 |
| Our People |
| Our Approach |
| Our Partners |
| Close Menu |
| Introduction |
| Our Clients |
| Testimonials |
| Case Studies | Close Menu |
| Latest Mission News |
| News Archive |
| Register for our Email Newsletter |
| Future Events |
| Media Centre | Close Menu |
Global Sales Managers Leadership Development Week
Nine Schlumberger SIS “Geo Market” Sales Managers gathered in Paris last week for a week long Leadership Development workshop, delivered by Lead Mission Consultants Justin Featherstone MC and Julia Carden. Senior Sales Managers representing 9 different nationalities undertook a progressive series of learning modules and exercises starting with Self Awareness, Relationship Building and moving onto Mission Performance Leadership, Effective Recruitment and finally Coaching Teams. The week long programme was designed to meet the demanding roles of Senior Sales Managers operating globally and leading their individual Geo Market Sales Teams. A further 4 week long programmes are booked for Q1 2010.
“I want to be the first to congratulate you for your contribution and enthusiasm in the Sales managers training workshop that we finished last week. I must say that the course and the outcomes far exceeded my most extreme expectations. It was an absolute pleasure to work with you and I wish you all every success applying the methodology to leading your teams to a very successful end of Q4, and a great 2010. The week was personally amazing and also 'inspirational' for many of the attendees I believe. The feedback was very high scoring.....”
Programme Lead Schlumberger SI..
ASDA Leadership Portfolio Update
Mission continues to deliver multiple, leadership programmes every week across UK to ASDA’s senior and middle managers. The bespoke portfolio is delivered by a dedicated team and is achieving great feedback. Subjects range from “Crucial Conversations and Resilience” to “Planning to Deliver,” “Diagnostics” and “Managing Remotely.” Our average score across nine subjects and well over 50 workshops delivered since April currently stands at 94%. We are committed to improving this score further.
Met Police Leadership Master Class Feedback
Mission was recently selected by the Met Police Leadership Academy to deliver a series of Leadership Masterclass Sessions in support of their role out of Leadership Values across the service. Mission Director Chris Mcleod delivered Leadership in Extremes to senior Met Officers and Support Staff and Gary Wakefield Lead Mission Consultant delivered a dynamic workshop on Lessons from the Flight Deck and how human error can be identified and reduced in mission critical activity.
Feedback was very good for both sessions.
Mission’s deliver £2 million ROI on global team development programme
Background:
One Week in June was a global community engagement programme designed to (1) build a global team (2) engage the global RBS Manufacturing Operations community and to (3) deliver something meaningful for worthy local charities around the world.
Mission Performance pioneered One Week in June as a means to develop a shared sense of purpose across 40 countries. Mission also designed and supported the project globally on behalf of its sponsor and global head Rob De Ridder.
The programme was facilitated using Mission’s approach to developing and leading organisations and teams.
The project cost less than £12,000.00 to deliver but returned in excess of £2 million in net value to RBS Manufacturing Operations globally.
What happened?
Mission delivered a successful community team development programme in Chennai (India) for the GTS operations board of RBS Manufacturing Operations in July 2008. Following the success of the programme the team leader, Rob De Ridder was keen to enable others to take part in similar experiences. His specific objective was to reach out to those less fortunate than themselves and to give something back by working with their local communities.
In discussion with Rob, Mission suggested that they replicated what they had achieved in Chennai for every location that RBS Manufacturing Operations had a presence. From this initial discussion (over dinner) the project was officially sanctioned. Mission began working with Claire Gillingham (HR) and Sara Moxon (Communications) to develop the plan.
Initially Mission designed and led the programme until it reached a stage where it could be managed by a small global steering committee of which Rob Lewis was a member. Mission provided the principles and ethos against which the programme was delivered.
The scale of the programme was huge. With just over 8000 GTS Ops people located in over 40 countries. On a budget of less that £12k we had to think creatively.
The plan was to adopt a week in June (3 –10 June) and to enable 40+ global teams to choose and then work with their charities during this week provided they benefited children and/or the environment.
From a very early stage Mission Performance Leadership (MPL) was used to plan, communicate and coordinate the project around the world. Mission wrote a briefing document that defined Rob’s intent and mission for the project combined with a set of realistic controls, expectations and milestones.
Mission’s view was that the project should be delivered by the global talent community at two seniority levels. One level would operate at a regional level and coordinate the second group working at the local level within each country. Provided that their roles were clearly defined and that they felt empowered to make decisions this structure would work. These Talent groups would be led and supported by a four person global steering team based in London made up of Mission Performance, RBS Communications and RBS Community Investment representatives.
This also underpinned the principle that the project would be faciliated by those most qualified to do so at the local level. This approach also provided a perfect opportunity to exercise the talent in building and leading project teams around the world. It also helped to maximise the net ROI,as every penny spent in setting up and paying for the project would dilute the money raised. In addition the economic climate meant that there was simply no budget for a project of this scale to be managed in any other way.
Once Mission had written and prepared the framework for the project, Rob DR was able to communicate his Teachable Point of View (TPoV) to all of the regional and local coordinators.
Once everyone understood his intent and their role in delivering it the project teams began to execute against their regional and local missions. Thereafter there were a series of fortnightly surgery audios designed to support the regional and local coordinators.
This process was supported through the adoption of a series of simple control measures to manage risk. These included a project-scoping template, a basic health and safety risk assessment and a series of power point documents designed for discussion during the fortnightly surgery calls.
Once the local coordinators had scoped out their proposed projects these were validated by the regional coordinators in the first instance and then submitted to the global coordinators for final authorisation. In every aspect of the project, trust was demonstrated by the global steering team to ensure that decision making cycles were shortened and ‘delegation upwards’ discouraged. All key features of Mission Performance Leadership.
Once the in country projects had been chosen and the teams had formed using Mission’s model of high performance team work, the work of the global steering turned to communicating the programme internally within RBS.
Utilising a sharepoint facility and an intranet site the communication’s team galvanised the communication for the project. They also provided a communications pack for in country teams to engage their local colleagues.
This intranet and sharepoint site would prove invaluable during the final and latter stages of the project as it became the communication portal to upload progress in the form of pictures and news.
The One Week in June came very quickly and proved to be an overwhelming success. Given that the programme took place during desperate times for RBS everyone should feel especially proud of making the right things happen over seven days. Rob DR’s leadership during this tough time together with the overt support of his board team were key factors in the project’s success.
What was delivered?
The projects were diverse too many to name here but all made a huge contribution to the lives of thousands of children and to the environments in which they live and play.
In summary:
Principles of success:
The programme was set up and led utilising the principles of Mission Performance Leadership. This more than anything else enabled the level of benefits detailed above.
“This was a great project to be involved in - pitched at the right level, with the right level of support. The amount of trust shown was hugely appreciated. We (UK North Regional Coordinators) are both experienced Ops Managers of some years standing, so i think we relished the opportunity to be left pretty much to it within parameters and in knowledge support would be forthcoming if required. We didn't need to be hand-held or spoon-fed - so big thanks for not doing so! The whole project made me feel genuinely empowered, and I got a tremendous buzz from helping the Local Co-ordinators. I'm not just saying this - it was a truly memorable experience to be part of - and I feel that I played my part in making it such a success in GTS Ops North and across the globe. Thank you for the opportunity”
Simon Smith, UK North Regional Coordinator
Mission runs a series of programmes that support the adoption of the principles that enabled this project’s success. We teach them every week to a wide variety of organisations in many formats. Leadership development need not be costly or complicated. The right things done well supported in the right way will deliver you success whatever the objective and scale.
Mission to deliver for the Marriott
Mission performance is pleased to announce its appointment as the default provider of all training and development services for clients of the Marriott Hotel chain in the South of England.
Following the success of the regatta at the newly refurbished Marriott Portsmouth this spring, Mission were invited to work with Marriott across the southern region of the UK. As part of this relationship Mission will be able to offer its suite of world class training programmes to the Marriott’s business customers.
