Client Stories

Client need

A multinational industrial gas supplier’s Asia-Pacific division conducted office and field visits throughout its regional salesforce. After analyzing its current ways of working, local sales strategies, and client interactions, the organization observed several behavioral gaps. To equip sellers to better meet clients’ needs, the organization partnered with BTS to design and deliver an interactive learning journey that would build sellers’ skills and mindsets, as well as managers’ coaching mindsets and skills.

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The solution

The resulting program would enable 120+ of the organization’s sellers and sales managers across six countries. The virtually facilitated program included two separate learning journeys, which were facilitated in four languages: An Account Manager journey, which enabled participants to:

• Meet with clients more regularly, aligning with their buying cycle
• Define objectives before client meetings, conveying value through conversational techniques
• Use a collaborative negotiation model, defending or escalating pricing when needed
• Resolve objections
• Manage the funnel
• Prioritize accounts and opportunities

A Coaching journey that featured 1:1 coaching sessions on:

• Setting clear expectations
• Assessing team performance
• Developing sales managers’ coaching mindsets and skills
• Go-dos, or action items to be completed back on the job

Throughout both journeys, participants experienced 15 virtual touchpoints.

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Results

The Account Manager journey produced the following results:

• Net Promoter Score of 89
• Facilitator effectiveness: 4.5/5 over 90 virtual sessions
• 99% (of 693) Go-Do's completed (a Go-Do is an action item to be completed back on the job)
• Participants submitted a case study demonstrating that they:
  • Applied at least two BTS tools
  • Won the deal
  • Tracked the opportunity on an internal CRM system
  • Total deal amount from the 87 submitted cases: 17 million USD!

The Coaching journey produced the following results:

• 80% go-do completion (of 119 go-dos)
• 4% growth in observable behaviors

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Testimonials

“[We gained] 35 new customers, better preparation prior to customer visits and proposition of the right product mix, [and an increase of] three customer visits per day after the program (from two to five visits).” – Head of Regional Sales Methods

“After the virtual training, [we experienced a notable] increase in entry on sales funnel. Feedback from sales leaders [shows] that 60-80% of the sales reps now not only seek approval on pricing, but also know how to gather more information by asking questions.” – Sales Force Methods Manager

Client need

A national pharmaceutical organization needed to change its leadership and shift its stance on consumer innovation. To achieve these structural transformations, the company partnered with BTS to equip its leaders with the critical tools for success. The goal was to align leaders to the critical capabilities essential to strategy execution, including agility, innovative thinking, a common sense of purpose, and coaching.

Solution

A leadership behavior development program, initially designed for just the top 70 members of the organization’s leadership team, was eventually escalated to 200 of its senior leaders. Paced over three leadership sprints, the learning journey consisted of the following components:

• An organizational playbook that defined the critical mindsets required by the strategy change
• A gamified simulation experience encouraging peer-to-peer team learning, vulnerability, and deep interaction across the region
• Virtual and personalized on-the-job coaching, featuring 1:1 support
• Peer-to-peer pods supervised by BTS facilitators

Results

The experience became a strong platform upon which the whole leadership team and CEO could role-model their expectations and reinforce them in the flow of work:

After completing the program, 100% of participating leaders reported that they strongly believe that they have the necessary tools to inspire change from their employees, and that they will strive to be better coaches going forward. By employing these new tactics in the future, leaders are committed to shifting to new customer segments, exploring ecommerce strategies, and adapting to the changing needs of consumers.

Client feedback

“The BTS program has been the most effective corporate learning I have had throughout my career. This valuable experience has shown me that effective mentoring can make a significant impact to me as a member of the leadership team.”

“I look forward to improving my coaching role within my own team. I have also improved my capability to address concerns directly with my leader, which has led to a trusting relationship.”

Client need

After receiving dissatisfactory results from an employee survey, to transform its culture, a Spanish information technology and defense systems company identified the need to improve employee engagement. Thus, the organization partnered with BTS to create a program that encouraged its leaders to develop new leadership skills aligned with the cultural transformation and motivate its employees.

Solution

In partnership with the company’s Executive Committee, BTS developed a Manager Playbook, which outlined the behaviors of a great manager at the company. The Playbook was designed with middle managers in mind because of their outsized impact on the organization and its culture. The company’s top 120 senior managers would attend an alignment session where they refined and aligned around the Playbook. Furthermore, the middle managers would go through a learning journey, enabling them to live and practice the Playbook behaviors back on-the-job.

Results

After completing the sessions, participants achieved auspicious results:

• Net Promoter Score of 72.4; Overall 4.8/5

The majority of participants reported improvement in the following:

• 92% of managers understood leadership expectations
• 94% recognized the impact of their decisions
• 88% identified the best methods for delegation
• 96% realized the importance of developing people
• 95% improved their ability to actively listen -- making an effort to follow up and manage difficult conversations with employees

According to the employee survey, engagement ratios improved both in managers and in the company:

• +20% managers
• +12% company
• +46% managers’ internal NPS

The overall company improved communication, generate alignment, team commitment and performance, and exercised more inspirational leadership.

Client feedback

"Until now I had not visualized the importance of something we do every day, giving feedback. Contextualizing its importance in a good use and its impact... furthermore using the tool has given a lot of value to this training. Thank you.”

“Undoubtedly (the communication tool) is a valuable ally to organize ideas and establish an effective communication script without leaving loose ends. In sensitive issues such as economic or compensation, this aspect is key.”

Client need

A multinational financial services organization was undergoing a vital transformation to become more customer centric. The change entailed significant restructuring and creating new, critical positions within the company. The organization partnered with BTS to design a learning program that would help leaders adapt to these new positions and enable them to lead the execution of the new commercial strategy.

Solution

The program sought to galvanize 20 divisional directors and 100 district leaders in charge of 3,000 branch offices and the entire commercial strategy.

