When a global consumer company realized that their popular leadership development program was not keeping pace with the changing times, they partnered with Pivot to navigate the complexities of future growth in a relevant and innovative way.

Corporate Leadership Program

Bringing a Well-Loved Classic into the Future

CORPORATE LEADERSHIP PROGRAM: BRINGING A WELL-LOVED CLASSIC INTO THE FUTUREii

The program was popular, and participants were enthusiastic about learning from the stars of the day. But the overall experience lacked cohesion and did not support the overarching strategy of the organization. Given unprecedented growth and the countless opportunities and challenges that an empowered consumer represents, the organization’s learning leaders realized that a revamped program needed to both align leaders to the strategy and convince them (and their teams) that the strategy was viable and achievable.

If they wanted to take the company to the next level, they needed to imbue it with new energy, introduce new perspectives, and develop a new format without losing the culture and values that made them so successful to date.

So, why hit the eject button?

With a renewed focus on global growth and innovation, the leaders of a

large multinational consumer company saw the need to upgrade their

long-running, highly regarded senior leadership learning program.

The old program had star power. Celebrity guest speakers. Senior leader

involvement. Plus, the company was at the top of their game and on the

Fortune 10 list.

Because parts of the tape were skipping.

© 2015 PIVOT LEADERSHIP, A KORN FERRY COMPANY

The organization trusted Pivot to partner with them in creating the perfect remix: a leadership development experience that would showcase their own internal assets, goals, and values, while adding meaningful external points of view, fresh ideas, and a compelling story line throughout. Further, it was important that the program’s messages be delivered in large part by the leaders themselves, so they needed a partner that would help create an enduring, actionable program experience.

Pivot started by listening.

By working closely with their top leaders, Pivot helped to build focus and craft the points of view needed to lead the company forward successfully. These perspectives would become the cornerstone of the next generation of executive learning programs.

While the company was enjoying unparalleled success, Pivot determined that the future growth possibilities were enormous. Their strategy, like many of their competitors, involved more investment and a focus on emerging markets. Yet, they were less adept than many of their competitors at navigating the accompanying complexities. Companies with a tenth of their revenue were already operating in five times as many countries. How could they enable their leaders to bridge this gap, understand the customers, and appreciate the dynamics of these new markets?

On top of that, what about their existing customers? The recent monumental shif t in consumer-driven innovation couldn’t be ignored. How would their leaders respond innovatively in the digital future? And, given the rate at which technology was changing the business landscape, what would consumer companies look like in the future?

A closer look

The solution was a large-scale, global learning program, closely tied to the global growth agenda. Spanning a two-year period, with three residential sessions in various locations around the world, participants learned about developing markets by experiencing them firsthand, listening, learning, and then taking action.

Participants spent each five-day session grappling with the growth challenge for themselves and for the organization. Pivot brought in external thought leaders to impart outside perspectives and push the group’s thinking, but they were deliberately limited to 30% of the overall air time at the sessions. The participants themselves – the organization’s own leaders – played the prime role in driving the conversation.

Throughout the program, each participant developed an action plan so both they and the CEO could see the progress between sessions. They then shared with the larger group what they had learned as a result of the work on their individual projects. In this way, individual learning was aggregated and mined for reapplication potential.

The action plans served as tangible illustrations of how powerfully the new leadership program connected to the challenges of global growth for participants. More importantly, the conversation regarding leaders and their ability to adapt changed throughout the organization as it moved into new markets.

Time for a new format

Pivot Leadership, a Korn Ferry Company, is a global strategic leadership firm that partners with leaders of the world’s most influential companies to help them lead, innovate, and adapt to volatile markets and changing industries. Our mission is to develop the best leaders for business’ front-runners, with the belief that leadership is the source of strategic advantage in today’s world.

ABOUT PIVOT CONTACT

Pivot Global Headquarters 621 SW Alder Street, Suite 200 Portland, OR 97205 Tel: +1 (503) 640 5335 Fax: +1 (888) 922 6301

info@pivotleadership.com www.pivotleadership.com