Joseph Richardson Director, Jos. Richardson & Son Ltd

What is your job role? Director of family business, Jos. Richardson & Son Ltd. We are motor, fuel and convenience retailers in Yorkshire, England. The business was started in 1892 as a Coal Merchants supplying Hull and East Yorkshire until about the late 1970’s when we moved into motor game. There are 3 directors.

What is a typical day at work? In general, my mornings are spent focusing on the day to day running of the business which includes meeting with managers to talk about day to day issues. Part of my morning is also spent developing the effectiveness of the organisation. We are currently simplifying processes to make the lives of the staff easier and trying to get the 3 petrol stations and 2 dealerships running as if they were part of a bigger group under head office control, thereby moving away from the Directors and Managers being so hands on. My afternoons are spent focusing on developing the future of the business, what to buy, build, re-develop, PR campaigns etc

What does your business do for its customers? We take care of all their motoring needs; whether it is Sales, Service, Recovery, Accident Repair, Fuelling, Car Care or Convenience on the go. As a small company we can move into new areas quickly and are not stifled by the size or bureaucracy sometimes associated with larger companies. Being able to work in the moment is our advantage. Our Line Managers also appreciate the fact that they work closely with the directors, so when they come up with ideas that will benefit our customers, they can talk to us directly about them. Feel that they are working for you personally rather than the “company”.

Describe your ideal customer. Our ideal customer is one that is completely satisfied with the level of service they have experienced. So in effect we are the ideal company. My service expectation is probably one that is higher than we currently provide, but we are working on it. Customer expectations have increased over the years; they want things now and are often well versed in how to complain. This is a constant challenge. All I ask from my staff is to be competent, confident, polite and friendly.

“All I ask from my staff is to be competent, confident, polite and friendly”

What is your key business goal for this year? To bring increased profitability and efficiency to our considered areas of investment, at the same time as leading a motivated and productive workforce. To support a productive and motivated workforce we have recently introduced a company intranet, we have a system of staff appraisals and all senior and line managers are encouraged to frequently talk to all of the staff.

What are the challenges facing business leaders in the next 5 years? Rising interest rates and general slow down of economy, meaning there will be less sales to chase.

Technological advances. This provides both an opportunity and a challenge, to invest in the right technology and keep sufficiently up to date with out constantly changing.

Staff Recruitment, training and retention. As a family business we can’t afford to provide the same benefits packages as the larger companies, so potentially recruitment will become more of a challenge in the future. We definitely see training as one of the keys to staff retention. This then also causes its own difficulties as well trained staff are an even more sought after commodity!

If you could be introduced to any business leader in the world, who would you like to be introduced to? Sir Richard Branson. I admire his energy, the success he has had, and how he manages to maintain successful businesses in totally different areas and apply his brand consistently across them. People accept that Virgin can be in any industry and I see that as a key challenge for any brand to be able to successfully operate in diverse markets. I also admire the fact that he is out there, the archetypal sales man. I like to keep my head down and so he is the opposite of me!

“I admire his energy”

What makes you feel proud at work? Bottom line profit and seeing employees develop. In the last 6 months we have had 2 supervisors promoted to managers and this makes me feel really proud. I also love it when staff go above and beyond, not because they have to but because they want to. It makes me really proud when I see this happening.

What is the essential tool in your job? And the most overrated? It is essential to try and put yourself in the shoes of your customers, suppliers and staff. The most overrated is management theory. Why? I have come across a lot of management theory in the past and it doesn’t seem to apply to my life at the moment. It did apply in corporate life, but generally assumptions are made that are generalisations that might apply in high level of academia, but not in my world. We try and simplify everything – sales, cost of sales and expenditure.

What one thing have you learned from your experiences in JCI that has helped you the most in your professional life? The importance of networking and having a positive attitude. If you are a bit shy and reluctant like me – just do it anyway! You will get more out of it that you thought you would. Don’t be afraid to promote yourself a bit.

“Just do it anyway!”

What advice would you give to people just starting out on their career? Listen and learn from those around you who have been doing it longer than you. Believe it or not they have been through similar challenges and can help you. The only advice that I got when starting out was “work as hard as you can, try your best and you will get to where you want to be”. I believe that there is no substitute for hard work.

If you were pitching your idea on Dragon’s Den what would you do to get the Dragons to invest? Prepare properly, know what I was talking about and win them over with a sound business rationale. Nothing more, nothing less.

Who is your ultimate leadership guru? Michael Vaughan. Why? Well, because I love cricket and he was instrumental in beating Australia a couple of years ago. All his team would have done anything for him.

What’s your favourite quote? “Whether you believe you can or you cannot, you will be right” (Henry Ford)

What would you say if you were asked what in your opinion was the greatest cause of unrest in the world today? Indifference to economic injustice

What’s your essential TV viewing? Test cricket, Golf and the Simpsons!

“Work as hard as you can, try your best and you will get to where you want to be”

What would be the title of your autobiography? Hands up! Who doubted me?

Who do you love to talk to? Girlfriend, Mum, Best Friends

Junior Chamber encourages you to think about your legacy. Ifyou did just three things to make the world a better place before you leave it, what would they be? To run a successful local, family business that employs local people who enjoy working for the company; To be an active member of the community; To have and raise a healthy and happy family

You are in complete control of the weather. What sort of weather will we have next week? Hot with a light refreshing breeze

Imagine you find a magical invisibility cloak and the magic works for just one day,what would you do? Nothing, enjoy the fact that no one can get hold of me!

If you were six years old what would you want to do this weekend? What is stopping you doing it anyway? Cricket. Nothing is stopping me, I am doing it already!  

Joseph Richardson is the Deputy President of JCI HEY and has been a member of JCI since 2004.

Get in touch with Joseph through jwr@josrichardson.co.uk or 01405 764525