BRANDON HALL GROUP EXCELLENCE AWARDS
Building manager capability at every stage
Silver Winner – Brandon Hall Group™ Excellence Award for Best Development Program for Frontline Leaders
Summary
A large global data and analytics organisation wanted to build a consistent pipeline of confident, capable managers across its international workforce – from people taking their first steps into management through to experienced managers ready to increase their impact.
Willow & Puddifoot began working with the organisation in 2020, initially developing its new manager population. Over the following years, the partnership evolved to include a connected programme for experienced managers, creating a progressive development journey that could support managers as their responsibilities and experience grew.
Together, the programmes have built management capability across multiple countries, creating greater consistency in leadership expectations, language and tools.
The programmes went on to win Silver in the Brandon Hall Group™ Excellence Awards for Best Development Program for Frontline Leaders.
Results included:
Increased confidence and capability at different stages of management
Greater consistency in leadership expectations, language and tools
Strong participant advocacy and year-on-year increases in programme NPS
A scalable approach to developing managers across different countries and cultures
The challenge
With managers based across countries, functions and teams, the organisation wanted to create a more consistent approach to manager development while recognising that managers at different stages of their careers need different support.
New managers needed the foundations to make the transition into people management successfully. More experienced managers needed to build on those foundations, strengthening their ability to develop others, influence stakeholders, drive performance and lead with greater impact.
The organisation also wanted development to support a broader culture of coaching, collaboration and continuous growth, while creating a leadership pipeline that could work consistently across a large international business.
The approach
Willow & Puddifoot worked closely with the organisation’s Learning & Development team to create two connected programmes forming a progressive manager development journey.
The new manager programme focused on building the foundations of effective people management, while the experienced manager programme developed more advanced capabilities to help established managers increase their impact.
Together, they provided continuity as managers progressed through their careers, creating greater consistency in leadership expectations, language and tools across the organisation.
Each programme consisted of six modules delivered over 12 weeks and combined:
- Experiential, highly interactive workshops
- Practical assignments based on real management situations
- Tools and resources managers could continue using in their roles
- Group coaching
- Peer learning and small accountability groups
- Opportunities to practise and apply learning between workshops
The approach was based on three principles: learning in the flow of work, development over time and support through collaboration.
The virtual model enabled managers from different countries to learn together, while the programme was also adapted for culturally aligned, in-person delivery in India.
The impact
Over several years, the programmes have evolved into a connected manager development pathway, enabling people to continue building their capability as their management experience grows.
Managers developed a shared language and set of practical tools, while learning alongside colleagues from different teams and countries created opportunities to build relationships, share perspectives and learn from one another.
Participant feedback has been used to continually refine the programmes, helping to keep the learning relevant to managers and the changing needs of the organisation.
Participant advocacy has been particularly strong. The new manager programme achieved an NPS of 77, while the experienced manager programme achieved an NPS of 84.
The model has also proved scalable, enabling consistent manager development across regions while adapting to different cultural contexts.
Impact snapshot
Multi-year partnership developing managers since 2020
2 connected programmes for new and experienced managers
77 NPS – new manager programme
84 NPS – experienced manager programme
Global delivery across countries and cultures
SILVER – Brandon Hall Group™ Excellence Award for Best Development Program for Frontline Leaders
What managers changed
More effective 1:1 conversations
More delegation and better feedback
More coaching and less ‘rescuing’
Better listening and questioning
Greater confidence navigating conflict and accountability