Leadership development at Ageras – from specialist to leader

Ageras at the time of the programme

Ageras was growing rapidly internationally and was building its Learning & Development approach. The leadership development programme involved 9 team leaders, several of whom were relatively new to formal leadership roles.

Ageras is now named Shine.

The challenge: from specialist to leader

A central challenge was the transition from specialist to leader. Seen through the Leadership Pipeline lens, this is the first leadership transition: from delivering results yourself as a skilled professional to leading others.

The transition calls not only for new skills, but also for new priorities, new behaviour and a different way of achieving results – through other people.

• people leadership
• team leadership
• effective communication
• clear objectives
• action and follow-through
• feedback
• motivation
• personal leadership

How the programme was built

The programme was not simply classroom teaching. It began with a kick-off and observation of the participants in actual leadership situations. The modules then combined theory with a strong emphasis on practical exercises and discussion.

Between the modules, learning was kept alive through buddy learning, feedback and coaching – with a focus on application in everyday leadership.

The three modules

In M1, JTI was used to work with self-awareness, differences, communication, collaboration and team dynamics. M2 and M3 moved the focus to day-to-day leadership practice and to the leader's own behaviour and reflection.

• M1 – JTI / Team Collaboration
• M2 – Leadership in Practice
• M3 – Personal Leadership

Learning between modules

The modules were combined with assigned reading and a written homework assignment. Participants worked together in buddy pairs and applied what they had learnt in their own day-to-day work as team leaders, so that each module could build on real experience.

Action Learning and observation in practice

The programme used a practical Action Learning approach. Participants were observed in actual leadership situations, for example in their normal work environment, so that feedback was based on what they actually did.

The programme connected learning → practice → reflection → feedback → new action.

Selected tools

The programme combined conceptual leadership development with practical tools, including SILK, ROSE, evaluation and feedback, reflection on behaviour and values, and Strategic Gameplan.

What the programme developed

• the transition from specialist to leader
• clearer objectives and expectations
• leadership and follow-through in practice
• feedback and communication
• team leadership
• personal reflection on one's own leadership behaviour
• applying learning between modules

Individual executive sparring

In addition to the leadership development programme for the team leaders, Cronquist Consult delivered a separate approximately six-month 1:1 executive/business coaching programme with Ageras’ Head of HR. This was a separate assignment and should therefore be distinguished from the modular team-leader programme.