The journey encompassed:

• 1:1 coaching sessions and short seminars between the divisional directors and district leaders
• Coaching pods designed to shift mindsets and create a foundation for a constantly transforming organization
• A commercial leadership program that simulated a bank’s district and the challenges faced by leaders, allowing them to experience and understand their new roles
• An Innovation workshop focused on Design Thinking to create experiment plans, which aimed to improve commercial strategy and customer service

Results

Following the program:

• 97% of participants completed their post-program actions
• 68% of participants engaged in impactful 1:1 conversation
• 57% of participants recognized the need to adjust their style from directing to inspiring
• Record-breaking Net Promoter Score from branches
• 70% of participants strengthened relationships with top clients
• 60% of participants saw improvement in business results

Additionally, 10 teams created action plans using Design Thinking principles and presented them to a committee. While only three were supposed to pass the final phase, 10 plans were ultimately selected.

By setting clear expectations, developing management skills, and stressing the importance of structural transformation, the learning program empowered leaders to develop their sales, leadership, and innovation capabilities.

Client need

The Portuguese branch of a financial services institution sought to implement a transformative strategy for human capital management. To support this transition, the branch partnered with BTS to create an implementation strategy that would focus on creating ownership of the change.    

BTS defined the key mindset shifts for the main stakeholders – Managers, HRBP, and Individual Contributors – required by this behavioral change. After receiving the training needed to shift their mindsets, leaders, equipped managers to drive changes in their teams. This transformation aimed to have a profound impact on employees at all levels in the organization.

Solution

BTS partnered with the organization to develop a program comprised of four sessions designed to reach 590 managers. These sessions were designed to gradually shift the mindsets of main stakeholders and enable managers to cascade the message to their teams. With six pre-planned Go-Dos for managers and their teams, which are designated action items to be completed back on the job, leaders and contributors worked within the platform, establishing a tactical plan to improve the branch’s overall efficiency.  

Results

As a result of the program, the leaders from this branch saw significant progress, including:

• 470 actions created  
• 80% of participants completed the program  
• 5,000 individual contributors impacted

When asked for feedback, 4.5 out of 5 employees stated that they would strongly recommend the program to a colleague. The employees from this branch also leveraged the platform twice as much as employees from branches in other countries, demonstrating the resounding effect that the program had with the participants.

Client need

Tetra Pak, a global food packaging and processing company with many long-tenured leaders, recognized that the mindsets enabling past success would not necessarily sustain it. Thus, Tetra Pak’s leaders set a goal: to become a packaging company of the future. To do so, they implemented a new business strategy that would increase its focus on sustainability, quality, innovation, and customer centricity.  

To bring this vision to life, Tetra Pak’s leaders identified the behaviors necessary to drive new directives, then partnered with BTS to develop its leaders. Together, Tetra Pak and BTS designed an initiative that would reach 2,000 mid-level leaders – a diverse group spanning all functions – just below the company’s top 150 executives. Due to their far-reaching influence over Tetra Pak’s more junior employees, these mid-level leaders were crucial to implementing a new future-focused strategy.

Driving the strategy with mid-level leaders

Despite being fundamental to Tetra Pak’s future, the critical behavior changes would not be easy to implement. The leadership team needed to shift from focusing on past successes to anticipating the needs of the future.

To accelerate the mid-level leaders’ mindset shifts, BTS and Tetra Pak co-created an immersive six-month journey with three key phases. As a result of COVID-19, the program would be delivered in a fully virtual environment.

A six-month journey to drive behavior change

“COVID required us to work closely with the client to reassess and redirect early on in the development.”

In the first phase, participating leaders used BTS’s Leadership Signature solution to explore personal leadership motivations, imagining the company’s collapse and formulating reasons for its failure. This activity helped build the case for change. After developing this understanding, participants identified their own personal strengths and leadership motivations, focusing specifically on how they could support Tetra Pak’s new purpose and strategy.  

The second phase of the journey focused on leading others. Participants worked to develop a “Multipliers” mindset, or the ability to get the most out of one’s team by amplifying individual intelligence – a concept developed by Liz Wiseman in her book of the same title.  

The final phase of the journey was devoted to leading the business. Leaders experienced a customized business simulation which allowed them to practice the new behaviors in a risk-free, dynamic, and challenging team environment. During the simulation, leaders formed teams and assumed the most senior leadership roles in the company, competing to deliver the best results over multiple rounds. This forced leaders to weigh the tradeoffs inherent to the strategy and make consequential decisions, overall improving their understanding of what it takes to turn strategy into action.

Due to COVID-19, the program was delivered in an entirely virtual environment, featuring LinkedIn Learning courses and Go-Do activities hosted on Tetra Pak’s internal platform. Go-Do’s are predesigned actions or experiments that would enable participants to act on their learnings, incorporating them from the journey into their workflow.

The impact

The Evolve Program has catalyzed substantial change throughout Tetra Pak. Exposing 2,000 influential leaders to the same experience disrupted old mindsets, allowing them to explore new capabilities and ways of working. All this has created momentum, and Tetra Pak’s culture has clearly started to shift:

• 98% of participants have applied their learnings back on the job

• 60% of leaders have seen tangible business impact following their participation

Client feedback

“The amount of honesty… in sharing with each other was amazing. [I] learned things about myself and others that I will reflect on now and in the future.”

“Shaping my [my own leadership style] was a great journey, sharpening my views of myself and [teaching me] how to use my strength best in leading my team.”

“[I gained] a shared mindset among leaders that have gone through the program and a new network of colleagues to reach out to and share, encourage, and challenge each other.”

“We can appreciate the challenges faced by [senior leadership], especially during the business simulation session… It is even more important that once you commit to a decision, then fully support it at all levels.”

“[I learned] to see things with an end-to-to-end perspective and focus upon cost and efficiency, [and] most importantly, to add customer value.”

“We can appreciate the challenges faced by GLT, especially during the business simulation session… It is even more important that, once you commit to a decision, [to] fully support it at all levels.”

“More smiling faces.”

Testimonial

Evolve [was an] eye-opening experience that allowed me to focus on what’s important and what my strengths are, [as well as identify] key levers that would allow me to inspire and motivate others. The bonding between the team was so strong; it was a year and a half [throughout which] we met every 2-3 months.

The program is an eye-opener, revealing that “I can do things at my level, without waiting for the company. What can I do within my department, my team, etc.” Evolve drives people to do things themselves without waiting for guidance from the organization.

‍- Elena Girardo, Tetra Pak’s Global Head of Talent and DEI

Client need

A multinational conglomerate needed to find new, inventive ways of operating during the pandemic. The organization partnered with BTS to design a global leadership program to help 30 of its senior leaders broaden their thinking, ideate solutions, and develop a greater capacity for innovation.

