Confidence and culture boost for steel manufacturing firm

For James, it was the peer support component of the Help to Grow: Management Course at Aston Business School that helped him realise he was not alone in feeling this way and gave him tactics to deal with it.

“I got to talk to peers about it and didn’t feel like I was the only one with a bit of imposter syndrome.

“It was good to know that other people had similar stresses, similar issues and similar challenges.”

The peer support provided in the course also proved useful in tackling business challenges.

“The sharing element was great. We overcame a few challenges just by talking it out and having workshops in the classes.

“We were able to talk about procedures we’d developed which were helpful for others, and vice versa .”

Learning from other companies in this way provided a useful perspective on the culture and processes at Armoduct, something that James and his colleagues have since made big changes to.

In his eight years with Armorduct, James had tried other management courses, but says the fact the Help to Grow: Management Course does not require you to “have your head stuck in a book” really appealed to him.

“With the courses we’ve done before there was a lot of coursework and alongside the busy nature of work it took a backseat.

The past few years have been a time of growth and expansion for Armorduct, which employs 98 staff.

Revenue grew 16% from 2023 to 2024 and an increase in production necessitated the opening of a second site in late 2023. But with this growth there were inevitably some cultural challenges.

James says the course has been fundamental in helping to address this, transforming company culture and making Armorduct a more attractive place to work.

“For me, the work we did around our mission, vision and values while we were on the course was definitely the most significant learning.

“It helped us to completely realign our own mission, vision and values and, at the end of last year, we were able to present them to every staff member in the company.”

As part of the business plan James and his colleagues developed while they were on the course, the company has looked again at the roles and responsibilities of all staff, identifying any areas in which there were gaps.

As a result, four new jobs have been created – a standalone quality manager (this role was previously part of the warehouse manager’s role) and three new production admin staff.

Job descriptions have also been revised to be more about the roles themselves rather than the people currently doing them.

He is hopeful that the new focus will help increase collaboration and accountability within the business but will also aid future recruitment.

“During the course, I learnt that most people’s mission, vision and values are too customer-centric and don’t necessarily focus on their staff. This was the case for our values and we needed to change. We wanted people to say ‘that's a company, I want to work for’. The course helped us start that journey.

James also credits the course with helping him grow personally – by teaching him new skills and instilling confidence.
“There have been massive benefits, not just in terms of the management side of things but also my own personal development.

“I understand leadership better. I understand people better. It’s also given me a much better understanding of the whole of the business and the other departments within it.

“The accountancy sessions in particular gave me a newfound respect for our Financial Controller. Before the course, I was just looking at the bottom line.”

James says he has been so inspired by the course he is now planning to take one to two weeks out a year to focus on personal development.

And his message for anyone considering signing up?

“Do it. Obviously, it does mean taking time out of your day, but you will get it back tenfold in terms of the support you receive around time-management, helping with inefficiencies and the personal development and growth.”

Find out how the Help to Grow: Management Course can further your business here.