A study in leadership - Having a growth mind-set before the concept became popularised.

Sir Garry Hawkes - a book to be published this year.

For many of a certain era, Sir Garry Hawkes was one of the major figures which dominated the stage. He was the leader of Gardner Merchant through its period of global growth to an MBO and eventual sale to Sodexo. He was a champion for the food service industry, for the importance of talent development and for strong values. Later this year, his story is due to be published.

The book explores Sir Garry’s story through his own eyes from post-war Britain through the decades, of the Forte Empire, to the challenges of building a global business. His narrative is honest and holds little back; whether on his thoughts about the education system, government, or business.

However, what did make the man different from others?

One of the central themes which do come across throughout the book is Sir Garry’s desire to learn all the time. In the early years of his career, he spent some time in Holland which did have a major impact on his philosophy. The British have often not been known for being the most open-minded but Sir Garry did enjoy learning from outside the industry; from the world of Arts & Culture, from his travels around the world, and from other business leaders.

In recent times, the whole concept of continuous learning and growth mind-set has become popularised. The argument has been as the world today changes at such speed, that we all need to accept change and evolution and that we all need to possess a growth mind-set. However, the question stands as to whether it was ever any different?

Reading Sir Garry’s story, when it is published, it becomes clear that his desire to learn and see a wider picture stood at the heart of his success. He became one of the titans of a generation because he led one of the top companies which enjoyed global success but also because that business really had an understanding of the value of people. Everyone who worked for Gardner Merchant will talk of how they felt that their training & development stood as a core value.

However, there was something deeper to the whole philosophy; they believed that people could fail with honour. History shows that those who did grow up in post-war Europe did possess stronger compassion and understanding of the value of people and their careers than has been seen in recent years. It is understandable. However, more importantly, it led to strong sustained success. In the 80s and 90s, few talk about building a sustainable business as it was more of an accepted fact that businesses would invest in their people and the long term.

Of course, there is more to the story and that is the value of the book. There are lessons to be learnt which are very apt for today. What enables leaders to be successful has not changed over all the years. Values arguably have but what creates success is always worth listening to and learning from; most especially in troubled times.

Many today are talking of a great crisis as we face interest rates rising to 5% and high inflation. Past generations have lived through such crises. It is not new. It is difficult but can also provide opportunities. However, there are lessons to heed.