Solution

The journey encompassed two years of innovation training during which leaders developed new ideas to apply back on the job. With the onset of Covid-19, the program shifted to a virtual format. Participants continued to innovate, brainstorm, and develop the organization’s product marketing, all while in a fully virtual environment. At the end of the session, leaders presented their final ideas to the CEO and executive team.

Results

Over the course of two years, these exercises generated promising results.

One of the organization’s most senior leaders used BTS tools and methods to design and implement a weekly seminar-series for over 150 teams. The leaders then showcased their work-in-progress prototypes across engineering, product, and design teams, simultaneously racing to unveil a highly anticipated product amid the pandemic.

The CIO of the organization applied the tools to prototype and launch a digital portal that allowed its clients to easily manage their cash flow streams. Today, the solution processes billions of transactions per day from every revenue channel and provides predictive advances for future earnings.

Client feedback

“The approach helped us to ship a high quality, polished and cohesive experience [of the product] on Day 1 that with a well-considered user interface and blisteringly-quick loading times.

“Applying the techniques, which was scary to so many, resulted in a much stronger, supportive, inclusive infrastructure team. We proved that everyone can share an equal or appropriate load, and that everyone can contribute to making [the organization] a premium place to work.”

An international independent pharmaceutical company partnered with BTS to implement an ambitious new leadership framework that would serve as the backbone for the company’s cultural transformation, as well as all Human Resources processes.Initially, the organization planned to host the experience as a face-to-face leadership event in Barcelona, but this was canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Instead, the organization collaborated with BTS to design an innovative, virtual journey, leveraging digital platforms to create a highly engaging experience.To bring the journey to life, BTS hosted multiple events for over 250 participants at a time on Microsoft Teams, each with breakout rooms and two Digital Operators. During the journey, participants completed BTS’s “Portrait” leadership assessments that evaluated their strengths and weaknesses, and were both customized and mapped to the company’s leadership model.Before the event, all 22,000 employees competed a self-paced Swiss VBS module that introduced them to the new leadership model. After the event, the client entered a rollout phase which made possible by BTS’s “Get Togethers” (a digital meeting tool that acts as an event platform and cascade vehicle), sharing the learning experience throughout the organization.The virtual events and Portrait assessments were delivered to the organization’s top 700 leaders, while the organization’s remaining 22,000 employees took part in “cascade” sessions organized by local and regional management. BTS supported the leaders in charge of the cascade process by developing a comprehensive facilitator guide, and also by offering email and phone support.

Technological innovation and hidden talents

BTS successfully combined multiple skills, practices, and technologies across the business to deliver an innovative, high-impact experience at scale. The pilot sessions were well-received (see below), and all 700 participants submitted actions to take back on the job using Act@BTS, BTS’s proprietary email accountability tool.Ultimately, the program was a success – the organization seamlessly shifted to a virtual environment, with little disruption to the learning experience or diminishment to the program’s impact.

Program impact

“This project was a fantastic demonstration of our ability to work seamlessly across offices and practices in a virtual, ever-changing world.”

• 4.5 out of 5 participants agreed that “[they were] looking forward to cascading the Client Leadership Model to [their] teams.”
• 4 out of 5 participants responded, “I am able to apply what I have learned in everyday situations.”
• 4 out of 5 participants agreed that “The sim contributed to [their] understanding of the Client Leadership Model, along with how to apply it.”
• 4.3 out of 5 participants agreed that they had “a better understanding of the Client Leadership Model, and how to embody it.”
• Participants rated the overall journey 4 out of 5.

Over 1,500 cascade meetings were organized by the company’s employees around the world.

Client need

Kenny Electric, a middle-market electrical engineering company focused on project management, was struggling with the productivity and retention of its people, shifting expectations for contractors, and declining performance and profitability. Increasingly, clients expected project- and construction- management companies such as Kenny Electric to take on greater responsibility, accountability, and risks involving procurement and execution. As a result, Kenny Electric’s project managers needed to improve their understanding of both the contracts themselves and the downstream impact of executives’ decisions on their project KPIs.With the goal of improving the company’s profitability, retention, and reputation, Kenny Electric’s CEO engaged BTS to facilitate a workshop that simulated the entire lifecycle of a project. Leaders participated in a fun, fast-paced, and collaborative simulation to gain a better understanding of how to effectively serve customers by practicing making business decisions in a realistic yet risk-free environment.

Solution

Leaders across every function of Kenny Electric’s business participated in the simulation experience, which consisted of four key project-execution phases.

1. Contracting: In the initial phase, participants negotiated the terms of their project, and made decisions related to risk tolerance, terms and conditions, and liability. They then chose a leadership team and execution strategy. Each of these decisions would impact the cost structure of the project budget and following phases.
2. Design and execution strategy: Participants leveraged the principles of large-scale, complex project management by selecting different approaches for the execution strategy.
3. Initial construction: To reach the 50 percent program-completion milestone, participants practiced making critical construction decisions while experiencing setbacks related to subcontractors, procurement, and other challenges typical of large-scale construction projects.
4. Completion and handover: Participants completed the construction project in full, after surviving major disruptions caused by acts of nature, supplier issues, and owner-requested changes.

Program learning objectives

• Align an execution strategy to the contract.
• Manage competing KPIs to fulfil financial goals, client objectives, and basic safety and employee-engagement requirements.
• Understand how both the leadership team’s capabilities and the contract impacted the execution strategy through all phases of execution.

Results

The program was well-received by participants, earning a Net Promoter Score of 100. Moreover, it served as a capstone learning event that increased personal accountability and project-execution capabilities, enabling participants to better perform and execute projects. Client Feedback

“This was the best development program we have ever run for my leaders. Each scenario, discussion, and tradeoff was realistic. The program helped build knowledge and strengthen relationships, and the ROI was far beyond what I expected.” – Dave Pavelka, CEO, Kenny Electric

“Thanks to the BTS Team for coming out and giving an excellent hands-on approach to learning/training [tailored] to what we deal with daily. This class fit the mold for what contractors face daily and gave a better understanding of expectations.” – Program Contracts Manager

“While skeptical when I first came to the training, I felt that the presentation and format allowed my team to work through problems in a way that was representative of choices we would make [in the] real world. I thought the collaboration that we used to solve problems and make decisions was interesting and allowed us to grow as a team.” - Senior Project Manager

“I felt this could be a continued education [program] that would benefit the company as a whole.” - Senior Leader

In 2017, a leading global chemicals and sustainable technologies organization envisioned a cleaner and healthier world – both now and for future generations. Its leaders partnered with BTS to develop fundamental leadership skills for nearly 2,000 supervisors and managers, most of whom were transitioning from individual contributor to front-line leader. The objective was to equip them with the fundamental skills to develop their teams and lead them into the future, while maintaining critical alignment with the organization’s vision, strategy, and values.

