Before the High-Performance Manager Program, Brady Corporation’s managers were provided little in the way of formal training and guidance after hire or promotion. As a result, new managers did not have the guidance and development support necessary to ensure the highest likelihood of success for themselves and their teams. More specifically there was a lack of clear and consistent understanding of expectations around things like: our Leadership Principles, business acumen, employee relations policies and responsibilities, performance management process, talent acquisition strategies, and empowering and engaging employees.

To address this challenge, a global cross-functional team was assembled to complete a full assessment of the problem and propose a solution. Based on the analysis completed by the team, the challenge was addressed through the creation of a multifaceted program that includes a mix of: On the job application, instructor-led training, web-based modules, resource guide, website, quick reference guides, and short videos. These solutions are spaced out over the first year of a manager’s new role

• Assembling a global and cross-functional team to address the challenge dramatically improved the final deliverable
• When completing a thorough needs assessment of this topic, opinions about what was needed in the program varied greatly by division and region
• A flexible delivery model would help deploy the content to a global audience
• Tying course concepts to existing organizational philosophies (Leadership Principles) around effective leadership and management would increase buy-in
• Educating new managers and their hiring managers was critical to sustainability and knowledge transfer
• Allowing participants to choose their own development path would maximize program impact
• Utilizing existing courses and resources to supplement the program increased development resources while limiting development time