Logan Boyce from Indevin is a Leadership Development Programme (LDP) 43 Alumni.
This Kiwi Business Story is based on a podcast from 03 February 2022, and all figures quoted are from that time. You can enjoy the complete podcast here.
My role now is the Group wineries manager. I am responsible for the Marlborough Riverlands facility and Hawke’s Bay facility. I oversee all operations - winemakers, cellar, and engineering. I have been with Indevin since the end of 2003, since the business first started with their first harvest in 2004, obviously the roles changed significantly, along with the business over that time.
The answer changes based on the role you have as you move through. From when I first started, I was a frontline staff member operating fruit receivable, and trying to learn everything, and then moving through where you move into positions of responsibility, and you are managing people in terms of operationally and their development and career pathways. If I knew at the start that my role was going to evolve the way it has, it would have to be the true value of people. There are a few different branches to that. I see that from not just the operational output that staff members provide. But that is the whole business, culture, the energy that people bring, they are the lifeblood of the business, you can have all the fancy software, systems, and equipment, but you must have the right people to make that work.
Changing my way of thinking has been my biggest challenge that I am still working through, evolving from the operational thought process to action focused, hands on and moving more towards strategic planning and focusing on that big picture and challenges that brings. Letting go of those hands-on things and delegating jobs has been a big challenge. When you are smaller, it is easier to do it all, but as your business grows, you cannot keep doing it all yourself, you need to bring others into that space.
To be fair, I was quite nervous going into the Leadership Development Programme (LDP). I guess, because of the fear of the unknown, we have had quite a few of our team members go through various Icehouse programmes. I really enjoyed it. It put me outside my comfort zone at times, and really challenged me. Really engaging sessions, some of the days were full on and long, but it did not feel like that at the end of the day. It was so relevant to the real world. Talking in the class with the coordinators, and with the classmates and finding out that everyone is going through similar challenges just in a different setting. My biggest regret was that I wished I had done this course earlier on in my management journey.
I have two parts to this; I am old school with some of my approaches. One piece of advice for business leaders is to take your team on the journey with you. Tell the story, make sure that they are invested in it, make sure they contributed to it. Whether it is problem solving, or business strategy or your business values, make sure the team comes on that journey with you.
The last one for me is KISS, Keep it simple, stupid. It is so easy to overcomplicate something, and then on that first point, you can lose your team, if you put too much complexity on something. Just keep it simple.