Leadership development across an IFI
Meeting complexity with purposeful, inclusive and systemic leadership at all levels
Geopolitical crises, economic policy volatility, climate change, rapid technological shifts such as AI – the world and the future of international financial institutions (IFIs) now demand both institutions and leaders to do more, differently, with strategic intent.
Our client, an international institution focused on a global development mission, is navigating this complex and challenging environment through strategic, systematic leadership development. What began as a commission for a single leadership development programme evolved into an enduring relationship.
Together we have developed a rich, multi-level ecosystem of leadership development programming designed to give their leaders the tools to navigate complexity and better deliver on their powerful mission.
This is a time when there is a clear need to further enhance leaders’ capability to lead in complexity, in a culture of urgency, with thoughtful risk-taking, and a focus on impact and demonstrable results to enable its strategic goals such as job creation. There is also an increased need for inclusive leadership that fosters psychological safety, a sense of energy, empowerment and shared identity and ownership across the organisation.
Focus
Each of our leadership development programme streams is tailored to the needs of that level of leadership; a timely boost in their capability, enabling them to step into their leadership. The creation and continuous evolution of these programmes has been enriched by our deep understanding of their unique, complex challenges.
We have primary streams of leadership development, which are supplemented by as-and-when interventions to tackle an acute need – they have a core focus on developing leadership maturity, systemic coherence and cultural momentum, all to strengthen their leadership culture, resilience and pipeline. These streams are for: leaders transitioning from technical specialist to people leader, experienced leaders to level up in preparation for the next-level leadership and newly appointed senior leaders to understand their role in collective leadership.
An experiential focus is the central thread of our approach. We take key leadership thinking and principles and make them real and relevant to the participants, making our work instantly impactful and ultimately sustainable for the participants in their careers and for the future of the organisation.
Action
The design for the leadership streams uses a variety of delivery methods, primarily: multi-day in-person workshops, three-way coaching, EQi assessments, 1:1 and peer coaching and cross-cohort learning teams.
- One journey is designed to enable participants to lead diverse teams, building capacity and improving performance. It also grows participants’ understanding of the wider human system of the organisation and how to shape culture and psychological safety.
- Another layer is for those preparing to take on greater strategic influence. There is a particular focus on upgrading for complexity with vertical development to strengthen their capability to strategically influence in the complicated matrix they operate in.
- At another level, a highlight is even more action-oriented development revolving around heat experiences (real-world challenges that are used as learning and experimentation opportunities). We help participants to understand their role in collective leadership and lead the Team of Teams. Core to the programme is shifting mindset through vertical development, learning to be comfortable with high stakes in highly complex and ambiguous multi-cultural environments.
A vibrant thread of reinvention and recalibration weaves through all our work, from evolving programme design to meet the needs of the time-poor modern leader, to refining project management to deliver a premium client experience or adopting new technologies to enhance learning.
Impact
This work has touched people all over the organisation, helping leaders and teams to work together more effectively to ultimately make a real difference.
As a result of our work we have:
- A deep enduring relationship with the client
- Consistently strong satisfaction scores
- Worked with 1,000s of participants
- Touched approx. 150 leaders in one year alone, rippling out and impacting thousands across the organisation
Our multi-level, ever-changing work with this organisation has had significant impact on a plethora of areas - not just the organisation but the business, the participants themselves, and their teams:
In greater detail this included:
- Organisational growth: During the last five years, the balance sheet has grown significantly, reflecting the institution’s expanding influence and the increasing strategic importance of stakeholder relationships.
- Shift in culture: Bringing to life their cultural attributes
- Aligning across the institution: Actively engaging people in the mindset and collaboratively working together on global challenges.
- Business impact: Improved strategic clarity, innovation, and collaboration.
- Leaders delivering more impact: Moving to breakthrough action, empowering teams to step up, seeing and managing polarities, enabling people to lead and deliver through uncertainty, shifting mindset to deliver on the mission with urgency and building resilience.
- Greater self-awareness and leadership maturity: Leaders feel more grounded and confident, with deeper human connection, and have gained expanded shareholder trust, enabling them to lead with authenticity, drive long-term performance and embrace complexity and uncertainty.
- Collective leadership and peer learning: Peer interaction breaks down barriers and enables collaborative cross-organisational problem-solving to lead the collective and the institution with a rich programme alumni network acting as agents of change.
- Empowering and coaching teams: Teams are more empowered, motivated, and aligned, moving away from micromanagement.
Find out more about the impactful work we do with MDBs and IFIs, including further insights and case studies.
