An industry leader in the commercial real estate sector came to us amidst the turbulence of COVID and WFH in need of a development opportunity for their top 100 managers. A dramatic rise in commercial vacancy rates and a long-term shift in how companies think about office space presented an existential threat to the company. They needed managers to be able to lead their teams through ambiguity and develop innovative responses to the complex challenges before them. They knew this would take emotional intelligence, masterful communication, and new processes for keeping hybrid teams connected and coordinated.
Ei designed and facilitated a 10-part management training series for four cohorts of leaders. Over the course of 5 months, participants in the program learned and practiced essential skills like: giving and receiving feedback, leading through conflict and change, and best practices for setting and reaching goals. The program emphasized an experiential learning and peer coaching model. After each workshop, participants identified concrete ways they could apply new tools and frameworks, and in subsequent coaching sessions, participants met in small working groups to share how they were integrating program content into their work. They celebrated small “wins” and shared resources with one another, and used their peers to troubleshoot obstacles when they arose. The program culminated with presentations from each participant on specific learnings and next steps in their development as leaders.
“This was different…it was so valuable to learn with and from other leaders in the organization.” Even though many of the leaders in the organization were very senior and had participated in numerous manager training sessions over the years, feedback from participants was overwhelmingly positive. The cohort-based model, coupled with the experiential nature of the program led to small but consistent breakthroughs, the adoption of new practices, and a deepened sense of collaboration and trust among the senior leaders in the organization.
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