How to create a leadership development program in your organization that goes beyond traditional training.

Industry

Health care

Business Challenge

Hospital executives noticed they had a number of nurses moving into management positions without any formal leadership training. While some of the new managers had good supervisory skills, others struggled in their roles. The executives noticed the gap between skill in nursing and managerial capabilities and asked Price Associates to help.

In general, there are five to seven competencies that leaders need to master—and then everything else falls into place. These competencies can be organized into three categories: (1) Thinking things through clearly and making good decisions, (2) Getting things done and personal accountability, and (3) Connecting with and through other people

– Ron Price, CEO, Price Associates

Solution

  • Create a one-year leadership development program for people in supervisory roles, which included targeted, quarterly full-day training sessions
  • Provide a learning environment with ongoing momentum
  • Help the individuals better understand and develop their leadership capacities in relation to their specific roles
  • Individually complete the TriMetrix® HD Talent assessment, which maps talent patterns in three different dimensions: behaviors, motivators and cognitive structure
  • Have each leader fill out a self-assessment of their mastery of 25 different leadership competencies

Since there were several people needing similar training, Price Associates worked with the entire group to strengthen leadership skills, rather than working with one manager at a time, and saved the organization time and money.

The first session focused on identifying the biggest issues the group faced and determining the focus of the yearlong development program. Price Associates took the leaders through 25 leadership competencies and identified the areas that were of crucial importance. The training then focused on helping leaders master the key competencies they identified as important to their work at the hospital; this was accomplished through coaching, online learning modules, and group projects and presentations, among other learning modalities. Participants found incredibly creative ways to present and teach simple concepts, including skits, songs and other creative approaches. By teaching these concepts to the group—rather than passively learning them—the nurses not only understood the competencies more fully, but they also became more engaged in the learning process.

During the yearlong leadership development training program, Price Associates also:

  • Individually walked leaders through their personality talent profiles in detail to help them understand their behavior styles, strengths and weaknesses; communicate more effectively; and become more aware of the differences in others
  • Taught the leaders what people are motivated by so they could align their work and management style in a way that motivates their teams and eliminates conflict
  • Worked with the group to identify and define the key results that reflect superior performance in each of their jobs and then list the activities, traits and competencies necessary to achieve those results
  • Taught Acumen Capacities and Cognitive Structures to help show how biases affect decision-making and judgment, with a focus on teaching the leaders to be more intentional and aware when making decisions
  • Reviewed Emotional Intelligence reports to help individuals gain a better understanding of intrapersonal skills: self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy and motivations
  • Set up peer coaching relationships so trainees could help each other between sessions and be mutually accountable for growth within the program and beyond

Each session provided the leaders with opportunities for personal development, great conversations and teamwork—all with a focus on developing leadership competencies. Ron Price (Price Associates) was available for one-on-one coaching sessions throughout the entire process, and there was regular communication between Price Associates and the group, along with periodic checkups with the sponsor of the program.

Results

  • Participants gave feedback that the leadership program was terrific because it included many different learning methodologies and modalities (self-assessment, psychometrics, lecturing, teamwork, peer coaching, etc.)
  • The group saw a positive change in their leadership abilities and felt the program gave them the tools to sustain that change
  • The participants had a desire to continue to build upon what they had learned and further improve their skills
  • Communication within the group and with their subordinates improved dramatically
  • Individuals were empowered with the tools to handle difficult situations, resulting in less team conflict and quicker resolution of workplace issues

Working with Price Associates helped the individuals in the program gain clarity about the activities, traits and competencies needed in themselves and their subordinates in order to produce key results. There was also a notable increase in personal accountability, and the hospital executives noticed that the nurses’ leadership abilities dramatically improved.

Previously Featured Clients