Through an engagement survey,VIKING became aware of some management challenges faced by two leaders who had the potential for improvement and growth. According to Mette Vistisen, Vice President People & Organization at VIKING, they wanted to follow up on the two leaders’ progress, which required an individual approach given that they faced different challenges.
“We had a couple of leaders with individual needs and facing different challenges as leaders. We want to fill those needs in the form of a training program, to make them even better leaders.”
This was an occasion to use Ennova’s Fast Track program, which focuses on a leader’s specific situation and leadership challenges. The two leaders were given useful tools that focused on each leader's development areas. This gave them the opportunity to try out the new leadership tools in practice and then evaluate the results in consultation with Ennova’s occupational psychologists. Mette Vistisen believes the individual focus of the program gave the whole process tremendous value for the leaders.
“The individual focus of Ennova's Fast Track program is unique, because it gave our leaders some very useful tools that allowed them to focus on precisely what it is they needed help with.”
It is a strength that Mette Vistisen does not see to the same extent in ordinary programs. That is why Fast Track is a concept that has truly supported VIKING’s efforts to help its leaders become the best leaders they can be.
Over a three-year period, Ennova has compared before and after scores on a series of units and leaders, in order to measure the effect of the Fast Track program as a tool in leadership development. The results that Ennova has collected so far document that the Fast Track program introduces positive changes in leaders and units that had low scores.
Over a three-year period, we have compared before and after scores on a series of units and leaders, in order to measure the effect of the Fast Track program as a tool in leadership development. The results that we have collected so far document that the program introduces positive changes in leaders and units that had low scores.
We see time and time again at Ennova that leaders who work and reflect on their leadership style and who practice to improve it can turn a very bad situation around and make it positive with support from Fast Track.
However, Fast Track is never a guarantee of improvement or of a solution in a situation. But because the program can be adapted to the individual, it is possible in each case to work in a targeted fashion on the individual's essential needs, which is critical to obtaining positive results from leadership training and the documented positive effect of the program.
For a global company like VIKING, it has been a tremendous help to use an external partner to execute the development program, and it has been a big advantage that Fast Track takes place online, says Mette Vistisen.
“The fact that it is online makes it very attractive, because then we aren't limited in terms of who we can offer the program to. One of our leaders, for example, was from our global organization, and it worked very well.” Mette Vistisen also believes it was beneficial to offer the program in connection with the engagement survey, and would use Fast Track again if the need arises.
“It was particularly beneficial to link the program with the engagement survey, which indicated that there was a need for sparring and training of some of our leaders. So I could certainly see using the Fast Track program again if the need arises.”
According to Mette Vistisen, the cooperation with Ennova has been positive, and she says that Ennova provided qualified assistance in relation to the scope of the work and VIKING's needs.
“I found Ennova’s work to be very competent, and the framework of the whole process has been very satisfactory.”
Fast Track is an online training program that serves as a follow up on leadership assessment, where the results are discussed and turned into concrete behavioral changes together with an occupational psychologist. Fast Track has a documented positive effect on the individual leader's leadership skill development, and the individual is equipped to act and change their behavior. With its individual focus over the course of the program, Fast Track is designed to improve the quality of personal leadership skills.
