Small things that make a difference

So it is my 4th day as MD of Nicholson Bass, a wonderful printer in Belfast producing fine art books and products. The business was founded in 1938 and over the last few years has been in decline. New ownership and new investment is in place - It is Saturday morning and I have come in to see the guys on the press - all running fine but since my first visit to this factory one thing really bugged me - The sign on the front of the factory.

It, like the business, was looking unloved and was covered in green algae - what did that say to customers arriving at the factory, or indeed the staff arriving for work?

So at 8.00 Saturday morning I thought - Right lets put some pride back into this business! I recognise it is not a big thing but in my mind little things count. I found the cleaning gear, the ladders - The crew on the press were looking at me as if I was mad. But I started to clean the N - It came up lovely job..

Encouraged by my success I continued, by the CH, one of the minders came out to see what I was doing and I told him, "If we cant take pride in every thing we do what is the point" and that to me this sign represented the whole business. He agreed and said that the business was once a great and proud business but had lost its belief. This gave me an opportunity to explain that things were changing and that N&B was back in business !

I returned to my work and used the time cleaning the sign to consider what the business stood for, its values and its culture as well as what I was to do in the coming weeks. The action of cleaning and scrubbing the sign gave me a much better understanding of where we are today as a business and how to move forward.

Then one of our engineers arrived, and he looked perplexed - I had only just met him the day before suited and booted in the office. "What are you doing??" he asked. I told him I was fed up with the sign looking so dull and that I felt it represented the entire business, I said this business is changing, the attitude is changing, investment is on its way and that Nicholson Bass will once again be proud of all that it does. To that he said are you in tomorrow? Yes I said - "Ok then I will come in and replace those two gears" Great see you tomorrow I said.

As I returned to my chores I thought about the impact of one simple action, just cleaning a sign, the crews had their heads up because someone cared, the engineer went one step extra and will replace gears earlier which means we will get a good week of work next week- The business looks better upon approach and I felt good about myself too.

I returned to the press and they were steaming, well ahead of schedule, the quality of the work we were producing was fantastic. The crew had obviously discussed my actions and they were feeling positive about the future, they were smiling and laughing and I decided to write this blog.

Just one simple action has had an impact on the business and myself, just one simple action tells everyone that visits we are proud of what we do, we are back from the brink and confident that we can bring this business back to the business it once was as well as beyond into new territories and markets, just one simple action gave me time to think about the business, its values and its strategy going forward.

Just one simple action will be the first among thousands of simple actions that will change this businesses' fortunes and will be the route to making a difference going forward.

Its still only 11.20 am and its already been a great day at the office.