After more than 40 years of leading the firm, Roger was starting to think about his exit, but needed to think through how to achieve it. Proctor and Stevenson had become more purpose and social impact led, and he wanted to make sure that the business had longevity built into it. A trade sale didn’t feel right.
Roger recognised he needed guidance to separate himself from the business, as well as the confidence to step away and pass his responsibilities to someone else. This meant reassurance that the senior leadership team felt personally equipped and had the knowledge and skills for the future.
It was hgkc’s combination of client and people focus, knowledge and expertise that helped Roger decide we were the right fit for him. We took the time to understand what he wanted and how it would fit in with his life in the future.
We started by getting involved with the senior leadership team (SLT) to help them to understand their key strengths, prospective roles and motivations. Roger was aware that this may not be a certain outcome for everyone.
hgkc introduced DiSC behavioural insights, which Roger found particularly useful. DiSC helps confirm what people already know about themselves, but it also helped the SLT to understand each other: they were better able to recognise each other’s preferences, strengths and natural skills.
hgkc also introduced Engagement Multiplier. To begin with, Roger was apprehensive about the results, assuming anonymity would encourage negative feedback, but the first benchmark engagement report was one the highest first session scores hgkc had seen, which was a great confidence boost. The report highlighted the priority areas and helped to develop an action plan to target their efforts. Giving all employees a voice to express themselves was a positive experience for everyone.
Peter also helped Roger to map out his personal exit plan using Outcomes Mapping, a tool favoured by hgkc. For Roger, this was as much an emotional map as well as a list of things he needed to do. It helped him identify what was important, and what his non negotiables were.
Roger described hgkc as an enabler who helped to make the process clear and ultimately made it happen as they also stopped him from procrastinating about his exit.
A management buyout was completed in July 2023. Roger was delighted with the outcome and said that although it was very difficult for him, choosing to leave the business that had been his life for more than 40 years, what was important was that the business carried on after he exited.
