How we worked with Barloworld to develop their Sales Representatives, Middle and Senior Managers

The Results

The feedback across participants and their managers has been exceptional.

Emotional intelligence notably increased and transformed the way participants lead and live. The results showed themselves in the final EQ scores as well as the quality of the group ALPs. The ALPs encouraged them to really solve core business problems or capitalise on opportunities. Most groups did such thorough research and compiled such comprehensive business cases (going as far as to outline – in detail – how to implement the suggested solutions) that their solutions met with exec approval.

The Feedback

Across 46 survey responses, the learning experience is rated extremely favourably.

Scientific Research Results

from Dr Sharon’s PhD findings

Impact on the individual

Of the 46 participants who completed the holistic development intervention during this study, 43 showed an increased EQ score after the intervention. Those whose scores did not increase either already had a healthy EQ score pre-intervention or extenuating circumstances that resulted in a slight decrease. None of the decreased scores were statistically significant but the average increase in the overall post-assessment scores was 12.26 points. Statistically this is considered to be a very significant increase.

The research also highlighted that the participants experienced the holistic development programme as life changing (this was expressed by 42 participants). They spoke less about the content of the programme and more about how they had used the content and how their lives had changed since attending the intervention. They became more self-aware, better able to manage and express their emotions, and more effective in both their personal and professional lives. The quality of their relationships and the results they achieved in all spectrums of their lives also significantly increased. This was a result of their increased awareness, expanded worldview and application of various learning tools. The participants expressed feeling more like themselves and “more me.” All participants also shared that the programme had developed them as leaders (this was echoed by their managers) and 14 have been promoted since completing the programme.

There was an overarching theme from all participants of taking responsibility for their lives (including “thoughts, actions and outcomes”) but the ways in which that showed up were very different for each participant. For some it meant speaking up confidently, for others it was saying no, while others it was pausing and waiting before responding when they felt intense emotion. In other words, their learning paths were very different, and each participant was impacted by the holistic development intervention in a different way that was suited and appropriate for their development need. Furthermore, participants shared that this holistic development programme had started them on a lifelong journey and that the programme would have a lifelong effect so the responsibility they took for their development did not end when the intervention ended.

Impact on the organisation

After the holistic development intervention, the organisation gained employees who were more engaged, optimistic and who took responsibility for their jobs and outcomes. They also built better relationship with others and were more self-aware and other-aware and able to manage themselves and others better. Two employees received awards of excellence following the programme and managers interviewed (a year after the completion of the holistic development programme) expressed that the people in their teams were very different after completing the programme and the programme had been very successful in developing their team members’ personal leadership capacity. The individuals showed more maturity and professionalism than those who did not attend the programme. The impact on the organisation was that the holistic development intervention allowed managers to take new recruits to the business and “fast-track” them to promotions in either their current areas or other areas of the business.

Managers also felt that the difference between this programme and the other “quick-hit” training programmes was that it was run over an extended period of time which allowed for the concepts to be practised and brought to life in real work situations. The homework and journaling components ensured that after-classroom learning was taking place that reinforced the topics under discussion. Regular communication and coaching sessions with the facilitator between training sessions also ensured better and more sustainable learning. Not all managers allowed their teams to attend one-on-one coaching sessions with the facilitator, but those that did saw a significant return on that investment with one participant being promoted three times (in the year following the intervention) to a very senior position. Most managers also expressed that they would have liked more team members to attend the intervention to increase the reach and impact the programme had on the organisational results as a whole.