This program would be delivered across 19 countries and in greater than 10 languages; to leaders operating in every environment, from offices to the manufacturing floor; and across multiple shifts. It was crucial that all participants formed a consistent foundation of organization-specific behaviors, learning to lead themselves, others, and the business into the future.

The two-part learning journey, called “Leading Delivery,” featured blended-learning solutions and a custom, scenario-based simulation that encapsulated moments regularly encountered by participating leaders in reality. The journey’s design was underpinned by a continuous learning loop and interspersed with manager touchpoints and self-reflection opportunities, all tied to business outcomes. To achieve credible, meaningful, and lasting results, participants were given “Go-Do’s,” or prescribed actions that make it easy to implement learning into the flow of work.

Initially, “Leading Delivery” was launched using two modalities of delivery: digital learning that leveraged the organization’s learning-management system, and also face-to-face workshops. However, a third modality, featuring virtual instructor-led workshops, emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic. Going forward, the organization now has the option for hybrid deployment, enabling flexibility needed to help  leaders working in different environments.

Fast-tracking virtualization

In response to the global pandemic, the organization made an early and bold shift by virtualizing the learning journey. BTS, in partnership with the organization’s HR and Talent teams, also redefined the Leading Delivery journey to ensure its effectiveness, efficiency, and adaptability. The content and learning objectives of the virtual Leading Delivery journey remained the same, as the original design and would have been delivered on Microsoft Teams.

The team leveraged best practices around neuroscience and adult learning to define a pathway of smaller, bite-sized virtual workshops. These were complemented by “skills labs” that focused solely on the practical application of concepts introduced in the virtual workshops. The journey also used the simulation’s leadership challenges and role-plays as means of practice, which they then built upon while facing real-life scenarios in the skills lab.

For example, participants applied their new skill of giving and receiving feedback by working in pairs, acting out a realistic example by delivering difficult feedback. After the role-play, partners provided feedback and constructive criticism; participants were then expected to apply these role-played conversations.

The team took the opportunity to supplement content that would support leaders in the current environment; providing, for example, additional resilience tools and context- creating learning debriefs suited to guiding their global and largely-remote team through a crisis.

Global virtual success

Due to the diversity of employees and working locations, there was always a need to virtualize the program. The onset of COVID-19, however, fast-tracked this need. It became critical for the virtual program to:

• Maintain engagement virtually
• Build networks across the organization
• Be the “stepsister” to face-to-face interaction, rather than second-best

BTS supported the digital deployment of “Leading Delivery” by:

• Working with the organization’s technical teams to seamlessly integrate BTS solutions
• Providing a structured flow  for the blended-learning journey
• Supplementing the journey with assets, such as animated videos, access to CrossKnowledge articles, relevant readings from GetAbstract, and BTS iLeads (self- paced simulations)
• Maximizing learning using platform features, such as a badge and point system
• Introducing gamification to engage the participants
• Measuring participant engagement

The impact

BTS provided the organization with insights into the “why” and “how” of successful virtual delivery, demonstrating an ability to quickly upskill and successfully engage with leaders in a virtual world. After all, this was the only leadership program virtualized during the pandemic.

Furthermore, the virtual setting allowed BTS to emphasize interactive elements of the journey. Instead of “sit-and-speak” webinars, BTS consultants facilitated active dialogues between peer participants, gleaning insight into leadership during 2020 and for all time. The successful delivery of a virtual leadership journey helped the organization reach its leadership development goals in a new environment, without compromising quality.

One aspect of BTS’s impact measurement included a follow-up three months after the journey’s end:

• Overall, 77%* agreed that the blended learning experience was driving tangible impact and outcomes.
• 91% agreed that providing clarity on the link between individual and larger business objectives had improved the way in which they developed people and managed performance.
• 72%* agreed that the learning outcomes were met.

*Average percentage from outcome data

Further affirming its impact during one of the most challenging times for leaders the world over, this program received a Brandon Hall Award, a distinction which recognizes organizations that have achieved measurable benefits through such successfully-deployed programs.

A cloud software provider was new to several industry verticals and needed to deepen its industry understanding in these areas. Additionally, the organization also sought to apply a consistent approach to customer engagement throughout the organization.

The company partnered with BTS to build a custom six-hour, simulation-based journey for each focus industry, with development support and facilitation from industry subject matter experts and Sales Leaders.

This solution was delivered at scale, providing 6,000 sellers with a consistent approach to industry selling.

As a result of the partnership, participants who went through the program closed 31 percent more new business in 2021 when compared with their peers.

An electronics manufacturing corporation identified the need to develop coaching amongst its sales managers. Like most organizations, sales managers in the company began as sellers, learning how to uncover customer needs, position their company’s offerings, and close deals. While they developed expertise and performed well as individuals, these skills did not directly transfer to being great sales managers. The organization also recognized that coaching was not an innate skill for most. Some sales managers were able to “figure it out,” but many more fell into traps such as completing their sellers’ tasks for them, rather than equipping them to do so themselves. To break this cycle, BTS partnered with the organization to build a comprehensive approach that combined a targeted training program focused on sales coaching skills, professional one-to-one coaching for sales managers, and mentorship from senior sales leaders.

A multinational agricultural organization partnered with BTS to develop a full-fledged commercial heatmap and gap analysis on its commercial alignment, mindset, and capabilities. To kick off the project, BTS built a roadmap, defining several strategic initiatives the organization needed to close identified gaps. This included a commercial excellence academy that incorporated change management and performance support. As a result of the partnership, the organization developed an award-winning academy and performance support framework, yielding measurable results across the whole commercial organization.

