Case Studies

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The following representative case studies reflect client experiences and Anne’s methodologies;  they are adapted to protect client confidentiality.

Case Study 1: A Financial Services Firm

Situation

A large financial services firm wanted to offer an innovative type of business development program to its financial advisors on a national level. This new type of program was to help financial advisors grow their business through generational wealth management.

Challenge

Define the best way to deliver dynamic, consistent, interactive, and effective programs to as many financial advisors as possible.

Solution

Anne’s methodology included:

  1. Meeting with the firm’s leaders, to understand the organizational challenges and needs
  2. Meeting with a diverse group of financial advisors, to understand their business challenges and opportunities
  3. Developing a program that implemented the feedback from the firm’s leaders and financial advisors
  4. Piloting the program with a group of financial advisors
  5. Enhancing the program, based on the pilot feedback
  6. Developing 3- and 6-month follow-up opportunities with the financial advisors, allowing them to practice their newly acquired skills for a period of time, with access to a resource for more information as needed
  7. Rolling out the program on a national level

Results

The firm rolled out the program at 10 regional conferences, over 11 months. Anne’s evaluation scores totaled 4.91/5.

The program allowed the financial advisors to learn new skills, practice them at work, and access more resources to reinforce the lessons learned.

Case Study 2: A National Association

Situation

A national association wanted to train its members in a cost-effective and engaging way, to reduce the amount of time, travel costs, and other resources that were being used non-productively.

Challenge

Create the most effective platform and education program for national membership.

Solution

Anne’s methodology included:

  1. Meeting with the association’s leaders, to learn more about the association’s vision and goals.
  2. Meeting with a diverse group of association members, to understand their business challenges and opportunities.
  3. Designing an Online Learning Program that met the needs of both the association and its members. This program included online content modules, videos, group calls, and collaborative, online projects and homework assignments.
  4. Piloting the program with one state’s membership base.
  5. Revising the program, based on the pilot feedback.
  6. Rolling out the program to another state.
  7. Eventually rolling out the program on a state-by-state basis.

Case Study 3: An International Retailer

Situation

A large, international retailer asked Anne to create a program that would enhance the dynamics of its leadership team. They were particularly looking for a hybrid leadership development program that blended generational understanding with traditional leadership, to consistently achieve the following:

  1. Increase execution effectiveness and efficiency within its business
  2. Grow its emerging leaders

This client’s metrics of success included:

  1. Customers who shop at the stores believe that they have value as an individual, based on the retailer’s customer service metrics (price and product)
  2. 1–2% increased profits for the stores

Challenge

Create a program that increases performance and grows talent.

Solution

Anne created a sustainable, hybrid program that allows a combination of face-to-face traditional courses, as well as online modules, to maximize learning.

This program allows this retailer’s group of leaders to:

  1. Work together as a cohort over a 9-month period, allowing them to learn together, from each other. Result: An empowered group that learns together will turn to each other for best practices, support, and idea generation.
  2. Maintain and sustain their overall learning. There is little retained knowledge and changed behavior from a 1-day program; for maximum adult learning effectiveness, the new skills and concepts need to be repeated and sustained over a longer period of time. Result: Adults who have time to learn a new concept/skill, practice the concept/skill at work, receive feedback on their progress/learnings, and apply those learnings and skills at work again are more effective in sustainably changing their behavior than are adults who just learn the concept once and return to work.
  3. Learn in multiple ways, enhancing their learning. Adults learn in 7 different ways; single, face-to-face programs are therefore not the most effective way to change behavior. Result: A program that uses face-to-face seminars, online modules, group calls, books, and goal accountability partners will help leaders learn and retain the knowledge in diverse and effective ways.
  4. Focus on the skills they need to succeed. Through informal focus groups, Anne will learn what challenges company leaders face in becoming more effective and efficient; she can then custom-make a program to address those issues. Result: A program that is custom-made for these leaders will create a program that is relevant and timely to their needs.

The actual program was a 9–month program from late September to June. The actual syllabus was developed collaboratively by the HR manager, regional directors, and Anne.