The 74-year-old former chairman of Tesco spent nearly four decades at the company during which time it became Britain's leading retailer. He has also been chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board and is a member of the IoD's recently launched Board Evaluation Service
My parents gave me a fantastic upbringing and values. Their ambition was for me to be a head teacher. When I told my mother I was joining Tesco, she said 'I haven't spent all this money on your education for you to join a company like that' – because Tesco was a very downmarket operator in 1959.
Two of my school masters were instrumental in my career. George Chesterton and Dennis Saunders both taught geography and
sport. They moulded so many people in the
right way to approach sportsmanship and bring the best out of teams.
I would love to see National Service return. I did it from 1956 to 1958. I was well-disciplined anyway – but the people I mixed with, the commitment, it was great. I think we'd be a far better nation if we still had it, but it's financially impossible.
I was a pretty good sportsman, which opened doors for me. I
met Jack Cohen, founder of Tesco, while playing cricket at Eastbourne. He gave us all cards and said, 'if any of you boys want a
job, come and see me'.
I started right at the bottom. I worked in the warehouse loading vans, in the butcher's breaking down sides of beef. Everybody I worked with on the board at Tesco did – they knew the business inside out. That's why it's so strong.
Eventually I got my first management job. It was a tiny shop in Neasden [north London]. Then I got a bigger store, then a group of stores and so it went on.
If you're going to run a decent business you've got to look after the staff. When I joined, Tesco weren't very good at that and staff turnover was high. We worked hard with the unions and transformed staff benefits. They all became part of the Tesco family.
I always wanted to be the best – with the cricket team, the football team, or with Tesco. Of course, in the early days when we went into the City and told them 'we're going to be better than Sainsbury's and Marks & Spencer' they looked at us like we'd gone mad.
We transformed the business over one weekend. It was 1977 and we had 1,000 stores – we decided to close 500 and move out of town. At first the planners were wary but we put in new standards and raised the profile, and it went well.
The 1991/92 recession didn't stop us. We were the only company to continue to buy land then. The press said we'd lost our way, but as soon as the recession ended we had all the sites. Within two years we'd gone past Sainsbury's.
It's tough for everybody at the moment. But I'd say don't just close down and adopt a siege mentality, because then the whole country will close down. Have a look, there are things you are good at that you can still proceed with.
I'm proud of my contribution to English cricket. When I became chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board in 1997 we put down foundations for us to be the best side in the world now. The Academy, player contracts, a two-division County Championship
and the introduction of Twenty20 all came in under my watch.
I became non-executive chairman of Vodafone in 1998. What took 35 years with Tesco, took us two and a half with Vodafone – the team moved the company from a cottage industry in Newbury to the 12th biggest company in the world.
When you get to my age, you've been through an awful lot. Now I want to help others who are starting off. That's why I'm involved with the IoD's Board Evaluation Service. We were evaluated at Tesco and it was really valuable to have someone impartial come from outside and offer their experience.
To be a good director you've got to be seen. I can't stand directors who sit in their office goldfish bowl and are not with the staff…
…and I always make sure I say thank you. Everybody's working bloody hard, so it's about appreciating people.
Walking the dogs is great thinking time. In my halcyon days at Tesco I was always in the office by 7.30am, but I used to be up at 5.30am, across the fields in Hertfordshire with the dogs – it was wonderful.
I've been hugely fortunate. Never did I think when I was sweeping floors that I'd end up in the House of Lords. It's been a magical mystery tour for me.
The IoD's Board Evaluation Service is aimed at enhancing board effectiveness for FTSE-350 companies. For more information call David Buckle on 020 7766 8818