We will delivering a series of master-class sessions across the southern region from the Autumn. This series of master-classes will focus on the challenges and opportunities of tough economic times; how to position your organisation for the upturn and how to engage all of your organisation to deliver more for themselves, for the business and their communities.
“We are proud to have a close relationship with the Marriott and we will be working hard to deliver measurable outputs for both businesses” Christiaan Mcleod Director Mission Performance
Watch this space for our autumn series of master-classes.
Mission delivers Leadership Master Class Sessions to the Met Police
The Met Police Leadership Academy has recently engaged Mission to deliver Leadership Programmes for its senior officers and support staff. More programmes are booked for the autumn to include Master Class Sessions on a wide range of Leadership based subjects.
Mission to become preferred supplier to Aviva in the UK
Mission is proud to support Aviva in its effort to create a world class organisation through the development of it’s senior leaders and teams. “We will be working very hard to deliver for Aviva”
Mission team completes in the Marathon du Mont Blanc
Mission directors Rob and Chris recently returned from completing the Marathon Du Mont Blanc. Battling altitude, heat, and 2500 metres of climbing the pair completed the race in good time. Donations are still being collected from our just giving page on the front of this web site.
Mission demonstrate a minimum ROI of £2 million pounds through its community engagement programmes for RBS
Mission have helped demonstrate the value of community engagement programmes delivered and managed internally. A full case study to follow later in the year.
Mission deliver for ASDA in the UK
Mission’s report card for ASDA has been very positive since we were appointed to the preferred supplier board earlier this year..
Mission recruit 5 new facilitators to the team
Mission has been adding to its expertise through the appointment of a number of new facilitators. Kenton Cool and Steve Booker delivered their first programme this month. The programme was extremely well received and provided an excellent start to their work with Mission. The programme was delivered for Australian World Skills a client mission has been working with for 10 years now.
Mission Summer Newsletter
Mission Performance has been very busy since we last spoke. We have been engaged in servicing and delivering our contracts with our colleagues at ASDA, BT, RBS and Schlumberger. All these contracts have been positively received for their learning and on the job results.
As the largest training provider to ASDA in the UK we have been delivering a range of skill based workshops as part of the core curriculum. Each programme has received excellent feedback. As well as a range of leadership programmes, Mission’s Team Development specialists delivered a large conference day for ASDA’s top finance team very recently. As you can see we delivered.
“Firstly a huge thank you for yesterday - it worked so well and Mission did themselves proud!”
Chief Financial Officer ASDA
Delivering BT’s Talent programme with Accenture has been an outstanding success. The programme continues to receive the most positive feedback of any internal development programme delivered for BT by an external supplier. We are in discussions this week to consider the look and feel of the curriculum for 2010/2011.
Schlumberger continue to receive a range of development and assessment programmes. From first line managers workshops to the development of an internal selection process to identify sales aptitude across multiple cultures and geographical regions. As with all of Mission’s programmes we have provided Schlumberger with the knowledge and skills to do it for themselves. We are set to deliver more for them as we head through summer.
RBS and Mission have recently delivered one of the largest and most successful employee engagement programmes ever attempted. Through the medium of Community Engagement, 40 separate countries came together to deliver something meaningful in their local communities. This project was conducted at a time of huge change and upheaval at the Bank. Credit must go to the thousands of people who got involved despite their own personal situations. Recent estimates are indicating a return of investment of in excess of £2 million pounds.We hosted the Australian Worldskills organisation this month. Kenton Cool (of Everest ER) Steve Booker, Dan Barnfield and Clive Cosby combined to deliver an exceptional personal development programme. Using a suite of tools and a range of practical activities the team travelled widely throughout the UK culminating in a dunking at the Royal Navy’s sinking ship simulator in Portsmouth. We hope to continue our 10+ year working relationship with them next year.
Other significant developments are that Mission have been appointed to Aviva’s Leadership Academy as a preferred supplier for senior team and executive development and coaching. In addition Mission has been selected by the Metropolitan Police and the Civil Service of United Arab Emirates to work with their senior leaders and teams.
We are in negotiation with a variety of clients on a number of projects. These include a global IT service provider, a national accounting firm, a Global Bank, a very large county council and a UK based financial organisation. Details to follow.
Mission also put a team into the Mont Blanc Marathon raising money for an orphanage in Kenya and for cancer research via the Geoff Thomas foundation. You can still sponsor us via the Mission web site.
As you can see we have been busy and will continue to work even harder for you.
Our mission is to deliver exceptional development programmes that transform individual and team performance. All of our efforts are directed at this, it is our main effort.
Mission delivers for the NHS
Mission Performance recently delivered a programme for a GP team in Wales. Mission has extensive experience of working with small medical teams across the NHS. The day was designed to bring the team together and to provide a common frame of reference for understanding behaviour in both good and anxious times.
“I was really impressed with the Training on SDI that Mission gave us. It was probably one of the most significant training events I have ever attended.
I have never before considered what exactly motivates me. I knew it wasn’t money or Kudos but I had never really thought about it and had never really realized how it was so important to making me “tick” and keep me feeling healthy & to my interactions with my GP team-mates, friends, family and patients. I also realized suddenly, how feeling negative about my motivation was causing a vicious spiral into depression. I feel I have become much more self-aware. I really think Mission’s course is life-enhancing.”
Mission to open UAE office
Mission will shortly be opening an office in the UAE. The office will be lead by Manhal Dakhl-Allah who has extensive experience across all HR disciplines in the region. You can view Manhal’s profile on this web site. More news on this to follow.
Mission is now the largest training provider to Asda in the UK
Mission recently became the largest training provider to Asda in the UK. Following a two-stage process we are set to deliver a wide range of training to Asda’s senior colleagues. The training begins this month and we are delighted to be working together with our Asda partners to deliver some exceptional learning experiences.
Mission Launches Senior Leader Development portfolio for ASDA this week and receives excellent feedback.
“Toby did a fantastic job for us this week with Presentation Skills & Crucial Conversations. Thank you so much to Mission, Toby and your team for working so hard with us to deliver something really wonderful and impactful for our business. To re-iterate some of our earlier conversations it is a pleasure working together and I am looking forward to kicking off more of the new Mission content in the coming weeks.”
Head of Leadership and Culture ASDA
Mission appointed to the RBS Global team effectiveness panel
Mission was appointed as a preferred supplier to RBS group earlier this year and will work in partnership with our RBS colleagues to design and deliver innovative solutions that help teams to achieve their objectives more effectively.
CSR across 40 countries - Mission help to launch the largest community investment project ever attempted by RBS
Mission has been working with our RBS colleagues since January 2009 to help facilitate one of the largest global community investment projects ever attempted. The project was born following a successful team effectiveness programme that Mission facilitated in Chennai, India in the summer of 2008. The project is called “One week in June’ and will see 40 separate countries deliver a meaningful community project over 7 days in June that benefits the environment, children or both. A more detailed case study will be published after the week at the end of June,
The project was planned and executed using Mission’s models of leadership and team performance. Working alongside the global Talent communities a small global steering team of 4 have organised and delivered one of the most extensive development projects that RBS has ever attempted.
Antartic Commonwealth ladies expedition team 2009 - Reaching for the Pole - Building a high performance team
Performing in extreme environments demands excellence in all respects. The operational and logistical planning and fore thought needs to be first class; communication and sponsorship management need to be precise along with the physical preparation of each person embarking on the endeavour need to be exemplary. All of these pre-requisites get you into the theatre of operations whether it be 600 km from one of the poles or at Everest base camp.
Performing and winning in extreme environments, however, takes a lot more than just good logistics and good individual preparation. At Mission Performance we have experience of winning in a wide variety of extremes. The secret of our success is not logistical, physical nor the slickness of our communication campaigns. Click here to read the whole story...
