• Our booking engine at tickets.railforums.co.uk (powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!

Mark Hopwood at Surbiton today

Status
Not open for further replies.
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

Surreytraveller

On Moderation
Joined
21 Oct 2009
Messages
2,810
Guessing he'll not be there this evening when down services are offloading to P3+4. Ideal time to see it at its grimmest.
Correct. Meet the manager events tend to take place in the morning when people haven't got time to stop and chat, not in the evening when people are hanging around for their trains home
 

pdeaves

Established Member
Joined
14 Sep 2014
Messages
5,632
Location
Gateway to the South West
Correct. Meet the manager events tend to take place in the morning when people haven't got time to stop and chat, not in the evening when people are hanging around for their trains home
Does somewhere like Surbiton have much incoming commuter traffic? I would guess that most passengers 'hang around' for their trains in the morning and rush off to their homes in the evening.
 

HH

Established Member
Joined
31 Jul 2009
Messages
4,505
Location
Essex
I presume you guys have never done a meet the manager (as a manager). Try to imagine doing it, including dealing with the great British public in all its glory. And then think whether you'd rather do it at the beginning of the day when you were full of energy, or at the end of a hard day's work, when you're knackered.
 

Horizon22

Established Member
Associate Staff
Jobs & Careers
Joined
8 Sep 2019
Messages
7,443
Location
London
Correct. Meet the manager events tend to take place in the morning when people haven't got time to stop and chat, not in the evening when people are hanging around for their trains home

Even when they take place in the evening, people don't stop and chat from what I've seen! They're straight off home / onto a train. People want to see more managers, but then when the railway gives them reasonable opportunities, they don't take them up.

AM at the terminal: too busy rushing for work
PM at home station: rushing back home
Middle of the day: nobody around.
 

mmh

Established Member
Joined
13 Aug 2016
Messages
3,744
I presume you guys have never done a meet the manager (as a manager). Try to imagine doing it, including dealing with the great British public in all its glory. And then think whether you'd rather do it at the beginning of the day when you were full of energy, or at the end of a hard day's work, when you're knackered.

If you're the MD of a TOC you're paid to be able to represent your company regardless of the time of day. An evening engagement doesn't mean you're doing it after a physically tiring day, and you'll also be able to arrange your day around your engagements - you're in charge.
 

ChiefPlanner

Established Member
Joined
6 Sep 2011
Messages
7,768
Location
Herts
I presume you guys have never done a meet the manager (as a manager). Try to imagine doing it, including dealing with the great British public in all its glory. And then think whether you'd rather do it at the beginning of the day when you were full of energy, or at the end of a hard day's work, when you're knackered.

Done a good few - actually a chance for people to have a rant (often deservedly so) , but well worth doing in my opinion. We feared at doing one at Camden Road one evening , but i was actually very good - after the "rant" we got some good feedback on what needed to be done , often followed by some quite positive things. (and dare I say it , some appreciation)

I recall "Mr Bushey" - going on about the crap service - when I told him they were getting an half hourly AC service pretty much of all of the day - Mon - Saturday , he was (despite a good few pints in him) I was his best friend.

Good for "engagement" - seriously- but made some extra work on top of a busy enough job.
 

Djgr

Established Member
Joined
30 Jul 2018
Messages
1,638
I presume you guys have never done a meet the manager (as a manager). Try to imagine doing it, including dealing with the great British public in all its glory. And then think whether you'd rather do it at the beginning of the day when you were full of energy, or at the end of a hard day's work, when you're knackered.

Yes. Wouldn't it be better for the railway industry if it didn't have any customers getting in the way.
 

Clarence Yard

Established Member
Joined
18 Dec 2014
Messages
2,461
I think you will find Mark Hopwood popping up all over the patch and in the evenings too. That’s his style and he has a keen eye for what is going on, or not going on.

Don’t expect him to have an entourage either. He is a bit “Fiennes” on occasions and nobody, not even his PA, will know where is going.
 

Aictos

Established Member
Joined
28 Apr 2009
Messages
10,403
I think you will find Mark Hopwood popping up all over the patch and in the evenings too. That’s his style and he has a keen eye for what is going on, or not going on.

