Improving performance
and instigating growth

A leading New Jobs initiative recognised soft skills development as crucial to the workforce of the future. We agree, and so do our clients! If you’d like to know more about how we could help your business, please get in touch.

Case study 1
How Chichester Harbour Conservancy built management skills

Challenge

Chichester Harbour is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and is managed by Chichester Harbour Conservancy (the Conservancy), the only Statutory Harbour Authority with responsibility for managing an AONB.
The Conservancy initiated a restructuring of senior management. With the right people in the right jobs, this, nevertheless, meant that a number of team members were facing increased responsibilities in new roles, and identified a need for development training.

Solution

After making contact with Ian from Performance Workplace Development (PWD), a bespoke programme of soft skills courses and was developed to best suit the needs of the Conservancy at the time (2016/17). Out of this, grew some individual mentoring based on Insights Discovery profiles.
The following year Ian also provided help to initiate a major finance migration project, which he supported through to going live at the turn of the financial year. Performance – Workplace Development Ltd continue to deliver training and mentoring for the Conservancy.

Results

Courses on Time Management, Managing Projects, Managing Budgets and Employee Engagement enabled the Conservancy’s Senior Managers to prioritise tasks more effectively, sign off on invoices more quickly, and gain an appreciation for the roles of others within the organisation. This led to clear expectations, common approach and streamlined processes.

Many thanks for the bespoke course … everyone acknowledged that it was very helpful and thank you for going to such lengths – Richard Craven (Director & Harbour Master)

[You got me] thinking about my role and tasks differently – delegation opportunities, ideas to proactively engage with the rest of staff to increase accountability and … improvements in financial aspects – Member of the Senior Management Team

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Case study 2
Hospice in the Weald has a new language

Challenge

With a workforce of 250 staff and over 1000 volunteers, Hospice in the Weald (HitW) provides 24/7 care and support to patients with a terminal illness, their families and carers in West Kent and Northern East Sussex. With a large workforce and serving a community of around 350,000, HitW recognised how important the awareness of diverse personalities and communication styles is.

 

We are about community and the community we serve; the people of West Kent and Northern East Sussex are at our core – HitW website

Solution

Having witnessed the effectiveness of Insights Discovery in 2 previous organisations, the Chief Executive of HitW approached Insights requesting the one-day ‘Gift of Discovery’ workshop available to charities.  Insights invited Performance – Workplace Development Ltd, to provide the Insights Discovery workshop for the Directors and the newly formed Heads of Service & Department roles.  This included the provision of individual profiles for each participant. The aim was to identify ways to help people with different communication styles understand each other better and improve interaction with their colleagues.

Results

By increasing an understanding of different colour energies and communication styles, the combined profiles and workshops empowered staff to identify the behaviours of themselves and others, and gave them the tools to confirm positive, or challenge ineffective behaviour in the right way. An additional outcome was that the process created a team of leaders who feel they are included and appreciated. One participant described this as “very useful [and] a little special”.

[Insights Discovery] has given people a new language with which to explore their behaviour… It’s become very natural for them to use the language almost every day.
– Kate Walker (Personnel Director, HitW)

Case study 3
Mentoring improves culture of openness

Challenge

As Service Manager for Detect Fire and Security Ltd, a business that provides fire and security systems solutions to businesses across the South of England, Jacob Derrick approached Ian requesting some business mentoring.

Through previous dealings with Ian at a local networking group, Jacob was impressed with Ian’s approach to business and the way he deals with situations and people.

I have great respect for your informed manner and calmness and knew I had a lot to learn. I knew you would be good at helping me in areas where I was lacking – Jacob Derrick (Service Manager, Detect Fire & Security Ltd)

Solution

Ian provided an Insights Discovery personality assessment with a focus on management and personal achievement, as well as the foundation chapters, and a number of interview questions designed to establish the level of Jacob’s self-awareness and personal growth. After the initial feedback from the Insights Discovery profile, Ian and Jacob continued to meet every couple of months to identify areas for improvement and set goals.

Results

Having done some work on emotional intelligence before in his role as a manager, Jacob found that the Insights profile he completed reinforced some things he already knew and gave a more rounded understanding of his own psychology. It also gave him a better idea of how to apply this knowledge and how to adapt his approach to different situations.

He has noticed improved relations and communication with people who work for him, with everyone having a greater appreciation of each other’s strengths, as well as the things they find more difficult. Coupled with changes being made in the business, people are more willing to approach Jacob and speak openly with him.
Jacob has continued to value Ian’s mentoring and the knowledge gained for his Insights Discovery assessment, particularly in his additional role as President of the Southern Branch of The Institution of Fire Engineers, which he took on in June 2018.

I have learned to be less guarded as a manager. I am more open with the people who work for me and am more willing to show my weaknesses. As a result, others are happier to identify areas they are weaker in, leaving everyone on a more level playing field – Jacob Derrick (Service Manager, Detect Fire & Security Ltd)

Case study 4
Building a common understanding – improving collaborative working

Challenge

Flintshire CC LogoGail Bennett, Early Years and Family Support Service Manager for the Flintshire County Council’s Social Services, oversees a service comprised of several teams. While these teams are each under separate management, it is essential they work well together.

Two relatively new teams, both with additions of new staff, required a common understanding of each other’s roles and responsibilities, as well as a clear view of the outcomes they need to work collaboratively to achieve. The introduction of a Finance and Compliance Officer also created a need to further cement relationships and team working.

Gail recognised that by coming together for some training, these two teams could increase their understanding of themselves and each other and improve their collaborative working.

Solution

Performance – Workplace Development provided a package of Insights Discovery workshops and coaching sessions with the aim of developing team dynamics and communication.

This consisted of:

  • a one-day workshop for all team members, incorporating practical exercises to improve communication;
  • a second day of Insights-based workshop and smaller group coaching applying the Insights Discovery model to some of the challenges they are facing;
  • a number of remote coaching sessions by video conference.

Results

Insights Coloured BlocksInsights Discovery has helped teams to relate to each other’s colour energies and use these to the benefit of what they need to achieve.

The package Performance – Workplace Development provided gave ideal opportunities for team members to understand themselves better individually and gain an increased awareness of each other, in a non-judgemental way. This included some light-hearted moments where team members could rejoice in their differences and laugh with each other while continuing to grow team effectiveness.

This has been seen to be working particularly effectively in one area, as individual members have been able to use their different approaches and greater understanding of each other to run a new, highly successfully event for professionals in the area.

Teams have been using the language of Insights Discovery to talk about colour energies and have found the Insights coloured blocks on peoples’ desks help to keep this alive. As they continue to further embed this knowledge in practice, the positive changes and potential seen by the Service Manager has allowed for the possibility of rolling Insights Discovery out to different teams.

“After half a day, people who were hesitant and apprehensive about the process, were sitting together and had a clear understanding of each others’ roles”

Gail Bennet (Early Years and Family Support Service Manager)