Mission’s global delivery for Schlumberger continues into 2009
The learning and development services that Mission provides for Schlumberger continues to grow with multiple programmes scheduled for the ongoing Front Line Manager programme. Delivery locations include Kuala Lumpur, Denver, Paris and Rio. This year we will also be engaged in the new joiner programmes for Schlumberger SIS, SIS Sales Manager Development and IPM Operational Team Development, all delivered globally.
Thomson Ecology Ltd appoint Mission as learning and development partner
Mission is delighted to have been selected as learning and development partner for the rapidly expanding Thomson Ecology Ltd. Guildford based Thomson Ecology provide a full range of Ecological Consulting Services for projects including major road and rail schemes, mineral extraction sites, waste facilities, housing and industrial developments, on- and off-shore wind farms and managed coastline realignment schemes. Thomson Ecology has doubled in size over the last two years and is set to continue this exceptional growth throughout this year.
Following close consultation, Mission will provide a portfolio of learning and development programmes available to all employees, managers and the executive team. This year’s portfolio of programmes and coaching sessions will focus on developing a broad range of skills and behaviours across the organisation in order for Thomson Ecology to continue to grow effectively.
Mission supports a global CSR engagement programme for a major international organisation
This June for one week, Mission will help a large international organisation deliver 47 separate but interdependent projects across 47 separate countries. The project is ambitious but will be supported by the principles of Mission Performance Leadership.
Mission Performance Leadership endeavours to empower local project leaders to deliver the global intent at the local level with minimal subsequent guidance. For this approach to succeed the clarity of leadership intent has to be 100%. There has to be total trust demonstrated by the global and regional leaders for the process to function effectively. http://www.missionperformance.com/PDFs/MissionPerformanceLeadership.pdf
The project aims to bring global, regional and local teams together to deliver something meaningful in worthy local communities around the world.
The project will be carbon neutral with great efforts to coordinate the project via audio, web and video conferencing.
More project updates to follow.
Mission’s telecoms talent development programme off to a flying start
Mission was selected by a global telecoms company to deliver a major Talent Development programme in July 2008. They have been working in partnership with the Head of Talent and a top 5 consultancy to design a tailored end to end solution, based on the individual and business needs of nine talent groups within four different talent brackets.
The design phase ran from September to December 2008 and included face to face interviews and group Training Needs Analysis sessions. The objectives were to develop a programme which would provide the knowledge, skills and behaviours required to meet the business objectives, overcome the business challenges and ultimately drive business results. The Talent programme also aims to prepare individuals for the organisational ‘pivotal roles’; vital roles which drive business results.
The programme launched before Christmas 2008 with a high impact “Building Business Relationships” conference event for the entire 120 strong talent population. In January 2009 the tailored workshops began in earnest, with programmes delivered to the multiple talent groups.
Measurement is a key factor in determining the business impact of any ambitious talent programme and we are all delighted with the results for the programme so far. All nine groups have completed independently verified feedback managed by a global consultancy; the average percentage score across all groups, from junior manager to senior executive currently stands at 94% for business and on the job impact.
The next phase of the workshops will deliver core learning, including Self Discovery and Leadership Toolbox programmes. Group coaching sessions will follow for smaller groups enabling them to focus on specific individual development.
Mission delivers coaching follow up for the University of Surrey
As part of Mission’s advanced leadership programme the course of Eng. D students reconvened in January to attend their first follow up session.
Mission delivered the 1 week residential programme back in August which was considered to be one of the best developmental programmes they had attended.
Supported with pre-programme proformas – (to enable the coaching team to tailor the content to each delegate), the team reviewed progress and specific examples of how the programme was being applied in their working environments.
The Strengths Deployment Inventory was taken to stage 2 in the morning with an analysis of behaviours and overdone strengths. The afternoon sessions consisted of a series of one to one sessions with each delegate to discuss specific areas of their development.
The programme has been very well received by the University for its emphasis on personal learning and the use of reflection to distil the learning for the group and for each individual.
Mission opens Australian office on Bondi beach
Mission will open its Mission Australian office this spring. The office will be managed by Matt McFadyen and will provide an outlet for Mission’s services in Australia and SE Asia.
Mission Australia will be able to deliver the complete range of Mission services and will be looking to develop existing UK relationships in Australia and SE Asia.
More to follow.
Mission set to run regatta in May 2009
Mission will be inviting you to intend its regatta this May. Partnering with Sunsail and the Marriott, Mission will deliver a 36 hour event. The event has many objectives but aims to provide some worked examples of how to target learning and development spend in tough economic times. Featuring our approaches to Talent management, CSR and our concept of Mission Critical Teams the team will facilitate an interesting and engaging programme. With 15 yachts on the start line last year we are aiming for more this year. If you have a learning development budget left to spend then this event is for you. If you have a learning and development / HR / Training and development team, then why not take out a yacht and experience Mission as a team and compete against your peers in other companies.
For more information please download the event prochure
>http://www.missionperformance.com/PDFs/Sailing_Regatta_09.pdf
Mission to Support the Development of the Commonwealth Women’s Antarctic Expedition
Mission are delighted to be supporting the Commonwealth Women's Antarctic Expedition; women from around the World uniting to achieve the extraordinary.
The complex and diverse team is made up of eight women from eight Commonwealth countries with one aim; to navigate themselves safely to the bottom of the World.
Representing 5 continents, 6 global faiths and 7 World languages, the expedition team is a diverse group – some of whom had never seen snow before joining the expedition team. Unguided, they will need to rely on each other and come together to tackle the immense challenges, both mental and physical, of Antarctica.
Although some team members will be the first person from their nation to ski to the South Pole and others will be the first women from their nation to make this journey, the expedition is about much more than national and global records. The women will return to their home countries as role models to inspire others, particularly women, to reach beyond the expectation of others and follow their own path – the underlying values of Mission Performance.
We will be keeping you updated on their progress through both our website news page: http://www.missionperformance.com/Latest_News.html and our blog: http://www.mission-blog.com
Alternatively for further information on the expedition and the team please visit their website: http://www.commonwealthexpedition.com
Report on 2008
This year has been busy. We have delivered in almost every continent of the world for a range of international clients. We delivered two CSR programmes in Africa and India which have yielded some superb ‘real investment’ returns within the local communities, in addition to providing some of our corporate clients with some very powerful and engaging learning through our wining ‘hearts and minds’ methodology.
We have worked with the oldest law firm in the world and have managed to influence small changes in their culture, which will underpin their efforts to meet the challenges of a younger workforce and the changing nature of their markets.
We have travelled to the Russian steppes to deliver on the edge of civilisation. Working in Northern Siberia we engaged project teams to strengthen their team cohesion and performance viability; a programme that has now become the gold standard of project team development within the company.
Our online capability has been enhanced with the launch of www.mission-learning.com which as of October 2009 has 250 delegates enrolled on it. Pre-programme assignments and logistics can now all be delivered to your inboxes as well as comprehensive programme support and follow up.
We have accredited all of our Mission team to administer the MBTI and have facilitated their accreditation to a master level with the Strength Deployment Inventory (SDI).
Having pioneered the development of the SDI communications guide and the use of the SDI online service Mission continues to push the boundaries of content design and delivery. Moving beyond psychometric tools as primarily aids to self awareness, we have pioneered their use to really develop team cohesion and viability, leadership performance and relationship capital.
We have continued to deliver two large multinational graduate induction programmes to a global investment bank. The bank was awarded first prize for global graduate development programmes in the International Graduate Development Awards for 2007, beating a host of other international companies.
We have also been engaged by a very large telecommunications company to run their ‘Talent’ programme and by an international oil servicing company to assess and then develop their international sales force. In addition, we have been selected to deliver our ‘Team Effectiveness’ portfolio across 47 countries around the world for a large international bank.
These are all very exciting programmes that will begin in the first quarter next year.
We have established partner relationships with organisations in Singapore and Australia to project Mission’s services into the Asian markets. Following the excellent feedback received for our delivery on the Top Management Programme (TMP) for senior Abu Dhabi civil servants we have been invited to work with additional teams in the region.
