Mickey Heibner: Leading Fields Way Engineering

We interview Micky Heibner, a Workshop Manager for Field's Way Engineering in Hawke's Bay and an Icehouse Effective Leadership Programme alumni.

1. What was happening in your team or workplace that made you want to develop your leadership skills?

The same people were trying to do everything so we needed to be able to use people’s strengths and improve their weaknesses.

2. What have been some of the key results you’ve experienced at the hands of the programme?

By understanding each staff member individually it makes it easier to coach them in the right way which gets them more involved in the business and they want to better themselves which creates a great team environment. Getting the guys to buy into our goals and strategies makes it a lot easier to improve production and quality.

3. How do you think you’ve developed personally from the Effective Leadership Programme?

More open minded, discuss ideas with the guys as your way is definitely not the only or best way. Got out of my comfort zone with getting up and speaking to strangers on the course. You don’t have to do everything, by learning to delegate tasks to the appropriate people in my team. Helping to reduce stress.

4. What would be your advice to other leaders thinking of taking part in the Effective Leadership Programme?

Think about your staff as if they are your customers. As leaders we will do anything to make the customer happy yet we forget what makes our team happy and we need them to be skilled, able to multi task, want to come to work each day and be part of a great team because without them there will be no happy customers.