CHALKED UP ON the blackboard in the kitchen are the London Square specials. These aren't dishes, but divisional targets for selling, planning or costs for the homes it builds. When a team reaches its targets, they are crossed out on the board and the members get a bonus. So nobody is planning to leave London Square behind in a cloud of dust tomorrow (a top-three positive score of 94%). This new entry, based in the capital, was founded in 2010 and constructs more than 1,000 properties a year within the M25, from starter homes to £4m townhouses. Last year, revenues topped £48m and the company was sold by the private equity firm Graphite Capital to fund manager Ares Management. Staff numbers grew from 46 to 60 people, who feel excited about where the organisation is going (94%). Adam Lawrence, the founder and chief executive, wanted “old-school principles” of the highest standards, plus a fresh approach. One employee says: “The chief executive can be seen living and breathing the values [which include the highest standards of professionalism] every day, whether he is eating lunch with his staff, playing table tennis in the garden or encouraging his team to view his office with an open door.” Lawrence has a plan people believe in (91%). Senior managers are good at listening (88%), and every department has a blackboard on which people can chalk up their thoughts and ideas. The staircase of the company headquarters, for instance, is now adorned with a magnetic photoboard for sharing images, and everyone has a personalised mug in the kitchen. People can confess if things are going badly at “cafe-style” informal meetings with managers (89%). But they say they feel well treated, fair and square (83%). www.londonsquare.co.uk
