News / Client interviews / Nick Caton - General Manager, Soho House private members club

Nick Caton - General Manager, Soho House private members club

1. Nick, can you give us a brief introduction to Soho House?

High level but very relaxed service for the film, music and media industry – somewhere they can see familiar faces and be treated with smiles. It’s somewhere to go on your own or in big groups. ‘Understate and over deliver’ would be our motto and ‘work hard play hard’ would be our attitude. (No wonder we get along so well, that’s learnpurple’s motto and attitude too!)

2. How did you become the General Manager there?

After five years studying Civil Engineering at Oxford Brookes I needed to pay my student loan, so I got a job at Café Boheme - where I was a naughty waiter (I wasn’t very compliant!). But I fell in love with working with people and was spotted by the owner and asked to go to the Cannes Film Festival – where Soho House does a party every year. They then offered me a trainee manager position back in London, which I took… and it’s now going on to my 12th year within the group. I have opened sites, worked in different roles, but kept moving up.

3. What was your first job ever?

During school holidays I worked as a baker… then I did a paper round - but the first job after university was as a waiter with this company!

4. What advice would you give to people aspiring to work in hospitality?

Make sure you love people, and because it’s a hard industry - if you don’t really love it, move on. If you do really love it, ask as many questions as possible, get stuck in and mimic the people you aspire to be…

5. What are the key characteristics that you look for in the people you bring on board?

Good fun. Someone who just has a lovely way about them. Someone suited not just for the role, but also within in the team. And someone with a natural love, vibrancy and energy that is easily seen.

6. Could you share some of your life lessons with us?

To listen to people, never assume your way is correct – different people have different needs. Learn patience – especially the patience to show someone how you want something done instead of assume they can / will do it.

7. What are you reading at the moment?

I only read on holiday! The last one was Shantaram, by Gregory David Roberts – which was amazing.

8. What is the importance you place on learning and development?

I have learnt a lot from on the job training, asking questions, and trying new things and to be honest I always felt that was the best way to learn. However, recently with the company growing it’s been necessary to put more formal training and processes in place. I have just completed my first session of our new leadership development programme (with learnpurple!) and I have found it immensely useful.

9. What is your philosophy on leadership/ recipe for success?

Teach someone to do it, and then let them get on and do it. Let them make mistakes, then be patient and go over it again. As long as they keep making different mistakes you are going about it the right way.

And last but not least…

10. You have recently started working with both learnpurple and talent toolbox, what are your thoughts so far, and what results do you expect in the future?

We just did our first leadership development session – ‘Manage and motivate’ using your SDI psychometric profiling tool, and I have also just been involved in the pilot of our new talent toolbox appraisal.

The session was great and I have already put into practice many of the techniques we learnt about managing people to their strengths. The talent toolbox appraisal has given me a structured way to lay down objectives, I was able to set goals, structure the goals, and help my team to create their personal development plans. Both the training and the appraisal system are great new tools in my box to help me with my own development as well as that of my team!

8 June 2010