As a professional services firm, LaBella Associates has one brand promise: partnership. The architecture and engineering firm has differentiated itself by developing deep relationships among consultants and the clients they serve. While growing an average of 25 percent year over year for the past decade, it became clear that in order to deliver more partnerships to more clients, the firm’s business strategy would require more leaders. Additional teams, locations, and services would be the key to continuous, diversified growth, and in turn, the company would require more leaders who were not readily available in the talent pool.
Investing in Your Employees
Many professional services firms invest heavily in their employees; however, for many architectures and engineering firms like LaBella, that training is focused on technical/software skills, professional licensure, and associated CEUs (continuing education units). Mentorship programs and project management certifications may be found in larger firms with the margins to invest a few more billable hours. While these types of training programs are offered at LaBella, a team of employees took a charge from the firm’s Board of Directors that suggested the company should be “in the leadership development business” and developed an internal leadership development program that has been designed and implemented with the expertise characteristic of the firm.
Because the leadership development program would require a significant investment of the firm, and prioritization from the firm’s existing leaders, LaBella’s leadership development program committee undertook several steps to gain stakeholder engagement.
Program Achievements
Here’s a look at what members of the committee achieved to get the program underway:
- Completed a local community college’s leadership development program.
- Read the book, “The Leadership Challenge” by James M. Kouzes
- Surveyed the firm’s top three tiers of management on their areas of strength and areas in need of development, as well as preferences on program logistics, including timing and format.
- Conducted one-on-one interviews with the firm’s current senior leaders to learn what areas were challenging for them when they assumed their roles, and areas that presented current challenges in the evolving organization.
- Spoke with other local organizations about their successful leadership development programs, particularly around the topics of application/acceptance, incentives for participation/completion, and other best practices.
Early on, the leadership development program committee decided on a cohort model for the program. Two committee members had completed graduate degrees in a similar format, and research supported the use of this structure for adult learning. Using a small group cohort model, emerging leaders from all areas of the company would come together, transcending organizational silos and building relationships that would last beyond the program. This model also lent itself to an annual cycle of cohorts, ensuring that the program would not simply be “dusted off” once every five or six years, but run continuously as part of a new culture of leadership development. What’s more, this ensured that every LaBella employee would have an opportunity to be selected for Leadership Development, as employees not selected for the current cohort are encouraged to apply to subsequent iterations.
The fully developed program includes:
- A cohort model: Some 18 to 24 employees are selected for a cohort annually. Employees can apply their own initiative, or be encouraged to apply by their managers. Everyone in the company is eligible for career experience and company tenure milestones.
- The program consists of five modules, scheduled bi-monthly. Each module includes two days of programming. Employees outside of the firm’s Rochester, NY, headquarters travel to Rochester, and the entire cohort participate in an evening social activity at the conclusion of Day 1. Current firm leaders are invited to take part in the social activity, giving program participants extra “face time” with leadership.
- Recognizing the importance of communication for leaders, each module includes a public speaking session.
- From there, the cohort completes a combination of workshops and classroom instruction taught by a variety of instructors, from leadership development coaches and university professors to internal and external business leaders.
- Each session includes an inspirational “TED talk,” where a current business leader (inside or outside of the industry) shares their career story, leadership philosophy, and personal wisdom with the group.
- At the conclusion of the five modules, graduates are recognized throughout the company, at a private graduation celebration with senior leadership. They then embark on a post-program project, where they identify a project or initiative to implement change in the organization.
LaBella’s marketing team branded the program “Propel” and developed a number of materials to give the program stature and cachet within the organization. The firm started its second cohort in November 2020, utilizing remote instruction due to COVID-19 protocols. Despite the prospect of signing up for more Zoom time, applications continued to be robust, and the program coordinators are looking at engaging “TED talk” speakers from across the country to turn remote instruction into an asset.
We’re often asked why LaBella chose to invest such significant resources into creating the Propel leadership program. The answer is simple: When companies invest in their future leadership, those potential leaders are more likely to invest their time and energy back into the organization, and that’s a win-win.
As former Chairman and CEO of General Electric Jack Welch famously said, “Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.”
