is providing for my family, but if I’m missing out on those precious, sometimes once in a lifetime opportunities with those around me, then what am I doing it for? No doubt others in my network have encountered this feeling of guilt and struggled to find a middle ground of their own. You are not alone. Here’s to embracing the chaos, spinning plates and remembering the most important of KPI’s.   Thank you for all of the well wishes 😊

Have a little patience…   Quoting Gary Barlow on a Tuesday afternoon wasn’t high on my priority list, but here we are. For a coffee fuelled, “how do we make it go faster” type of person, being taught a valuable lesson in the art of patience has probably been a long time coming (pardon the pun). My wife and I are on tenterhooks, eagerly awaiting the arrival of our second child. The due date has been and gone, spicy food has been consumed, and now we are waiting for nature to take its course. As impatient as we both are to meet our new family member, it’s been a welcome reminder that whilst the days move at a pace, deadlines fast-approach and we’re in a world that demands immediate results – there are somethings that simply can’t be rushed. Of course, there are times when going ‘full tilt’ is exactly the right approach to take (thank goodness!), but I’m starting to think that patience could be a superpower I’m only just tapping into. It could be so easy to feel frustrated, emotive and generally wound up, but stressing about a scenario that’s out of your control is such a waste of time and energy. Sometimes it can feel like you should be taking action, when in actual fact the best ‘action’ possible can be to take a breath, put the situation into perspective and trust the process. For all the parents out there, it does get easier with two, right? 😅