Leadership development programs are high in demand. In fact, developing new leaders is currently one of the top challenges for organizations all over the world. A recent LinkedIn report stated that 86% of companies rated leadership development as either an urgent or important matter and for good reason.
There are many advantages your organizations could gain from investing in leader development programs. And the good news is that many forward-thinking organizations are realizing the merits of not only creating leadership programs to empower their employees but also have clear avenues of measuring the impact of training. With over 20 years of experience in helping organizations unlock human potential, Infopro Learning works closely with some of the world’s leading organizations to create strong channels of organizational development and deliver business-aligned solutions.
Intrinsically, we are a Learning organization as well and every solution we create, is a learning opportunity for us to understand closely the impact of training and identify the business benefits it imparts.
Infopro Learning recently assisted one of the top financial organizations in the US by developing a leadership training program for their senior sales representatives. We used our strategic approach to create a personalized training plan that engaged learners and help them build necessary connections with their peers.
Solution Highlights
The employee development program was created for recently promoted sales managers within the organization. The highlight of the program was its three phased structure that including pre-training, an in-person experience, and post-training. Segregating the program into multiple segments created a powerful learning experinece and helped the participants take advantage of all development opportunities included in this unique offering.
Phase 1: Pre-Training
The learning experience was initiated with a virtual kick-off meeting by senior leadership and program implementation leaders to set expectations for all participants. The participants were grouped into select cohorts – to optimize learner engagement through personalized learning. During the virtual session, participants were introduced to members of their cohort in addition to program details and activities.
Phase 2: Face-to-face Workshop
The participants attended a 2-day in person training, facilitated by executive business leaders, guest speakers and in-house learning and development leaders. Senior business leaders from across business segments shared their insights on practical topics and tips. From creating a positive ‘influence’ to ‘creating an insightful pitch to a client’, this was truly the highlight of the session where participants had the first-hand experience of interacting with peer leaders and learning from them.
Phase 3: Post-Training Support and Continued Learning
Following the face-to-face session, the impact of the program was sustained through post training activities – where each participant worked within their respective cohort. An online forum was created to encourage interaction among the participants in each cohort. With practical topics on the discussion boards, peer leaders of the cohorts encouraged participants to discuss topics relevant to their job role and ideate on overcoming the challenges that they face every day. Follow-up virtual sessions were also conducted to get all the participants together and showcase their newly acquired skills through presentations and other activities.
The virtual sessions were also a platform for participants discuss and share how the program helped them grow. They shared how the experience enhanced their professional development as well as performance – by helping them learn from the best and put it to practice in their day-to-day activities. The program now continues to thrive, with the first group of participants becoming peer-leaders and advocates for the program for the future leaders if the organization.
The Result Highlights
The program was a runaway success. With a superior learning experience, 97% of learners reported that their learning was enhanced by the knowledge shared by the presenters and peers. 97% of participants felt they would be able to apply what they learned on the job immediately and they were empowered to perform. The learning event also equipped participants with skills to excel in their new senior-level positions. The average rating of the learning event was 4.39 out of 5 – creating a clear path for better results and operational excellence.
Developing the future leaders is more than a strategic advantage. It’s an essential part of securing the future of your organization. To learn more about Infopro Learning’s leadership development solution, download the the case study Personalized Sales Training for a Financial Services Organization.
