Our impact

Lifting leadership to drive strategy and cultural change

Tailored leadership development programs deliver over 30% capability uplift and significant cultural change for large accounting and advice firm.

The Challenge

We were engaged by one of Australia’s largest accounting and advice firms to build the leadership capability of their middle and junior managers, recognising the critical role they play in driving performance and building culture at the customer face. Having grown rapidly following a period of significant acquisition, the organisation needed all parts of the business to consolidate, align and integrate to leverage the value of their investments.

Our Approach

Due to the firm’s geographic dispersion (a network of 80 offices around Australia and New Zealand), our challenge was to design and build a program which was scalable, could be delivered in multiple locations, met budget requirements yet still got the traction and behavioural change needed. Following in-depth research and diagnosis, we developed two longitudinal programs specifically tailored for the needs of each management level. The programs were held over four and three months respectively, incorporated consecutive face to face workshop days, group coaching sessions plus other enabling structures such as leadership goals, line manager support and learning partners. Specific content was chosen to meet the needs of the business and different leadership levels. We took the programs ‘to the people’ by delivering in locations of closest proximity and ran group coaching sessions over the phone.

The Impact

Over 550 people have participated in the 24 programs we have run since the program started. The impact on both the culture and capability has been significant. Robust pre and post program assessments have shown a capability uplift of over 32% (self rated) and 30% (manager rated). Other benefits include a common language for leadership, accelerating the progression of high potential leaders, engaging and retaining key leaders, increased engagement and a more agile and receptive culture where “things can get done a lot more quickly”. The fundamentals of managing people right are now firmly in place resulting in a reduction in formal complaints and improved performance management. In addition, leadership teams, not just the individuals themselves, are more capable and there is a strengthened interconnectedness between people and different parts of the business.