We have established relationships with new associates; Kenton Cool and Matt McFadyen, both exceptional characters who have led some very challenging expeditions that will augment the bank of existing Mission experiences.
We look forward to 2009. Whilst the storm clouds mass, Mission is set to take it on.
If you are keen to learn more about mission and its expanding services then please call the office and arrange an appointment with either Rob or Chris; Tel. +44 (0) 1329 841652
Customer service in tough times – influencing without authority
Going that extra mile for your customers has never been more important given the impending doom forecast by the cognoscenti. Switch on the radio and you might as well give up and ride out the storm, sit it out until 2010 and be ready for the next upturn. This has self-fulfilling prophecy written all over it.
I believe that you can turn this downturn to your advantage. Identifying the critical aspects of your operation, aligning them to the needs of your customers and resourcing them effectively will enable you to exploit these desperate times. Your competitors might be about to curl up for the economic winter but you do not have to.
Working with one of our clients we are helping them to identify the critical aspects of their customer service operations nationally and then helping them to address them proactively.
Using Mission’s model of high performance teamwork, the Strength Deployment Inventory (SDI) and the Mission Leadership curriculum we have enabled a national network of customer service managers to identify their mission critical tasks and their mission critical behaviours to support their delivery.
The programme has been delivered in a 2 month time frame.
Phase 1 - Began with design and consultation meetings between the senior team using Mission’s business engagement and diagnostic process. This helped us to define the need and identify the organisational factors that would shape the solution. This phase included engaging the whole network of customer service managers via Mission’s online learning site (www.mission-learning.com). Each manager completed a proforma which asked them to identify their key challenges and opportunities pertinent to their area of operation. This included the nature of the customer and all of the stakeholders that influence the quality of service provided to them. Once complete Mission produced an aggregate report and used this to form the specific content to be delivered in phase 2.
Phase 2 - The top team. Mission delivered a two day programme designed to prepare the team for the national roll out. Coaching in style, it walked the team through all of the modules to be delivered to the national customers’ service teams. These workshops used the SDI to identify the critical behavioural skills required to influence without authority. Once complete we analysed the clarity of the teams’ mission and core purpose and discussed it using the Mission’s leadership curriculum. This led to a reassessment of some of the key aspects of their brief.
Combining this with relationship management skills would enable the team to address the core challenges of raising their Customer Service Satisfaction (CSS) statistics.
Phase 3 - 9 x 2 day workshops, supported with online content and programme forums began soon after the work conducted with the senior management teams was completed. Using the same format we walked the regional teams through the same material to help them address the critical aspects of their brief that would support the CSS objectives. For some this meant a fundamental re-appraisal of their efforts and behaviours.
Phase 4 - Brought the whole team back together for a plenary session following the national roll out. Key regional differences were discussed and plans were drawn up to focus the collective efforts to drive up the CSS. Specific individual actions were identified to support the ongoing review and monitoring of the customer service mission; future dates were identified to allow a review of the progress against the plan.
Results thus far have been excellent. Team and customer engagement scores have increased significantly.
Lessons:
Has your organisation got the capability to survive the economic downturn?
Will it survive in the face of adversity? And has it got fighting spirit?
Recent qualitative research conducted by one of Mission’s consultants has revealed some invaluable findings that are essential for business if they wish to survive and succeed the economic slow down and possible recession, or to purely prepare for when things are just not going according to plan.
The research highlighted what is needed to inculcate a sense of fighting spirit, the competencies required to generate effective Fighting Spirit and how to sustain it. Fighting Spirit is about the ability to cope with and survive adversity, be that recession, a loss of top talent, a take-over, a natural disaster or other adverse scenarios.
The two critical competencies for generating an effective Fighting Spirit are Leadership and Team Cohesion.
Leadership: Leaders must be able to generate confidence, commitment and capability. Knowing their people, individual and team strengths and weaknesses is essential. The leader must set a clear mission and tasks, ensuring people know what is being asked of them, and valuing individual contributions. People will be prepared to go that “extra mile” if they are valued. They must not be afraid to re-visit failure, and must celebrate success.
Team Cohesion: This is not just about working together as a team, but needs to be focussed on building a cohesive team, who are all pulling in the same direction, have the same values and believe in what they are doing. This is generally inspired through leadership. Team Cohesion is also dependent on having a sense of belonging and an identity; this is linked and intertwined with ethos and culture. Therefore, employer branding is pivotal. Like the leader, the team must know one another; know each others strengths and weaknesses. This will be assisted if they have worked together through “tough” tasks/times and have shared experiences.It takes time to generate a cohesive team, and it can not be achieved in isolation of the leader. Instilling and investing in the leadership qualities outlined above are the starting point.
Developing, instilling and maintaining these competencies needs investment. For further information on the research please download the Fighting Spirit - Highlights PDF.
For further information on how Mission can help you please contact our HQ on: +44 (0)1329 841652 or email: info@missionperformance.com
Mission Delivers in Abu Dhabi for TMP Civil Service Programme
Rob delivered a module on building and leading teams to support the Civil Service’s Top Management Programme objectives last week. It was delivered in the Raha Beach Hotel in Abu Dhabi to a senior group of civil servants across multiple disciplines. The 1 week programme has additional modules delivered over a 12 month period. The feedback was excellent and fitted extremely well to the UAE culture of learning through stories and fables. Mission will be back in Abu Dhabi very soon.
For more information call the Mission office on: +44 (0) 1329 841652
Engaging Generation ‘Y’
Mission Performance has been working with one of the world’s most established law firms for the past 10 months. Mission was asked to support the leadership team in driving the changes required by the business. These changes related to the increasing expectations of their employees born after the 1980’s, commonly referred to as the generation ‘Y’.
The programme began with an organisational wide engagement survey which canvassed the views across every department and level within the business. It was conducted online and face to face with a series of semi structured interviews.
The results defined what needed to be done by the leadership team to engage and harness the energies of the whole firm; they discussed and agreed upon an engagement plan which would be delivered over the following months. The results were also summarised into 4 key themes to underpin their 2 day leadership conference.
Four teams of equity partners were given 4 projects to lead, each one linked in to one of the 4 themes summarised from the organisational research. Each project/ equity team had to define the objectives and the deliverables of each project and then reengage with the firm to find the answers to address them.
This was called ‘the conversation’ and involved an enormous amount of information gathering/ consultation conducted by the Equity Partners. This had never been done before and required a huge leap of faith by them, with very close support from Mission. The projects defined were as follows:
In addition to ‘the conversation’, the equity partners were supported through group and individual coaching utilising the SDI profiling tool and Mission’s model of high performance team work ‘Clarity Culture & Interdependence’ (CCI).
This coaching consisted of 8 sessions conducted over 7 months. The time was split between group coaching and project work in the morning and one to one coaching in the afternoon.
To date Mission has delivered 4 of the 6 sessions. The work completed thus far has resulted in the leadership team embracing leadership 360 degrees feedback and the adoption of at least 1 strategic policy generated from the recommendations of the equity teams.
There is still much to accomplish but momentum is building for more direct work with each departmental team to adopt the philosophy of both the SDI and CCI, as well as designing a more formal leadership development programme in response to the findings of the leadership 360.
Lessons learned thus far:
Nine Schlumberger SIS “Geo Market” Sales Managers gathered in Paris last week for a week long Leadership Development workshop, delivered by Lead Mission Consultants Justin Featherstone MC and Julia Carden. Senior Sales Managers representing 9 different nationalities undertook a progressive series of learning modules and exercises starting with Self Awareness, Relationship Building and moving onto Mission Performance Leadership, Effective Recruitment and finally Coaching Teams. The week long programme was designed to meet the demanding roles of Senior Sales Managers operating globally and leading their individual Geo Market Sales Teams. A further 4 week long programmes are booked for Q1 2010.
