Leadership - Leadership and Management Development
Client
- BSS Group
Project
- Leadership and Management Development
Business, Background & Objectives
BSS Group logo
The organisation is a leading distributor to specialist trades who decided to invest in their key people to trade out of the recession. Their customers are industrial contractors, domestic plumbers and heating engineers as well as independent merchants and UK industry. Despite challenging trading activity in a number of their principal markets they reacted well to these challenges, scaling back the business where appropriate, but continuing to pursue growth opportunities.
The client identified the need to upskill the management team to trade successfully out of a contracting marketplace and to prepare people to lead the business in the future. This brief for upskilling the management was:
- to improve inter-personal and professional skills
- to have a better understanding of finance and financial matters with regards to a multi-sited plc business
- to be strong, balanced and motivational leaders
- to work effectively as part of a group (of peers) on business initiatives and be able to make business decisions as part of a consensus
- to understand the importance of and be able to demonstrate strong organisational, prioritisation and deadline management skills
- to be able to run professional and effective meetings
- to be able to understand and to demonstrate the importance of a service offering culture
- to have an understanding of strategic, tactical and operational change within a business and how manage / lead others and self through it
- to have an understanding of how what happens within the organisation compares with practices in other organisations
Above all the learning had to be closely and visibly linked to the current business requirements AND deliver tangible benefits for a return on investment.
In Detail
The key was to design learning inputs, which provided the tools and techniques for conducting work-based projects of direct relevance to the business and the individuals involved. Formal learning input was time spaced and integrated with requirements and progress of project activity covering:
- Understanding self and others (360 feedback)
- Getting organized
- Presentations, image and impact
- Leadership and communication
- Achieving excellence
- Project presentations to the board for formal acceptance into the business and handover – ‘graduation’.
The Result
As at August 2009 the first cohort has graduated from the programme with four project teams having presented to the board. Business improvement and cost saving projects have been identified and are currently being implemented. Whilst the real outputs will be measured over the next 12 months we expect the projects to add in excess of £1m to the bottom line profits of the company. Candidates for senior roles have been identified for the succession plan. Managers are now displaying the following:
- Thinking strategically rather than operationally
- Delivering professional presentations to a very senior audience
- Communicating effectively at all levels
- Leading their teams in new and dynamics ways
- 4 candidates were promoted either during or with 1months of the end of the programme
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