The $6MM Game - Leaders in Action

Driving the Bottom Line with Leadership Action Learning

Most organizations struggle with how to develop mid-managers to leadership roles. Though leadership as a discipline is abstract, inconsistent and vague, expectations of leaders are crystal clear. We expect leaders to make decisions with an enterprise perspective—decisions that add value to the bottom line and inspire employees to achieve a congruent organizational vision.

Leaders in Action is a six-to-twelve month program in which a small group (12-16) of high potential managers work in teams to envision, to sell to senior executives, and to implement a real project that can increase revenue or decrease cost significantly.

We use real business projects that teach managers through practical application to:

• Be more innovative, have a big-picture view of the organization, and create a more motivating work environment.
• Take action, implement effectively, and get results.

Individuals receive training, supervision, and coaching to develop leadership skills as they work through the process of initiating and implementing a significant “initiative” in their organization.

Approach:
We don’t use the terms “leadership” or “development.” We refer to the program as “running the business,” and we approach it accordingly. We take an action-learning approach to teach leadership so that the program and learning integrates with a manager’s day-to-day work. 

Small teams are created that select a project that has high potential value to the organization. The action learning teams meet monthly for a period ranging from six months to a year.  Over the course of the initiative, the action learning teams:

1. Are supervised and coached as they build a business plan that they will present to the executive team.
2. Select a proposed project that directly adds revenue or decreases costs by an appropriate amount for the situation. (typically +/- $6m.)
3. Plan and implementation strategy, ROI, and forecast of how the project fits into the broader organizational objectives and vision.

Plans are evaluated by company executives and accepted or declined based on criteria and processes used to evaluate any other proposal. Once proposals are accepted, we work with the action learning teams on implementation, influencing for initiative support, and managing the politics of the project.

Content:
During ongoing monthly sessions teams debrief, learn new tools and techniques, and learn from each other’s experiences. Management and business acumen content is modular and provided on a just-in-time basis to support teams at each step of their project. The innovative on-the-fly curriculum meets the immediate learning needs of teams and individuals. To provide an internal support system, an executive mentor is assigned to each team to help them understand how the company really works and how to get things done in their particular organization.

Measurement:
For the individual, a program-specific executive 360 assessment is used at the beginning, middle, and end of the program to assess participant needs and growth. The true measure of the team’s success is the completion of their team project and how well it met or exceeded initial proposal expectations.

Outcomes:
As a result of this intense program, participants will have applied “on the job” skills. They will be able to:

• Identify opportunities that add real, bottom-line value to the business.
• Develop, pitch, and sell their business plan to key stakeholders and decision makers.
• Formulate audience-specific value propositions for their project.
• Influence key players to work on their projects—even when there is no reporting relationship to them.
• Navigate workplace politics effectively.
• Perform risk management for their project and manage expectations for all those involved.
• Deliver and maintain a positive communication process regarding their project to all levels of the organization.
• Become adept at presenting project updates, adjusting for audience.
• Drive the agreed-upon dollar amount in revenue increases or cost reductions.
• Take the current project, identify other opportunities that rise from it, and replicate successes on future projects.

Target Audience:
Experienced managers and leaders.