Promotions Are Based on Job and Technical Skills, Not Leadership Potential | Case Studies and Testimonials

Supervisors and managers are often promoted into leadership positions based on their job and technical skills rather than leadership potential. They may lack the background and experience to be successful in their new roles. If they aren’t properly trained on how to lead and manage their teams, key performance measures like employee engagement, teamwork, and productivity can decline.

View our case studies and testimonials to learn how The Leadership Journey™ has helped companies overcome this challenge.


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Brook + Whittle Achieves Exceptional Results Using an Evidence-based Approach for Their First Leadership Development Program

As a result of very rapid growth, many frontline leaders were promoted with no formal training or experience in supervising and managing others. The company was growing faster than new leaders could be trained.

Brook + Whittle needed to implement their first formal leadership development program quickly at eight plants in four states. Their goal was to develop a consistent approach to management with an off-the-shelf, turnkey program that had a proven track record of changing behavior.

Learn how they built a unified company and culture and achieved “exceptional results” like improved teamwork, communication, professionalism, and problem solving. You’ll also learn the three added benefits they never anticipated when they started The Leadership Journey™. View case study highlights.

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Raven Increases Team Member Engagement 15% and Becomes an Employer of Choice – Attracting and Retaining Top Talent

Raven wanted to develop their first comprehensive leadership training program. Their goal was to become an exceptional place to work. They wanted to attract and retain top talent by developing consistent management and leadership practices among managers and supervisors.

Learn how they increased communication, teamwork, and motivation, resulting in a 15% increase in team member engagement and 10-15% improvement in leadership effectiveness scores with The Leadership Journey™. View case study highlights.

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Bauer Built Achieves “Fantastic ROI” by Improving Communication Skills and Teamwork in Managers

Bauer Built wanted to establish a leadership development program for its managers and supervisors that focused on people skills while making promotions to leadership positions more appealing.

Learn how they leveraged The Leadership Journey™ to achieve “fantastic ROI” by improving communication skills, teamwork, productivity, big-picture thinking, and problem-solving skills while reducing stress. View case study highlights.

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Shamrock Foods Improves Supervision and Employee Engagement by Focusing on Learning and Applying Leadership Skills

At Shamrock Foods, individual contributors were promoted to supervisors based on their operational skills, not leadership potential. Eventually, the supervisors became managers. However, there was no formal leadership development plan in place for supervisors or managers.

The new HR director was promoted from within, so he knew firsthand that developing a formal leadership development program would provide immediate benefits and quick ROI.

He planned to build a program in-house because nothing he could find focused on behavior change and the application of skills, until he found The Leadership Journey™.

Learn how implementing The Leadership Journey™ facilitated better supervision throughout the organization, changed behaviors, drove engagement, and helped leaders become more genuine and authentic. View case study highlights.

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After Implementing Their First In-house Leadership Training Program, Eastern Propane & Oil’s Frontline Leaders Learn to Communicate, Coach, and Manage with Respect

Eastern Propane & Oil’s frontline supervisors had been placed in leadership positions without any type of formal training. They were very familiar with working in the field and doing the work, but not necessarily with leading their people.

Eastern needed their first-ever in-house leadership training program to develop critical leadership skills. Learn how they were able to quickly roll out a structured leadership training program across seven states and reach hundreds of staff—from frontline leaders to executives—with The Leadership Journey™.

Supervisors learned to lead, coach, communicate, and manage people with respect. The company developed a common leadership culture using consistent methods to help supervisors lead and manage their teams. View case study highlights.

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Mitchell Grocery Distribution Achieves a Whopping 18% Increase in Cases Packed Per Hour

As a result of Mitchell Grocery’s rapid growth, a new HR director was brought on to formalize the human resources department and set up the company’s first leadership training program.

With people getting promoted from within to supervisory roles based on performance and job skills but no formal management experience, there was a leadership skills gap.

Mitchell Grocery looked for a turnkey solution that could be used in-house. Their requirements included flexible delivery options to meet demanding schedules and a straightforward approach so supervisors could understand new skills. Training had to be easy to implement and manage.

Learn how Mitchell Grocery achieved phenomenal success with its first leadership development program. Highlights include an 18% jump in productivity, improved employee morale, and a 90% reduction in employee problems as a result of using The Leadership Journey™View case study highlights.

