In 2019 as the world faced uncertainty in the face of Covid, many employers were stepping back in caution as business dynamics got interrupted due to shutdowns and isolation requirements affecting staffing. Production and supply struggled to meet changing demand needs.
The Leadership team of Bowhill Engineering bravely looked to renew our strategic vision, review our mission and purpose and re-evaluate the company goals going forward. Jodie Hawkes, Bowhill Engineering’s CFO, invited applications for consultants to engage with Bowhill Engineering’s leadership team, having previously done a similar review in 2015.
Setting a “big hairy audacious goal”, a dream that can be achieved if everyone in the company gets involved, believes in this goal and over a substantial period would put the company in a much stronger position.
Bowhill Engineering’s leadership group came together and appointed Kristian Livolsi, a successful consultant, Business Strategist and Growth Advisor from Business Growth Mindset.
Kristian’s strength-based leadership approach threw the original strategic plan out the window. He challenged the leadership team to identify the company’s strengths & weaknesses and discuss the goals and priorities moving forward, further than the current uncertain climate, to the future where the business could reach its full operating potential.
The Leadership team were keen to ensure our new strategic plan would have value not only to Management and Leadership but to every employee at Bowhill Engineering. It was here that the company purpose, “Together We Thrive”, was born, a simple statement that resonates with each employee in different ways but, as a big picture, means that everyone who works with Bowhill Engineering is invested and rewarded in the success of the company.
The company’s mission took more thought, and in the end, it was the acknowledgment of the impact on not only our employees but a greater community that formed the statement, “We transform communities & our people by optimising & building structures that matter”. We put our community & our people first. It’s just a bonus that we get to build structures that matter.
Core Values were simple – Integrity, Collaborative, Courageous and Unity. Core Competencies – Smarter together, win before you start, complexity done excellently, and commitment to our community were already utilised within the company website and marketing. The group then further explored 10 ways we will win – or how they would make this strategic plan a success.
The big hairy audacious goal – We are a large complex structural steel fabricator generating $40m revenue by June 2031. We employ 140 people that contribute positively to our community. Together we are thriving.
With a strategic plan in place, it was now the Leadership team’s responsibility to bring that plan back to Bowhill Engineering and present it to the staff. We made a significant investment in our team culture over the years. Our employees are aware of our previous strategic plan, but now, it has to be more than a Management direction. It has to be a whole company vision involving every team member to succeed.
We presented the strategic plan at an All Staff Meeting. We implemented it into our website, our marketing, and our interview process and induction training. We passed on our vision to our emerging leaders and our team leaders. We developed a new leadership group structure within the company and recruited people who didn’t need to be managed and could WOW us in presenting themselves.
We wrote our company values on the walls for all to see, not just employees but our visitors, clients, and even potential new employees touring the workplace. We even named areas of the building after these values.
We were all surprised by how readily all of our employees took on this new strategic plan. In the uncertainty of covid, our strategic plan gave certainty & security to our employees. It gave them something to look forward to/to strive for and provided security and comfort that there was a positive future.
Individuals stepped up, putting their hands up for leadership roles. The strategic plan was realistic because our employees believed it was something we could achieve. Soon these values, purpose and mission became their own. The response to our marketing was, “this is something I want to be involved in”. The right people started knocking at our door when people were looking for a change, looking for employers who provide more and identify their values and goals.
Our newly formed leadership group includes production members of all ages, we’ve got first-year apprentices to senior team members within this group, and they now drive this strategic plan in their day-to-day operations. We can even see the skills used from their participation in this group integrating into our local communities in their outside roles such as sporting clubs etc.
As the world recovers from the threat of uncertainty, Bowhill Engineering is in one of its strongest positions ever. We are consistently meeting and exceeding our growth targets, diversifying our project capabilities, and committed to capital expenditure to meet our growth requirements.
In 2023 Bowhill Engineering is hosting a retreat, a strategy review with its Board, Leadership & Emerging Leaders reviewing its purpose, strategy and competencies. A strategic plan does not work if it is developed only by management and not communicated to the company as a whole. Often companies develop their plan and then file it.
At Bowhill Engineering, we want our purpose “Together We Thrive”, to become the positive mindset that sets our employees up for success in their work life, family/relationships, and community.
Our purpose, mission and core values can be found on our website
Opportunities to join the Bowhill Engineering team are available here.
