What participants said:
“It’s really opened my eyes to the benefits of being flexible in my approach. I can inspire a team made of many different characters. It’s been the greatest tool I could have asked for.”
“The programme made a huge difference to me. In particular, the feedback from the 360, trainer and actors has really boosted my confidence and self belief.”
“It’s given me confidence with presentations and given my career renewed momentum. I’ve moved from the comfort zone of Aberdeen to a much larger site and I want to achieve as much as possible.”
What happened next:
Participants left the workshops feeling energised - much more confident in their abilities and the new skills they had learned. In addition, the programme has galvanised senior management support, helping managers feel valued and ultimately aiding in retaining top talent for the business.
Rhiannon says:
“Getting buy-in from the Area Managers has been critical to success. It was a challenge initially. Everyone is so busy! At the end of the programme we held an event where the group presented their key learnings to senior managers. The managers were blown away by the confidence of the group and the insights they shared. It’s given us a real sense of momentum going forward.”
behind the screens at Vue Entertainment
The Vue story started back in 2003, when SBC International bought 36 cinemas from Warner Village. Work started immediately on merging the two cultures into a forceful new brand..
Business is now well and truly booming. Vue Entertainment boasts 641 state of the art screens spread across the UK and Ireland. Each year, 32 million customers come to watch the latest blockbusters and enjoy an unrivalled experience. But to make it all happen, having the right people is vital.
Stepping up to the Director’s chair
Dee Vassili, HR Director of Vue Entertainment, explains the strategic imperative behind the leadership development programme: “Our key focus is about ensuring we have an organisation which functions as efficiently as possible. This means having the right structures, capabilities and skillsets in place. Another part is ensuring that people are aligned with what we are trying to achieve and that we are focusing on the same goals.”
This programme was aimed at managers considered to have “high potential”, to fasttrack their progression to Cinema General Managers. A clear talent pipeline raises employee engagement, as well as making sure that the business can respond quickly to challenges and retain its competitive advantage.
Rhiannon Clarke, Learning and Development Manager and in charge of the overall programme, explains: “We wanted these managers to feel valued and supported and to build their confidence and skills. We needed to make sure we retained highly valued talent.”
Cut to the main story
Vue Entertainment chose Bi-Jingo to conduct the programme from the outset, due to their innovative delivery and learning methods. Rhiannon says: “I watched Bi-Jingo work with their actors at an internal training day and I was impressed with the rigour of their approach. I knew this was a team I could trust to deliver.”
Bi-Jingo used fun and inventive ways to help the programme participants learn the skills and behaviours needed to successfully move to the next level of leadership. These were framed around a five step journey:
The design pushed people out of their comfort zone early on by starting with a session on personal impact and presentations. It also meant managers could get some quick wins under their belt and people started to see a difference immediately.
Actors were a key part of the workshops. Jenny Lynch, Bi-Jingo Client Director, says: “This is a population who are operationally focused and tend to be a bit wary of too many models and theories. So we got them on their feet practising the skills. They responded well to the stop/ start scenes in particular. It’s a great way to develop a consistent approach and proved to be a good confidence builder.”
Another important aspect of the workshops was building participant self-awareness via a number of assessent tools. Jenny explains: “In the past, I’ve undergone some of the diagnostics myself, and I understand intimately how the tools work. Giving feedback to managers at the launch event meant that I started to form relationships early on and knew the challenges they faced.”
Take the next step: For more information on the case study, or to run your own leadership development programme, contact Bi-Jingo Director Jenny Lynch Jenny Lynch.