Putting Strategy into Practice Through Daily Frontline Leadership
Bilia wanted to support the implementation of its strategy by developing concrete frontline leadership. The aim was to provide the management team and the entire group of managers with a shared leadership training program that would help align leadership practices and strengthen the importance of good frontline leadership for the organization’s success. After a careful selection process, Educo Valmennustalo, which specializes in leadership development, was chosen as the partner.
“Educo’s solution was interesting and brought new ideas to manager training. Their convincing experience in leadership development played a major role. We also immediately had a good feeling about Educo’s trainers and ways of working,” say
Mats Lille, CEO of Bilia Oy Ab, and
Mirva Pirkkalainen, HR Manager.
An Impactful and Versatile Learning Experience
At the heart of Bilia’s eight-month leadership development learning journey was Blanchard’s SLII®, the world’s most widely taught leadership model.
It was complemented and deepened with Blanchard’s Luottamuksen rakentaminen and Käytännön coaching™ training programs. In addition, Wiley’s Everything DiSC® Työyhteisö profile was used as a tool for developing the interaction skills of frontline leaders.
Everything DiSC® — helped leaders create more effective interaction both personally and at the organizational level.
SLII® — taught leaders how they can help people succeed by providing the right amount of direction and support at exactly the right time, in other words, by using a leadership style that matches each person’s needs.
Building Trust — taught leaders and gave them concrete tools for building trust and restoring lost trust.
Käytännön coaching™ — taught leaders a coaching process and skills designed for frontline leadership, and provided tools that help them increase productivity and create an atmosphere of trust and autonomy.
Interactive in-person training was selected as the main delivery method for Bilia’s frontline leaders’ learning journey. This was complemented by online learning discussions facilitated by the trainers, activating pre-assignments, and diverse digital learning solutions.
The digital learning solutions consisted of videos, interactive exercises, example situations, self-assessments, downloadable tools and guides, and the SLII® mobile app, all of which support practical application.
Impact and Results of Leadership Development
The impact of the leadership development learning journey was measured at different stages of the training program using Blanchard’s ROI methodology. Significant development took place in all measured areas. The greatest changes were seen in the number and quality of one-to-one discussions and in adapting leadership style according to the employee’s needs.
“Managers learned to identify the development levels related to employees’ tasks and goals and to adapt their leadership style accordingly,” says HR Manager Mirva Pirkkalainen.
“Through the training, we have gained truly valuable lessons for frontline leadership, and this gives us a strong foundation to continue developing managerial work,” continues CEO Mats Lille.
Both are satisfied with the partnership with Educo.
“The trainers’ strong professional expertise and commitment, the high-quality training content and methods, and the versatile and extensive additional materials all stood out. We can recommend Educo Valmennustalo as a partner for leadership development,” say Mats Lille and Mirva Pirkkalainen.
Bilia Oy Ab is a subsidiary of Volvo Car Finland Oy Ab and operates in the Helsinki metropolitan area as a dealer of Volvo passenger cars. In addition to car sales, Bilia services and repairs Volvo passenger cars and provides high-quality car-related services. The company’s vision is to be the most desired and successful automotive customer service organization in its region.
