Life in the fast lane

zoom

HORTON: The most challenging situations in the workplace are always around people.

Phil Horton is the managing director of BMW Middle East.

What is your occupation?

I am the managing director of the BMW Group Middle East and I manage around 35 staff. BMW divides the Middle East up into four markets and each one of those has an independent importer - our office in Dubai acts as the coordination office for those importers here in the region and BMW's head office in Munich. There's also an element of driving fast cars!

What was your first job when you left school?

I have always worked in the car industry. As soon as I left university I joined the Ford of Britain management training scheme in sales and marketing. The training scheme lasted for four months before I moved over to the fleet marketing department.

Which leader do you most admire?

There are two very different leaders. Some people might cringe when I say this, but the person I most admire as a leader is the former prime minister of the United Kingdom, Margaret Thatcher. She was somebody who always knew what she wanted; she was extremely focused and was very good at articulating her vision. Most of all I admire her because she actually did what she said she was going to do.

The other person is my former manager, Steve Parker, who I worked with when I was at Ford of Europe. He taught me an awful lot about presentation and managing and motivating people. I try to use what he taught me with my staff now.

What is the best piece of advice you have ever been given?

The best piece of advice that I have been given, which is one that I try and live by, is to be consistent with people so that they learn to trust you, or at least know how to take you.

You suspect a member of staff is stealing ideas from another member of staff - what do you do about it?

Plagiarism in the workplace is not something I have ever had to deal with before, but if it was happening in my office I would definitely approach the alleged culprit and I would challenge them directly.

Print | Email | Discuss this article

| Share |

READERS' COMMENTS

Click here to post a comment

Add your Comment All posts are sent to the administrator for review and are published only after approval. ArabianBusiness.com reserves the right to remove any comment at any time for any reason. Please keep your responses appropriate and on topic. Arabian Business would like to point out that only comments relevant to the story will be published. Any containing personal insults or inappropriate language will not be approved.
Name *
Remember me on this computer
Email *	(Your email address will not be published)
City
Country
Subject *
Comment *
Notify me of further comments
Enter the words above *
Please click post only once - your comment will not be published immediately.

MORE FROM ARABIANBUSINESS.COM