Jo Barnes on the Power of Reflection and Peer Support

The Sewell Group is one of the Sunday Times’ Top 100 Best Places to Work.

For Jo Barnes, Managing Director of the Hull-headquartered Sewell Group, learning and leadership go hand in hand. Over nearly two decades with the company, she’s seen Sewell grow into one of the region’s most respected employee-owned businesses - but she says the most valuable lessons often come from taking time to think and learn from others.

Having set up Shared Agenda in 2013, her own business within Sewell Group, Jo took part in FEO’s Step Change for Growth programme, and has continued ongoing involvement in one of the peer groups.

“It’s really easy to get caught up in the day to day. The Step Change for Growth programme, which I completed nine years ago, was a good opportunity to take a step back and think about where we were as a business and what was next.”

Taking time to reflect

Sewell Group, which employs more than 300 people across its construction, facilities management, investments, advisory and software divisions, has built its reputation on trust, values and community purpose. As Managing Director, Jo’s role is to keep those foundations strong while steering the business through growth and change.

Step Change gave her something rare: uninterrupted time to think.

“When you’re in a growing business you can just get swept along. It was nice to have that structured time out to think and reflect, to look at things from a different angle.”

The experience, she says, wasn’t about fixing problems - it was about perspective.

“It was really good to hear from other business leaders and realise that a lot of the challenges are the same, whatever size or type of business you’ve got. Participants felt comfortable to be really open and honest and you learn from each other.”

That environment of shared learning stayed with Jo long after the programme ended.

Shared learning and support

Wanting to keep that sense of connection, Jo became an active member of one of FEO’s peer groups - small, trusted circles of entrepreneurs who meet quarterly to share experiences and challenges.

“It’s a safe space where you can be completely honest. Running a business can be quite lonely at times, even when you’ve got a big team. Having a group of people who understand what that feels like, who’ll listen, challenge you and encourage you is really powerful.”

She finds the conversations often spark new thinking and reassurance in equal measure.

“You pick up so much just from hearing how other people have handled things. It’s reassuring to know that you’re not the only one dealing with issues, and sometimes it sparks an idea you can take back into your own business.”

Leading with trust and alignment

Much of what Jo took from Step Change and peer mentoring has reinforced her own leadership style - one based on trust, empowerment and clear communication.

“For me leadership is about creating the right environment and trusting people. It’s about giving them the space and confidence to make decisions and feel ownership.”

As Sewell transitioned to employee ownership, those lessons became even more relevant.

“Step Change helped me think about how we communicate our purpose and make sure everyone understands how they fit into it. It was about making sure we’re all pulling in the same direction.”

Staying grounded and being generous

For Jo, the value of FEO lies in its culture of openness and generosity - business leaders sharing their time and experience to help others.

“It’s good to have people you can be honest with. Everyone’s there to help each other and there’s a generosity about it - people are willing to share their experiences so others can learn. It keeps you grounded and it keeps you learning.”

Purpose, people and the long view

At Sewell Group, Jo continues to focus on purpose-driven growth - ensuring that success is measured not only in profit, but in impact.

“We talk a lot about leaving things better than we found them. That’s true for our projects, our communities and our people.”

And as both a business leader and a learner, she remains committed to reflection and growth.

“You never stop learning. The world changes, your business changes, and you change as a leader. Having FEO as part of that journey helps you keep perspective.”

FEO’s Step Change for Growth programme and peer group network bring together business owners from across Hull and East Yorkshire to learn, share experiences and grow together.


Find out more at Step Change for Growth.