The parable of Andy Street, the mayor for the West Midlands
Britain’s second-tier cities are too constrained from above and below
Andy Street’s management tips are conventional enough. As the boss of John Lewis, a high-end department-store chain, he was “obsessed with the details’‘ and taught his 70,000 employees that “every interaction matters”. The method seemed to work: sales rose by 50% in his decade in charge from 2007. In 2014 Management Today, a trade magazine, named him “Britain’s most admired leader”.
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This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Brum, brum”
From the December 23rd 2023 edition
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How the idea of false consciousness conquered the governing party
The best British companies to work for to get ahead
A new ranking of firms by pay, promotions and hiring practices
How the best British employers find and promote their staff
No degree? Some employers care much less than others
A tiny island fights the scourge of plastic on the beach
A Northern Irish experiment in recycling
A sticking-plaster policy for Britain’s strained courts
Magistrates get more power. Will they get punch-drunk on it?