DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
With wars on two fronts, the VA has faced increasingly challenging treatment needs with limited resources under intensely stressful circumstances. The VA wanted to sustain the morale of their employees so that they could better serve our veterans, and engaged Giant Leap to provide both leadership and team development programs. Since 2002, we have led over 50 workshops at 10 VA hospitals to help VA employees incorporate courage into their workplace and team dynamic. Giant Leap has also conducted classes in business writing, communication effectiveness, conflict management and relationship building.These skill-building workshops are designed to support the continued development of VA employees and have been for all levels of employees from front-line staff to executive leaders.
TESTIMONIALS
PNC
PNC BANK
PNC Bank came to Giant Leap the same way many of our other clients do; they were looking for ways to boost Managerial Courage. One of the nation’s largest banks, PNC had identified Managerial Courage as one of the critical competences most needed by its middle-management ranks in its Global Investment Servicing division (now part of BNY Mellon). Working closely with PNC training personnel, Giant Leap designed and delivered a series of Courageous Leadership workshops for middle managers in Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts.
ALDRIDGE ELECTRIC
ALDRIDGE ELECTRIC
Aldridge Electric Incorporated is a $300 million dollar electrical company based in Chicago, and is one of the nation’s leading electrical contractors. Known in the industry as the company that takes on risky projects that others shy away from, among other things, Aldridge puts in runway lights at O’Hare Airport, stadium lights at Soldier Field, and wires giant wind turbines throughout the U.S.
Aldridge values personal growth and development, and sees it as a source of competitive advantage. In 2006, Aldridge hired Giant Leap to design and deliver a 10-month leadership development program for the company’s senior leaders. The program was so successful that Aldridge decided to rollout the program to the entire workforce – a process that continues today with groups of new hires.
The more experience Giant Leap gained in working with Aldridge, the more valuable Giant Leap has become. Now Aldridge entrusts Giant Leap with its leadership succession program, which involves customizing unique leadership experiences for two groups of high-potential managers. Aldridge also continues to engaged Giant Leap to work with its senior leaders (vice presidents and above). Giant Leap facilitates monthly meetings on issues and challenges that are critical to moving the company forward.
TESTIMONIALS
SAKS FIFTH AVENUE
SAKS FIFTH AVENUE
Saks Fifth Avenue had identified Managerial Courage as a critical competency it wanted to build and develop among its management ranks. After evaluating a number of books on the subject, they decided that the ideas and messages in Courage Goes to Work were engaging, inspiring, and practical. They hired Giant Leap to conduct a pilot workshop with participants in Saks’s Leadership Journey program, as well as a Courageous Leadership train-the-trainer session for the company’s training personnel. As a result of the success of the pilot, Saks decided to rollout the program across the company, and officially designate 2012 as the year of Managerial Courage! Giant Leap remains deeply involved in this endeavor.
TESTIMONIALS
“The messages in Courageous Leadership are delivered in clear, straightforward way and create a compelling reason for practicing courage. Our associates walked away with easy to implement strategies for demonstrating the three buckets of courage every day.” - Pamela Booker, Senior Director of Learning and Development, Saks Fifth Avenue
GEORGIA CENTER FOR CHILD ADVOCACY
GEORGIA CENTER FOR CHILD ADVOCACY
The Georgia Center for Child Advocacy (GCCA) is an Atlanta based non-profit whose work may be difficult to talk about at times but is so very needed. The GCCA provides intervention and therapy services to children who have been severally physically or sexually abused and is leading the way in empowering communities in their state to prevent the sexual abuse of children.
The staff and board at GCCA are passionate about their work and face a struggle common among non-profits. They can’t be all things to all people, so how do they prioritize and focus on their goals? Giant Leap has the opportunity to work with GCCA for over a year. We began by working with the staff responsible for the prevention initiative. Their bold goal is to train one million adults in Georgia in how to prevent sexual abuse. Before ever meeting to develop the strategic plan, Giant Leap conducted extensive stakeholder research to help inform the staff during the planning process. Many one-on-one interviews were conducted, over a hundred people surveyed, and three focus groups conducted across the state. This wealth of information helped the staff to understand the needs and opportunities before them. The strategic plan that was informed by all of this knowledge has proved to be a robust plan that will continue to guide the prevention team for the next several years.
Giant Leap also lead the effort for the development of an agency wide strategic plan. This planning effort brought together staff from across the agency and Board members to consider what the GCCA wants to achieve within the next five years and then work through the necessary steps to achieve those goals. Giant Leap’s approach to planning is practical and focuses on implementation and accountability. Both the agency wide and initiative specific plans that were developed during this period of strategic thinking have contributed to better organizational alignment, improved communication, and have supported the GCCA staff as they strive to make positive impact on the communities they serve.
TESTIMONIALS
