Iza Login, Deputy CEO, Outfit7 limited

The basis for a successful company is a strong and aligned management that works well together. When we take a day with a skilled facilitator, the majorority of issues, problems and questions arise and are communicated, solved or at least planned to be managed in the most appropriate, non-aggressive and non-offerensive way.

Through open communication of perception of strengths managers understood others’ behaviours better and found a solution for smoother cooperation.

Herve Dussart, Country president central europe, Astrazeneca

The Need: Newly formed Central Europe cluster aggregating 6 countries and embarking on an experimental cross-country business model with recently appointed leaders needed to be successful. The initial communication cascade of strategic priorities and stretched targets were poor, alignment suboptimal, resistance to change visible, engagement limited and team spirit embryonic.

The Content: A 3-step-approach + individual coaching for Senior Leaders.
a) Ensuring understanding of core priorities and communication training for all leaders.
b) Ensuring understanding of people differences, cultures, motives, behaviours through SDI model and roll-out across the organisation.
c) Change Management training and dissemination of new company values expected to impact behavioural changes.
The Changes: Increased cross-functional / cross-country effectiveness. Simplified communication. Increased level of feedback and ability to receive challenges. Full alignment on company strategic priority, strong restitution and understanding of why it was chosen.
The Benefits: Increased Team engagement and pride. Meet the stretched business target the 1st year. Target exceeded the second year. some Emerging Talent was recognised and promoted outside their own country. European Company Award for accelerating one of the strategic products.

Garry Kemp, General Manager, DHL - CIS and Baltics

Three years ago we had reached a crucial point in our business development. We had put in place an infrastructure, systems and procedures that would enable us to achieve our demanding and challenging business goals. We had provided the necessary tools to enable our staff and managers to do the best possible job and achieve their goals. Yet something was still missing.

Our managers were not using these tools effectively. They were not responding to the change in the management style. We expected them to use their initiative, take real responsibility and ownership for their results and act as role models for their teams, motivating and empowering them to also achieve their best. And yet the more responsibility we gave them, the more they seemed to stay with their dictatorial style, issuing orders, keeping information and power to themselves and managing through commands.

We recognised that we needed to do something to begin to change the culture and attitude of our managers. We would never meet the demands of a rapidly changing and more competitive market place unless we had a strong management, who could truly manage and lead their teams in a way which would bring out the best in everyone, maximise potential and harness all our human resources in pursuit of the common business goals.

That was when we brought in Fast Forward. They worked with us to help us define more precisely what we needed to do and together we developed a long term management development programme that has enabled us to build a workforce that understands what is expected of them, recognises the importance of working with and through their people to achieve real results, take the initiative in making improvements and satisfying our clients and most importantly now has the skills and attitudes to make the best use of the business tools, systems and procedures.

This has provided us with a very solid foundation for the future. Our business has once more entered a new phase in its development, where we are now faced with the integration of different businesses, not just in terms of systems and procedures but also in terms of culture, management style and attitude. Without the development of the last three years this would have been a formidable task. However our management has responded to the challenge positively, they have taken the ownership for achieving what they can in their own areas of responsibility, they are proactive in taking the initiative and solving problems and they have successfully motivated their teams to continue to perform well during difficult times.

Our business results also speak for themselves. Continued growth and achievement of revenue and profit targets plus improvements in service standards and customer satisfaction. The management development process has, in many ways, been a catalyst to help us to achieve the results we are so proud of.

Karl Paulins, General Manager, DHL - Baltics

Pam designed and implemented a long-term Senior Management Development programme for 30 Senior Managers from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

The programme yielded immediate payback, enabling the tremendous growth in the business to be managed in a professional manner. The longer term success of the Programme is evident from the high proportion of participants who have gone on to senior roles within the global DHL network.

Pam interacted well with the participants and was a great support to me in advice on further development needs.

Igor Jakovljević, Cluster Manager for DPD Croatia and Slovenia

We contacted Fast Forward to support us in developing our leadership group in Slovenia, putting in place core skills and attitudes to build a strong, professional DPD that could manage the future challenges.

The programme was a 5 module programme that took our leaders on a journey from basics of the leadership role, through the core leadership skills including the role of a leader, organisation and planning, relationship building and handling conflict, motivation and leadership, and finally performance management.

The programme was well designed not only in content but with strong emphasis on preparing the leaders for the learning, and focusing them on applying learning and making changes in their daily work. This was visible in their everyday work, their attitude and their results. During the year, they matured into more competent and capable leaders that were better able to manage and motivate their teams to achieve the results, which were above expectations by the end of the year. A great success.

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Veit Stutz, CEO, Alianz Poland

Our business was experiencing growth with challenging goals. To maintain this continued growth it was necessary to accelerate the personal and professional development of the Managing Board so they could drive and lead the business, as one team.

Individual coaching was used for each board member with one team workshop at the end of the process This generated huge progress and improvements in building trust, better understanding for each other and ultimately more effective collaboration.

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Jani Resnik, Managing Director , Amway Slovenia and Croatia

In our organisation, we put a lot of emphasis on training and having a good working environment. We believe that only competent, well trained and happy employees are prepared for changes that occur regularly today. We wish to offer focused trainings to our employees, therefore we expect training providers to adapt their work to our demands.

Fast Forward International has provided an intensive 2 day Internal Communication course for our employees. The Teambuilding Workshop was a great opportunity to focus on ourselves as a team and on what we still need to contribute to our own and company’s growth. Fast Forward structured the Workshop in accordance to our business and personal needs which increased the flow of communication in the office and helped us to build a team spirit, where people work positively and constructively with others.

Everyone was very happy about the quality of the training and the grades given in the feedback were also very high. Participants have commended the professionalism and motivation of the trainers, their knowledge, and flexibility in meeting our special demands and adapting to our working environment. We are further developing a positive and supportive working environment where people work together to achieve common goals.

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Tanja Simenc, Head of Freight , DHL - Slovenia

The Freight management team decided, together with the HR department, to organise a Team Building session for all Freight employees. The aim of the Team Building session was 'Change Management - Organisational as well as personal'.

Since this is a very important topic for business and people, we decided to ask for professional help. Due to the really good experience  of other departments within our organization we have decided to use Fast Forward.

Fast Forward - Pam Welsby - prepared a tailor-made session for our team. She guided us through the importance of positive thinking, overcoming limiting beliefs, confidence building, presentation skills, decision making, managing our time, as well as coping with change. In addition to that we have learned more about each others responsibilities and work tasks.

We left Kranjska Gora with a lot of will to go forward within the business and an understanding of what is important and how changes can be looked at as a positive contribution to our daily life.

I would recommend this session to every individual who is working in a business environment.

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