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Filling the Leadership Gap at First United Bank 100% of New Leaders and Their Managers Recommend The Leadership Journey™

First United Bank had a year long, high-level, best-in-class senior leader development program, but nothing in their offering for newly promoted supervisors and managers. They were searching for supervisory skills training.

In five years, the company had doubled in size. New leaders were promoted because they were great operationally and exceptional individual contributors, but they did not have the leadership skills necessary to be successful in their new roles.

Learn how The Leadership Journey became a foundational part of First United’s leadership development program by improving skills like communication, coaching, and confidence in supervisors. In fact, team member satisfaction is up and 100% of the participants’ managers would recommend The Leadership Journey. View case study highlights.

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Sherry Laboratories Improves Key Metrics by Developing Leadership Skills in Technical Supervisors (Engineers, Chemists, and Biologists)

Sherry Laboratories had white-collar technical professionals—like engineers, chemists, and biologists—who were excellent employees and promoted into supervisory positions without supervisor training.

A group was sent to a local college that offered seminar-style classroom sessions, but it wasn’t a good fit for their adult learners. They decided they needed a program that taught a maximum of 23 skills during each session and that would deliver the same consistent message at all their locations.

The company was also looking for a program where supervisors could lead group discussions, limiting travel for the training team. They decided to offer two modules a month from The Leadership Journey™ during lunch-and-learn sessions. They were delighted with the results, concluding that, “The Leadership Journey™ was a great investment.” View case study highlights.

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Technifab Tackles Traditional Supervisory Growing Pains by Improving Productivity and Professionalism While Reducing COGS

Technifab wanted a formal management development program to help support company growth. Supervisors needed to learn how to manage “their buddies,” hold others accountable, and reduce unproductive activity.

After implementing The Leadership Journey™, Technifab improved productivity and professionalism, nearly eliminated unproductive activities, and reduced wages as a percentage of sales. View case study highlights.

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After Tripling in Size, LifeSynch Reenergized Employees and Boosted Productivity by Developing Leadership Skills in Supervisors and Managers

An entrepreneurial company, LifeSynch was experiencing tremendous growth—in fact, it had tripled in size. This growth meant that employees who were great operationally were quickly being promoted to management roles without any training in how to be a good manager or lead other people.

LifeSynch wanted to quickly develop their managers’ and supervisors’ leadership skills. They wanted a turnkey program that they could start using in-house immediately and on an ongoing basis as new leaders were promoted.

Learn how LifeSynch was able to grow leadership skills in managers, boost productivity, and reenergize employees with The Leadership Journey™. View case study highlights.

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The City of Aiken Achieves Overwhelming Success Bringing Leadership Training In-house

With a reduced budget and increased costs, only a few of their supervisors could be trained at a local community college, so the City of Aiken decided to bring training in-house.

Aiken had a one-person HR department, and time was a scarce resource, so they wanted an off-the-shelf turnkey solution.

Supervisors and managers were promoted from within, so leadership training had to work for existing leaders as well as employees who were next in line for promotion. Courses had to fit within regularly scheduled meetings, align with organizational values, and be relevant to the city’s new mentoring program.

Learn how the City of Aiken used The Leadership Journey™ to improve leadership skills, people skills, and confidence in supervisors and managers. Discover how their soon-to-be leaders were able to hit the ground running after being promoted and why participation requests increased 100%. View case study highlights.

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Virginia Home for Boys and Girls Unifies the Agency by Building Leadership, Teamwork, and Communication Skills

Virginia Home for Boys and Girls (VHBG) was looking for an in-house leadership curriculum that would meet the needs of managers, who are often promoted from direct care staff positions, as well as directors who wanted to refresh their leadership skills.

The curriculum had to be flexible, improve teamwork, and teach relevant and useful skills that could be applied immediately.
Learn how VHBG was able to generate tangible improvements in leaders at all levels, resulting in stronger teams, improved communication and teamwork, and high levels of camaraderie.

Leaders now share consistent skills, knowledge, and language that they apply in the workplace. They also gained a fresh perspective on effectively managing the changes they were experiencing. View case study highlights.

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