In 2015 B.I.C Services enrolled three of their people in The Performance Edge open course in Sydney. LMA regularly runs development courses in an “open” environment where participants from a number of different organisations participate and work towards the achievement of their own business and personal development goals.
Impressed with the results achieved by the participants, B.I.C Services enlisted LMA to deliver the Leading and Managing for Results course in-house to provide their managers and supervisors with solid foundations to build organisational growth through improved personal performance and productivity.
The first in-house course commenced in 2015 for a group of ten managers and supervisors with varying levels of leadership experience and they returned an exceptional $370,521 Return On Investment based on the time and efficiency gains forecasted for the first 12 months.
A national 50 year old company needs to lift its middle management to achieve projected growth.
The Solution
LMA delivers its accredited Certificate IV in Frontline Management to potential and existing managers drawn from 60 branches.
The Result
Inenco’s emergent middle management level has the professional and transferable management skills to move between its operations nationwide and forms a pipeline for senior management.
Among the businesses within the INENCO group is Consolidated Bearing Company (CBC), Australia’s biggest distributor of bearings, power transmission and sealing products to the mining and industrial sectors, with 600 staff.
As part of INENCO’s growth strategy, CBC kick-started succession planning and identified the need for professional management training to build its middle management skill set. LMA has a proven and national programme which, over time, will allow CBC to attain a consistent standard across its 60 branches. The first 25 CBC staff from three states have graduated from LMA with the Certificate IV in Frontline Management, ensuring INENCO have a pipeline of talent with skills transferable across the businesses within the group.
Across the many areas of the hospital, Epworth Freemasons’ employees were moving into management roles, often without formal management training.
The Solution
LMA courses provided theoretical management principles and practical applications for Epworth Freemasons’ middle management tier.
The Result
LMA has given people strategies for management and they are feeling more confident and competent in their roles.
Epworth Freemasons Established as Freemasons Hospital in 1937 by Freemasonry Victoria, Epworth Freemasons Hospital is an integral part of the Epworth Group and is a non-government, not-for-profit, charitable institution providing a range of inpatient and ambulatory care services.
The hospital services include maternity, women’s health, surgical services and comprehensive cancer care facilities. Located in East Melbourne, Epworth Freemasons has 265 beds including a day procedure centre and a critical care unit.
This leading retailer, in order to cope with its rapid growth, required an organisation wide management and leadership approach.
The Solution
LMA delivers a multi-tiered leadership and management development programme to help Cotton On’s staff prepare for future growth and deliver an immediate improvement in results.
The Result
LMA increases job satisfaction and retention rates amongst Cotton On’s staff with its personal and professional management approach. In addition, performance and productivity has also improved.
Cotton On is one of Australia’s fastest growing retail brands, known for its funky fashion and streetwear for guys, girls and kids.
The Cotton On brand encompasses a youthful attitude and style which is reflected in its cutting edge clothing. Operating for more than 15 years, with over 150 stores throughout Australia and New Zealand, Cotton On is a rapidly expanding team of vibrant professionals.
With an interest in growing its people as well as the company, Nigel Austin, Managing Director of Cotton On, contacted Leadership Management Australia Pty Ltd (LMA) to alleviate the pressures that growth had inflicted on Cotton On’s management. LMA has since played a key role in equipping the company’s management team with the right skills to be at their best, both personally and professionally.
To help improve training and performance, Fairfax sought external experts to equip supervisory personnel to get the best from their team in a high pressure environment.
The Solution
LMA’s accredited Effective Supervisory Management (now known as Leading and Managing for Results) course delivers practical tools team leaders put into practice immediately.
The Result
Improved team management means a smoother operation of the entire production department, and costs have been reduced as team leaders put into practice the new skills they’ve acquired.
Case 1: LMA tools are catalysts to 20% reduction in machine downtime.
Mark Grima, Coordinator Press Room, had six years of supervisory experience and is responsible for 16 people on any shift in the press department. He claims, “This is the first time I’ve sat an external course and I found it totally enlightening.” He continues, “An important issue for us is minimising page breaks in the printing of the papers. I identified a team with a higher percentage of breaks and, as an eight week project throughout the course, we used the LMA tools to develop a plan of action to improve our performance to help solve the problem. The team grabbed the opportunity and came up with the perfect solution. Performance and morale have soared. We’ve cut down time by 20%, which results in real savings.”
Case 2: Delegation skills improve running of department.
Michael Elliot, Press Room Manager, was mentor to team leader Jamie Patterson. He explains, “Jamie is very intelligent and already a good organiser and planner. His LMA training has given him a higher level of interpersonal skills, so he now knows how to capitalise on relationships and delegates in a way that empowers people. The constant positive feedback and individual attention he got from the LMA coach helped him retain his focus and achieve his goals. The course just hasn’t benefited Jamie, his training has helped me and the entire department.”
