Member Article

What’s in the North East Leadership Group?

Bdaily recently spoke to the North East Leadership Group about their model of group knowledge-sharing and mentoring. In the lead up to the inaugural Group meeting on October 23, we look at how some SMEs have benefited from the Group in its Yorkshire incarnation. Here we talk to Robert Pickard of LBBC Technologies.

Can you briefly outline your business?

LBBC Technologies are the market leaders in the design, manufacture, supply and support of industrial autoclaves systems for the aerospace and IGT markets. We are a 5th generation, family SME engineering business.

What attracted you to the Leadership Group?

The YLG provides a confidential group of peers who are in a similar situation to myself. The group provides a forum to discuss strategic or sensitive issues which are not appropriate to be discussed in company. The group provides a regular supply of interesting and stimulating speakers on a wide range of topics relevant to business owners. The group provides a brief time-out from the business to enable me to lift my head out of the day-to-day issues and focus on the more strategic aspects of the business.

What issues had you encountered in the business, and how did you use the Leadership Group to help with these issues?

The issues are generally related to personnel, shareholding and ownership, succession, sourcing finance for growth etc.

What sort of support do you get from the Leadership Group?

The group provides an impartial group of peers who, from their own experiences, ask interesting questions to help stimulate my thoughts on how to deal with issues and also offer qualified advice and opinions on how they would deal with similar issues. Basically, they provide a qualified, valuable, independent and confidential sounding board.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .