Motivating the Managers

Problem

A well-known motor manufacturing company had been suffering from a severe downturn in the market. A major reorganisation in response to this downturn had resulted in large-scale redundancies. Morale was at an all-time low and the outlook for the company was not at all good.

A new car was about to be launched and there was a feeling that if this model didn't sell significantly better than previous models the company would be in serious trouble.

It was correctly identified that, however good the new model might be, if the staff were not motivated and re-energised the company's prospects would be truly bleak.

Solution

We decided that this was an essentially human problem, the solution to which was a series of courses to be run for all managers throughout the UK. Those issues which we needed to address were as follows:

1. Stress Management. This was the first issue to be addressed because it dealt with how to handle the extreme pressure then being experienced by the managers.


2. Motivation. This was the second ingredient because it enabled the managers to understand their self-motivation in order to give them a clearer idea of the drivers of their behaviour. One cannot motivate others without first understanding what motivates oneself.


3. Time Management. The emphasis of this was on setting priorities and being able to see daily tasks in a wider context.


4. Attitude. By addressing each of the issues of Stress Management, Motivation and Time Management we were able to make a radical change to the attitude of the managers into one of enthusiasm, energy, commitment and renewed hope.

Result

There is a new sense of purpose and commitment among the managers as a result of which the new model has indeed sold well reviving the fortunes of the company.

Customer Comments

"Most productive course I have ever sat. Excellent training style and attention given by the trainer. Very impressive."
MG. Team Leader

"Many thanks for an informative, interesting, relevant, well-prepared and well-presented course." 
DB. Area Sales Manager

"Best course to date."
JV. Zone Sales Leader

Restructuring - The Human Factor

Problem

A well-known Government department was facing large-scale redundancies as a result of possible restructuring. There was a general air of nervousness among those whose jobs were at risk and a lack of confidence in their employability. This was impacting on their effectiveness at work and creating a climate of despondency.

Solution

In order to restore confidence in the workforce it was decided to offer courses on how to write effective CVs and how to succeed at job interviews. These courses were offered to the whole organisation on a voluntary basis to be run throughout the country.

The courses were in two parts. The first consisted of offering a day's course on Writing Effective CVs. The second covered the knowledge, skills and attitude necessary to be successful at job interviews.

Crucial to the success of these courses would be the creation of a very safe training environment where the participants could feel secure enough to make mistakes, whether in writing their CVs or in the interview practice sessions. It was also crucial to provide as high a level as possible of one-to-one tuition. The courses became, therefore, a mixture of training and individual coaching.

Although the knowledge and skills aspects of these courses were highly important, the most important issue was that of the participants' self-belief. This involved a degree of attitude training to give the participants the necessary confidence to both apply for jobs and to be successful in their job applications.

Result

The take-up for these courses exceeded all expectations and attracted hundreds of participants. Many of the participants were indeed made redundant, but they were all able to embrace this new phase of change with the confidence to apply for and secure new employment.

A further result of these courses was that the organisation concerned subsequently approached us to design and run two further courses, Public Speaking and Dealing with the Media. These courses are ongoing and are proving to be equally successful.

Customer Comments

"I came on your course on interview techniques a couple of months ago. Just thought you might like to know that after a successful interview at Lambeth Palace, I'm going to start in September as a Deputy Affairs Secretary. Thank you for all the advice and tips and best wishes for the future". (RC. Personal Assistant)

Losing Millions

Problem

A well-known auction house had learned the hard way that an essential element in maintaining market leadership is the quality of its publications. The company had learned, at its cost, that however professional its publications might look, all it needed for the whole impact to be lost was a single mistake of grammar, spelling or punctuation. There was a danger that clients with art works to sell at values of £20m-40m would take their works to be sold by competitors because a low standard of proofreading could be interpreted as indicative of a casual attitude which might also impact on the sale of their art works.

Solution

The solution consisted of meeting with the auction house to establish as clearly as possible what issues were involved in producing publications of the necessary quality.   As a result of the meeting and subsequent discussions a tailor-made proofreading course was designed to address all the issues encountered. The resulting course was delivered to the company's Public Relations Department and produced the feedback quoted under Customer Comments below.

Result

The result of the course was a greatly enhanced standard of publications produced by the department concerned. As a result of the success of this course it was decided to deliver it to the other departments of the company as well. This we did, with an equally high level of satisfaction.

Customer Comments