Scottish Leather Group: building a leadership strategy

"I started working with Scottish Enterprise as a relatively young managing director at Scottish Leather Group. From early on, I embraced self development. Scottish Enterprise's help with getting funding for this was great – it shaped my career as a leader. 

"Our business has been around for hundreds of years. If we want to continue to be around for 100 more, we've got to keep innovating and develop the talent we have."

Helping leaders develop a growth mindset

"In multi-generational family business (and we’re a family of families, with multiple brands), people can be quite conservative when it comes to fixed versus growth mindsets.

"To be comfortable with growth, you need to accept that you don’t have 100% clarity about the future. You need to accept that there's always an element of risk.

"It's hard, but that's exactly the reason why you need to do leadership development work. I’m interested in reaching the sweet spot – making people feel safe while continuing to move at a fast pace."

How to attract the best people

"We may be family owned, but we're not family run.

"Fresh thinking and new talent is a crucial part of building an evolving business and making sure it exists for a long time. You need to get the best person for the job. We do this by making sure our packages and working conditions are competitive.

"We get under people's skin – in a good way. One day, they can be at a car show in Detroit. The next, they're in Munich, visiting major car manufacturers. The day after that, they're visiting McLaren in England. Scottish Leather Group is an exciting place to work.

"Day to day, we make sure there are clear opportunities for training and development – especially for those willing to put their heart and soul into the business."