031 – Charles Masefield on humility and productivity

Continuing to share stories from those we’ve met on our travels, in this episode we’re joined by Sir Charles Masefield. Charles shares a story from very early in his career with BAE Systems. Charles worked his way up within the ranks of the company, starting as a test pilot and eventually becoming the president. This story is from his days as a general manager.  Charles’ story describes the series of events by which, under his leadership, BAE Systems’ worst performing factory became their best. He first placed himself and his team in a casual environment where there would be no hierarchy and where they could partake in an open, honest conversation. He then created a system through which they could share their ideas to improve the factory and be rewarded appropriately. The story contains a number of meaningful business points. Charles says his experience taught him to ‘always ask’ - to ask his team about what is working and what is not working, before telling them what to do.  Charles was an excellent guest. He requires no prompting to tell a good story and has a story example to prove every point! His story is very detailed and contains those twists and turns which keep us asking ‘what happens next!?’