Performance Leader Review

I am a performance leader in Service Delivery at the AA - the department that deploys all the breakdowns to either an AA roadside technician, an AA recovery patrol or in the event that we do not have a resource a garage agent. I have overall responsibility for a team of 70 people, including 4 team leaders that directly manage the agents. I also have overall responsibility for the Roadside and Recovery deployment departments, how they are ran and the processes in place. An additional responsibility of mine involves maintaining the service deployment risk register as the risk co-ordinator, working closely with group risk.

I have found that the tutor is extremely knowledgeable around self reflection tools and models for leadership. The group that are attending my course also have very different backgrounds and careers within the AA and the range of experience brings a lot to the course. Some of the modules have put me out of my comfort zone which is excellent.

I have really enjoyed all of the tutorials and the residential that I have attended so far. I have built good relationships with the team and we have stayed in touch throughout the course to assist each other through the process. My business awareness has increased due to this. I have also been able to help my colleagues with deployment issues as I have become a point of contact for them.

The course is extremely well structured with clear content agendas. The residential's were well planned and all the time fully utilised, leaving little down time. The tutorials were planned in my place of work which made it easy to attend - others had to travel but we have had the freedom to rotate the locations so that we take it in turn to travel.

My employer allows me time out of my day to day role to attend the course and complete coursework on a weekly basis. Progress is discussed with my line manager on a monthly basis and travel provided where necessary. My employer recognises the benefit of the program for its line managers.

The tutor is always available via phone or email if guidance is needed. The online portal where we upload coursework has a messaging function which allows us to post messages to either the tutor or group, which automatically emails the message to the team. This makes communication really easy. We upload work on the portal and our tutor can give us feedback if we need to add anything else - its nice when we get feedback saying we've done well too!

I feel that the learning throughout the course has improvement my leadership skills massively. Self reflection is crucial - how you conduct yourself as a manager or leader and the impact this has on others can make the difference between a successful leader or one that isn't. I also find it really useful to pass these skills and knowledge onto my own team leaders.

Within my place of work there are regular team building exercises that allow you to build good working relationships with team members and develop problem solving skills. We also often have arranged nights out that allow team building in a non-official setting. We have a recognition program that allows us to nominate people that have gone above and beyond and the winner is taken to a meal with other winners around the business and rewarded for their hard work.

Yes

I have worked for the AA for 10 years and have always been supported in my development and career. I never thought that I would do as well as I have at the AA, and I believe this is due to the support and opportunities I have received. For those that are willing to work hard and do their best, opportunities will come.

I would say concentrate on your customer service skills - as this is the heart of what we do. Think about what interests you - is it sales? Taking breakdown calls? Dispatching work? Have you previous management skills? Take the interview seriously and sell yourself. When you're here - take the job seriously. Work hard in whatever role you're in and spread positivity. Opportunities will find you.