“I want to be the first to congratulate you for your contribution and enthusiasm in the Sales managers training workshop that we finished last week. I must say that the course and the outcomes far exceeded my most extreme expectations. It was an absolute pleasure to work with you and I wish you all every success applying the methodology to leading your teams to a very successful end of Q4, and a great 2010. The week was personally amazing and also 'inspirational' for many of the attendees I believe. The feedback was very high scoring.....”
Programme Lead Schlumberger SI..
ASDA Leadership Portfolio Update
Mission continues to deliver multiple, leadership programmes every week across UK to ASDA’s senior and middle managers. The bespoke portfolio is delivered by a dedicated team and is achieving great feedback. Subjects range from “Crucial Conversations and Resilience” to “Planning to Deliver,” “Diagnostics” and “Managing Remotely.” Our average score across nine subjects and well over 50 workshops delivered since April currently stands at 94%. We are committed to improving this score further.
Met Police Leadership Master Class Feedback
Mission was recently selected by the Met Police Leadership Academy to deliver a series of Leadership Masterclass Sessions in support of their role out of Leadership Values across the service. Mission Director Chris Mcleod delivered Leadership in Extremes to senior Met Officers and Support Staff and Gary Wakefield Lead Mission Consultant delivered a dynamic workshop on Lessons from the Flight Deck and how human error can be identified and reduced in mission critical activity.
Feedback was very good for both sessions.
Mission’s deliver £2 million ROI on global team development programme
Background:
One Week in June was a global community engagement programme designed to (1) build a global team (2) engage the global RBS Manufacturing Operations community and to (3) deliver something meaningful for worthy local charities around the world.
Mission Performance pioneered One Week in June as a means to develop a shared sense of purpose across 40 countries. Mission also designed and supported the project globally on behalf of its sponsor and global head Rob De Ridder.
The programme was facilitated using Mission’s approach to developing and leading organisations and teams.
The project cost less than £12,000.00 to deliver but returned in excess of £2 million in net value to RBS Manufacturing Operations globally.
What happened?
Mission delivered a successful community team development programme in Chennai (India) for the GTS operations board of RBS Manufacturing Operations in July 2008. Following the success of the programme the team leader, Rob De Ridder was keen to enable others to take part in similar experiences. His specific objective was to reach out to those less fortunate than themselves and to give something back by working with their local communities.
In discussion with Rob, Mission suggested that they replicated what they had achieved in Chennai for every location that RBS Manufacturing Operations had a presence. From this initial discussion (over dinner) the project was officially sanctioned. Mission began working with Claire Gillingham (HR) and Sara Moxon (Communications) to develop the plan.
Initially Mission designed and led the programme until it reached a stage where it could be managed by a small global steering committee of which Rob Lewis was a member. Mission provided the principles and ethos against which the programme was delivered.
The scale of the programme was huge. With just over 8000 GTS Ops people located in over 40 countries. On a budget of less that £12k we had to think creatively.
The plan was to adopt a week in June (3 –10 June) and to enable 40+ global teams to choose and then work with their charities during this week provided they benefited children and/or the environment.
From a very early stage Mission Performance Leadership (MPL) was used to plan, communicate and coordinate the project around the world. Mission wrote a briefing document that defined Rob’s intent and mission for the project combined with a set of realistic controls, expectations and milestones.
Mission’s view was that the project should be delivered by the global talent community at two seniority levels. One level would operate at a regional level and coordinate the second group working at the local level within each country. Provided that their roles were clearly defined and that they felt empowered to make decisions this structure would work. These Talent groups would be led and supported by a four person global steering team based in London made up of Mission Performance, RBS Communications and RBS Community Investment representatives.
This also underpinned the principle that the project would be faciliated by those most qualified to do so at the local level. This approach also provided a perfect opportunity to exercise the talent in building and leading project teams around the world. It also helped to maximise the net ROI,as every penny spent in setting up and paying for the project would dilute the money raised. In addition the economic climate meant that there was simply no budget for a project of this scale to be managed in any other way.
Once Mission had written and prepared the framework for the project, Rob DR was able to communicate his Teachable Point of View (TPoV) to all of the regional and local coordinators.
Once everyone understood his intent and their role in delivering it the project teams began to execute against their regional and local missions. Thereafter there were a series of fortnightly surgery audios designed to support the regional and local coordinators.
This process was supported through the adoption of a series of simple control measures to manage risk. These included a project-scoping template, a basic health and safety risk assessment and a series of power point documents designed for discussion during the fortnightly surgery calls.
Once the local coordinators had scoped out their proposed projects these were validated by the regional coordinators in the first instance and then submitted to the global coordinators for final authorisation. In every aspect of the project, trust was demonstrated by the global steering team to ensure that decision making cycles were shortened and ‘delegation upwards’ discouraged. All key features of Mission Performance Leadership.
Once the in country projects had been chosen and the teams had formed using Mission’s model of high performance team work, the work of the global steering turned to communicating the programme internally within RBS.
Utilising a sharepoint facility and an intranet site the communication’s team galvanised the communication for the project. They also provided a communications pack for in country teams to engage their local colleagues.
This intranet and sharepoint site would prove invaluable during the final and latter stages of the project as it became the communication portal to upload progress in the form of pictures and news.
The One Week in June came very quickly and proved to be an overwhelming success. Given that the programme took place during desperate times for RBS everyone should feel especially proud of making the right things happen over seven days. Rob DR’s leadership during this tough time together with the overt support of his board team were key factors in the project’s success.
What was delivered?
The projects were diverse too many to name here but all made a huge contribution to the lives of thousands of children and to the environments in which they live and play.
In summary:
- 43 local project teams delivered 50 projects in their communities
- 2142 people volunteered for community activities and thousands more participated in fundraising and awareness activities
- 7539 hours volunteered - Commercial cost to hours volunteered £143,241.00 (= 7539 hours*£19)
- £54,276.00 raised for their worthy causes
- By utilising the talent population and an in house services team the project saved £2.11m in equivalent intermediary fees
- 92% of people say they will volunteer again and there have been many requests to repeat the programme in 2010
- 99% have a positive view of RBS in the community with 31% saying their view had actually improved
Principles of success:
The programme was set up and led utilising the principles of Mission Performance Leadership. This more than anything else enabled the level of benefits detailed above.
“This was a great project to be involved in - pitched at the right level, with the right level of support. The amount of trust shown was hugely appreciated. We (UK North Regional Coordinators) are both experienced Ops Managers of some years standing, so i think we relished the opportunity to be left pretty much to it within parameters and in knowledge support would be forthcoming if required. We didn't need to be hand-held or spoon-fed - so big thanks for not doing so! The whole project made me feel genuinely empowered, and I got a tremendous buzz from helping the Local Co-ordinators. I'm not just saying this - it was a truly memorable experience to be part of - and I feel that I played my part in making it such a success in GTS Ops North and across the globe. Thank you for the opportunity”
Simon Smith, UK North Regional Coordinator
Mission runs a series of programmes that support the adoption of the principles that enabled this project’s success. We teach them every week to a wide variety of organisations in many formats. Leadership development need not be costly or complicated. The right things done well supported in the right way will deliver you success whatever the objective and scale.
Mission to deliver for the Marriott
Mission performance is pleased to announce its appointment as the default provider of all training and development services for clients of the Marriott Hotel chain in the South of England.
Following the success of the regatta at the newly refurbished Marriott Portsmouth this spring, Mission were invited to work with Marriott across the southern region of the UK. As part of this relationship Mission will be able to offer its suite of world class training programmes to the Marriott’s business customers.
We will delivering a series of master-class sessions across the southern region from the Autumn. This series of master-classes will focus on the challenges and opportunities of tough economic times; how to position your organisation for the upturn and how to engage all of your organisation to deliver more for themselves, for the business and their communities.
“We are proud to have a close relationship with the Marriott and we will be working hard to deliver measurable outputs for both businesses” Christiaan Mcleod Director Mission Performance
Watch this space for our autumn series of master-classes.
