Banking / Finance - Regional Bank - USA

Themes:

Leadership development, team development, project management skills, development of in-house coaches, process consulting

Industry:

Banking

The Task: 

A fast growing regional bank requires a continuous pipeline of skilled leaders for their retail locations. At the outset of this project the bank was operating 240 branches throughout Maryland, Virginia and Washington, DC. Consistencies across the network of branches and with corporate leadership policies are critical. Team collaboration between branch leaders and with the corporate office and leadership using a common language is an additional challenge in this fast growing environment and needed to be tackled.

The Solution:

Coverdale custom-designed a set of interconnected programs linking different management levels to support the growth of the organization and the business:

  • A five-day leadership and teamwork skills workshop for mid level managers across the organization. This program became the core of the Retail Leadership Associate program and runs several times a year. A three-day executive teamwork skills program for senior managers and leaders. Two teams of senior managers participate in two programs each year. Both programs are based on our inductive learning model.

  • A five-day organizational development program for mid to senior level managers. This intensive workshop is run twice a year. The program is based on our inductive learning model, which features a much higher complexity, so that advanced skills can be developed.

  • The Advanced Group Coaches Training Program ("A-Group"): The A-Group is run every three years in order to develop in-house Coverdale coaches. The purpose is to increase sustainability of the interventions and to reduce long-term cost for the client. Coaches in training first participate, then observe and assist before they coach under supervision. The A-Group completes the 18-months training with a demanding workshop that runs in parallel of an actual client program, so that program design, coaching interventions and inputs can be analyzed and synthesized by the A-Group participants.

  • Several integrated consulting projects with the Executive Vice President Forum, the Retail Banking Department and the HR Department. Examples: facilitating and assisting in long-term strategic planning, organizational development, communication projects.  

  • As part of the consulting projects a Project Management Workshop was designed to kick off a major change management initiative that affected every part of the organization. Coverdale first worked with a steering committee and the integration team for a three-day workshop. Subsequently two large-scale project management programs with about 40 project team members were implemented. The program is based on Coverdale's inductive learning model, setting up a complex project management organization quick adaptation, negotiation for resources and highly developed social and influencing skills.  

The Outcome:

Coverdale's involvement in the major change initiative helped to deliver the associated projects on time and on budget. The newly acquired method and skills became a blueprint for other change projects in the organization.

Over the course of 10 years over 700 managers and leaders across the organization attended Coverdale programs. During this time the bank achieved a significant growth in deposits. The HR department was recognized by leadership as a strategic partner to support the future expansion. Based on this assessment a Retail Leadership Associate Program was implemented. The four month program included the Coverdale five-day workshop as well as rotational assignments and feedback sessions run by in-house coaches. The Coverdale approach became part of the culture and significantly improved collaboration. Leaders became skilled in process issues so that they were able to seamlessly take on branch management assignments.