Ana Rouhafshari

Said the following about Michael Crossling:

“Michael is a people person – calm, confident and approachable. These qualities make him a popular member of the teams he works in and he is excellent at bringing people together and providing support and guidance. As well as these personality traits he has an analytical mind and demonstrates clear thinking and systematic working which he has put to good effect in his role as a Project Manager.

Michael is the ultimate collaborator. He supports a high-performing culture by going above and beyond on every project, treating every task that he takes on, big or small, with the same importance. He engenders trust in both his clients and colleagues, as they can rest assured that he will deliver whatever he has promised in a timely manner. When working as part of a team, whether internally with colleagues or externally with clients and other stakeholders, he always makes an effort to ensure the teams bonds well. Michael knows that taking the time to foster collaboration always pays off by generating efficiencies and delivering outstanding results. His respectful and encouraging attitude empowers everyone to act with the same integrity as he does. Michael happily and voluntarily varies his role to better assist people and deliver projects. He leaves every person he works with, with the best impressions of both him and Network Rail.

Michael is very good in applying his knowledge of the railway to projects, using his understanding of the wider strategic picture, and employing his excellent communication skills. He has brought this skill to bear when training and developing members of staff.

From personal experience I need to say that he played a very critical role in the fact that I was able to adjust really quickly to my new role, having had no experience in Network Rail GRIP processes Michael provided me with guidance, shared his knowledge and experience. Michael supported my learning and development. He also helped me to get familiar with my new role. A lot of our colleagues turn to Michael for advice regardless of whether he is their line manager or not. Another strong characteristic of his is that, he continually empowers people to achieve more.

An example of that is he identifies the career progression opportunities for each individual member of the team based on his/her skills and talents. This may involve moving on to another project or get a particular training, and he always makes sure that his team members get this chance. Michael is a clear example of a future leader and certainly an asset to the company and the industry.“