In the rapidly evolving pharma industry, innovation and staying ahead of scientific, technological and regulatory changes is critical. Leading change in this environment is even more challenging. A leading pharmaceutical organization partnered with BTS to engage its top 15,000 leaders globally, taking bold steps to help them develop resilience, gain new understanding of their impact as leaders, and practice listening, engaging and leading to accelerate growth. In small groups, leaders learned new ways to manage their own reactions and use questions to powerfully, respectfully, and productively challenge others. Each group gathering introduced one new concept that leaders practiced between sessions. To create accountability, leaders reported their progress on their practice to their BTS coach and their colleagues. As leaders brought these new ways of working into their team meetings and everyday work, the organization’s culture began to shift. Leaders now have a clear understanding of their impact and how they can improve. With so many leaders practicing new ways of working at the same time, there has been a radiating effect that has shifted the organization’s norms and expectations, as well as produced more productive actions and working relationships.

A leading financial services organization sought to create an engaging, immersive virtual assessment center experience to evaluate senior leader and executive job candidates – beginning with the immediate need to hire a Chief DEI Officer. To accomplish this goal, the organization partnered with BTS to create an assessment center leveraging BTS’s Virtual Individual Assessment (VIA) methodology. The resulting four-hour technology-based simulation mirrored the organization and its senior leader roles, enabling candidates to demonstrate their capabilities while obtaining a realistic preview of the job and organization. The simulation was augmented with a 60-minute career accomplishment interview, a personality assessment, and a cognitive ability assessment. Following the first successful implementation of the assessment to select a new Chief DEI Officer, the organization’s newest leader benefited from a six-month executive coaching engagement with BTS, which helped them acclimate to their new role and organization.

Client need

Facing major competition for the first time in its 150-year history, the marketplace for a leading North American mine site was changing. Disruptive new movers and changing customer demand was challenging the status quo. Potential growth from sustainable and renewable technology was creating a new opportunity, and the site needed to quickly adapt to realize the benefits. To do so, teams needed to deliver even more value and productivity, while keeping a focus on safety.

The organization partnered with BTS to bring the transformation to life, using coaching to drive improvement in safety, productivity, and team engagement.

The solution

As part of a global mining giant, the North American mine sought to align its leader development with its global counterparts. This meant ensuring every single Superintendent, Supervisor and Leader had the BTS Leader as Coach experience.

Rather than simply providing frameworks and checklists to the site’s leadership teams, BTS equipped each team with the mindset and capabilities to lead as a Coach.

The experience transformed the leaders’ approach, enabling them to deliver coaching in the flow of their work. The solution targeted both the mindsets and capabilities required for change. While it was designed to keep in mind core safety and procedural coaching moments, the solution focused on how each leader could have a great coaching conversation every day, giving and receiving frequent feedback. Fundamentally it focused on how leaders could drive high impact coaching conversations, create behavior change in others, and support powerful safety engagements.

To bring this transformation to life, each leader completed work in advance of the program and was assigned work to be completed on the job. In addition, all levels of leaders would complete group work with colleagues, either face-to-face or virtual group. Through peer-to-peer coaching and a unique GM-to-Supervisor cross-functional shift, the experience breaks down old silos and hierarchy, which enable the culture shift.

Beyond this, leaders went through leader-led sessions to learn how to apply the learning to their teams and monthly learning sessions with colleagues across the site to review changes with rituals and safety procedures in order to drive and sustain change.

Results

Leaders who went through the experience felt with 96% probability it would improve safety, productivity and engagement on site.

Leaders who went through the experience increased their engagement scores (eNPS) by 13 – 15 points.

Engagement scores (eNPS) for teams reporting to these leaders increased by between 5 – 16 points in the six-month period after the learning experience.

• “Honestly, one of the best [learning programs] I have attended. Very interactive which keeps people engaged.”
• “Overall, I really liked the class and I received a lot of great tools to use in the future.”

Client need

Facing serious competition from Fin Tech firms, fast-changing customer needs, digital innovation requirements, and an old, slow, constraining structure, an international bank needed to quickly shift to Agile and stand up streams that would drive change at pace. This required structural, procedural, and organizational change, as well as mindset shifts for leaders and teams.

To achieve this goal, the organization partnered with BTS to devise a coaching solution that targeted mindset shifts at a deep level, creating a disruptive moment for leaders to accelerate the rate of change.

The solution…

The firm set a target to shift mindsets so that:

• Employees saw customer and enterprise success as the goal, not just personal and individual gain.
• Healthy risk was considered natural, and failure was an opportunity to learn and grow – a better option than playing it safe.
• Resources were seen as shared and owned by the enterprise, instead of seeking personal control as the only way to succeed.
• Embracing conflict and tension were considered constructive and creative challenges that led to better customer outcomes.

There were several experiences that helped to disrupt and shift the mindsets, which included:

• A digital, virtual, moments-based simulation experience, which helped employees explore specific moments when they would be challenged to implement new agile behaviors. This approach was team-based and surfaced the true moments of tension so that they could be addressed and planned for.
• Virtual, personalized 1:1 coaching to create deep mindset changes on topics such as engaging others, building commitment and support, influencing, personal authority, speaking up, and challenging the status quo.

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Results

The experience leveraged a control group to measure the mindset changes for those receiving the 1:1 coaching. Across the six critical mindsets the firm sought to address, there was an average 17.3% gain in the coached group in comparison to the control group.

Coaching groups’ confidence in their ability to lead and influence others increased by 11%.In the simulation experience the average score was 9.03/10, and 24 respondents reported an NPS of 75.

Quote from the leader of this experience in the bank:

• “Our engagement survey increased by six points. Our target was 77, and we exceeded that with a score of 79. This is a significant improvement. We have a highly engaged team and I have no doubt that this [experience] contributed substantially to the result.”
• “There is now more transparency in speaking up when things aren’t going right; we have really seen this happening in the last month. I attribute this change to the program we did with BTS.”

Client need

A global mining and heavy metals organization with a worldwide footprint and highly diversified workforce wanted to offer on-demand, personalized leader development in any context.

The organization was focused on creating vertical development and leader growth tailored to the specific contexts of the company’s many operating cultures. To do so, the company selected BTS as their global coaching provider of choice.