Rapid organisational growth led to staff disputes and negative feedback from customers and suppliers.
The Solution
LMA tailored an eight week Success Strategies program for the entire HAL Group workforce.
The Result
A dramatic turnaround of the corporate culture; customer and employee complaints are now rare and productivity has soared.
LMA tailored a Success Strategies program and implemented it company-wide to radically transform the corporate culture into one that now supports The HAL Group’s continued growth and has virtually eradicated customer complaints.
The training delivered results beyond original objectives
Reduced customer complaints. Dropped from five to one per month
Less staff disputes. Staff are now equipped to resolve potentially confrontational situations
Increased productivity
Improved time management. Steve says, “I’m a practical person so I got a lot out of the time management module. The sales guys loved it as it’s helped them to prioritise.”
Better planning skills. “Both the Success Strategies and the Personal Development course gave participants the skills they need to plan their work to get better results.”
Effective communication. “I thought I was a reasonable communicator but I needed to be reminded of the difference between assertive and aggressive,” admits Steve.
Stillwell Motor Group was looking for business skills training beyond the motor industry that would develop staff personally and professionally.
The Solution
LMA is able to provide essential productivity, management, selling and communications skills to all Stillwell Motor Group personnel employed at various management levels.
The Result
Stillwell Motor Group and LMA have worked together for over seven years to build organisational culture, foster customer service and develop emerging talent.
Michael Stillwell, Director at Large of Stillwell Motor Group explains, “As a ‘people’ business that prides itself on stakeholder relationships, ensuring all the team communicate effectively is essential. LMA helps us fulfil the objective of high quality customer service.” All levels of employees at Stillwell Motor Group receive LMA training and the company sees results across the board.
Michael says, “With LMA, it all comes back to what drives the individual to achieve through goal setting, understanding aspects of life and what drives you. The core product is excellent and it carries through to all its courses.”
Michael concludes by saying, “What works really well for us is having a quality ongoing relationship with LMA. They understand our business intricately and we understand how to maximise the results of the LMA program and support the LMA lessons through internal reinforcement.”
Tremendous growth of her busy agency left MD Sharon Williams struggling to achieve that elusive life balance.
The Solution
Williams invested in LMA’s Effective Personal Productivity course for herself and her team.
The Result
Enhanced balance and increased productivity of the agency.
Taurus staff found they looked at their working day in a more organised and structured manner and focused on clearly defined High Pay Off activities. Communication with colleagues and management is more efficient and effective and they’ve reduced interruptions by up to 20 percent. Instead of repeatedly breaking the flow of their work to address a colleague, they tend to schedule a time together to address all the little matters collectively.
Stacey Toskas, Account Manager for Taurus, continues, “The course has not only translated itself professionally but has also had a significant impact on my personal life. I now set SMART goals and plan on how I am going to execute and achieve them. I had always considered myself to be very organised and I was initially sceptical about what the course could offer me. However, within one week of commencing the course, I immediately began to experience positive results.”
There was no uniform training programme for people going into management in each state.
The Solution
New and potential managers now undertake LMA’s Effective Supervisory Management (now known as Leading and Managing for Results) programme.
The Result
Toll Express has a professional national standard for people management and a defined training path for managers.
At a macro level Neil Pollington, General Manager for Toll Express cites the benefits as:
A national professional standard for people management
State managers are more effective
Improved communication between business units
A defined training path to retain and develop potential managers
Improved customer communications
At state level, Toll Express NSW State Manager Jamie Primmer reflects, “As a mentor to some of the 12 who graduated from the LMA course, I and my team gained a raft of new people and management skills. I’ve seen a previously introverted manager transformed into an extrovert and active team player. They each now see the bigger picture and the impact of what they do at work on others in the business.”
WFI differentiates itself in the crowded insurance market through the quality of its people and the relationships they build.
The Solution
The LMA model of facilitation, coaching and mentoring fits in with the WFI leadership development program.
The Result
WFI and LMA’s relationship means WFI’s employees are confident and equipped for leadership and management, which means growth for the business.
One of the attractions of LMA for WFI was the fact that its development process addresses both business and personal outcomes. Howard King, CEO of WFI explains, “With LMA we get to develop our people in terms of both leadership and general qualities.”
WFI employees, who have participated in LMA programs, comment that they are impressed by the course structure, networking, real-life goal setting, mentoring, coaching and the personal growth aspect.
Sandra Cunningham, Western Australia Business Services Supervisor at WFI comments that the LMA Effective Personal Leadership course increased her skills for managing people. She explains, “There were real benefits from meeting with people in similar circumstances to me and bouncing ideas off them. I have since done a second LMA course, Challenge of Leadership, which has also contributed to my ongoing development.”
