Assisting with organisational transformation (IT)

The Leadership Breakthrough program was highly customised so that each individual participant could be best equipped to meet the challenges of Cisco’s new and ever-changing business environment.

Cisco subscribes to the view that solid foundations provide the building blocks of success. Right from the outset, meticulous planning is the order of the day. Evidence of this lies in the clearly defined development stages, which include:

1 - Establishing key behavioural objectives based on participant and group needs

2 - Creating an overall plan of the program’s journey and its different learning components

3 - Developing program content and the resources and materials needed

4 - Developing the leadership simulation

5 - Piloting the program

Leadership Breakthrough is aimed at directors and principal engineers identified as being high potential. These groups bring their respective management and technical capabilities to the program, making them crucial to the transformation effort at Cisco. Core responsibilities for participants include helping clarify and disseminate strategy and drive its execution.

The nine-month long program is nothing if not varied. Following different initial orientation sessions for both participants and their managers, both attend virtual meetings that include a consultant from partner LIW in a facilitating role.

During this period, the focus is on:

- Agreeing on development goals for the participant

- Optimising conditions to aid participant success

- Undertaking a specific business challenge where individuals apply learning acquired from the program to complete a project

Then the real work begins. First up is the daunting-sounding “Hot House”, labelled as such for good reason. Action and intensity characterise the four days of a phase that utilises a simulation to address areas including leadership thinking, leadership action and stakeholder engagement.

“Blade Runner”, the leadership simulation, is used for role play in which teams assume responsibilities in a fictitious IT firm. While each has certain business objectives to achieve, greater importance is attached to how they collaborate.

Hot House learning is reinforced through what are termed “Ola Bites” that focus on the thinking and action aspects of leadership.

These mini-refreshers see participants exposed to a brief quote, video or article relating to LIW’s Organisational Leadership Architecture (Ola) concept. Learning is applied in each exercise or activity.

A few weeks later participants attend the Cool Box follow-up to the Hot House session. Cool Box is a misnomer if ever there was one – this module lasts for two days but is every bit as intensive as Hot House in its own way.

Learning here is guided by a 360-degree survey conducted with each participant during the early part of Leadership Breakthrough. The spotlight is on leadership
competencies at Cisco. Emphasis is largely on collaboration and reflection as participants address key issues associated with leading the self and leading others.

Among key learning areas at this point are leading change, coaching conversations, and maintaining peak performance.  

At two points in the program different groups partake in “Action Learning Projects”. The critical point here is the close alignment of these projects
with Cisco strategy. Each group shares its experiences with others via a virtual feedback session. A key aim is to encourage participants to provide mutual support to facilitate learning application.

Significant outcomes of the Leadership Breakthrough program include:

• Overall performance improvement of almost 30%
• Greater participant awareness of Cisco’s strategic big picture
• More effective communication and collaboration, identified beforehand as crucial to Cisco’s ability to provide its customers with effective solutions

Furthermore, approval for projects developed during the action learning phases has been high. In a recent example, the work of a particular cohort was identified as providing a potentially significant revenue opportunity