We are accomplished learning facilitators and experienced executive managers and bring credibility to the learning and coaching processes.  The success of our programs is widely credited to our credibility which derives in part from our backgrounds as professional managers and leaders, rather than trainers.

We have a long history designing and facilitating leadership and management development programs and this aspect of our work was the initial impetus for our group coming together.  At the heart of our design are the needs of our clients be they for one-off zoom delivered short workshops or face-to-face longitudinal programs.

Longitudinal Programs

In the early 2000s we designed a longitudinal leadership and management development program that drew on our own lengthy experience both managing and facilitating groups.   It struck a chord with leaders and managers.   The program was action learning based, highly participative and designed to enhance managers’ skills and validate the people management elements of their roles.  

That program, the Practical People Management (PPM) – Managing with Confidence Program, originally designed for the public sector, has been hugely popular and effective.  Our group has delivered PPM and our ‘second generation’ Programs based on the fundamental principles utilised in PPM to more than 3000 managers.  Confident People Management (CPM), a second generation program is targeted at senior middle level and executive level managers, and is equally effective and popular with experienced leaders and managers from all sectors.

Our longitudinal action-learning based Programs typically consist of:

• workshops (face-to-face or zoom) delivered over a period of time (generally between four and six months;
• on-the-job use and practice of the people leadership and management skills discussed and tried during the workshops;
• on-the-job coaching and support from the program facilitators; and
• undertaking of a workplace Project (incorporating some people management aspects) chosen by the participant in conjunction with their boss.

Each of our programs is tailored to the relevant organisational context, recognises the existing knowledge and skills of the participant managers and focuses on developing or further developing workplace‑relevant skills identified by participants as important.   We involve and engage bosses of program participants to ensure we understand the learning needs they see for their participants and foster their support of participants in the workplace to maximise transfer of learning.  

On two occasions our longitudinal programs have been independently evaluated.  In 2004/2005 the University of Queensland’s longitudinal study of ten PPM programs delivered in four different agencies showed that it was successful in developing and enhancing participants’ skills and confidence in the longer term.  The evaluation identified good transfer of learning.  A similar independently conducted longitudinal study (2010/2012) of seventeen of our Programs delivered within one Government agency by Griffith University showed equally effective results and longer-term transfer of learning.

Benefits

Participants in our longitudinal programs consistently report increased understanding of, confidence in and enthusiasm for their people management roles.  Client organisations report more competent, confident and engaged management of people, resulting in:

• Improved operational effectiveness and program outcomes;
• Better quality team-work and team leadership;
• More motivated and committed staff;
• A positive feedback and performance correction environment;
• Fewer time-consuming and unsolvable people management cases;
• Fewer mismanaged cases and better judgement calls on the part of their managers; and
• Increased efficiencies resulting from innovative action learning projects undertaken by program participants.

Clients conducting in-house longitudinal programs frequently incorporate consideration of governance, planning, executive leadership team effectiveness, organisational culture and other strategic issues into their Program. 

The individual coaching, support and encouragement we provide to participants between face-to-face workshops day is critical in helping step them past their self-confidence barriers to try new ways