Michael White MIoL.
Head of Risk, Compliance & Assurance at G4S Secure Solutions (UK) Limited
What do you do now?
I have worked in the UK’s private security industry for 22 years following earlier careers in the leisure industry and defence electronics. I am currently the Head of Risk, Compliance & Assurance (UK & Ireland) for G4S Secure Solutions UK Limited supporting a total of up to 24,000 colleagues.
Where did your career start?
I started as an operations manager for a different business, managing a portfolio of contracts across the South Coast and southern counties but first encountered great leadership in the leisure sector when I worked for a truly inspirational manager who had an amazing knack of getting the very best from his staff whilst supporting their development. Ian was a genuinely inspirational manager and I still fondly remember my time working for him nearly 40 years on.
Has there been a stage in your life where you first appreciated what great leadership looked like?
For me, the key to becoming a great leader are the three “C’s” – consultation, collaboration and communication. You have to talk to your colleagues (consult) to understand them, their professional needs and their abilities. You need to work as a team (collaborate) because teamwork is the bedrock for success and without clear, concise, meaningful communication success (personal as well as professional) won’t be achieved.
Do you have any examples of what you have done to develop yourself as a leader?
To develop myself as a leader I have tried to maintain a consistent approach throughout my career. I’ve made every effort to listen to my teams, to be inclusive, to support and develop individuals and not to dwell on mistakes and treat them as failures but to learn from them to prevent their reoccurrence.
I’ve also made every effort to keep myself current. To understand innovation in our industry and in leadership styles. Have I always succeeded? Probably not but that’s all part of the leadership journey and in what time I have left in my career I want to continue to learn as a leader, to be challenged in my role and to support and develop my team.