Mission delivers Leadership Master Class Sessions to the Met Police
The Met Police Leadership Academy has recently engaged Mission to deliver Leadership Programmes for its senior officers and support staff. More programmes are booked for the autumn to include Master Class Sessions on a wide range of Leadership based subjects.
Mission to become preferred supplier to Aviva in the UK
Mission is proud to support Aviva in its effort to create a world class organisation through the development of it’s senior leaders and teams. “We will be working very hard to deliver for Aviva”
Mission team completes in the Marathon du Mont Blanc
Mission directors Rob and Chris recently returned from completing the Marathon Du Mont Blanc. Battling altitude, heat, and 2500 metres of climbing the pair completed the race in good time. Donations are still being collected from our just giving page on the front of this web site.
Mission demonstrate a minimum ROI of £2 million pounds through its community engagement programmes for RBS
Mission have helped demonstrate the value of community engagement programmes delivered and managed internally. A full case study to follow later in the year.
Mission deliver for ASDA in the UK
Mission’s report card for ASDA has been very positive since we were appointed to the preferred supplier board earlier this year..
Mission recruit 5 new facilitators to the team
Mission has been adding to its expertise through the appointment of a number of new facilitators. Kenton Cool and Steve Booker delivered their first programme this month. The programme was extremely well received and provided an excellent start to their work with Mission. The programme was delivered for Australian World Skills a client mission has been working with for 10 years now.
Mission Summer Newsletter
Mission Performance has been very busy since we last spoke. We have been engaged in servicing and delivering our contracts with our colleagues at ASDA, BT, RBS and Schlumberger. All these contracts have been positively received for their learning and on the job results.
As the largest training provider to ASDA in the UK we have been delivering a range of skill based workshops as part of the core curriculum. Each programme has received excellent feedback. As well as a range of leadership programmes, Mission’s Team Development specialists delivered a large conference day for ASDA’s top finance team very recently. As you can see we delivered.
“Firstly a huge thank you for yesterday - it worked so well and Mission did themselves proud!”
Chief Financial Officer ASDA
Delivering BT’s Talent programme with Accenture has been an outstanding success. The programme continues to receive the most positive feedback of any internal development programme delivered for BT by an external supplier. We are in discussions this week to consider the look and feel of the curriculum for 2010/2011.
Schlumberger continue to receive a range of development and assessment programmes. From first line managers workshops to the development of an internal selection process to identify sales aptitude across multiple cultures and geographical regions. As with all of Mission’s programmes we have provided Schlumberger with the knowledge and skills to do it for themselves. We are set to deliver more for them as we head through summer.
RBS and Mission have recently delivered one of the largest and most successful employee engagement programmes ever attempted. Through the medium of Community Engagement, 40 separate countries came together to deliver something meaningful in their local communities. This project was conducted at a time of huge change and upheaval at the Bank. Credit must go to the thousands of people who got involved despite their own personal situations. Recent estimates are indicating a return of investment of in excess of £2 million pounds.We hosted the Australian Worldskills organisation this month. Kenton Cool (of Everest ER) Steve Booker, Dan Barnfield and Clive Cosby combined to deliver an exceptional personal development programme. Using a suite of tools and a range of practical activities the team travelled widely throughout the UK culminating in a dunking at the Royal Navy’s sinking ship simulator in Portsmouth. We hope to continue our 10+ year working relationship with them next year.
Other significant developments are that Mission have been appointed to Aviva’s Leadership Academy as a preferred supplier for senior team and executive development and coaching. In addition Mission has been selected by the Metropolitan Police and the Civil Service of United Arab Emirates to work with their senior leaders and teams.
We are in negotiation with a variety of clients on a number of projects. These include a global IT service provider, a national accounting firm, a Global Bank, a very large county council and a UK based financial organisation. Details to follow.
Mission also put a team into the Mont Blanc Marathon raising money for an orphanage in Kenya and for cancer research via the Geoff Thomas foundation. You can still sponsor us via the Mission web site.
As you can see we have been busy and will continue to work even harder for you.
Our mission is to deliver exceptional development programmes that transform individual and team performance. All of our efforts are directed at this, it is our main effort.
Mission delivers for the NHS
Mission Performance recently delivered a programme for a GP team in Wales. Mission has extensive experience of working with small medical teams across the NHS. The day was designed to bring the team together and to provide a common frame of reference for understanding behaviour in both good and anxious times.
“I was really impressed with the Training on SDI that Mission gave us. It was probably one of the most significant training events I have ever attended.
I have never before considered what exactly motivates me. I knew it wasn’t money or Kudos but I had never really thought about it and had never really realized how it was so important to making me “tick” and keep me feeling healthy & to my interactions with my GP team-mates, friends, family and patients. I also realized suddenly, how feeling negative about my motivation was causing a vicious spiral into depression. I feel I have become much more self-aware. I really think Mission’s course is life-enhancing.”
Mission to open UAE office
Mission will shortly be opening an office in the UAE. The office will be lead by Manhal Dakhl-Allah who has extensive experience across all HR disciplines in the region. You can view Manhal’s profile on this web site. More news on this to follow.
Mission is now the largest training provider to Asda in the UK
Mission recently became the largest training provider to Asda in the UK. Following a two-stage process we are set to deliver a wide range of training to Asda’s senior colleagues. The training begins this month and we are delighted to be working together with our Asda partners to deliver some exceptional learning experiences.
Mission Launches Senior Leader Development portfolio for ASDA this week and receives excellent feedback.
“Toby did a fantastic job for us this week with Presentation Skills & Crucial Conversations. Thank you so much to Mission, Toby and your team for working so hard with us to deliver something really wonderful and impactful for our business. To re-iterate some of our earlier conversations it is a pleasure working together and I am looking forward to kicking off more of the new Mission content in the coming weeks.”
Head of Leadership and Culture ASDA
Mission appointed to the RBS Global team effectiveness panel
Mission was appointed as a preferred supplier to RBS group earlier this year and will work in partnership with our RBS colleagues to design and deliver innovative solutions that help teams to achieve their objectives more effectively.
CSR across 40 countries - Mission help to launch the largest community investment project ever attempted by RBS
Mission has been working with our RBS colleagues since January 2009 to help facilitate one of the largest global community investment projects ever attempted. The project was born following a successful team effectiveness programme that Mission facilitated in Chennai, India in the summer of 2008. The project is called “One week in June’ and will see 40 separate countries deliver a meaningful community project over 7 days in June that benefits the environment, children or both. A more detailed case study will be published after the week at the end of June,
The project was planned and executed using Mission’s models of leadership and team performance. Working alongside the global Talent communities a small global steering team of 4 have organised and delivered one of the most extensive development projects that RBS has ever attempted.
Antartic Commonwealth ladies expedition team 2009 - Reaching for the Pole - Building a high performance team
Performing in extreme environments demands excellence in all respects. The operational and logistical planning and fore thought needs to be first class; communication and sponsorship management need to be precise along with the physical preparation of each person embarking on the endeavour need to be exemplary. All of these pre-requisites get you into the theatre of operations whether it be 600 km from one of the poles or at Everest base camp.
Performing and winning in extreme environments, however, takes a lot more than just good logistics and good individual preparation. At Mission Performance we have experience of winning in a wide variety of extremes. The secret of our success is not logistical, physical nor the slickness of our communication campaigns. Click here to read the whole story...
Mission’s global delivery for Schlumberger continues into 2009
The learning and development services that Mission provides for Schlumberger continues to grow with multiple programmes scheduled for the ongoing Front Line Manager programme. Delivery locations include Kuala Lumpur, Denver, Paris and Rio. This year we will also be engaged in the new joiner programmes for Schlumberger SIS, SIS Sales Manager Development and IPM Operational Team Development, all delivered globally.
