After the success of the Leadership Program for their Accounting department, Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) requested we build a program to support the development of individual contributors.
The goal was for task-focused employees to shift their perspective and consider work in terms of its impact on the business and to take ownership in determining and executing the best way to get their work done.
Because these participants are busy, we wanted to make sure the learning didn’t get lost in the busy-ness of the day to day. So, we created lots of opportunities to interact with the content. Over the course of a year, participants attend 11 three-hour interactive classroom sessions, and 11 peer-led meetings to discuss their progress and hold each other accountable. They also have the opportunity to engage with cross-functional mentors who are ready to support their development. Plus, we included a variety of activities to help them grow personally and as a cohort.
It might seem counter-intuitive to have a year-long program for busy professionals, but because the Executive Sponsor was committed to developing their team and achieving sustained behavior change, learning was made a priority. We suggested, and they agreed, that real behavior change takes time and must be supported with as many opportunities as possible to apply learning back on the job.
- Prior to each classroom session, we ask participants to complete activities to prepare them for the work they’ll do in the session.
- Each session’s curriculum builds upon the last and is centered around four main themes:
- perspective
- purpose
- people
- change
- Participants build their own personalized, comprehensive work plan with activities, notes, and job aids along the way.
What I learned is to always think about my stakeholders perspective and expectations. This means that I need to talk to them and align which I think is really important for the success of my projects.