Don’t expect him to have an entourage either. He is a bit “Fiennes” on occasions and nobody, not even his PA, will know where is going.

That’s how senior management should be running their patch, no good everybody knowing in advance and rushing about smartening up everything and the MD gets a rosey view of everything.

Far better to have a good knowledge of how it really is on the ground by not advertising your movements to all, spring up anytime unexpectedly!
 

WrongRoad

Member
Joined
3 Nov 2017
Messages
78
Wonder if he told the customers how SWR management failed to sign off on the Drivers pay deal and bought the threat of industrial action much closer to its customers
 

Dr Hoo

Established Member
Joined
10 Nov 2015
Messages
3,910
Location
Hope Valley
Bumped into Mark Hopwood at Reading when he was at GWR. (We do know each other.) I mentioned where I was going and he responded, "Oh, so you'll be wanting the XX:XX from Platform Y" in an instant. He has always been an 'out and about' manager.

As ChiefPlanner has noted, customer surgeries are very useful. I did lots on the Southern/NSE and later at ScotRail. After slightly disappointing take-up in the rather snooty surrounds of the Intercity First Class Lounge at Glasgow Central we tried having them in bars in Argyle Street or by George Square (for Queen Street). Attracted an entirely different range of customers (with glasses in hand as the managers sipped coffee). Really worthwhile though. Even some quite vociferous critics would subsequently greet you on the train in a friendly Glaswegian fashion.
 

Aictos

Established Member
Joined
28 Apr 2009
Messages
10,403
I remember one of my friends rather helpfully made announcements for every evening peak arrival basically highlighting that management are awaiting your comments and questions.

Certainly kept their managers busy :lol:
 

Snow1964

Established Member
Joined
7 Oct 2019
Messages
6,021
Location
West Wiltshire
I think you will find Mark Hopwood popping up all over the patch and in the evenings too. That’s his style and he has a keen eye for what is going on, or not going on.

Don’t expect him to have an entourage either. He is a bit “Fiennes” on occasions and nobody, not even his PA, will know where is going.

I was going to suggest a bit like Herbert Ashcome Walker did after becoming general manager of LSWR in 1912. If ever you read books on him you will discover he roamed the LSWR system turning up at random stations and chatting to staff to find out what was really going on, and what problems were, and what they suggested. He would subsequently introduce himself, then take the reality back to the senior management or Board meetings, announcing what they were going to do to improve things.

Reminds me, I was once selected for a supervisory training course, and one day a member of Board turned up at end of afternoon, to buy everyone a beer and have an off record chat. He said he finds out more that way about how things run in real life, than the filtered and sanitised version the advisors at Executive level tell the Board. In his words by the time a report has been passed upwards and told to a higher level by 3 or 4 managers trying to look good, only the glowing parts of it get reported. No one Describes the dismal crumbling parts, or problems that may look bad.

Only when the senior guy knows what really happens can they ask the managers how they are going to fix it, otherwise it never gets asked about.
 
Last edited:

306024

Established Member
Joined
23 Jan 2013
Messages
3,940
Location
East Anglia
I presume you guys have never done a meet the manager (as a manager). Try to imagine doing it, including dealing with the great British public in all its glory. And then think whether you'd rather do it at the beginning of the day when you were full of energy, or at the end of a hard day's work, when you're knackered.

Done a few, and when you get a decent discussion very enjoyable. However it was surprising how few passengers actually take up the opportunity. In fact meet the manager was sometimes a chance to talk to fellow managers you wouldn’t normally see too often if no passengers stopped to chat.

Of course you get some passengers for whom nothing is going to placate them over their particular issue, but never had that many, and if they weren’t going to listen to a rational explanation then you may as well save your breath. But for every one of those there have been many more who really appreciate you taking the time to explain things.
 

SteveM70

Established Member
Joined
11 Jul 2018
Messages
3,800
Good for him. Far better than the Northern approach to meet the manager which is to have very few, give minimal notice, and sometimes nobody from Northern actually turns up
 

Alfie1014

Member
Joined
27 Jun 2012
Messages
1,118
Location
Essex
Done a few, and when you get a decent discussion very enjoyable. However it was surprising how few passengers actually take up the opportunity. In fact meet the manager was sometimes a chance to talk to fellow managers you wouldn’t normally see too often if no passengers stopped to chat.