Thomson Ecology Ltd appoint Mission as learning and development partner
Mission is delighted to have been selected as learning and development partner for the rapidly expanding Thomson Ecology Ltd. Guildford based Thomson Ecology provide a full range of Ecological Consulting Services for projects including major road and rail schemes, mineral extraction sites, waste facilities, housing and industrial developments, on- and off-shore wind farms and managed coastline realignment schemes. Thomson Ecology has doubled in size over the last two years and is set to continue this exceptional growth throughout this year.
Following close consultation, Mission will provide a portfolio of learning and development programmes available to all employees, managers and the executive team. This year’s portfolio of programmes and coaching sessions will focus on developing a broad range of skills and behaviours across the organisation in order for Thomson Ecology to continue to grow effectively.
Mission supports a global CSR engagement programme for a major international organisation
This June for one week, Mission will help a large international organisation deliver 47 separate but interdependent projects across 47 separate countries. The project is ambitious but will be supported by the principles of Mission Performance Leadership.
Mission Performance Leadership endeavours to empower local project leaders to deliver the global intent at the local level with minimal subsequent guidance. For this approach to succeed the clarity of leadership intent has to be 100%. There has to be total trust demonstrated by the global and regional leaders for the process to function effectively. http://www.missionperformance.com/PDFs/MissionPerformanceLeadership.pdf
The project aims to bring global, regional and local teams together to deliver something meaningful in worthy local communities around the world.
The project will be carbon neutral with great efforts to coordinate the project via audio, web and video conferencing.
More project updates to follow.
Mission’s telecoms talent development programme off to a flying start
Mission was selected by a global telecoms company to deliver a major Talent Development programme in July 2008. They have been working in partnership with the Head of Talent and a top 5 consultancy to design a tailored end to end solution, based on the individual and business needs of nine talent groups within four different talent brackets.
The design phase ran from September to December 2008 and included face to face interviews and group Training Needs Analysis sessions. The objectives were to develop a programme which would provide the knowledge, skills and behaviours required to meet the business objectives, overcome the business challenges and ultimately drive business results. The Talent programme also aims to prepare individuals for the organisational ‘pivotal roles’; vital roles which drive business results.
The programme launched before Christmas 2008 with a high impact “Building Business Relationships” conference event for the entire 120 strong talent population. In January 2009 the tailored workshops began in earnest, with programmes delivered to the multiple talent groups.
Measurement is a key factor in determining the business impact of any ambitious talent programme and we are all delighted with the results for the programme so far. All nine groups have completed independently verified feedback managed by a global consultancy; the average percentage score across all groups, from junior manager to senior executive currently stands at 94% for business and on the job impact.
The next phase of the workshops will deliver core learning, including Self Discovery and Leadership Toolbox programmes. Group coaching sessions will follow for smaller groups enabling them to focus on specific individual development.
Mission delivers coaching follow up for the University of Surrey
As part of Mission’s advanced leadership programme the course of Eng. D students reconvened in January to attend their first follow up session.
Mission delivered the 1 week residential programme back in August which was considered to be one of the best developmental programmes they had attended.
Supported with pre-programme proformas – (to enable the coaching team to tailor the content to each delegate), the team reviewed progress and specific examples of how the programme was being applied in their working environments.
The Strengths Deployment Inventory was taken to stage 2 in the morning with an analysis of behaviours and overdone strengths. The afternoon sessions consisted of a series of one to one sessions with each delegate to discuss specific areas of their development.
The programme has been very well received by the University for its emphasis on personal learning and the use of reflection to distil the learning for the group and for each individual.
Mission opens Australian office on Bondi beach
Mission will open its Mission Australian office this spring. The office will be managed by Matt McFadyen and will provide an outlet for Mission’s services in Australia and SE Asia.
Mission Australia will be able to deliver the complete range of Mission services and will be looking to develop existing UK relationships in Australia and SE Asia.
More to follow.
Mission set to run regatta in May 2009
Mission will be inviting you to intend its regatta this May. Partnering with Sunsail and the Marriott, Mission will deliver a 36 hour event. The event has many objectives but aims to provide some worked examples of how to target learning and development spend in tough economic times. Featuring our approaches to Talent management, CSR and our concept of Mission Critical Teams the team will facilitate an interesting and engaging programme. With 15 yachts on the start line last year we are aiming for more this year. If you have a learning development budget left to spend then this event is for you. If you have a learning and development / HR / Training and development team, then why not take out a yacht and experience Mission as a team and compete against your peers in other companies.
For more information please download the event prochure
>http://www.missionperformance.com/PDFs/Sailing_Regatta_09.pdf
Mission to Support the Development of the Commonwealth Women’s Antarctic Expedition
Mission are delighted to be supporting the Commonwealth Women's Antarctic Expedition; women from around the World uniting to achieve the extraordinary.
The complex and diverse team is made up of eight women from eight Commonwealth countries with one aim; to navigate themselves safely to the bottom of the World.
Representing 5 continents, 6 global faiths and 7 World languages, the expedition team is a diverse group – some of whom had never seen snow before joining the expedition team. Unguided, they will need to rely on each other and come together to tackle the immense challenges, both mental and physical, of Antarctica.
Although some team members will be the first person from their nation to ski to the South Pole and others will be the first women from their nation to make this journey, the expedition is about much more than national and global records. The women will return to their home countries as role models to inspire others, particularly women, to reach beyond the expectation of others and follow their own path – the underlying values of Mission Performance.
We will be keeping you updated on their progress through both our website news page: http://www.missionperformance.com/Latest_News.html and our blog: http://www.mission-blog.com
Alternatively for further information on the expedition and the team please visit their website: http://www.commonwealthexpedition.com
Report on 2008
This year has been busy. We have delivered in almost every continent of the world for a range of international clients. We delivered two CSR programmes in Africa and India which have yielded some superb ‘real investment’ returns within the local communities, in addition to providing some of our corporate clients with some very powerful and engaging learning through our wining ‘hearts and minds’ methodology.
We have worked with the oldest law firm in the world and have managed to influence small changes in their culture, which will underpin their efforts to meet the challenges of a younger workforce and the changing nature of their markets.
We have travelled to the Russian steppes to deliver on the edge of civilisation. Working in Northern Siberia we engaged project teams to strengthen their team cohesion and performance viability; a programme that has now become the gold standard of project team development within the company.
Our online capability has been enhanced with the launch of www.mission-learning.com which as of October 2009 has 250 delegates enrolled on it. Pre-programme assignments and logistics can now all be delivered to your inboxes as well as comprehensive programme support and follow up.
We have accredited all of our Mission team to administer the MBTI and have facilitated their accreditation to a master level with the Strength Deployment Inventory (SDI).
Having pioneered the development of the SDI communications guide and the use of the SDI online service Mission continues to push the boundaries of content design and delivery. Moving beyond psychometric tools as primarily aids to self awareness, we have pioneered their use to really develop team cohesion and viability, leadership performance and relationship capital.
We have continued to deliver two large multinational graduate induction programmes to a global investment bank. The bank was awarded first prize for global graduate development programmes in the International Graduate Development Awards for 2007, beating a host of other international companies.
We have also been engaged by a very large telecommunications company to run their ‘Talent’ programme and by an international oil servicing company to assess and then develop their international sales force. In addition, we have been selected to deliver our ‘Team Effectiveness’ portfolio across 47 countries around the world for a large international bank.
These are all very exciting programmes that will begin in the first quarter next year.
We have established partner relationships with organisations in Singapore and Australia to project Mission’s services into the Asian markets. Following the excellent feedback received for our delivery on the Top Management Programme (TMP) for senior Abu Dhabi civil servants we have been invited to work with additional teams in the region.
We have established relationships with new associates; Kenton Cool and Matt McFadyen, both exceptional characters who have led some very challenging expeditions that will augment the bank of existing Mission experiences.
We look forward to 2009. Whilst the storm clouds mass, Mission is set to take it on.
