The Challenge

In the latter half of 2014, a large statutory body (2500+ employees) identified a critical need to develop the leadership skills of its middle managers. Operational service directors had further confirmed the need for leadership, both via employee culture surveys and anecdotally.

How We Helped

Partnering with the organisation’s leaders, the consulting team developed a 12-month experiential leadership program encompassing:

1. Self-directed learning with a focus on experience, reflection and improvement: The program emphasised a self-directed learning approach and encouraged participants to take responsibility for their own development. Participants were challenged to reflect on their own leadership behaviours and to analyse (with help) where and why their current ways of working were successful or unsuccessful. This process promotes awareness and opens the way for participants to explore new and improved ways of working.
2. Individual leadership objectives: Participants developed their own specific, behaviourally-based learning objectives and were encouraged to identify what they wanted to be able to do differently or better by the conclusion of the program.   The behavioural leadership objectives were an important foundation for the program. They allowed each participant to self-direct their participation efforts; they guided workshop content; helped to define in-role projects and provided focus for Executive Coaching sessions.
3. In-role (operational improvement) projects: Participants were tasked with identifying an in-role project to work on during the program. The majority of leadership learning happens on the job and the value of leadership development is increased when participants self-select a project to help focus their leadership efforts during the program. The leadership objectives determine for the individual what they want to be able to do and the in-role project provides the how – a self-selected opportunity to create their own, purposeful experiential action learning project.
4. Peer learning partnerships: Participants worked in peer learning partnerships for the duration of the program. Peers were encouraged to meet regularly and to challenge and support each other toward their respective objectives.
5. Executive coaching: Each participant had access to six hours of executive coaching in pair-partnerships. Executive coaching sessions focussed specifically on the needs and objectives of individuals – working to increase their awareness and choices about how they could realise their objectives.
6. Self paced, experiential modules:   A range of modules were offered for download. These modules allowed participants to seek out the content areas of most relevance to their learning objectives and to undertake experiential tasks on the job.
7. Collaborative learning discussions: Participants shared responsibility to host and organise meetings of their cohort outside of scheduled program hours. The focus of these meetings was on sharing the learning stories of the cohort, with participants being encouraged to share their new leadership behaviours and their results.
8. Workshops: Workshop content was tailored around the stated and emerging needs of the participants. Key areas of focus for the program included: managing change; managing workplace conflict and difficult conversations; holding people to account; performance improvement and innovation; building relationships, respect and trust; communicating effectively; delegation; strategic influencing; developing teams.
9. Emphasis on accountability and outcomes: The self-directed nature of the program emphasised accountability. Accountability amongst participants for their own outcomes and the need to take responsibility and accountability to give value back to the organisation. Participants are asked to measure the outcomes from their projects and to calculate the return on investment as part of their end reporting.
10. End reporting: Each participant prepared a report to articulate their leadership journey by: stating their learning objectives; describing their in-role project and its outcomes; outlining their learning story – what they learned; their individual achievements as well as the outcomes achieved for their teams, the organisation and for consumers; delivering feedback they have received about their new leadership behaviours and how they have improved;  and calculating the return on investment resulting from their in-role project.

The Outcomes

End reporting highlighted leadership and operational improvements including:

• a greater preparedness to challenge decision making;
• reduced sick leave;
• increased compliance with regulations;
• an improvement in staff empowerment and capacity to influence positive change; and
• improved employee morale and satisfaction.

Participants calculated interim return on investment from their new leadership behaviours and projects (partially attributed to the program and reduced by confidence factors). Individual results ranged from $8,013 to $143,087 and averaged $60,382 per person.

Our clients’ needs for confidentiality are understood and assured. Case studies are provided as examples of projects but do not identify client organisations.  Please contact us if you wish to speak directly with referees. Our clients are willing advocates for our work.