Of course you get some passengers for whom nothing is going to placate them over their particular issue, but never had that many, and if they weren’t going to listen to a rational explanation then you may as well save your breath. But for every one of those there have been many more who really appreciate you taking the time to explain things.

I’ve had similar experiences, in the evenings people are keen to get home and of course it does depend on how the service is/has been running. And on a number of occasions no one seemed interested until the odd one or two stop, then it’s a bit like a opening the floodgates and they are queuing to speak! Sometimes all it needs to explain something that’s obvious to those in the know but not to the general public. I remember one occasion where a passenger at an inner suburban station was excised that they never got a seat in the morning peak and when I explained that being so close to London they probably never would. They went away happy(ish) with their expectations better understood.
 

2L70

On Moderation
Joined
18 Feb 2019
Messages
355
Location
Barnetby
A Senior Manager turning up unannounced is the best way, certainly puts the Customer Service managers or whatever they’re called this week on the backfoot.
 

DelW

Established Member
Joined
15 Jan 2015
Messages
3,833
I was going to suggest a bit like Herbert Ashcome Walker did after becoming general manager of LSWR in 1912. If ever you read books on him you will discover he roamed the LSWR system turning up at random stations and chatting to staff to find out what was really going on, and what problems were, and what they suggested. He would subsequently introduce himself, then take the reality back to the senior management or Board meetings, announcing what they were going to do to improve things.
A few years ago there were several series of a TV programme called "Undercover Boss" in which the MD / CEO of a company spent a week in disguise, working as a new employee in his own company. In every case*, the big cheese was fairly dismayed at conditions on the ground, and went back to HQ promising to improve conditions for the workforce, and in many cases improve the efficiency of the operation as well, by sorting out issues identified by the workers but ignored or even covered up by middle management. I think many organisations would benefit from that being done on a regular basis.

Fortunately in my career as a professional engineer, although latterly office based, I was always in close contact with the engineers out on site. In my first job on site as a new graduate, I'd been impressed that when our Contracts Director visited, he not only spoke to the site agent (as they were then called) but also walked around on his own and talked to machine drivers, gangers and labourers, so that he knew what was really happening. I always thought that was a lesson in proper management. In a subsequent more senior role, I worked quite closely with him, and had great respect for his leadership skills.

(* at least, in every case that made it onto the screen - there may have been some that were filmed but not shown)
 

bb21

Emeritus Moderator
Joined
4 Feb 2010
Messages
24,151
Can we stop with the childish posts please? Thank you. If you wish to have a rant, do it in your own time and not on valuable forum space. The thread needs to be given a chance to develop into some meaningful discussion before being derailed.
 

Hadders

Veteran Member
Associate Staff
Senior Fares Advisor
Joined
27 Apr 2011
Messages
12,978
A few years ago there were several series of a TV programme called "Undercover Boss" in which the MD / CEO of a company spent a week in disguise, working as a new employee in his own company. In every case*, the big cheese was fairly dismayed at conditions on the ground, and went back to HQ promising to improve conditions for the workforce, and in many cases improve the efficiency of the operation as well, by sorting out issues identified by the workers but ignored or even covered up by middle management. I think many organisations would benefit from that being done on a regular basis.

Fortunately in my career as a professional engineer, although latterly office based, I was always in close contact with the engineers out on site. In my first job on site as a new graduate, I'd been impressed that when our Contracts Director visited, he not only spoke to the site agent (as they were then called) but also walked around on his own and talked to machine drivers, gangers and labourers, so that he knew what was really happening. I always thought that was a lesson in proper management. In a subsequent more senior role, I worked quite closely with him, and had great respect for his leadership skills.

(* at least, in every case that made it onto the screen - there may have been some that were filmed but not shown)

Didn't the MD of WAGN (Giles Fearnley?) appear in an episode on 'Back to the Floor' in the late 1990s/early 2000s.
 

Tom Quinne

On Moderation
Joined
8 Jul 2017
Messages
2,225
It’s on YouTube, it’s interesting to see pretty much nothing has changed in the 20 years since.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Top