“There’s Got to Be a Better Way…”
Two senior managers from the private banking arm of a global financial services company relayed a fear of public speaking to a partner in Training & Development. It wasn’t that they were bad speakers; they just felt awful anytime they were required to speak to a group. Indigo Resources interviewed the harried presenters and created a one-day advanced skills workshop and day of 45-minute private consultations for the management team. All eight team members were enthusiastic about the training they received. They rave about the tools they now use. The managers’ direct reports are receiving the training. What’s great is that these bankers have shifted their attitudes toward leading groups.
“Our Senior Management Team Doesn’t Walk the Talk; and Our People Are Walking Out”
The two-person training department of a multi-media company saw a dire need for better relationships between managers and their direct reports, especially at the most senior levels. Starting with coaching skills workshops for these managers, Indigo Resources has brought development in other skills as well over the last six months: how to communicate tough messages to one’s manager, how to handle conflict with other departments productively, how to communicate persuasively as a project manager, and how to present information in a way that truly engages listeners. Now the most senior managers are asking to participate in future workshops.
“This Team Is Really Good, but It’s Not Tapping into Other Available Resources”
The manager of an IT department of a global bank wanted her team build stronger, richer relationships with internal clients and colleagues. Indigo Resources created a half-day learning program of practical planning for the team. It included assessing the value of current relationships; taking an inventory of one’s network for unnoticed value; simple, do-able practices to exercise beneficial give and take; and balancing time and energy for networking against immediate job responsibilities. This manager has effectively provided new resources to her direct reports, and helped them to increase their contributions.
“We’ve Got Lots of Activity But Not A Lot of Progress”
The training manager for a media company recognized a correlation between a high turnover rate among employees and a lack of management skills among managers – newly promoted and experienced. Indigo Resources assisted the training department in standardizing a management skills curriculum of 16 workshops. The workshops are built on 10 leadership success factors identified through an extensive survey the training department had done. Using what instruction and materials the client had already produced, we added models and concepts where needed, and created customized participant and leader guides for each workshop. This highly successful program utilizes language particular to the culture and relies on internal facilitators. Each workshop is experiential and supports action planning and follow-up. Managers are getting needed development, and ideas from the curriculum have become a part of the company’s lexicon.
“Our Internal Consultants Want to Learn Coaching Skills.”
The Organizational Development department of a major NYC hospital wanted customized instruction in coaching that took the consulting and psychology experience of its staff into account. Indigo Resources designed such a program. Staff members met over 4 weeks for one half-day each week, learning coaching theory and models, and mostly, practicing and receiving feedback. They now have additional tools to employ when addressing their clients’ many needs.