The firm identified coaching as the critical driver to make this shift because it meets a person where they are at any time and in any location, providing the accountability to produce ideal outcomes. This combination of flexibility and impact, along with the BTS approach to reporting and results measurement, made coaching the clear choice for the organization.

The solution…

Together, BTS and the organization co-created a suite of coaching experiences that targeted the most common coaching situations employees might actually face on-the-job.

To create these experiences:

• First, employees took a customized assessment to identify the key coaching moments where they needed to be successful.
• Then, based on the results of the assessment, BTS created coaching scenarios that addressed situations ranging from leadership development challenges to very specific transitions and changes.

All of the content in the coaching journey was tailored to the organization’s specific context and leadership model, which helped employees see how the coaching was connected to the organization’s strategy and drove global alignment.

To make the process of selecting a coach simple, the organization leveraged BTS’s global coaching platform. Employees and line leaders had the flexibility to pay for coaching in the way that was easiest for them, whether on a company credit card or via individual cost centers. BTS also provided single, global reporting on service levels, feedback, and results to make it easy for the leadership team to evaluate the return on investment.

Coaches were carefully selected for the organization and received ongoing psychological supervision, which was significantly above industry requirements. This ensured that coachees received the safest, highest quality professional coaching experience possible.

Employees consistently reported their progress through a dashboard, a process that provided deep insight into the coaching experience and development of individual and organizational learning.

Results

To date, 1,516 individual employees from around the world have received one-on-one coaching in some form.

Coachees rate the experience with an excellent NPS of +82.

93% of participants would recommend the experience to others in the organization.

Every quarter, individual and organizational insights at all levels of the organization and across all geographies and functions are reported in a governance with a BTS quality guarantee.

Client need

Amid changes in consumer preferences, an international casual dining chain needed to update its leadership strategy. The organization sought to reinvigorate its leaders, create more opportunities for its employee base, and expand its market share, all while preserving the best of its unique culture.

To achieve these aims, the organization collaborated with BTS to develop leaders who could bring this vision to life.

Solution

Working closely with the executive team and CEO, BTS and the organization co-created a virtually-facilitated coaching journey to help employees embrace change.

Leaders received the following forms of support:

• Ongoing consultancy
• One-to-one coaching for all members of the leadership team and other selected leaders
• Team coaching for the top team and some of their functional intact teams
• Trained HR partners who delivered powerful development conversations using the BTS 12 Shifts™ map

Following these development experiences, the chain’s leaders became coaches themselves in both one-on-one and team-coaching situations. They also learned to balance purpose and growth.

Results

Over the past few years, the business has outperformed its peers on like-for-like sales by +3.6%, delivered industry-leading margins, increased people engagement to 86% (+4%), and lifted customer satisfaction by 5.5%. These results are remarkable, especially considering the challenging state of the casual dining market.

Over the three- to four-year journey, participant satisfaction increased from 65% “would recommend” to 82%, and the chain came to rank first in a list of preferred casual restaurants.

The journey was such a success that it was later adopted by other divisions across the organization

“Going on this course gave me insight into the changes I have seen in my [Managing Director]. Rather than a series of models to use that I learned in a course it has become an organic way of working.”

“Going on Quality Conversations has saved my marriage.

“It’s been a valued, transformational partnership for us.”

Client need

A global professional services firm delivering risk advisory and insurance solutions to companies, institutions, and individuals was undergoing a strategic transformation to accelerate growth, increase operational efficiency, and prepare for the future. To succeed, this transformation would require investments to streamline processes and platforms, along with a shift in how people work. To improve operations, the organization had already segmented the business and reduced layers, attempting to drive simplicity, transparency, and distributed decision making across the firm. However, adapting to the new operating model would require systemic change.

The organization’s chief human resources officer (CHRO) engaged BTS to help jumpstart the strategic transformation. BTS collaborated with the organization to create a program that would align the broader leadership team, comprised of everyone below the executive committee, to this transformation. The goals of the program was to help leaders translate the new strategy into something meaningful and actionable at their departmental level, and also to catalyze the broader leadership team’s strategy execution.

BTS created a highly contextualized business simulation, including presentations, facilitated discussions, and focused training, all of which were customized for the organization.

Solution

BTS began the design process by interviewing 18 senior executives across the organization. These senior executives included the CEO, COO, CHRO, and presidents of regional divisions. They were selected to provide a broad representation of and perspective on the organization. The goal of this research was to define two broad topic areas:

The Business – understanding the organization's business model, the markets in which it operates, and the unique challenges and opportunities it faces.

The People and Leadership – understanding the behavioral and mindset shifts the organization wanted to see in its people, leadership, and culture.

Following the interviews with top-level executives, BTS conducted eight additional interviews with mid-level executives. This allowed for insight into specific business units and challenges referenced in the previous set of interviews.

Interview responses were distilled into a list of themes and organized into an “impact map.” The map defined the business impact envisioned by the organization and linked it to the knowledge, skills, behaviors, and mindsets the organization sought to foster.

The organization’s steering committee reviewed the impact map with the goal of gaining alignment on their key challenges, desired behavioral shifts, and key business results.

To achieve these behavioral shifts, the company collaborated with BTS to design a business simulation modeled after the company’s business. The simulation created a risk-free, engaging, and fun way to achieve learning objectives, and was composed of three rounds experienced over a two-day program. Each round had a theme with distinct learning points.Round one was designed for leaders to learn how to optimize today’s business in service of driving long-term profitable growth. This involved gaining an understanding of the business landscape, as well as familiarity with the decisions and trade-offs that such growth requires. Round Two focused on the client, becoming a strategic advisor to clients, and enhancing leaders’ abilities to execute. Round Three prepared leaders for a future of making long-term investments in order to develop a sustainable competitive advantage.

