Back in March, Theo James sponsored the made in North East Awards.

Sat behind us were two tables full of people from TMD Friction. They went on to win an award and the roof nearly came off. The togetherness, passion, and loyalty was there for all to see.

The man lifting the award was Tom Russell, Operations Manager, and I knew I needed to get him on the podcast and dig into how he was able to create such a culture.

This podcast takes you through Tom’s career and how he works closely with people to get the best out of them.

We discuss

• Difference between leaders and managers
• The Early Years Working in HR
• The Steelworks on Teesside Motivations
• Wanting to help people
• The Impact on big decisions
• Family motivations
• Early Management
• Who has motivated him in the journey?
• The Steelwork community on Teesside
• Made in North East Awards
• Moving from HR to Ops
• How do you manage your own mentality
• How to improve culture
• Getting close to your team
• Navigating through Covid Challenges in Manufacturing
• 3 Values of a leader?
• What advice would you give your younger self?