Case Study - Keelan Westall plc / Barbon Insurance Group
The Brief...
The business had a need to ensure that future team leaders and managers were identified and developed to allow them to integrate quickly and effectively into the business operations. There were a number of ‘rising stars’ within the organisation, but no clear way to develop their skills for future roles.
The required outcome was to develop the skills of these ‘High Fliers’, to prepare them for future Leadership roles within the business.
The solution: a planned programme of development for High Fliers, covering 3 key areas: Personal development, Leadership skills, and an Action Learning programme based around a business improvement project. Deborah Willis helped the client plan an effective selection process, allowing anyone who met the entry criteria to apply – the programme generated huge interest from staff, and those who applied had to complete a rigorous selection process, which included an interview, a presentation to Senior Management, and a written report.
5 candidates were selected for the pilot, and completed a 12-month programme which began with the completion of Margerison McCann Team management System Profiles, to identify Leadership strengths and weaknesses, and establish a personal development plan.
This was followed by a series of Personal Development and Leadership workshops covering a wide range of skills, including a 4-day Introduction to Leadership, where individuals drew up a ‘blueprint’ for good management, and developed the skills needed to deliver this type of Leadership. Further development workshops included (amongst others) Communication Skills, Effective Teamwork, Effective Negotiation, Project Management, Presentation Skills and Strategic Planning.
The third element of the programme, the Action Learning project work, ran concurrently with the workshop programme. Participants identified areas of the business where they thought improvements could be made, and undertook a project to carry out those improvements. They enlisted a Project Sponsor, scoped and planned the project, and managed delivery using existing business resources. The project selection criteria meant that each project had to deliver a measurable improvement for the business, and to be completed within a 6-month timescale.
Regular Action Learning Set meetings helped individuals identify potential difficulties, using their colleagues as sounding-boards, and offered the opportunity to explore project issues and potential solutions. This helped them to learn and apply practical project management, leadership, delegation and motivation skills whilst delivering a business improvement programme that benefited the organisation.
The High Fliers programme culminated with a Business Simulation, where the candidates set up and ran a simulated company, allowing them to apply many of the skills they had learned, as well as experiencing what it can be like to operate as part of a management team. They made decisions regarding location, distribution, marketing, staffing, pay, funding and many more, both strategic and operational decisions, that helped their fledgling business to an eventual profit.
The programme helped individuals to:
·Explore strengths and capabilities
·Prepare for a challenging role within the business
·Complete a project that delivered a clear business improvement
·Become more business-focused
·Think both operationally and strategically about business solutions
·Learn the people skills needed to lead a team at any level
Programme Outcome:
4 of the 5 participants were promoted to more senior roles by the end of the programme
“A roaring success! The High Fliers programme
is now being rolled out across the Group.”
Ashley Canning – Managing Director
The programme is now being offered across the Barbon Insurance Group by the Centre for People Development and is accredited by the Chartered Management Institute.
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