The Happy Index: Lessons in Upside-Down Management

Discover the secrets of upside-down management and doing the right thing with James Timpson’s The Happy Index.

With over 2,000 locations across the UK and overseeing multiple operations daily for the past two decades, it’s fair to say that the CEO of the family-owned Timpson business knows a thing or two about running a successful company.

What makes James Timpson’s approach to collaboration, profit and success is simple: let the people you hire run your business.

That might seem like a simple concept to a CEO, manager or director but if you think about the hundreds of meetings, hours lost from your day by responding to emails, signing off on projects and more, you will notice that you are still working in a traditional, top-down mindset. Doing this means the team you work with only see themselves as a cog in the machine instead of the trusted, valued colleagues that they are.

The Happy Index is structured into lessons that will equip you and the people you work with, with the tools and tactics to re-evaluate the ways you manage your business. Offering insight into the ways in which James has overseen the family business, he firmly believes that you will see the benefits of working with an upside-down mindset, not only for financial success but also your team’s wellbeing and happiness.

Really, though, it’s easy. Turn up on time. Trust your team. Do your work.

James Timpson has been the CEO of the Timpson Group since 2002 and has overseen its growth to over 2,100 shops with brands including Timpson Locksmiths, Snappy Snaps, and Johnson the Drycleaners. More than half of the shops are now located in supermarkets and supermarket car parks through the Pod concept. Timpson’s culture of Upside Down Management, based on trust and kindness, has been critical to its success, with a focus on ensuring colleagues are happy in their jobs, leading to the company being named one of the UK’s best companies to work for. Timpson has also pioneered the recruitment of ex-offenders, employing over 600 prison leavers and supporting various prison charities and support groups. James Timpson is a Tate Trustee, Deputy Lieutenant of Cheshire, and Albert Medal winner from the RSA. He lives in Cheshire with his wife and three children. All proceeds from his book will go to the Prison Reform Trust.