GETTING TO KNOW YOU
Getting to Know Simon Dowling
What inspired you to start your business ? What are your goals and values ? I work as an expert in collaborative leadership , and help my clients through a range of training , team coaching and facilitation services . I ’ m also a speaker and author in this area . I started my own business in 2012 because I have a real passion for teaching and motivating others to be top of their game , and I wanted to be able to do that on my own terms rather than following anyone else ’ s ‘ script ’. The challenge of helping people realise their full potential is one that fascinates me , which means the work we do at 2engage is right in my sweet spot . I love it .
What was the driving force behind your decision to specialise in this area of business ? I ’ ve got a double-pronged background – I began my career in the mid 90 ’ s as a commercial lawyer , but have also done lots of performing in improvised theatre . It was in that second context that I came to appreciate the power of great collaboration and team work – improvisation troupes are such wellhoned ensembles that create amazing stories from nothing . All in front of a paying audience ! This experience is what really underpins my focus on collaboration and teams – and I blend that with the commercial experience of negotiating and building agreement .
What types of customers do you help ? What experience do you have helping small business customers ? I work with a variety of companies across a variety of industries – typically medium sized organisations . Many of my clients are in the digital and tech space , which means I occasionally get to work with smaller , start-up companies that are ramping up into high growth phase . Typically these companies are trying to work out how to grow in a way that keeps their culture in tact – and in a way that keeps the company nimble and collaborative . A great challenge to have .
Do you service other sectors as well ? The wonderful thing about my work is that there ’ s a need for it in a wide range of industries . So I also work with companies in the financial services industry , manufacturing companies , government agencies and professional service firms . I guess what that reflects is that the challenges of collaboration and leadership aren ’ t industry specific – they ’ re fundamentally human questions .
What are the main reasons that someone would choose you to help grow / develop / improve their business ? When I work with a client , it ’ s typically because they ’ ve got a group of people – often leaders – who need to find ways to more effectively engage their teams and people across the business .
I work with companies that are keen to tap the real creative potential in their people , and so they ’ re looking to give people strategies for managing teams and building engagement that inspire collaboration .
What challenges did you face in setting up your business ? I was lucky to find my biggest challenge was keeping up with demand . In the early days , it was easy ( and perhaps necessary ) to say yes to every piece of work that comes your way . My business is 5 years old now , and I ’ ve found that the one thing I ’ ve had to become much better at is saying no . Setting boundaries on what you do and don ’ t do is critical . In the short term it can seem hard to turn away work , but over the longer term it allows you to refine your areas of specialisation . This is especially true for me , because my offering is not a volume service – in most cases , I am the thing my customers are paying for .
Tell us about some of the expectations that you had . Have they been met ? Perhaps the biggest expectation I had was to be able to have more fun with my work – to operate freely and to be creative and spontaneous about how I would be able to deliver services to my clients . That ’ s definitely been met , and it ’ s probably what I love most about it . In my previous role with a larger training company , there was a strong emphasis on delivering services in a way that was ‘ scaleable ’ – in other
38 ModernBusiness September 2016