Interview with a CEO - a people-centred approach

NLG: What key ingredients make for a good and healthy workplace culture? 

GM: Prioritising people matters the most. A good culture is one where people feel valued, safe, and heard. It is so important for a leader to listen to their people and actually hear what they’re saying. Communication is crucial. When I first came to Fort, I spent time with each individual, hearing their thoughts on the values and culture of Fort – gaining this feedback was invaluable. A leader must cultivate a culture of trust, and this helped to lay the foundation. Having clear values and living them out day to day is key to a healthy culture, along with a good amount of positivity, empathy, and absolute emphasis on collaboration. 

NLG: How would you define leadership? 

GM: Leadership is the ability to be able to cast a strong vision to lead people and inspire them. It is about having good values that lead to effective strategy which everyone in the organisation feels a part of. Ensuring that everyone is on board and bringing people with you is key to good leadership. Leadership is about finding solutions, not focusing on problems, and facing challenges, not putting things off. Leadership should be built on respect; as a leader, you have to earn respect from your people, not just demand it. You must also ensure that you respect your people in turn.  

NLG: There are many core qualities that are required in leadership but what do you think is especially important for today’s leaders? 

GM: Leaders must continue to focus on the people. We have had a very positive shift over the past decade to prioritise employee well-being and move away from the ‘do as I say’ model of leadership.

A leader must invest in their people with training opportunities, development and progression, flexible working, and employee engagement.

To ensure that this happens at Fort we continue to assess and reflect on what is required; so, for example, next month we are appointing a new head of people to strengthen this area.  

NLG: What motivates you to do the job that you do? 

GM: Having a strategy and seeing it come to fruition. I enjoy devising a plan, building a team, and bringing all the different components together to see things achieved. If you have and execute a clear strategy it benefits everyone and everything, from employees and clients, to training, services, and technology. Seeing people get enthused and on board with the work and their potential realised is extremely motivating.  

NLG: What has been one of the biggest joys as a leader? 

GM: My biggest joy links back to what motivates me. Seeing people empowered, engaged, and playing their part in the overall picture. I am super proud of what the team here at Fort have achieved. From client growth to our recent rebrand, there’s so much to celebrate. 

NLG: All leaders will experience failure and setbacks from time to time, how do you deal with these challenges? 

GM: I like to try and maintain a resilient and positive outlook and focus on solutions rather than problems. When things go wrong or mistakes are made, it’s about finding a resolution. The important thing is to stay united as a team and face challenges collaboratively. Setbacks are easier to deal with when there is a no-blame culture. 

NLG: How do you balance short-term goals with long-term vision? 

GM: It’s not always easy as the day-to-day tasks can quickly consume us. To strike this balance it’s essential to have the right management team. It can’t be left up to one person to ensure that the balance is maintained, it’s the responsibility of the whole team. Vision and values are key and keeping them at the forefront of everyone’s thinking when it comes to decisions, debates and discussions helps to keep a long-term focus.  

NLG: Have you got a favourite book on leadership? 

GM: It’s hard to pick a favourite but I’ve recently been reading Steven Bartlett’s The Diary of a CEO and have enjoyed reading about current issues and stories. Steven’s life story demonstrates moral courage, the importance of values, and the great capacity we have as humans to overcome adversity. Experiences shape us and even the mistakes we make can be a learning opportunity. There’s a strong message that whilst we must continue to learn, develop and adapt, we must remain true to who we are as well.