Moving into a people leadership role for the first time can be daunting, particularly if you come from a technical background. That is precisely the predicament one of our global clients found themselves in. A diverse organisation with a broad geographical footprint, this client has deep involvement in the energy sector. As climate developments continue, they have to be increasingly agile to adapt. Naturally, the pushes learning to the forefront as a strategic priority for future growth.
Becoming responsible for other people for the very first time is a challenge in itself. With many of their new junior leaders having no prior experience or training, the client understood that developing their fundamental skills was crucial to their success. Therefore, a global leadership journey was required. It needed to focus on management development approaches, along with tools and skills to achieve the organisation’s objectives. The biggest obstacle to the programme’s success was that it needed to exist virtually, to encompass teams from across the globe.
Flexible, Global Management Development
Alchemist designed and delivered a learning journey that did just that. Although primarily targeting junior leaders, the 16-week programme was open to all leaders. Sessions ranged from between 60-150 minutes to keep the learning experience fresh and unpredictable, boosting engagement. The programme was made up of learning input from subject matter experts, actor-led roleplay, one-to-one coaching, e-learning, video and self-led learning resources. These were all curated and housed within Alchemist’s Learning Journey App.
These sessions, incorporating a balance of theory and practical skill-building, covered an array of topics rooted in developing soft skills, such as:
- Building trust & psychological safety
- Delegation
- Coaching
- Communication
The programme also incorporated some virtual DE&I sessions. These aimed to develop participants’ understanding of topics like unconscious bias.
The client initially identified around 500 junior managers to target for training. Within this group there were a wide variety of language and cultural differences that required a flexible, versatile approach. To facilitate content in this way, having digital support in the form of learning apps was hugely beneficial.
The Impact of Remote Learning
Overall, this was a truly interactive programme that saw high registration numbers. Participants remained actively engaged and showed high levels of satisfaction, at a 94% positivity score. Reflected in the learner feedback, the client commented that “it doesn’t feel like just another webinar, but an interactive masterclass.” They cited the sense of involvement as particularly energising. Further than this, there were over 300 video testimonies from participants outlining how they have applied learning and how it has impacted their teams. Outside of the participant group, other leaders in the business have actively requested to sign their teams up to the same learning.
A crucial element of performance management in learning and development is monitoring progress. To do this, we run end-of-programme surveys to assess learner satisfaction and provide clients with immediate feedback. Under this strategy, technology is a core component. It allows all parties – Alchemist, client and learner – to communicate and access data that improves understanding of how impactful the programme is. This client found the implementation of technology particularly useful in understanding learner participation and activity. The data we are able to collect through digital tools significantly supports ROI and engagement analytics. In turn, this supports future decision-making around learning strategy and budget.
Speaking to the overall outcome of partnering with Alchemist, the client said: “We’ve learned that we can pivot to virtual learning, and it can be successful, with a return on investment that is just as strong.”
Equip Your New Leaders with Vital Skills for Growth
Engage your new leaders with highly interactive content for virtual upskilling. To find out more about leadership skills development for your new managers, get in touch.