Together Everyone Achieves More

New recruits to Magnus Group have their photo taken with the “TEAM” sign, holding their shirt with the bright green Magnus logo. The shirt, the word Team, and the acronym it stands for (Together Everyone Achieves More) illustrates the clear culture which runs through Magnus Group. Olly, the CEO, and one of the two Magnus family members at the business is a keen sportsman, and his LinkedIn posts often compare the success on the field or pitch, with how he wants his team at work to “play” together.

Magnus Group has been around for nearly 50 years. Whilst those years have seen different names and ownership, the consistency has been family ethics and a team approach. The dedication of every single person at the company has made it the success it is today, and is helping it grow and develop further.

Emma and Olly were brought up in the logistics business: Emma had her name on a truck back in the 1970s and has her name on the front of a new truck that arrived on site last week. They know the hard work that has been invested in the business over those years, and in 2019 decided to take on the challenge to take the company into the next 50 years of success. Their Mum instilled in them “to be nice to everyone on the way up as you may well need them on the way down” and that ethos sits strong with the siblings. Having both been involved in various ventures over the years, they have witnessed both the good and the bad, and have learnt from the best – and the worst – on how to develop trust and relationships, based on treating others how they would like to be treated themselves – with respect.

Leaders understand that to achieve strategies and goals, everyone must work together. The right skill mix, with everyone working towards a common goal, results in success. It means there is no room for egos, and hierarchy needs to be flat.

Leaders allow everyone to work to their strengths and are open with communication. They actively share the glory of success and makes sure that everyone is supported when challenges are faced.

Olly is a leader: creative, emotional, strong gut-feelings with strategic planning at the heart of every decision. He has surrounded himself with a strong management team to bring in the balance of the day to day control and questioning. He is part of the team. His social media posts lean towards “we” instead of “I” and are rarely seen without the #teamagnus tag that is quickly becoming the company’s mantra.

Olly’s leadership style is very simple. He is a firm believer that everything starts at the top. He likes to work hard, is dedicated and loyal. He also expects to have fun at work, isn’t afraid to speak his mind and is happy to take constructive feedback. He gives 100% and expects the same from the team. It’s the culture that him, and his sister, Emma, are working hard to embed with Magnus Group

His LinkedIn recommendations describe his leadership style as “a very supportive director and approachable, always willing to listen and discuss issues that arose whilst helping the business grow. What you see is what you get and his whole approachable demeanour is the same both in work and outside of the business socially”. Another notes “Passion is everything to Olly, commitment & hard-work to get Magnus to the top”.

Words such as “honest”, “transparent”, and “professional” are used by others to describe him. And the same words are used to describe Magnus Group and #teammagnus.

The word “team” appears everywhere. Everyone is valued, trusted and respected. Olly, as CEO, is aware of the constant need to learn, evolve and review. Olly is open with the fact that his Dad, founder of Magnus Group, who sadly passed away in 2018, was his greatest mentor and inspiration. Now Olly looks to his senior team for that inspiration: he is a firm believer in respecting experience and people who have demonstrated his shared belief in the success of a team. He works with mentors to bring in outside expertise and a critical eye. Emma and Olly understand that there is work to do. With a team that has been with Magnus Group ranging from 35 years to 3 months, the culture and ethos require constant enforcement and attention. The payback is huge and worth the investment. The team attitude extends to clients reflected in the longevity of client relationships and the level of customer service delivered.

If you agree with Olly’s philosophy and leadership approach, he would recommend reading “Turn the Ship Around” by David Marquet. It demonstrates the importance of developing the culture of teamwork, empowering people to take responsibility for their actions, and turn followers into leaders. Like Marquet, Olly is a firm believer in empowering and trusting his team.

Magnus Group is based in Great Blakenham, just outside Ipswich, ideally placed to serve the Port of Felixstowe with direct road links to the Midlands, the North and London. With 225,000 square feet of state-of-the-art warehousing, with 20,000 racked spaces, we can manage your warehousing and storage needs, freight forwarding and pallet distribution as well as road haulage.

If you would like to learn more or have a chat, please call us on +44 (0) 473836600 or email on commercial@magnusgroup.com.

Tags: Haulage, Pallet Distribution, Transportation, warehousing

Categorised in: Newsletters

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