Leaders were divided into teams of five at the beginning of the program. Each team included participants from a diverse array of functional and geographic sections of the organization. The experience was composed of seven main elements:

1. Pre-Work and Introduction – Participants received a pre-start date reading assignment: a detailed case study featuring a fictitious company in a fictitious market environment. The company and market environment described were very similar to the organization and its environment. BTS facilitators kicked off the program by making a case for change, highlighting shifts in the market environment. Participants then broke off into pairs to reflect on those shifts and discuss what the changes meant for them as leaders. Then, BTS facilitators led a discussion wherein participants shared their reflections with the entire group.
2. Strategy Session – In teams of five, leaders came up with a strategy for how they would lead the simulated company.
3. Running the company - In their teams of five, leaders ran their simulated company by making over fifty critical decisions. Each team had their own designated breakout room where they would debate their decisions and enter them into a live digital-simulation platform. Periodically, teams would receive a “Wobbler,” which was an unexpected event that they had to respond to in real time (usually a competitor action, a client issue, or a talent issue). Their decisions impacted their KPIs and market share for each market and segment. Participants “ran the company” for three rounds, which represented a three-year timeframe.
4. Know-Hows – After each round of running the company, participants came back to the main room for a teach-piece or “know-how,” which were skill or knowledge gaps identified as needing to be addressed. After Round One, the topic was “effective decision-making.” For Round Two, it was “future-proofing.” Round Three’s topic was “feedback culture.”
5. Debriefs — With the entire group present, BTS facilitators reviewed the results for each team, linking the decisions that teams made to their performance. Each of the three rounds had a theme, and facilitators emphasized key takeaways related to these themes. At the end of each debrief, facilitators revealed where teams ranked against each other. Participants also received a report showing their team’s annual financial performance, along with another that summarized the competing teams’ performance.
6. Application Session – During these sessions, participants committed to post-program actions, recording them using an electronic tool. Following the completion of the program, participants received follow-up reminders of their commitments at a scheduled cadence.
7. Reflection Sessions — Solo reflections and team reflections were interspersed throughout the two-day program. During the solo reflections, which followed the know-how sessions and debriefs, participants reflected on what they had learned. After the “running the business” segments, participants reflected on their team dynamics. At the end of each day, BTS facilitated short discussions during which participants would share their reflections with the larger group.

To date, ten cohorts have gone through the program since its launch. Each cohort had 25 participants, all just below the C-suite.

At least ten more cohorts, each with a similar number of participants, plan to attend the program next year.

Results

Overall, the program was a great success. The CEO of the Italy division of the company concluded that the BTS program was “much better than any other session of its kind.” The CHRO and the executive team were enamored, and continued to communicate this in subsequent discussions. The organization also extended the original agreement to roll out even more programs.

In the application session section of the program, participants were asked to choose and commit to post-program actions related to on-the-job behaviors. Most frequently, they committed to actions around making informed decisions, prioritizing growth opportunities, and focusing on client relationships. These actions were aligned with the changes that the organization set out to make:

72% of participants stated or planned to have “tough conversations with colleagues about performance and/or with leaders about the business.”

74% of participants stated or planned to “focus on the broader client relationship and anywhere else you can solve risk for the client and align our value proposition.”

54% of participants stated or planned to “prioritize talent development, grow from within, and recruit externally when appropriate.”

Participant testimonials

“I thought this was the best training I’ve ever done. The learning from our team interactions was very illuminating. I loved the risk storming / pre-mortem methodology.”

“It was very useful for me, very genuine, and corresponded with reality. It was entertaining as well.”“The simulation exercise was an outstanding learning tool. I would be very disappointed never to experience a similar exercise again AND would recommend that our company regularly use the software to measure learning.”“The simulator tool was very comprehensive and intuitive. Enjoyed the cadence of mixing up sim time and organizational behavior group sessions in different teams. The feedback session was very useful. Excellent team of facilitators.”

The challenge

A global electric utility company with diverse, internationally distributed business units in a variety of functional areas was experiencing a shift in strategy following a major change in leadership. When the board selected a new CEO, she realized the company’s current business model was too dependent on technology that caused severe environmental damage. As a world-leading energy player, the organization had to take responsibility for its impact in the face of climate change. Her new strategy aimed to change the company’s function, from a traditional energy business model to a more digitized, decentralized, service organization with a zero-carbon footprint.

This radical change in direction called for significant adjustment and ultimate alignment in talent priorities across the globe. To grow the company and execute on the new strategic direction, the organization partnered with BTS to identify the right people who had the potential to develop into the next generation of C-suite leaders. The following challenges were linked to these goals:

Assessing for fit

1. Identifying what needs to be measured
   ‍BTS conducted interviews with subject matter experts across the organization in order to understand the organizations’ current state and desired future state. The goal was to identify critical moments for leaders within that future environment as well as the Great behaviors that they would need to be successful. These interviews helped to ensure that the solution was a fully customized simulation experience, representative of the global population, and aligned to the reality of participants’ future roles and critical business challenges they would need to navigate.
2. Evaluating who should be assessed
   ‍BTS co-developed a survey with the organization that helped them gather data predictive of potential candidates’ suitability for the program. The metrics included leadership potential, aspirations to become a senior leader, leader-readiness for the next career move, and previous successes and experience. This survey was then used to select candidates for the assessment experience.
3. Designing an assessment that resembles the challenges of the future job
   ‍Drawing upon insights collected during interviews, BTS created a five-hour virtual experience that immersed participants in their future roles. While running the business through four simulated years, participants needed to maintain a reasonable balance between income from the existing business as well as establish a foundation for the future. After the first two years of simulated business leadership, participants engage in three live video interactions. During these video calls, participants were challenged by a demanding boss to explain how they executed on their strategy, had to collaborate with a peer through a difficult interdivisional situation, and then gain buy-in for their vision from the attendees of a townhall presentation.

Outcome

After the simulation, BTS delivered assessment reports to the organization that decisively differentiated between suitable and unsuitable candidates. The analysis also provides details of individual strengths and development areas based on behavioral observations. The organization verified BTS’ fidelity by testing the assessment process with talent who were sufficiently known to them, to see if the results would align. They did.

The company also put “test” participants who received favorable results from BTS’ assessment reports on a challenging development fast-track. The first two dozen actual candidates, who were identified as future leaders, did not disappoint. The selection rate was about two-thirds. Currently, the details of the report and the contextual conversations are used as input for very specific succession planning decisions. For this program, BTS fully embraced a complex assessment challenge, creating a comprehensive solution that met the organization’s needs and fulfilled promises to select the right people in service of the new strategy.

