Client Profile And Challenge

• A global consumer packaged goods company with 169,339 employees, operating in 150 countries with over $94 B in revenue in 2022.

• This client needed a partner that had expertise in building emotionally intelligent leaders and exceptional outcomes. Having previously and successfully coached two of their brand management leaders, they chose us to build a custom, blended learning solution for their supply chain leaders.

The leaders were using high emotional intelligence, particularly empathy, with external partners and customers, but weren’t using the same approach to manage their employees. So, the good news was that they had the skills and capabilities. However, we needed to determine why they weren’t transferring it internally.

The result was lower team trust and “quiet quitting”, where employees were not giving their all.

Moreover, the COVD-19 pandemic was continuing to impact the global supply chain, which added an extra layer of volatility and uncertainty to operations and the teams across Europe, Asia, North and South America. Employee engagement scores were dipping two quarters in a row and business performance could be impacted if it was not addressed.

The Solution

We designed a custom emotional intelligence learning program for our global client that was easily accessed in multiple time zones, including EMEA, the Americas and APJC.

The curriculum was comprised of individual assessment to deepen self-awareness, group learning imparted crucial EQ skills including self-awareness and mindfulness, self-management and impulse control, experiencing and demonstrating empathy, and relationship building.

Assessment

The EQ-i 2.0, a research-backed, online emotional intelligence tool measured each leader’s strengths and growth opportunities. Individual assessment debriefs with a certified executive coach took place and action plans with timed goals and success measures were devised by each leader.

Experiential Learning

• Human-Centered Learning: Leaders learned in small, hands-on workshops led by a learning coach. A single emotional intelligence topic was introduced each month as a 90-minute, instructor-led, live virtual module.

• Emotional Intelligence Applied To Real, Company Situations: Self-awareness and mindfulness, self-management and impulse control, the three forms of empathy and relationship building were discussed and workshopped using real, supply chain situations and organization-specific case scenarios.

• Creating Change Throughout The Organization: To ensure that the learning was shared throughout the organization, each topic was cascaded down through three levels of leadership. Senior leaders taught mid-level leaders; mid-level managers taught their team members. Coaching guides and “huddle” materials gave leaders the tools they needed to conduct mini sessions with the managers and frontline supervisors on their team.

• Action Plans: The leaders closed out the live portion of their learning by meeting again with their executive coach. They discussed their growth and how well they achieved the goals that were on their individual action plans.

Self-Paced Asynchronous Learning:

Digital and mobile learning tools that could be was accessible any time were used for in-the-moment learning. Leaders tapped into these resources just before high-stress or high stakes situations. These practical tools provided real-time guidance in how to address the issues and opportunities that the leaders navigated every day.

Results Delivered

Groundbreaking Organizational Transformation

The organization embedded Emotional Intelligence competencies into its mid- and end-of-year performance evaluations. Leaders were now evaluated on their level of self-awareness and empathy, creating a ripple effect across the organization that raised the quality of everyday conversations, collaboration and leadership. This groundbreaking measure resulted in a company-wide transformation for our client.

• The program resulted in a 92% increase across all EQ competencies in 160 leaders.

• Employee engagement is on the rise in all regions, specifically attributed to deepened empathy and support by leadership.

• The program is now in its second iteration and will be expanded to departments beyond Supply Chain.