Middleton advisor Adam Buxton, who focuses on Oxfordshire and the Cotswolds, recently attended a week-long programme at Harvard Business School. The course – titled ‘Achieving Breakthrough Service’ – draws on the latest research and insights to equip senior managers with new strategies for leading and managing service-oriented businesses. Only 5% of applicants are accepted on to the course, and Adam has returned from his time in Boston buzzing with ideas and contacts.
Middleton founder Tom Hudson says that the company was delighted to sponsor Adam to attend this prestigious programme. “We are a small business, and we deal with private clients, not big businesses. But we’re always looking to learn from best practice, and that usually emerges from the big institutions. So it’s really beneficial to our buying advisors to be participating in seminars with the CEOs of blue chip companies, to look at the wider picture and see how those lessons can be applied to our own situation.”
Adam adds, “The bigger companies are very much rules-based, and so it’s interesting to look at those rules and see how they might benefit us, whilst knowing full well that we are still able to retain the agility and flexibility that characterises a small, bespoke service company like Middleton.”
“Our clients are invariably highly successful in their own business field,” says Adam, “and so they expect and respond to a particular level of service, due diligence and professionalism. It’s been really stimulating to hear case studies of cutting edge services and look at the challenges that other businesses face. The course was very intense – with lots of live examples, workshops and case study learning.”
“Of course, when you’re in the middle of day-to-day business, it can be hard to step back and look really objectively at whether you are doing the right things to take the business forward, so I’m really grateful I’ve had that opportunity to take time out and acquire some new experience and ideas. The way the course was run really enabled me to learn as an individual, but also in terms of how I can challenge and contribute to the development of our business.”
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