Client success

"I really appreciate the interactive aspect of this simulation and assessment. I found it very realistic. The experience, even though it took four and a half hours, was not tiring, but invigorating and energizing. The very detailed observation of actual leadership behaviors during the simulation are a valid way to predict capability and future performance. I also believe that this experience is a fantastic foundation for developmental feedback that will drive future development."
‍- Deputy Executive Vice President, Human Resources, Global Energy Company

Client need

A global social media management company was in the process of developing a three-year growth strategy, and needed a partner to help align its leadership along the best path forward. Though they had already developed several growth strategies, none of them were bold enough for the highly competitive and commoditized social-media market.

"The strategic insight was immense. I really value the amount of thought and care that the team put into it." - Board member

The organization partnered with BTS to pressure-test different growth strategies, align its top leaders with the best-fitting one, and identify the key organization-wide changes needed to successfully execute the plan.

The solution

BTS developed four distinct working sessions for the company’s top 40 leaders, including the CEO and executive team. During each session, the leaders analyzed key strategic decisions from the past, investigated the social media trends of the future, and tested new growth strategies against these patterns and projections.

“There was no distinction between the BTS team and our team, which is what you want for this type of work. The flexibility, preparation, and the ease of facilitation was truly extraordinary.” - CEO

To start, BTS interviewed executive team members and used the resulting financial data to identify assess several paths for growth. Next, BTS put together summaries that drove working-session discussions on strategy, future planning, and hypotheses. Lastly, BTS created a custom simulation, or an interactive software program that models the discrete tradeoffs of proposed growth strategy. This prompted executives to debate each strategy’s effects on the customer mix, product suite, and go-to-market approach. These tangible outcomes, presented in a risk-free environment, informed decisions that led to successful execution.

Each working session built upon the previous one. From understanding how the business runs today (Session 1), to exploring future growth trends (Session 2), to using the customized simulation to both compare strategies and identify the baseline conditions for success (Sessions 3 and 4), all content contiguous and contingent on live data.

Results

Following the working-session experience, the top 40 leaders were able to both identify and align themselves to a growth strategy that was feasible (given existing execution capabilities), inspiring to the broader group, and, most importantly, would reach the aggressive three-year ARR growth target.

Client need

A leading automotive component manufacturer was undergoing significant change, reorganizing its operating model under the leadership of a new CEO.

To successfully execute the transformation, the company’s leadership team needed to develop their readiness for change, cultivate trust, and improve alignment, all while leading during a critical time in the business cycle.

To achieve this, the organization partnered with BTS to solidify a clear shared purpose, fine tune the operating model and bring the new organization to life.

Approach

A series of executive working sessions for 13 C-suite leaders focused on aligning priorities, creating a common understanding of goals, roles, and objectives, and exploring the key personal and organizational shifts needed to support the transformation.

BTS worked with the leadership team to:

• Create a shared view of the critical market, competitive, and internal operational challenges facing the organization as well as increased urgency for the work ahead.
• Develop the connection and confidence as a team needed to drive action at speed in a matrixed organization.
• Reveal the unproductive mindsets and behaviors limiting the executive team’s effectiveness as change leaders, and identify the shifts needed to become more change-ready.
• Build mutual expectations and accountability for ways of working that would drive performance in the new operating model.

Results

For the first time, leaders understood how their own well-intended behaviors were being perceived as resistance to change.

The team co-authored new ways of working and shared expectations for leading as an aligned leadership team and clarified roles.

The company is on track to meet their turnaround goal as planned.

"Where would we be without you, BTS?"

Client need

Over the past decade, a not-forprofit integrated health delivery system partnered with BTS to design and deliver customized business simulations to help its leaders excel in healthcare services.During the COVID-19 pandemic, BTS partnered with the organization to both modernize and virtualize their existing customized business simulation to meet the needs of the current healthcare environment. The goal of the simulation was to develop the organization’s leaders, equipping them with the essential skills for driving critical innovation and change.

The solution

To begin, BTS conducted in-depth interviews and organizational research to understand the company’s present and future strategy, business environment, and most critical “levers” for driving change. These insights were then leveraged to update the simulation content, as well as transform the program from its original paper-based format to a digitally enabled, computer-based experience. This virtualization upgraded the user experience, enabling more strategic discussion and teaching, and also improved application and results.This simulation allowed the organizations’ leaders to:

• Practice making trade-off decisions on key investments, and discover each decision’s effects on the entire business.
• Learn to analyze financial statements in order to make propitious leadership decisions.
• Determine how to improve the organization’s profitability, while still supporting its mission.

“I liked the discussion this engagement fostered -- definitely a great way to learn and hear how others are thinking across the system. I realize I need to spend more time with our finance team to understand the more granular level of the finance data. Thank you so much! I had a great time.”

Program experience

The simulation comprised of three rounds experienced over a three day program. Each round had a theme with distinct learning points, outlined at right, creating a risk-free, engaging, and fun way to achieve the learning objectives.The first round focused on understanding the enterprise from top to bottom:

• Growing the top line by managing membership through a mixture of affordability and service experience.
• Improving Quality of Care through improved processes across care settings.
• Attracting and retaining talent through opportunity for growth and education.

“This team is awesome, and I enjoyed experiencing it. Probably the most fun virtual experience I have had in the last year. Very organized, very efficient, and on-time. I hope we can find other ways to utilize similar experiences within the system. Great work!”

The second round focused on managing the system to optimize patient and employee experience:

• Maintaining a focus on our mission and balancing decisions to improve margins.
• Investing in and leveraging resources and excellence to drive outcomes.
• Investing in the workforce to drive employee engagement and patient satisfaction.

The third round involved creating momentum for a sustainable business:

• Capturing growth by responding to an evolving market and new partnerships.
• Investing to meet the patient needs of the future while managing total cost of care.

To date, 70 participants have gone through the 2021 program.

“I have so much appreciation for the BTS consultants that lead this simulation update. They were a great support moving the content forward and into a productive and impactful session. They also kept us informed and built a high level of trust, which was very supportive in this environment [COVID]. During the session, they provided energy and credibility, which was exactly what the team needed. Overall, it was an excellent pivot to virtual and important session for our learning executives. Thank you to the entire BTS team for making this simulation and experience come alive!” – Director of Global Leadership and Change

Conclusion

The health system determined the customized business simulation to be an incredible success. The feedback from participants has been overwhelmingly positive, and the program has a brightfuture, with many new cohorts of participants planning to join next year.