The Way: to achieve success

Do you dream of success in life? Do you have the vision to convert your dream into reality? Do you have the skills to achieve your ambition? Having originated from a council estate in the heart of the UK rising to a noted international executive banker after an initial career as a nuclear physicist I know the twists and turns, ups and downs, joys, and sorrows along the way. I attracted great mentors who believed in me, picked me up when I fell, and showed me the way to reach my dreams, developing my own style of successful management in this ever-changing world.

If you have the will to reach for your dreams whether running your own business, a club, or any other dream up to executive leadership I hope this book will inspire you with the skills and direction to show you the Way.

Noted success is not taught in a classroom. It is a belief in your Dream, your Desire, and your Vision. Only then you will you find the Way to succeed.

The setting is 1990. The city of London is settling into its post Big Bang era. Technology requirements are dominating the corporate construction industry.

Sebastian Ryder, a noted, and successful senior executive of the most influential bank in the world, was not happy with this new world of investment banking where the relentless and, in some cases, rabid pursuit of profit was at the expense of the decaying moral responsibility and integrity of the banking system. He has made more than enough money so took early retirement and retreated to the tranquillity of the Derbyshire countryside to consider his future. His pursuit of career had dealt him some dark and painful blows in his personal life.

Melanie Southgate is a 32-year-old client account manager in the London regional office of Aldridge Fabrications Limited, one of the two leading construction fabrication companies in the UK. She had joined the company straight from university but has been overlooked twice in the space of 2-years for promotion in this totally male dominated sector.

Charles Aldridge, owner, Chairman, and CEO of Aldridge Fabrications, and who built the company after WWII having identified the need for prefabricated housing, was reaching retirement age. His own grownup children had rebuffed the family business for more glamorous pursuits. His lifelong friend, Jim, industry-wide respected Production Director, is terminally ill. Charles reflected on the future of Aldridge as he pondered the announcement that yet again Melanie had been overlooked for promotion by his Business Development Director even though she had identified a change in the market even he had missed, and she was fast becoming the major generator of new business. He was as guilty as any other executive regarding females in executive roles, but reflected upon the significant role his dear wife, Edna, had played in the success of his business. He felt an obligation to Melanie, but could she cope in this misogynistic industry? He decided to give her a try at replacing Jim, but she must learn quickly as Jim has been given a maximum of six months.

He moves her to the head office near Matlock, Derbyshire on secondment where, by sleight of hand, she lodges with Sebastian. As someone who had witnessed the attempts by women to ride the corporate executive ladder since the late 1970's he was very familiar with the extra challenges faced by a woman to successfully engage on a level playing field. Few had succeeded to date. Could he mentor Melanie to be a successful corporate executive? He saw the potential in her, but was she strong enough for the ordeal that she must face, and the tough choices she must make, especially in just 6 months, to be accepted as an equal in a male dominate world?