After 20 years on our board, I am preparing to leave and find myself pausing to reflect the passage of time.
While I have learnt an immense amount from transforming an £8 million single-service business into a £200 million-turnover multi-service powerhouse, the most significant insights often elude quantification. They encompass deeply personal and emotional moments that go way beyond traditional metrics of success.
Central to these moments has been making the case for why business success can go hand in hand with a culture that supports its people and is mindful of its impact on our planet.
It is essential for all businesses to remain financially viable. But I have shown how investments that benefit all stakeholders — not just shareholders — can drive growth and profitability. It is an approach that has enabled our company, Ground Control, based in Billericay, Essex, to attract and retain exceptional people, as well as loyal customers. Some things sound simple in hindsight.
Wellness initiatives like free gym memberships have been transformative, as have investments in training, mental health support, flexible working arrangements, female empowerment, and menopause awareness. Our environmental initiatives have strengthened our competitiveness, while our recent £5 million investment in nature conservation has inspired both staff and clients alike.
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Being clear what you value as the company owner and what you expect from your staff, and then consistently reinforcing those values over many, many years results in happier teams, a positive work environment and, ultimately, enhanced efficiency and profitability.
And that is the key. As business owners and leaders, we are typically guided by growth, profitability, and return on investment. Yet, consider if we evaluated our success through the lens of our health, relationships, families, friendships, homes, and communities?
For many years at Ground Control, my primary focus was on growth and profitability. Yet, over time, those motivations began to wane as I ticked off the first few rungs of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (a motivational theory in psychology). My ‘North Star’ became people and the planet — a mission that renewed my relationship with our company. Some of those initiatives were initially driven by ego, a desire to bolster my sense of self-worth. But over time I believe even that self-interest fell away.
There were still things to achieve before I stepped back, from launching our £5 million nature conservation fund and our annual conservation conference, Green Gains Live, to securing B Corp and carbon-neutral certification. I also wanted to make sure our new managing director really shared our values, which he does. At that moment, I felt a profound sense of completion.
Becoming a parent taught me a new way to love — instilling in me a sense of service that evolves as my children grow. This mirrors my personal evolution in business: I moved from a doer and controller to someone who relished sharing my experiences in business with others, before eventually becoming a mentor and cheerleader.
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My 20 years with Ground Control have been a tapestry of unexpected twists, humbling disappointments, unimaginable joy, and personal growth — an incredible learning laboratory in both business and human nature. I leave with a renewed desire to learn.
In his Ted Talk, Brian Lowery, who is a professor of organisational behaviour at Stanford Business School, explains: “Our personal achievements … pale in comparison to the effect we have on other people and what that does in the world. When … you illuminate them and help them shine more brightly, that’s how the world gets illuminated. And the world desperately needs that.”
When you reach a crossroads, I think it is worth reflecting. I realise now the true measure of success lies not only in the bottom line, but in the positive impact we have on people, our communities and the world around us.
Kim Morrish is the former owner and director of Ground Control, a horticultural and services group based in Billericay, Essex, which made a £12 million pre-tax profit on sales of £197 million in 2023
This post was originally published on here
