Conquest is Australia's leading supplier of industrial and commercial floor cleaning equipment.
Background
Conquest underwent Strategic Specialists Group’s Discovery Roadmap process, which assisted in the formulation of a five-year strategic plan. This ambitious growth strategy involved doubling the business within five years, which Conquest expected would result in some growing pains.
Following the Roadmap, Strategic Specialists Group continued to be engaged in the business through a Marketing and Sales Specialist who supported the Marketing Manager with implementation of the strategic plan. This Specialist was also a member of the Advisory Board.
Additionally, Strategic Specialists Group were also engaged to provide CFO services to the business. The case study for that engagement can be found separately.
The Opportunity
The leadership team of Conquest was primarily made up of young and ambitious members, many of whom were new to leadership roles and had been promoted from technical specialist roles. They also had limited exposure to previous professional development, particularly around people management and leadership — key skills required for their roles.
A need was also identified to develop the senior members of the leadership team in their role as Conquest leaders, focusing on going beyond functional leadership and driving the business toward the Conquest vision and strategic plan.
The Solution
A People and Culture Specialist was engaged to undertake a leadership development program for eight leaders, including seven leadership team members and one team leader.
The leadership development program was a key enabler for Conquest to build a culture:
- That is high-performing and where all employees contribute to the best of their abilities.
- That is driven by results and data.
- Where leaders and employees understand the business case for spending money.
- That is supportive, celebrates wins, and where employees want to come to work.
The Process
The leadership development program included three key steps:
- Step 1: Define Leadership Capabilities
Our Specialist spent time with the Directors to define the key leadership capabilities — both technical and behavioural — required of Conquest leaders now and in the future. - Step 2: Capability Assessment and Gap Analysis
Senior leaders were assessed against the identified capabilities through self-assessment and peer assessment. Assessment reports summarised key strengths and development areas and were presented to Directors before coaching commenced. - Step 3: One-on-one Coaching and Group Training Sessions
Tailored one-on-one coaching sessions were conducted with all leaders over 12 months. These sessions were self-driven and action-oriented, targeting improvement in key areas.
The Specialist utilised the 70:20:10 learning model (70% on-the-job, 20% coaching, 10% theory), creating a safe and confidential environment to maximise learning.
For each leader, the program included:- A kick-off meeting to discuss assessment results and agree on development areas.
- Seven one-hour coaching sessions focused on actions and ongoing progress.
- Phone support between sessions.
- Regular check-ins between senior leaders and their managers.
The Outcome
Individual Leaders:
- Increased confidence, particularly around people leadership and management.
- Valuable coaching experience providing insight into strengths and development areas.
- Greater awareness of the impact they have on others.
- Appreciation for having an objective, experienced outsider to provide guidance.
Leadership Team:
- Improved alignment, with decisions made from a company-wide perspective rather than departmental interests.
- More openness to sharing and considering each other’s ideas.
- Stronger team function and greater engagement across all leaders.
Wider Organisational Benefits:
- Noticeable positive shift in workplace culture, with senior leaders reporting happier and more engaged staff.