Scale Up Business Programme
26th April 2019
Yesterday Ayrton, our Business Development Management, attended Day 2 of the Scale Up Business Programme. The programme took place in LORIC, Lincoln, and was delivered by Brent Warren from the Centre for Management & Business Development (CMBD). Back in October, Ayrton attended Day 1 of the programme, and learned about the differences between leadership and management and how to adapt different management styles to different situations and people. Day 2 was a full day programme in which managers, directors and supervisors of various businesses attended. The content of the programme was focused on learning about developing organisational, team and individual capability which took place in the morning, and motivation and communication which took place in the afternoon.
The morning session was heavily focussed on the formation of a group and individual roles within the group. Bruce Tuckman’s model of forming, storming, norming and performing was used to explain the potential stages a group of people go through before becoming a high performing team. Later, Meredith Belbin’s Team Roles was used to explain the typical roles people in a group tend to have, and how to maximise team capability by identifying these roles.
The afternoon session was focussed on motivation and communication. Ayrton learned about the most common factors which motivate people to work, such as work itself (interest), welfare, relationships with colleagues, salary among others. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs was used to explain that, before reaching fulfilment, or self-actualisation, people need to accomplish survival, security, comfort and social needs. Communication was also covered in the afternoon, and it turns out that during an interaction, spoken words only convey 7% of the true message. Tone and voice convey 38%, and non-verbal/body language convey 55%.
The Scale Up Business Programme was great and informative in teaching and refreshing business people with the great theories behind the everyday running of the business.
Congratulations Joe ‘The Lion’ Cox!
18th April 2019
For this week’s addition to the blog, we would like to celebrate Joe’s victory at his white collar boxing match which took place on Sunday 14th April. Our team attended the UWCB black tie event at the Engine Shed in Lincoln to show our support.
The Ultra White Collar Boxing Organisation has been running for 10 years. The event takes place across the country, in over 100 cities, involving both male and female participants which are all complete beginners. The event brings people together to get fitter, have fun and to raise money for charity.
The participants all undertake 8 weeks of professional training to prepare them for the event. They are then paired up with their opponent from their training group which is decided based on their weight, age and fitness ability to ensure it is a fair competition.
The event supports Cancer Research and all participants take the time to raise as much money as they can by setting up a donation page. A total of £11,775 was raised from Sunday’s event alone. The UWCB is one of the biggest fundraisers for Cancer Research UK and they have raised a total of £16,143,696.
The black tie event took place last Sunday where friends and family were invited to show their support. Our team at West Lindsey Landscapes dressed for the occasion to cheer Joe on.
Each contestant was introduced onto the stage with their chosen music playing in the background. Joe chose to call himself ‘Joe The Lion Cox’ and he claimed the victory! Well done Joe!
For more information on the Ultra White Collar Boxing Events, please visit their website.
Securing Valentine Court
12th April 2019
We are delighted to report that this week we secured the landscaping package for one of the most prominent projects in Lincoln, currently being built by Lindum Construction, who are part of the Lindum Group.
Valentine Court is a collaboration involving both the University of Lincoln and Castle Square Developments, who have appointed Lindum Construction to lead the project and deliver 77 quality homes consisting of over 400 bedrooms for the increasing number of students living in Lincoln.
Each block has been designed to feature its own individual courtyard, with a planting scheme situated within to provide a communal area for the students to benefit from through socialising or working in.
The Lindum Group is made up of various factions, notably we have worked regularly with Lindum Homes, who specialise in building quality housing developments in the Lincolnshire area. Of recent times, we have begun to develop our working relationship with some of the other sections of the group, both Lindum Construction and Lindum BMS.
We are currently working with both Lindum Construction and Lindum Homes on their joint development in Saxilby, Church Fields and Church Lane. We now look forward to working with Lindum Construction on Valentine Court, to achieve their handover date which has been indicated for a September completion.
As this is one of Lindum Groups most prestigious projects, it is imperative we continue to deliver our quality service, and partner with them to assist in achieving their deadlines.
Through our Expansion Programme we have identified both the Lindum York and the Lindum Peterborough divisions, as potential partners who we hope to engage with in the near future to maintain the growing working relationship we have built with the Lindum Group.
For more information about Valentine Court, please visit Lindum’s website for further news regarding this project. – https://lindumgroup.com/news/2018/05/enabling-works-start-on-valentine-court-development-site
Valentine Court has also made the headlines in our local news paper, The Lincolnite. – https://thelincolnite.co.uk/2018/05/work-begins-valentine-court-student-homes/
Introducing Bailey
5th April 2019
With a new month, comes a new face. We would like to introduce our newest member of the team, Bailey Revill.
Bailey is the latest employee to take on the Apprenticeship Programme at Riseholme College, while gaining practical experience with us on site to further his development, with the longterm goal to gain an industry recognised qualification in Horticulture (Landscaping).
All Apprenticeships are advertised on the Government website, where aspiring individuals can apply to various professions which they express an interest in, with the hope of receiving a job opportunity to learn and develop, all whilst earning a wage as they train.
Bailey applied for our Apprenticeship Programme through the advertisement on the Government website, which was then brought to our attention via Riseholme College who we are partnered with. Once receiving Bailey’s application, we were able to progress with it and arrange an initial meeting, followed by a two week work trial.
During his work trial, after working with a variety of lads and completing different tasks, Bailey began to gain a real understanding of the scope of works involved in our industry and the day to day procedures we have in place. The methodology in which we carry out our work, appealed to him as he continuously expressed a desire to learn which is a key core element required to succeed within the Apprenticeship Programme.
The conclusion of his work trial was a positive one. After obtaining good feedback from the lads on site, and recognising the potential Bailey possesses, we proceeded to offer him a contract on an initial probation period to ensure both parties are happy before we proceed with his journey in the field of Landscaping.
Since accepting the position, Bailey has been involved in various projects across Lincolnshire and continues to show great promise.
Our plan is for Bailey to enrol in the Apprenticeship Programme officially in June, along with our other Apprentice Will Halton.
Bailey has recently passed his driving test, allowing him to become more independent, travelling to and from work, meaning further down the line and once he has gained sufficient experience, there will be an opportunity to drive the vans, increasing his responsibility within the company.
We as an organically grown company, believe in providing opportunity to the next generation and we have high hopes for both Bailey and Will Halton.