How T2 helped John Good Group transform leadership and build a high-performance culture
“ In a recent employee survey, trust in the leadership team scored exceptionally high – 89%, as did employees’ ability to be themselves in the business – 93%, both of which were attributed as direct outcomes of T2’s work.”
John Good Group is a 193-year-old family business with deep roots in maritime, travel and logistics.
With three centuries of international trade to its name, the company’s founder, John Good, used his seafaring experience to establish a thriving business.
Now in its sixth generation of family ownership, John Good Group has diversified significantly and is a trusted expert in business evolution, growth and strategy.
Following a business restructure in 2021, the organisation underwent a significant transformation. With a new leadership team, they set about building an entirely fresh central services function from scratch, covering marketing, finance, HR, and more.
Today, John Good Group operates as a diverse portfolio business with multiple divisions spanning corporate travel and leisure, warehousing and haulage, maritime services, technical services, and e-commerce.
The company has a distinctive culture characterised by strong family values and long-serving employees, with many businesses acquired as family-run operations.
However, this growth presented a significant challenge.
The Challenge
Despite the organisation’s ambition to create the best opportunities for personal and professional development, managers and leaders had never received formal development training. Many were “accidental managers” – employees who excelled in their technical roles and were promoted based on expertise, but had never been leaders before.
John Good Group identified that managers didn’t know how to get the best out of their teams or how to manage them effectively. Without the tools to drive performance, the organisation’s growth ambitions were at risk.
An additional challenge was the siloed nature of the business. Different divisions operated under the group umbrella but rarely interacted with each other, limiting cross-business collaboration and the development of a unified culture.
Solution
T2 met with the team at John Good Group to understand the organisation’s specific challenges and ambitions. Rather than delivering an off-the-shelf programme, T2 designed a bespoke leadership development experience that would address both the skills gap and the cultural siloing.
The solution included rolling leadership development programmes that mixed participants from different divisions to break down silos and build cross-business relationships. Several of the senior leadership team have also attended the T2‘s flagship annual Leadership Retreat Event across the last few years, an exclusive event which is designed to challenge, inspire, and elevate.
John Good Group Senior Leadership Team at the T2 Leadership Retreat Event
Critically, T2’s approach was flexible and collaborative. They listened to what the organisation was experiencing and tailored the delivery to hit specific challenges, rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach.
Results
The impact of T2’s work has been both cultural and measurable, with effects visible at every level of the organisation.
Leadership transformation: The most immediate change has been in leadership capability and confidence. Leaders developed better performance management skills and a stronger understanding of how to drive performance within their teams. A common language has become embedded in daily operations, with employees naturally integrating what they’ve learned into how they communicate and work together.
Cultural shift: The organisation has seen a significant shift in how people interact and resolve challenges. Leaders now have difficult conversations directly, rather than avoiding conflict or escalating issues. The language and frameworks introduced by T2 have evolved beyond the training room into everyday business practice.
Employee engagement: The results are validated by hard data. In a recent employee survey, trust in the leadership team scored exceptionally high – 89%, as did employees’ ability to be themselves in the business – 93%, both of which were attributed as direct outcomes of T2’s work. Additionally, during the Investors in People assessment, assessors heard significant feedback about T2’s programmes, with employees expressing how much they enjoyed the training and requesting refresher sessions. This demand for further development is perhaps the strongest indicator of impact.
Sustained senior leadership development: For the senior team, the T2 Leadership Retreat was described as “life-changing” and “the best thing I’ve ever been on”. It pushed leaders outside their comfort zones while building critical relationships within the newly formed leadership team.
Embedding learning across the business: The partnership has evolved beyond individual programmes. T2 now supports the integration of acquired businesses, helping new leadership teams to adopt John Good Group’s culture. They’re also supporting the development of a future talent programme launching next year and provide continuous coaching and resources as an extension of our HR team.
Client testimonial
“Working with T2 is like having an extended part of your HR team. They listen, and tailor everything to your organisation, and they’re always on hand to help. We’ve used them for workshops, coaching, and had people attend their leadership retreat. People in our business are often asking to go on their programmes, of which we are always happy to allow. I’d absolutely recommend T2.”
Our CEO, Martin Johnson, examines the growing “accountability crisis” in his latest article for The HR Director, revealing why many managers now struggle to enforce standards and how organisations can rebuild performance cultures without reverting to outdated command-and-control leadership.