How ForHousing scaled leadership coaching for 140 managers
“There is always more scope to improve leadership capability.
But how can you ever fulfil that potential without giving leaders the skills and tools to grow and develop?”
Paul Morgan joined ForHousing as Director of Learning and Organisational Development. His mission? To transform people development for a modern world. And this was his starting point. “Everyone must learn how to lead. All too often, businesses give managers a desk and computer, then comment on their lack of skill. We’d been no different,” Paul said.
Working to improve lives
A social housing provider managing 24,000 homes, ForHousing improve lives. Building, selling, and renting properties across Greater Manchester, the organisation employs 600 people. It also helps to fund schemes getting homeless people off the streets.
Having engaged an external consultant, rejuvenation of systems, tools, and programmes was required. In fact, ForHousing needed a digital and leadership transformation.
“You can’t keep segmenting people within an organisation. To remove any ‘them and us’ you have to develop your people at scale.”
Inclusive for all
Paul was keen to create a leadership programme for all ForHousing managers, not just an elite group:
“ForHousing is very generous with professional development. For example, those who want to gain technical skills like becoming a Chartered Surveyor or training in personnel management. But this always favoured small groups who developed new skills and ultimately left.
The organisation’s capability is far more widespread. By creating a scalable way to offer inclusive leadership coaching the entire team could benefit.
Successful transformation depended on developing soft skills in our managers.”
Numerous discussions followed. Many around the question of whether every manager (there were 140) should be completing the same programme. Surely this didn’t concern more experienced leaders. What was the value for them?
Paul continued: “I believed both senior and junior leaders could benefit from inclusivity. Those with more experience could support and educate others whilst understanding different perspectives first-hand.
Meanwhile, junior leaders would feel more valued and significantly develop their capabilities.
You can’t keep segmenting people within an organisation. To remove any ‘them and us’ you have to develop your people at scale.”
Paul said many managers hadn’t been fortunate enough to go through leadership training with past employers. So, it would be a new experience for them. The challenge was how to achieve such a huge step forward time-efficiently and cost-effectively.
Helping Reach Potential already supported ForHousing. Hector was coaching the CEO, and the company had previously taken the senior leadership and exec team through a Leadership 360 programme.
Paul therefore talked to Hector about the challenge of scaling an effective and inclusive leadership programme which would include 360. Together, they considered Paul’s vision for widespread development and coaching and what ForHousing required.
A blended, long-term programme
Paul was certain about one thing. The programme had to include collaborative work in addition to self-led learning. As a previous delegate said, ‘a coach in your pocket’. But for many leaders at once. Physically putting large groups in one room would be cost-inhibitive.
“The programme would be four times the cost if we physically put people together. Especially once you’ve factored in travelling and accommodation costs. It simply wouldn’t scale. And yet, I wanted something more than an e-learning programme,” said Paul.
Hector understood Paul’s frustration. He therefore suggested a coaching programme that removed the need for everyone to have face-to-face coaching. Instead, they’d have access to deeper content ensuring a more productive output. In this way the programme could scale effectively and align with ForHousing’s goals. Paul also didn’t want a short-term experience.
“Leadership programmes are often three courses, and that’s it. You’re then left to work out how to take your new skills forward. I wanted to create something that ran for much longer – and evolved as we grew. I wanted a continual programme because leadership development never stops,” he said.
“Tools like Myers Briggs are impossible to truly understand. You’re not sure what to do with your Myers Briggs spider diagram! Strengthscope highlights aspects that energise you. It’s a more positive insight tool to work from.”
Strengthscope at the heart
Having previous Strengthscope experience at ForHousing, Paul was keen to embrace every aspect of it for their leadership programme.
“A handful of our leaders have used Strengthscope 360 with Helping Reach Potential before. This time, I wanted to use every tool available. That includes Strengthscope 360, Strengthscope Leader, Strengthscope Engage and Strengthscope Teams.
Unlike other psychometric assessment tools, Strengthscope focuses on your strengths, not your personality. It also highlights your blind spots – things inhibiting your development.
Tools like Myers Briggs are impossible to truly understand. You’re not sure what to do with your Myers Briggs spider diagram! Strengthscope highlights aspects that energise you. It’s a more positive insight tool to work from.”
Getting stakeholder buy-in
Getting stakeholder approval for leadership programmes to go ahead is a common challenge. Hector and Karen helped enormously, said Paul:
“Half your problem is selling it in right. You can’t just send in the vendor. But they must help you create the right level of detail to sell the value to stakeholders. It’s always the biggest challenge, because if you fail, the whole thing fails.
Hector and Karen worked closely with me, making every PowerPoint slide clear and relevant. They’re very collaborative and work to understand your overall business,” he explained.
“They’re not just attending a three-day course and walking away, hoping the knowledge miraculously blends into their conscious mind,”
Six months on
The programme was a first for ForHousing. So, Paul unveiled it from the top. “I asked the CEO to communicate the programme launch. Hector also helped explain how it worked. At first, everyone was surprised. We’d never done anything like this before and here we were launching Helping Reach Potential’s largest AAA leadership programme. I was a bold move for us.
Six months on, people are enjoying the mix between managing their own self-led exercises and working with others in the cohort groups. It’s a long-term thing. They’re not just attending a three-day course and walking away, hoping the knowledge miraculously blends into their conscious mind,” he said.
And what of the expected commitment from every manager? “We’re asking them to allocate one hour a week to their self-led learning. They choose how best to do this. They also attend a monthly one-hour cohort session. We split 140 managers into four groups alphabetically to avoid politics and have a nice mix of experiences and perspectives in each one.
Hector and his team successfully bring it all together in these sessions, even though we’re all in front of screens in different locations.
We’re now seeing managers contact each other for help. They’re creating better relationships and understanding,” explained Paul.
“It feels like a partnership”
Paul finds working with Helping Reach Potential incredibly collaborative. Even fun, he said. Everyone works towards the same outcome. “I catch up with Hector and Karen for an hour every Friday. We discuss everything including who’s not doing it and any concerns we have. Ensuring ForHousing gets the best outcome we’re modifying the programme as we go. One example: we’ve recently re-structured the cohorts as the last group on a Friday afternoon had lower attendance. That’s resolved now.
Working with Helping Reach Potential feels like a partnership. They don’t just set up the programme and leave you to it. I can call them any time. It’s more like working with a colleague. Hector also meets our stakeholders regularly to keep them updated. He ensures the programme aligns with their strategies and they feel involved. That’s important,” Paul said.
Year two plan
Looking ahead, Paul and Helping Reach Potential have loosely defined the programme’s second year.
“This year, we’re looking at the individual. Through 360 work they’re understanding their strengths and impact on others. Then, they’ll look at how to align with ForHousing values and goals. They’ll complete the year understanding themselves, and using phase two of the AAA programme, what’s expected of them as a leader in the organisation.
Next year, our leaders will learn how to get more out of their teams. So, leader as peer. How they can develop clarity, collaborate better, build trust, increase accountability, and be ready for change. It’s about giving your team the capabilities and expectations they need to deliver peak performance,” Paul said.
Whilst ForHousing’s year two plan is under construction, their long-term commitment to widespread leadership development is clear.
Paul concluded: “I talk to many networking groups. They all have a similar problem: how do you scale a development programme cost-effectively? Forging a partnership with Helping Reach Potential and using their AAA leadership programme, I think we’ve found the answer.”
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