In business, people are everything

Tim Ferkin, Managing Director of Cotswold Architectural Products, argues that it’s the right people that can make the difference between success and failure.

In business, people are everything. By now, it’s one of the biggest cliches of them all. But the reason you hear it so often is because it’s true.

Machinery, products and processes are all hugely important – without them, you’ve not got a business either.

But to use that infrastructure effectively, and to have customers to serve them with, you need skilled, talented, knowledgeable and dedicated people.

When I became Cotswold’s Managing Director last year, that’s why assembling a first-class team was my highest priority.

Cotswold’s strength has always been its ability to provide not just individual products, but a tailored hardware solution.

We support our customers by streamlining their operations, boosting their efficiency, and helping them make consistent, high-quality products

To achieve that, we need an in-depth understanding of how they work – their values, their priorities, their products and their customers.

And in turn, that requires close, trusting relationships – and, on our side, the people capable of building and maintaining them.

Skills aren’t everything

So what makes a good employee? There’s no one-size-fits all approach. Different businesses have different needs.

However, I believe there’s one principle employers in every industry need to bear in mind – skills and qualifications aren’t everything.

You can teach people skills. But you can’t teach enthusiasm.

In my career, I’ve met many people who are extremely qualified and knowledgeable, but have got no passion.

They come across as very professional. They know their stuff. But they never go the extra mile – and most damagingly, I think that customers can tell they don’t really care.

I’d much rather have a passionate, dedicated person who’s eager to learn, then a much better candidate on paper who just goes through the motions.

Building a world-class team

All that said, in the last year, I’ve been extremely fortunate to assemble a team of people who mix skills and experience with a huge amount of passion.

Returning Technical Manager Steve Lewis doesn’t just have an incredible grasp of the technical side of our products - he also excels at the front-end.

Tailoring the perfect product starts with getting to know the customer and their business, and that’s where Steve’s in his element

Yvonne Dixon has joined us as General Manager after thirty years spent in senior roles across the fastening sector.

She’s taking the lead on customer service, purchasing, order processing and health and safety, and has hit the ground running – already becoming an integral part of the business.

Finally, it’s fantastic to be welcoming the hugely experienced Alan Hartley back as Business Development Manager.

I worked with him throughout his previous stint at Cotswold, and have seen his passion, dedication and huge knowledge first-hand.

Alan lives and breathes hardware, and knows our market as well as anyone I know. I can’t think of a better candidate to help us take Cotswold into the next phase of its history.

In our industry, we understandably get wrapped up in technology, products, systems and so on.

Sometimes, I just think we need to be reminded that, without the right people, everything else is irrelevant.

For more information email [email protected], or visit www.cotswold-windows.co.uk