This week, Colin chats to former rugby union player and Air force Flying officer Rory Underwood.

Many people know of Rory’s illustrious sporting and military careers, but may not also be aware that since leaving both behind him, he has become a renowned management consultant and motivational speaker.

In the first part of Colin’s chat with Rory, you’ll hear about his transition between successful careers, the ways in which he measures a successful business, how to scale up effectively and the true meaning of proper communication.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• When Rory left the Air Force he was planning to become an airline pilot. It was his interest in human performance during this transition phase that drew him to where he is now.

 

• Team building, for many, seems to conjure images of physical exercise in groups, such as paint-balling. Rory wished to change this perception, and so set up UPH, a management and teamwork training company.

 

• Success is often measure din terms of how well the business performs financially. Rory believes that they should also measure how well their workforce operates as a team. Are they performing to their maximum potential?

 

• Effective scaling measures are vital to a growing company. Companies that were relatively small suddenly find themselves hiring managers, and asking tough questions about how to hand over control of a business they raised from nothing.

 

• Rory very much enjoys getting his hands dirty when it comes to his business. He is happiest when dealing with all facets of the running of the business.

 

• The main job of a CEO should be to put themselves out of work by building a successful team beneath them that will allow the business to run autonomously.

BEST MOMENTS

‘In a big airline you’re a glorified bus driver’

‘If you don’t create the right environment, then how are you going to get the best out of them?’

‘Letting go is a very difficult thing to do’

’The business world predicates itself very much toward the individual’

’The business has still got to be run’

‘Your role is to do yourself out of a job'

VALUABLE RESOURCES

The Interesting Health And Safety Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/training-competency-creating-effective-plan-process/id1467771449?i=1000452692837 

Wingman - https://www.wingmanltd.com

Wingman LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/wingmanltd/

Wingman Twitter - https://twitter.com/wingman_ltd?lang=en-gb

ABOUT THE GUEST

Rory Underwood MBE  is an English former rugby union player. He is England's record international try scorer with 49 tries in 85 internationals between 1984 and 1996. He also played for Middlesbrough, Bedford Blues and the Royal Air Force, as well as touring with the British and Irish Lions in 1989 and 1993, playing in six tests and scoring one try.

ABOUT THE HOST

Colin Nottage

‘Making health and safety as important as everything else we do.’

This is the belief that Colin is passionate about and through his consultancy Influential Management Group (IMG) is able to spread into industry. Colin works at a strategic level with company owners and board members. He helps business leaders establish and achieve their health and safety ambitions.

He has developed a number of leading competency improvement programmes that are delivered across industry and his strengths are his ability to take a practical approach to problem-solving and being able to liaise at all levels within an organisation.

Colin also runs a company that vets contractors online and a network that develops and support H&S consultancies to become better businesses.

Colin chairs the Construction Dust Partnership, an industry collaboration directly involving many organisations, including the Health and Safety Executive.

He is a Post Graduate Tutor at Strathclyde University and a highly sought-after health and safety speaker and trainer. He has a Post Graduate Certificate in Safety and Risk management, an engineering degree and is a Chartered Member of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH).