About

An interview with Michael Coe

Tell me about your professional background
I left school in 1994 and went to study Human Resources Management (HRM) at Southampton Institute of Higher Education. The course was very hands on as well as theoretical and helped me to develop business and people skills. After leaving college I applied for a summer job within the electrical retail trade and got noticed by the store manager. I sold an electrical appliance whilst waiting to be interviewed.

Why did you choose retail?
Like most people who work in retail, I believe retail chooses you, rather than the other way round. I love retail because it is fast moving, involves dealing with people from all walks of life and can change daily. No day is ever the same and retail challenges you to solve problems and to come up with solutions fast. It is multi-tasking in the fast lane.

What skills have you developed from retail?
I have been able to develop so many new skills such as People Management, Training Skills and Change Management. People really are key to the success of any business and being at the coal face as well as behind the scenes teaches you this and keeps you on your toes.

How did you become a store Manager?
I worked my way through the ranks from sales person to senior sales, then Assistant Manager to Store Manager by the age of 21. I then went on to be a Flagship Store Manager at the age of 24.

So then what happened?
I lived and worked in Scotland for a period of time. Whilst in Scotland I studied for my Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development professional qualification.

Why did you study a CIPD qualification in HR and Training?
Throughout my retail career I had always been given stores or teams that were under performing. I realised I had a unique talent for turning both stores and teams around into successful ones. The stores became very profitable and I trained the store teams to deliver excellent customer service. I decided to study for a CIPD qualification to gain more knowledge and keep up to date with employment laws and training techniques.

When did you qualify?
I qualified in 2004 and have been a member ever since. In 2010 I was awarded the letters ASSOC CIPD to be used after my name. This shows my continued professional development and standard of professionalism.

Who are the CIPD?
The CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Devleopment) are a professional body based in London.

Has your CIPD qualification helped you in business?
Yes. I have been able to turn under performing businesses and teams around and change the lives of others in a positive way. I am always learning and developing new skills to help businesses.

You mentioned a unique talent, tell me more
I have always been asked to transform under performing stores and teams into profitable ones. I have a unique gift that allows me to use my intuition to transform a business and its team members into high performers and increase profitability.

Is this your unique selling point (USP)?
Yes.

I am a Small Medium Enterprise, how can you help me?
I have started an independent company Dimension Eighty Eight HR and Training Limited. I am offering HR and Training services to businesses and SMEs who want to grow and develop.

I realised that good HR (Human Resource Management) and training can make a real difference to a business bottom line and profitability.
Keeping this in mind I have designed the business to provide these services to companies and enterprises who do not have the budget for a permanent in house professional.

Do you just work with retail clients?
No. I have decided to work with a range of clients and will discuss individual business needs and requirements as deemed necessary.
Human resources and training are interchangeable between all industry sectors.

Can you transform my under-performing business and team?
Like all things there are no absolute guarantees. However I do have the knowledge and experience to understand where things may be going wrong and to help transform the business.

Who else have you worked with?
I am at this moment in time working with clients in the veterinary industry.

How can we contact you?
Simply fill in the contact box and choose the main topic from the drop down box. Then fill in the box telling me about the issue needing to be resolved. I will then contact you and discuss the best way forward.