How Developing Inexperienced Leaders Impacts Organisational Effectiveness

How Developing Inexperienced Leaders Impacts Organisation Effectiveness

Darren recently completed our SLT Development Programme. We went back 6 months later to ask him what impact the programme had had on him and the business he works for.

"The programme has improved teamwork and collaboration, leading to a very good year. For the team, it has built trust and openness. For me as an individual, my confidence has increased, and I feel more comfortable in my role."

Firstly tell us as an organisation, what were the challenges you were facing?

Our business had recently been aquired, our leader and founder was leaving and we needed to plan for his departure. Additionally, we needed to bring the senior management team together to work more collectively and think outside the box. We were very blinkered; we knew what we were doing day to day but we weren’t thinking about the future
We weren’t ready to run the business without our leader.

What position would you be in now without the programme? It would have been a lot more challenging without the programme. As an organisation, we were more reactive than proactive. The programme helped us foresee issues and work on them ahead of time. without the training, we’d now be dealing with issues while trying to run the company. Many issues were dealt with upfront allowing us to find solutions rather than being reactive.

How has the programme supported the business and the leadership to change? The responsibilities people have has increased. Our new MDs delegate more and allow us to handle issues independently. We talk about what good looks like. For the business, it has improved teamwork and collaboration, We understand our strengths and weaknesses, how to interact with each other better and how we work with each other. We voice our opinions and receive feedback honestly. I’ve changed how I deal with and approach people, not just the Senior Leadership Team. This is leading to a very good year. For the team, it has built trust and openness. For me as an individual, my confidence has increased, and I feel more comfortable in my role.

What was needed to unlock the business? It was Lemontree, to be honest. We needed someone to guide us on how to think and work together, having discussions and facilitate us giving our opinions.

Do you think, without the programme, you would have come up with the same solutions? Honestly, I don’t think we would have. After our third Lemontree session we brought in senior leadership meetings. It makes us more collaborative as a company and a senior team. Now we think outside the box to find better solutions. Issues are put on the table so everyone can deal with them collectively. Everyone contributes to the solution rather than one person making the decision. Our strengths and weaknesses have been highlighted, and relationships have been built and strengthened, making us more vulnerable and open. The meetings are for both current thinking and strategy. This was not in our thinking before the programme. We’ve adjusted our schedules to ensure our meetings happen. It’s important to maintain the benefits we were getting from them.

As an individual, do you think you would have had as much input without the programme? No, not in SLT. The programme helped me elevate myself, becoming more involved with the senior management team and being seen more as a senior manager. Now I have to deliver on some of the outputs we have decided. It also made me more vocal and engaged. I had feedback that was helpful, highlighting areas to work on and how to interact better with my team.

How has the programme changed the way you personally work? I make more conscious decisions and use tools I learnt on the programme and I’ve designed tools for myself to help me plan. The coaching helps more than anything during the programme. I’m a very closed-off person but I was pushed, in a positive way to think. I couldn’t just say yes or no. Even now when I try to think in more depth. Also breaking tasks down into achievable steps rather than one big task, making them more achievable otherwise you’d never work on them. If I said I wanted to be MD in 10 years, I’d have said I’ll worry about that in 10 years. Now it’s what do I do over the next 10 years to get ready for that position?

What did you find most challenging? Finding and making time was a big issue for me. I learned to build time into my calendar to ensure I was prepared.

How did the programme help you prepare to work with your new parent company? It exposed me to people and built relationships. It showed us the tools and resources available within the parent company. Since completing the programme I’ve attended a leadership event, which was a great exposure.

What other programmes of learning have you done in the past? I’ve done my CMI, so I’m a chartered manager. Lemontree is more specific. CMI is very broad, and project manager-based, whereas this focused on strategic thinking and how to deal with issues, giving us tools to use. The CMI programme was very structured, answering questions with the right terminology, but didn’t teach me how to answer. Lemontree was tailored to the needs of our business, the team and my personal development.

What has been the greatest value in working with Lemontree? For the business, it has improved teamwork and collaboration, leading to a very good year. For the team, it has built trust and openness. For me as an individual, my confidence has increased, and I feel more comfortable in my role.

What would you say to someone hesitant about the cost-benefit of developing their leadership team? What’s the cost of your team not working together? The programme’s cost is small compared to the long-term benefits. Without Lemontree, we wouldn’t have had a smooth transition, and we’d be disorganised and financially worse off.