Sean had always had ambitions to become a manager. Ten years into a career with Gas Safe Register, he’s now taken on the role of Area Operations Manager. We’ve been speaking to him about his journey so far, the importance of the work he does and what he thinks makes a great leader.
When I first started, I was an inspector working in the Manchester area and then I progressed to the Lead Inspector role. Now, I’ve been in post for over a year as the Area Operations Manager and I’m really enjoying it.
Our primary goal at Gas Safe Register is to protect the public from unsafe gas work. We do this by periodically assessing registered businesses and their gas engineers. They have to be legally registered to carry out work. We also have regular media campaigns to raise awareness of gas safety with the public. It’s highly rewarding work, knowing that we’re helping to protect the public from unsafe gas work.
My job right now, essentially, is to ensure my team of inspectors undertakes their role of inspecting to a high standard. That means I’m always striving to improve efficiency and effectiveness, so that we maintain operational excellence.
Learning and growing as a leader
I’ve always had the ambition to progress into management. I wanted to lead and inspire a team of individuals – to be part of their journey to drive their potential and success. I also wanted to push myself into the challenge of managing. Dealing with diverse personalities, fostering collaboration and keeping the team motivated and engaged are important aspects of the job. It’s rewarding to maintain morale during challenging times. Navigating the different perspectives of customers, engineers, and the business often leads to creative solutions, and I’ve found it fulfilling to take the lead in finding positive resolutions as they come up.
That’s when communication with my team matters the most. I keep in regular contact with them, and they know they can contact me at any time too. I support my team with strategies to overcome difficult situations and I’m a big advocate of work-life balance. I try to ensure my team look after their own wellbeing and that starts with having open and honest conversations.
You need to have good time management skills, so that you can find a positive balance with your home life. I have a young family and so when work is finished my focus shifts to my wife and four children. They take my mind off work and sometimes I get the chance to relax too. I also try to balance my personal and professional responsibilities, which helps me to be more productive. My team and I have just completed a volunteering day for a charity, supporting them in the maintenance of their grounds. It gave me a real sense of purpose and fulfilment, knowing I was contributing to a meaningful cause.
Creating an environment of inclusion
There is a misconception that leadership is about power and having control over people. To me, leadership is about bringing people together who may have better skill sets or more experience than I do. It’s about leading them to accomplish business and individual goals through teamwork, inspiration, communication and empowerment. For example, I manage a team of inspectors who have a diverse range of skills and have been the industry longer than myself. My job is to recognise this and bring them together so that we all succeed.
Having a diverse team like this brings varied ideas and perspectives, and we really value that here. We make sure that everybody is heard, and all opinions are listened to, so that we can foster creativity and provide different ways of thinking for problem solving. By being open and having regular conversations, I can ensure that everyone feels part of the team. And by acting on any feedback they may have, they know that their opinion is valued. When you know your team, and allow people to safely voice their opinions, it ensures they feel included and respected.
Being empowered to develop
It’s a very supportive environment here. There’s regular recognition and appreciation, so you really feel valued. This is not only from the management in Gas Safe Register, but from senior managers across the wider Capita business. They’re happy to mentor, assist and support my development, as well as provide recognition for the work my team and I deliver.
I’ve been able to achieve my level 5 and 7 management qualifications and have recently completed an IOSH (Institution of Occupational Safety and Health) course too. They did give me time to complete the courses during my working hours, but I managed to complete most of it in my own time. I was also selected to be mentored by a senior manager at Capita for a year, which was fantastic. It really helped me to gain an insight into Capita and develop my skill sets, and now I have the confidence to push my development even further.
When it comes to the future, I still want to develop my leadership skills to help improve the culture within the business. That means inspiring my team to ensure this a fantastic place to work. And I want to challenge myself further, whether that’s within a different role at Gas Safe Register or trying something completely new within Capita. There are plenty of opportunities to grow and learn within the business and Capita is very supportive of this.
