Small Business: Leadership development - Carolyn Ferrall, Total Cover

Carolyn Ferrall, CEO of Total Cover.

This week, Small Business editor Caitlin Sykes talks to business owners about leadership development.

Carolyn Ferrall is CEO of specialist awning firm Total Cover. The Auckland-based company was part of the foundation Lead to Succeed programme for SMEs, which is run by the High Performance Centre and Kiwibank.

Why and how did you get involved in Lead to Succeed?

We were approached by our bank to be a candidate and we thought it sounded exciting. It started towards the end of last year and it was a whirlwind six months but we made massive changes in the business in that time. It began with an assessment of our business, which was done using the best practice framework of the Investors in People accreditation. Then an action plan was created that our business had to complete in that six months to get accreditation. Inside that timeframe they put together a 14 week training course for us, which included a coaching course for myself and another team member, and business growth modules that covered areas like strategy, teamwork, business planning and goal setting. We also had the support of a business mentor throughout the course.

How did the process develop you as a leader of the business?

As a typical business owner I sometimes didn't feel fully in control of my own business. So it gave me the skills to take back the leadership, and to become present and fully engaged again. I'm a female leader in a male dominated business, and the experience also gave me real belief in myself, and helped me become a better listener.

What aspects of the programme do you think helped you gain those capabilities?

The coaching aspect was fantastic - that was a highlight for me. You learn about coaching your team, but a big part of that is about learning about personality styles and looking deep into yourself to understand your own leadership style. I learnt that I was good at what I did, and it gave me some skills to become better.

Knowing my leadership style has also helped me think about how I can adapt that to my team members. We did one-on-one coaching with our team members alongside our strategic planning, which helped us establish goals for our team in their work and personal lives. It was pretty full on, but I ended up with a new belief in my team through that process. Everything works so much better once you have team engagement.

Has it increased your capacity as a leader to work on the business as well?

We're a small business with a team of 10, so I still wear many hats, but the team has become empowered. They take on more responsibility and have input into our decision making, which leads them more naturally to take ownership of what they need to do - and that does give me more capacity.

What future plans do you have around further developing your leadership capability?

I work alongside a business coach as well, so I have ongoing self-development to become a better leader, and I'll keep doing my own personal goal setting that I learnt through the programme. There's a quote I like from Jim Rohn that says 'to have more I have to become more'; I think I'm going to always be open to new opportunities because once you open yourself up things come your way.