The RailStaff Awards 2024

Nominations for Rail Manager of the Year

Ian Thomas

Said the following about Frankie Lynch:

“Frankie has been very involved with building the relationship between the revenue teams and the conductors that I manage. He attends meetings to discuss a known problem area and approaches things in his use positive manner but he is always honest about what is or isn't possible. He also welcomes feedback.

He has arranged for his team to attend our depot and promote the use of Body Worn Video for the safety of our conductors and we know that he is always willing to do what he can to foster a good relationship between two grades that benefit from working closely together.

His positive personality is a big plus when managing people who often face conflict situations“

Adrian Pooley

Said the following about Frankie Lynch:

“Adrian Pooley said:

“I am nominating Frankie Lynch as the rail manager of the year, as he has been my Team Leader for the last 4 years. In that last 4 years he has always led by example, he has grown the depot from the start to a flourishing successful team. He has since been promoted this year to Revenue Protection Manager due to his outstanding qualities, such as great leadership, compassion and a wealth of knowledge of the railway and revenue. Frankie is extremely well known on the railway at Southeastern as a subject matter expert. Frankie is frequently called on by all different departments and other TOCS and the police for his knowledge and expertise, especially when it comes to finding counterfeit tickets. On a personal level Frankie has helped me increase my confidence and help overcome anxiety to become the person I am today. Frankie has always made himself available 24/7 to his staff and wants to help within the business and our personal lives, Frankie has always adopted an open-door policy and that reflects in his team.”

Jenni Jones said:

“I would like to nominate Frankie, because before I even worked for the railway, he was supporting me. When I had my interview for revenue, I was a bag of nerves and Frankie helped calm me down. After the interview he told me to feel free to come by the station for feedback and already made me feel like part of the team. In the 2 years I was waiting to start he would talk to me for 45 minutes about waiting and it would happen and helped with the stress caused by my previous job. Since joining Southeastern he’s taken a keen interest in not only helping me grow as a revenue protection officer, but also as a person. He is never too busy to talk about what’s bothering us as a team and has no issues telling us when we’re doing something right. Frankie is an asset to Southeastern, both professionally and personally, and it is my belief that he is the reason why a lot of people are good at what they do.”

Gary Mulley said:

“Frankie has always worked above and beyond for Southeastern even when he was an RPO. Since becoming a team leader and now a manager he has built up a good rapport with all members of staff under his wing. Truly one of the best.”

Bartosz Wlodarczyk said:

“Irreplaceable man who does his job passionately and shares this passion with all staff that he works alongside.”

Russell James said:

“What FRANK is - Forward thinking. Respectful. Aspirational. Nurturing & motivational. Knowledgeable.

Matthew West said:

“I would like to express the absolute pleasure it has been to have Frankie as not only a team leader but as a mentor and a friend. He has taken so much of his time to talk to me when he knows I'm having a bad time, family issues or bad days at work. He's shown me how to become a better revenue officer and given me opportunities to progress my skills over the years. I can be a difficult member of staff to keep happy 100% of the time but he understands the way my mind works and keeps me motivated and positive. Frankie took the difficult role of opening a new depot with some existing staff and some brand-new entrants and with his knowledge of the role, his honesty and his genuine love for his team he has managed to create the highest performing depot in the revenue department. I can call him at absolutely any time of the day or night, and he will answer. This man deserves far more recognition then he gets, and I would like to thank him for everything he has done for me personally and at work. He's turned 14 members of staff in to a family.”

Denise Scott said:

Frankie Lynch in the last 3 years of my Southeastern career has been one of the most supportive and down to earth managers I've ever worked for. He has spent a lot of time supporting me during my pregnancy and being a full-time worker and mother of 2 young children it hasn't always been easy, but Frankie made me feel me feel like I have someone I can turn too and trust when I needed to adjust my shifts around child care. He has given me the biggest boost in confidence, he believed in me and made me feel like a very integral part of the team. Not only has he helped me, but I have witnessed his natural caring approach help so many others in my team. The way he leads his staff is unlike anything I have experienced before, and I truly believe the success of our depot is down to the way he managed us. His leadership goes beyond our depot and filters its way through to the others in our department. If only more team leaders and managers could take half of Frankie's approach, I believe the company and its staff would be in a better place.

Elliot Harris said:

“It's been an amazing honour for Southeastern and Swanley depot to have someone like Frankie. With Frankie’s hard work he has taken us to the top and made us all the best we can be. Frankie is the best manager I have ever had in my working career.”

Daniel Spencer said:

“I have had the pleasure of working with Frankie Lynch and having him as my manager for the last 2 years.

