Building the leadership capability for Sure International

Understanding the leadership landscape

The Chief Technology and Information Officer had identified a development need within his management team; a lack of formal management and leadership development meant that managers were struggling to meet the demands of ever more complex and business critical situations.

Utilising the profiling information collected over the previous years, Getfeedback set about analysing the specific needs of the managers. The profiling information told us about personality and motivation factors as well as behavioural data based on Behavioural Event Interviews carried out using the Schroder High Performance Competency Framework. Armed with this information we were able to build a picture of where the development needs lay.

The proposed programme

Getfeedback proposed a two phase approach: three workshop based modules with inter-modular coaching and learning logs to embed the learning and encourage a focus on behavioural development.

The modules were designed to focus on specific behaviours from the Schroder High Performance Competency Framework. The modules incorporated taught elements through which the delegates were introduced to key leadership models; motivational theories and management techniques.

In between each module one-to-one phone coaching was offered to support delegates with their development challenge. For each learning log the delegates were required to focus on the behaviours covered in the module that had preceded it. The learning logs encouraged the delegates to reflect on their management practice and the impact their development activity was having on their team and colleagues.

The effectiveness of the programme and the progression of individuals was monitored through submission of learning logs. The logs were reviewed by the Lead facilitator and evaluated using the Schroder High Performance Competency Framework. The individual's behavioural profiles were updated so that uplift in behavioural levels could be tracked.

The programme in a little more detail:

Module1: Knowing Self and Others

• Delegates were encouraged to understand their own personality and motivational preferences and to appreciate individual differences; and were introduced to a number of models of leadership including Adair's Action Centered Leadership; Hersey and Blanchard's Situational Leadership and Emotional Intelligence. These sparked discussion, and encouraged the delegates to consider their own preferred ways of leading and managing helping them to be more open to different ways of doing things. The behavioural focus in this module was Enabling Openness and Facilitating Interaction; providing opportunities to understand the behaviours, appreciate their importance and practice them in a safe environment.

Module 2: Driving Performance

• Delegates were encouraged to explore how they manage their teams on a day-to-day basis. We explored the behaviours of Empowering Action and Measuring and Monitoring Performance; discussing how they get things done and how they ensure that what they and their team are doing is relevant for the business. We explored Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People assimilating the concepts in the model with their current situations. We focussed on goal-setting; giving feedback and having difficult conversations through exercises that gave them opportunities to practice having developmental discussions.

  Module 3: Inspiring and Engaging

  • Delegates were challenged to really think about their impact as a leader. They were introduced to the inspiring behaviours of Influence, Building Confidence, Inspiring Communicator and were reminded of the Enabling Openness behaviour. Following feedback, additional design time was allocated to this module to enable it to be even more interactive, and challenging. Videos were used to demonstrate ideas and different styles of leadership and the delegates were challenged to develop a presentation that articulated their personal leadership brand. There was lots of opportunity to present to each other and delegates were encouraged to feedback to each other (reinforcing learning from module 2).
  
  

  Programme Impact

  The impact of the programme was monitored through the learning logs and through the gathering of feedback from the delegates. Through the learning logs the delegates demonstrated uplifts in the behavioural ratings for the behaviours focussed upon during the programme.

  Prior to commencing the development programme the average overall behavioural score for the delegates was 34. After the programme the average overall behavioural score was 39 indicating that most individuals had developed the behaviours sufficiently enough to uplift their overall score by 5 points. The delegates have reported that the development programme "has been a useful process and has helped with some of the situations that have come up since the training started".

  The programme also brought other benefits, as one individual put it... they "feel more confident now because they have seen that there are some very good people that they don't necessarily come into contact with all that often and everyone brings something different to the table". Whilst another said "I go and speak to colleagues that I have got to know on the programme whereas I would have emailed them in the past."

  If you would be interested in discussing a bespoke approach to your leadership and organisational challenges please get in touch.