CUSTOMIZABLE
PRAGMATIC
EFFECTIVE
When Management and Leadership Development Programmes are designed around real world challenges, when they offer pragmatic tools that can be used intuitively, and when they get delivered at workload-respecting intervals, they deliver real value and impact.
Principles & Approach
During my time as a senior L&D Professional I've experienced time and again that the most effective, transformative and ROI-producing development interventions rest on three core principles - which have become the foundation from which I train, coach and consult with my clients.
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RELEVANT & PERSONALISED
Truly effective management and leadership development rarely comes ‘off the shelf’ or in a ‘one size fits all’ format. Instead it should address delegates’ real world challenges and be aligned with the objectives of their organisations. I therefore invest time to understand your business, its culture, and the actual challenges of those the development is aimed at.
INTUITIVE & PRAGMATIC
All SHiNE4 programme content is informed by sound, cutting-edge research into workplace behaviour, and rests on well-established leadership theories. However, there's little benefit in dwelling on them or moving anything abstract centre stage. That's because busy managers get the best results from tools and techniques they can apply intuitively; those that are pragmatic and easy to use in a fast-paced work setting.
BITE-SIZED AND INTER-CONNECTED
I genuinely believe that a series of steady ripples are far more effective than one big splash. As a result, SHiNE4 development programmes are typically delivered in bite-sized, focused and workload respecting modules (of around 4 to 6 hours) over a given time frame. Topics are usually interconnected, so the learning from one module gets reinforced in others.
And then there's the coaching
1:1 coaching is a vital component of high-impact development programmes.
It encourages, reinforces and helps guide the transfer-of-learning process - so that the skills and insights gained during the programme make a genuine difference in the workplace.
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From the perspective of generating results through improved managerial and leadership performance, a successful transfer-of-learning is the most critical (and yet frequently ignored) touchpoint in the entire development journey. If left unaddressed it is all too often the reason why your ROI is not meeting your expectations.
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The coaching aspect also allows me to personalise the learning experience, by zooming in on the tools, techniques and insights gained from the programme that have the highest relevance to each manager's own real-world challenges.
The Business Case
Most HR and L&D professionals will be familiar with the drawbacks of long, bulky development programmes: after 3, 4 or 5 days away from the office, leaders and managers - usually overloaded with new information - return to their workplaces, where the backlog of unread emails alone is often enough to thwart any attempts to integrate what they learned.
Insights from the (well meant) paper-bridge building activity, along with the theories proposed by Herzberg, Belbin and Adair, fade as one urgent meeting follows another. The shiny delegate workbook, meanwhile, gathers dust at the bottom of the drawer.
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It's quite likely that you're able to relate to the above paragraph - not least because it mirrors what actually goes on in organisations: according to research discussed in this Harvard Business Review article, if people go a week without applying new knowledge, they forget around 75% of what they learned - and only 12% of managers actually apply the skills they learned on a development programme. As a result, the ROI your organisation stands to gain is often minimal.
'Bite-Sized' and Interconnected
It is a fact that the human brain is wired to learn far better from a series of steady ripples than from one big splash. The SHiNE4-favoured 'bite sized and interconnected' approach allows delegates to absorb what they learn and actually integrate their new skills at work, before reinforcing and building on their success in the module that follows.
Intuitive and Practical
All programme modules are informed by cutting-edge research and are grounded in established leadership theories. But these are not being pushed centre-stage. Instead, the focus is on what’s pragmatic, what’s practical and what makes a real difference. As much as possible, I set the scene for ‘experiential discovery’ - allowing delegates to arrive at a significant lightbulb-moment by themselves. Which in some ways is like learning how to ride a bike - you tend not to forget.
Relevant & Personalised
Finally, I go to great lengths to ensure real-world relevancy by linking the learning with the delegate’s actual work challenges - an aspect which is further reinforced by the coaching element that forms part of the SHiNE4 development journey.
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The 3 SHiNE4 Principles
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I believe that, combined, these principles maximise the value delegates draw from their investment in their development, as well as maximise the ROI their organisations stand to gain as a result.