Coming from a managerial background and having run my own business I’m more aware than most of the stresses and strains that being a manager can bring. If the role is performed poorly, a manager can destroy a team’s morale, shatter their confidence and reduce productivity. I’m pleased to say that no such issues could be said of any team that Frankie manages and here is why.

1) He leads by example and from the front! He would never set staff a task that he wasn’t prepared to do or demonstrate himself. He gives clear explanations of his expectations and ensures staff can meet them competently. He also knows his subject matter (in this case Revenue, Crime and Enforcement) better than anyone else in the Railway industry and is always being sought his opinion (not just his staff, but senior managers too).

2) He actively gets to know the people working for him - what makes them happy? What motivates them? Where their strengths and weakness lay? This quickly allows him to identify areas of improvement so he can go on to develop staff quickly, easily and effectively to everyone’s advantage.

3) It sounds like a cliché, but Frankie practically invented the ‘open door’ management policy. Whilst the ‘door’ tends to be a ‘mobile phone’ these days, you can always get hold of him for advice, a chat about policy and procedures or a personal issue when you need a portion of sensible advice. If you’ve not spoken to him in a while, he will inevitably end up calling you out of genuine concern to check that you’re ok.

4) He makes his staff feel valued and important to the business by seeking their opinions on matters pertaining to work. What postings have worked well recently? Which operations didn’t perform well and why? What can we change to do better next time? Etc. His staff feel actively involved in the business of the department and Frankie’s management style encourages them to want to perform better!

5) He is quick to educate staff when a lack of knowledge becomes apparent, but he does it in a way that doesn’t come across as dictatorial or patronising. But, more importantly, he is quick to praise good work when it occurs - a small but effective thing that all too often, other managers forget. He genuinely appreciates his teams’ efforts.

To conclude, Frankie is a dream to work for and he thoroughly deserves to win ‘Manager of the year!’ He is kind, genuinely caring, knowledgeable, encouraging and inspirational to be with. He knows how to get the best from his staff and as a result, he runs the best performing Revenue, Crime and Enforcement team, not just in Southeastern, but probably the entire UK! He is quite simply, ‘The Perfect Manager!’”

Lee Parker said:

“In the last 4 years he has by far been the most helpful open & forward-thinking manager I have ever worked with. He is one of the most knowledgeable people on the railway in his field. And on a personal note if it wasn't for him helping both me and his team our depot would not be as successful as we are.”

Jim Wilson said:

“Frankie is the most encouraging manager that I have ever had the pleasure to work alongside. I say work alongside because he never makes you feel anything less than his equal. Frankie nurtured and taught me so much that he encouraged me to apply for an acting team leader role in our team. Since securing this role I have worked closer alongside Frank and he has always given me confidence to grow. At the start of 2019 Frankie was given an interim management position because the senior management in Southeastern could see that Frankie’s management skills could be put to better use in improving other areas in our department. Since this has happened, I have stepped up to cover Frankie’s role as team leader at Swanley and even though Frankie has an additional two teams to manage he has never let any of us feel forgotten. Frankie showed me everything I needed to know to try and fill his shoes as well as I could. Frankie is always the first to praise me and the team this is so important to our morale and the way that we work as a team. Frankie is a very plain-speaking man and you can always tell that when Frankie gives praise that it is genuinely heartfelt. I believe that Frankie deserves to be recognised for all the hard work and dedication that he shows to his teams and the invaluable knowledge he gives every day.”“

Jade Shellam

Said the following about Frankie Lynch:

“Frankie is definitely one of the best managers I have ever had. He makes an effort to understand everyone's individual wants and needs and tries his hardest to put them in place. He has been amazingly supportive on my journey through ill mental health and becoming a mental health advocate and because of this I feel so much more comfortable talking about my mental health and how I am feeling knowing I won't be judged. His door is ALWAYS open. I just can't praise him enough. He knows our jobs inside out and has a huge passion for it so we all know that the decisions he's making are in the best interests of us and the revenue of Southeastern. He is a manager who has gained so much respect without inciting fear into his employees. He has made a fine art out of maintaining his authority and yet still making people feel as though they can voice their opinions and concerns without being brushed off. Never have I met a manager more deserving of this award.“

Richard Hopkins

Said the following about Frankie Lynch:

“One of the good guys! Always happy to talk to us whatever the time of day/night, his door is always open and comes across as one of us rather than management. I've known Frank for years and he’s always got a smile on his face and comes out with the one liners that makes the whole room laugh! On the flip side if your lagging behind he’s happy to sit down with you and work out what's going wrong, but does it in a way so you feel comfortable rather than under a microscope, so you don’t mind giving that extra 10% effort.“