Fortune 500 Company

Situation

The focal point for this intervention was for the top 30 executives at this company.  The executive leadership team represented the best lever for improving organizational results.

For two years in a row organizational performance had declined.  The company was no longer listed as one of the best 100 companies to work for in America, its Employee Job Satisfaction survey results indicated a continued downward trend, and its ability to implement initiatives and execute effectively had slipped.

Some of “root causes” often mentioned were – the inability of top executives to listen, lead change, delegate without “micro-managing”, establish clear direction and priorities, inspire and reward worthy performance, and demonstrate core  values

Objective

• Provide executives with a practical leadership model.
• Give executives an opportunity to “practice” using each component of The Intentional Leader model.
• Encourage executives to use their new skills on the job.
• Insure the “root cause” issues identified above are addressed and solutions implemented.
• Evaluate the extent to which executives have learned the new skills.
• Follow-up to assess the overall impact and worth of the program and process.
• Calculate the impact (ROI) by comparing cost savings, costs avoided, or productivity gains to the investment made in the process.

Process Design

The design included fifteen learning modules delivered over a sixteen-month time frame with on-job assignments to be completed between sessions.  The learning modules included key concepts consistent with The Intentional Leader model.  Learners participated in experiential exercises; practiced new behaviors; received coaching, support, and reinforcement.  Learners were evaluated on their ability to demonstrate key behaviors and skills in each of the fifteen components of The Intentional Leader model.

Immediate Outcomes

Each module included a requirement for learners to record their experiences, reflections, learning points, and action plans in a journal.  Journal entries were evaluated to determine the level of learning taking place.  The following levels were used to categorize learning:

• Awareness
  

  Learner was able to articulate he/she was aware of a new concept, approach, application, etc.

• Knowledge
  

  Learner was able to demonstrate he/she knew the concepts, approaches, or applications presented.

• Understanding
  

  Learner was able to demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the concepts, approaches, or applications by identifying concrete connections to other concepts, approaches, or applications.

• Use
  

  Learner demonstrated the ability to use the new behaviors/skills learned in the process back on the job.