GPA’s Emerging Leader Program named AITD Excellence Award finalist
GPA recognises the strength of a company lies within its people and culture, and we strive to create a workplace where our people are empowered to reach their full potential. Due to sustained company growth since our inception in 1987, particularly in the past 10 years, GPA’s structure and leadership team needed a new approach to suit our size. A gap was growing between the existing leadership team and the expanding workforce, without clear pathways for career progression beyond our established technical development pathways.
In efforts to develop staff to more broadly align with GPA’s business strategy and vision, Keogh Consulting were engaged to design and conduct an emerging leaders program. The program has played a vital role in preparing GPA for ongoing stability and continued growth, allowing for expansion into new markets, and on boarding of new clients.
The success of the program was recognised with the nomination of Best Leadership Development Program in the 2020 Australian Institute of Training and Development (AITD) Excellence Awards.
The program was conducted over multiple phases throughout 2017 and 2018, including two series of 4 day workshops and follow up coaching sessions. Participants were provided with:
- A clear vision of GPA’s values and culture
- A understanding of human behaviours and how to approach these to your advantage
- Leadership skills and best practise
- Self-analysis and developing an effective personal leadership style
Workshop participation and support from GPA’s directors was vital to the success of the program. Their collaboration and contribution stretched both themselves and participants, providing opportunities to acknowledge gaps and inspire change and growth. The program also strengthened bonds between participants, creating an improved understanding of our individual traits and common values as a team.
The emerging leaders program has made a lasting impact on its participants, who are now key contributors to the strategy and development of GPA, management of resource teams, and development of client relationships and industry sectors. Standout achievements that were influenced by the program include:
- Continued company growth
- Diversification of markets, expanding into Mining and Minerals, Renewables and Hydrogen
- Organisation structural change with an increase of team leaders, and distributed responsibilities across numerous company functions
- Increase and coordination in business development activities
- Leaders with an improve self-awareness and awareness of others, with skills to foster growth whilst maintaining and improving our culture,
The process of implementing change within a business is challenging, with results that are not clearly measurable and take time to see effect. We are now two years on at GPA and the benefits of engaging Keogh to implement the Emerging Leaders Program are clearly apparent. GPA are better positioned with a higher skilled workforce, and more importantly we are confident in our ability to adapt to the needs of our business, and the clients and markets we service.
Most of all, it has enabled us to continue to be an favoured employer in Engineering Consulting, and retain a focus on development of our culture and our staff, our greatest assets in our business.
GPA wish to thank Keogh for their collaboration on the Emerging Leaders Program and congratulate for then for being a 2020 Australian Institute of Training and Development Excellence Award finalist.
