Instalcom nurturing the talent in its workforce
The Client
Instalcom, a UK-based Utility Contractor, operates from offices in Borehamwood, Charlton, Manchester and Edinburgh.
Offering a cost-competitive design, planning, project management and installation service, Instalcom uses its experience to deliver commercial benefits to clients across a range of sectors.
Having built a reputation for providing high-quality, hands-on service, Instalcom has created an ethos of delivering solutions that offer best value for money, utilising its highly skilled workforce to achieve best results possible.
This commitment to quality has helped the business expand its workforce to some 200 operatives, boasting an impressive annual turnover approaching £50 million.
The Individuals
Paul Alderton, Communications Director at Instalcom, attended a local introductory session being presented by LMI Director, Karl Gasson.
Impressed both with the ideas imparted and the way in which Karl delivered the workshop, Paul invited Karl to Instalcom to discuss in more detail the help LMI could offer the business to support its ambitious growth strategy.
Instalcom recognised that whilst it had developed a talented and committed workforce, many individuals had been promoted to roles that required management and leadership skills they had not specifically acquired in their earlier, more hands-on jobs.
Having earned promotion for their exceptional results, additional support was required to ensure successful transition to new managerial roles. Appropriate coaching and learning were essential for Instalcom to continue to promote internally.
The Instalcom team had experienced a series of intensive team-building courses and short-term skills development coaching sessions in the past, but there had not been any sustained support focussed on helping its managers learn how to become more efficient within their roles and achieve senior positions within the organisation.
Many of our team were sceptical at the outset. They were prepared to push back and question Karl and the LMI approach. Karl embraced the challenge and won over even our most doubtful individuals, who now understand the benefits of such a tailored programme.
As a business, succession planning is a key part of our growth strategy and we are confident Karl and the LMI programmes are preparing our managers to continue the next chapter of the Instalcom success story.
Paul Alderton
Communications Director, Instalcom
The Programme
Selected not just for the content, but for the way the concepts and information are delivered, the Effective Personal Productivity programme helped Instalcom’s project managers to be more effective, manage their time more efficiently and to become more goals orientated.
Whilst initially sceptical, the no-nonsense project managers were won over by a combination of the programme content, Karl’s focussed, passionate delivery style and the almost immediate results each participant enjoyed – both in their business and personal lives.
The responsive nature of much of Instalcom’s business means that individuals are required to handle multiple tasks and self-prioritise work that requires the most immediate attention.
The bespoke development programme allowed project managers to discover effective time-management techniques, while developing a better understanding of how to improve overall workplace productivity.
This included learning key lessons on identifying high pay off activities, the power of effective delegation, techniques for more effective firefighting, and sharing time with the wider team to complete projects more efficiently.
Delivered in manageable bite-sized sessions, at the firm’s offices, ensured the information was well-received and well-retained, with one-on-one and group coaching sessions tailored to the team’s busy schedules.
It is gratifying to work with businesses like Instalcom that are committed to enhancing the skills of their existing team, in preference to bringing in untested skills from outside the business.
The EPP has quickly shown the team what is possible with planning, better time management, new delegation skills and a sense of empowerment, that is helping its managers flourish. Instalcom is already reaping the rewards of this cost-effective programme.Karl Gasson
LMI Director
The Benefits
The programme has helped Instalcom’s mid-management tier become more efficient within their roles and has given them the skills and self-confidence they need to continue their progress with Instalcom.
The Effective Personal Productivity programme focusses on helping individuals to streamline their individual workloads by teaching them how to more effectively manage their time, focus on core objectives, and oversee ongoing projects effectively.
Instalcom is now much better at controlling priorities, ensuring they use the growing expertise of the team to provide better results for clients and the business.
Not only are these new personal leadership skills improving the performance of the team, but they are also allowing the individual managers to enjoy greater personal success as the business continues to nurture the talent within and build a team of more effective leaders, ready to rise to the top.
The Future
Instalcom is not just an advocate of the bespoke development programmes, but also the unique LMI approach in general. The flexibility and accessibility of important learning material makes understanding the information a lot easier, especially for those with busy schedules.
For businesses who value the expertise of its existing workforce over the need to spend money finding talent from outside of the company, the bespoke development programmes can help develop and shape important leadership skills and traits.
Instalcom’s business thrives within a fast-paced environment, and therefore it needs leaders who can keep cool under pressure and use their experience and judgment to complete tasks efficiently without consuming valuable time.
To date Instalcom has put 18 of its management team through EPP programmes tailored to the needs of the business, with a commitment to extend the range of programmes undertaken at all levels across the company.
Instalcom is a business that values its people and values what they are learning.
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