If you are keen to learn more about mission and its expanding services then please call the office and arrange an appointment with either Rob or Chris; Tel. +44 (0) 1329 841652
Customer service in tough times – influencing without authority
Going that extra mile for your customers has never been more important given the impending doom forecast by the cognoscenti. Switch on the radio and you might as well give up and ride out the storm, sit it out until 2010 and be ready for the next upturn. This has self-fulfilling prophecy written all over it.
I believe that you can turn this downturn to your advantage. Identifying the critical aspects of your operation, aligning them to the needs of your customers and resourcing them effectively will enable you to exploit these desperate times. Your competitors might be about to curl up for the economic winter but you do not have to.
Working with one of our clients we are helping them to identify the critical aspects of their customer service operations nationally and then helping them to address them proactively.
Using Mission’s model of high performance teamwork, the Strength Deployment Inventory (SDI) and the Mission Leadership curriculum we have enabled a national network of customer service managers to identify their mission critical tasks and their mission critical behaviours to support their delivery.
The programme has been delivered in a 2 month time frame.
Phase 1 - Began with design and consultation meetings between the senior team using Mission’s business engagement and diagnostic process. This helped us to define the need and identify the organisational factors that would shape the solution. This phase included engaging the whole network of customer service managers via Mission’s online learning site (www.mission-learning.com). Each manager completed a proforma which asked them to identify their key challenges and opportunities pertinent to their area of operation. This included the nature of the customer and all of the stakeholders that influence the quality of service provided to them. Once complete Mission produced an aggregate report and used this to form the specific content to be delivered in phase 2.
Phase 2 - The top team. Mission delivered a two day programme designed to prepare the team for the national roll out. Coaching in style, it walked the team through all of the modules to be delivered to the national customers’ service teams. These workshops used the SDI to identify the critical behavioural skills required to influence without authority. Once complete we analysed the clarity of the teams’ mission and core purpose and discussed it using the Mission’s leadership curriculum. This led to a reassessment of some of the key aspects of their brief.
Combining this with relationship management skills would enable the team to address the core challenges of raising their Customer Service Satisfaction (CSS) statistics.
Phase 3 - 9 x 2 day workshops, supported with online content and programme forums began soon after the work conducted with the senior management teams was completed. Using the same format we walked the regional teams through the same material to help them address the critical aspects of their brief that would support the CSS objectives. For some this meant a fundamental re-appraisal of their efforts and behaviours.
Phase 4 - Brought the whole team back together for a plenary session following the national roll out. Key regional differences were discussed and plans were drawn up to focus the collective efforts to drive up the CSS. Specific individual actions were identified to support the ongoing review and monitoring of the customer service mission; future dates were identified to allow a review of the progress against the plan.
Results thus far have been excellent. Team and customer engagement scores have increased significantly.
Lessons:
- Define success in the early stages of project design
- Identify the critical requirements of this success
- Prioritise resources to address them
- Identify the right leadership behaviours to support them
- Identify your position as a leader that adds greatest value to the proposition
- Never give up hope that you can still achieve in desperate times
- Do not believe everything you hear on the radio
Has your organisation got the capability to survive the economic downturn?
Will it survive in the face of adversity? And has it got fighting spirit?
Recent qualitative research conducted by one of Mission’s consultants has revealed some invaluable findings that are essential for business if they wish to survive and succeed the economic slow down and possible recession, or to purely prepare for when things are just not going according to plan.
The research highlighted what is needed to inculcate a sense of fighting spirit, the competencies required to generate effective Fighting Spirit and how to sustain it. Fighting Spirit is about the ability to cope with and survive adversity, be that recession, a loss of top talent, a take-over, a natural disaster or other adverse scenarios.
The two critical competencies for generating an effective Fighting Spirit are Leadership and Team Cohesion.
Leadership: Leaders must be able to generate confidence, commitment and capability. Knowing their people, individual and team strengths and weaknesses is essential. The leader must set a clear mission and tasks, ensuring people know what is being asked of them, and valuing individual contributions. People will be prepared to go that “extra mile” if they are valued. They must not be afraid to re-visit failure, and must celebrate success.
Team Cohesion: This is not just about working together as a team, but needs to be focussed on building a cohesive team, who are all pulling in the same direction, have the same values and believe in what they are doing. This is generally inspired through leadership. Team Cohesion is also dependent on having a sense of belonging and an identity; this is linked and intertwined with ethos and culture. Therefore, employer branding is pivotal. Like the leader, the team must know one another; know each others strengths and weaknesses. This will be assisted if they have worked together through “tough” tasks/times and have shared experiences.It takes time to generate a cohesive team, and it can not be achieved in isolation of the leader. Instilling and investing in the leadership qualities outlined above are the starting point.
Developing, instilling and maintaining these competencies needs investment. For further information on the research please download the Fighting Spirit - Highlights PDF.
For further information on how Mission can help you please contact our HQ on: +44 (0)1329 841652 or email: info@missionperformance.com
Mission Delivers in Abu Dhabi for TMP Civil Service Programme
Rob delivered a module on building and leading teams to support the Civil Service’s Top Management Programme objectives last week. It was delivered in the Raha Beach Hotel in Abu Dhabi to a senior group of civil servants across multiple disciplines. The 1 week programme has additional modules delivered over a 12 month period. The feedback was excellent and fitted extremely well to the UAE culture of learning through stories and fables. Mission will be back in Abu Dhabi very soon.
For more information call the Mission office on: +44 (0) 1329 841652
Engaging Generation ‘Y’
Mission Performance has been working with one of the world’s most established law firms for the past 10 months. Mission was asked to support the leadership team in driving the changes required by the business. These changes related to the increasing expectations of their employees born after the 1980’s, commonly referred to as the generation ‘Y’.
The programme began with an organisational wide engagement survey which canvassed the views across every department and level within the business. It was conducted online and face to face with a series of semi structured interviews.
The results defined what needed to be done by the leadership team to engage and harness the energies of the whole firm; they discussed and agreed upon an engagement plan which would be delivered over the following months. The results were also summarised into 4 key themes to underpin their 2 day leadership conference.
Four teams of equity partners were given 4 projects to lead, each one linked in to one of the 4 themes summarised from the organisational research. Each project/ equity team had to define the objectives and the deliverables of each project and then reengage with the firm to find the answers to address them.
This was called ‘the conversation’ and involved an enormous amount of information gathering/ consultation conducted by the Equity Partners. This had never been done before and required a huge leap of faith by them, with very close support from Mission. The projects defined were as follows:
- Involving salaried partners
- Leading by example
- People development
- Internal communications
In addition to ‘the conversation’, the equity partners were supported through group and individual coaching utilising the SDI profiling tool and Mission’s model of high performance team work ‘Clarity Culture & Interdependence’ (CCI).
This coaching consisted of 8 sessions conducted over 7 months. The time was split between group coaching and project work in the morning and one to one coaching in the afternoon.
To date Mission has delivered 4 of the 6 sessions. The work completed thus far has resulted in the leadership team embracing leadership 360 degrees feedback and the adoption of at least 1 strategic policy generated from the recommendations of the equity teams.
There is still much to accomplish but momentum is building for more direct work with each departmental team to adopt the philosophy of both the SDI and CCI, as well as designing a more formal leadership development programme in response to the findings of the leadership 360.
Lessons learned thus far:
- To accept that generation Y may not be motivated by the same things as you are and be prepared to do something about it
- To understand the different generations within a large organisation you have to engage them in the process of change; put them at the centre of things and provide a supportive environment to enable them to contribute to future plans; ignore them and they will leave your organisation
- To fix a problem you must first define it; spend time asking the organisation what stops it from achieving even more and what frustrates it the pursuit of goal accomplishment from all levels and specialisations
- You must have ‘top cover’ support and sponsorship, without it your solution will falter when the going gets tough
- Perseverance; when certain people are telling you to stop you must keep the faith and communicate the costs of doing nothing, this will convince them to carry on.
