6 tips on corporate success
This one was originally published in Arabian Business Magazine.
Al Masaood Automobiles CEO Irfan Tansel has more than four decades of experience in the automotive industry.
A passion for automobiles first realised as a 15-year-old mechanic’s assistant led to a career spanning three continents, countless awards and a reputation for industry disruption, passion and corporate excellence.
Despite global economic turmoil, his Al Masaood Automobiles has witnessed exceptional growth over the past year.
Irfan Tansel business tips
The firm is an authorised dealer for Nissan, INFINITI and Renault in Abu Dhabi and the Western Region and last month was awarded the Sheikh Khalifa Excellence Award (SKEA), which is part of Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ADCCI).
As CEO, Tansel believes his company’s approach to success lies in:
Vision
Diligent hard work
All-around excellence.
Here, Irfan Tansel shares six secrets for business success.
Leadership and growth are key ingredients for success
“Today, the main ingredients for corporate success are unparalleled leadership and operational excellence across a spectrum of core areas.
“From strategy, people and customers to partnerships and resources, products and community, processes and results, societal impact as well as business outcomes.
“To achieve optimal performance, organisations must be consistently devoted to growth at every level.
“Drivers of growth span multiple areas including people’s progress, customer service excellence, optimal resource management, process optimisation and cost savings, as well as product development tailored precisely to meet customer demands.
“In addition, social impact is a key component contributing to corporate success. Today, businesses must focus on a meaningful balance between profit and purpose to ensure long-term success.”
Deliver compelling customer journeys and quality service
The future of many organisations today is dependent on providing compelling on-demand, one-stop-shop mobility service solutions to customers.
Companies should also focus on strengthening sales and aftersales digital capabilities and remapping their customer journeys.
Leaders must nurture colleagues from strategy to reality
“The business world needs to nurture stronger management teams that lead by example and help employees understand, contribute to and follow corporate strategies.
“One of the reasons Al Masaood Automobiles has been recognised by the Higher Committee of SKEA is our exemplary leadership skills and outstanding operational performance across a range of pivotal aspects—not only from a strategy development perspective but also due to our astute people management practices.
“The development of employees in tandem with leaders can help establish a strong, unified corporate foundation, ensuring future generations are well-equipped to take the reins.
“This approach allows businesses to create sound succession plans that propel them forward towards their vision. As such, our forward-thinking approach has been the driving force behind our success, pushing us to create a lasting legacy”.
Learning and development never end
“Leadership and staff development should be an ongoing exercise for any organisation.
“Commit to expanding leadership competencies, and strengthening leadership teams with the goal of achieving operational excellence.
“Work with employees to build individual development schemes backed by our performance management system”.
Engage customers to create loyalty
“Whether you are selling a product or a service, today is all about enhancing engagement and removing pain points from the customer journey.
“A core customer journey is one that clearly identifies enablers and accountabilities across brands.
“Focus on understanding customer personas and mapping the stages of their journey. Providing one guiding ‘North Star’ helps ensure core services and support functions have clear direction and alignment with existing and future customer demands.”
Transparency and accountability throughout
“Transparency and accountability are essential components of operational excellence, helping maintain an unwavering focus on ethical conduct across any organisation.
“Be steadfast in upholding the highest standards of corporate governance.”
Leadership in action
The leadership of Irfan Tansel is taking Al Masaood Automobiles to new heights. It was the first automotive dealership in the GCC region to receive Bureau Veritas’ Safeguard Label (ISO 45001:2018) for sales and aftersales operations, as well its initiative to unveil Nissan’s first interactive e-commerce platform in the Middle East, Africa, India, and Turkey.
In 2022, it received the GCC Best Employer Brand Award for the third consecutive year.
The same year it invested heavily in senior and middle management as well as employees by providing 15,767 hours of soft skills and technical training.
Al Masaood Automobiles adopts a continual improvement approach to Quality, Health, Safety and Environment (QHSE) standards.
It has embraced eco-friendly practices in line with Abu Dhabi Environment Vision 2030, and one of the key pillars enabling the company to achieve operational excellence is a zero-waste goal.