We worked with a fast-growing and far-reaching SaaS business. With a headcount of around 600 people, mostly engineers and developers, it’s at the forefront of enterprise scale e-Commerce solutions. Together with our client, we wanted to turn their tech talent into inspiring leaders.
As the business scaled, many of their brilliant technical experts found themselves stepping into people leadership roles, often for the first time. These new managers were navigating a shift from being individual contributors to leading teams, influencing others, and making decisions that shape the business. Our client recognised that for these people, their technical brilliance alone wouldn’t drive the business forward – they needed leaders who could inspire and grow their people too.
The challenge
In a high-growth, high-performance tech environment, leadership can’t be an afterthought, and a growing number of their leaders were juggling their role responsibilities with the development and people needs of their teams.
Through a focused Discovery phase, we uncovered a leadership landscape full of passion and potential, but also facing some growing pains. Leaders today are navigating a fast-paced, ever-changing environment with limited clarity on what’s expected of them. Many have grown into their roles organically, without consistent guidance or support, resulting in a patchwork of leadership styles and experiences. For our client, there was a clear need to strengthen the foundations, while also helping leaders connect the dots between everyday actions and the bigger organisational story. The key development areas for the tech talent at this organisation included:
- Understanding what it means to be a leader at this organisation
- Communicating the bigger picture through clear, inspiring storytelling
- Building self-awareness and a personal leadership brand
- Making bold, confident decisions and delegating with trust
- Inspiring and motivating teams with clarity and empathy
The solution
Together, we co-created a six-month leadership development journey designed to define the role of a leader at this organisation, and embed the essential skills and behaviours needed for success. We began by developing a visual map of five key behaviours to guide leaders in understanding what was expected of them.
The programme combined face-to-face and virtual learning, empowering new managers to grow with confidence. It focused on building core capabilities across five areas:
- Setting Direction – Translating strategy into action and inspiring alignment with the bigger picture
- Self-Awareness – Putting ego aside to embrace growth and maintain balance
- Team Leadership – Making bold decisions and delegating effectively to foster healthy, high-performing teams
- Enabling Growth – Managing performance, coaching others, and navigating challenging conversations
- Inspiring Others – Cultivating courage and curiosity to influence and motivate
The creative
Our creative concept was shaped around the idea of a journey. Equipped with their leadership map and passport, participants progressed through three structured phases: Pack & Prepare (pre-work), Embark (defining the role of a leader at this organisation), and Navigate (skill-building). Each module was designed to be practical, relevant, and seamlessly integrated into the flow of work, building leadership capability without disrupting day-to-day responsibilities.
To maintain momentum and foster a sense of community, participants earned passport stamps at each stage of their journey. We also captured key insights from the sessions, such as individual leadership brands, to share and celebrate progress.
A highly interactive two-day experience, the learning solution blended classroom and digital content. It included engaging elements such as coaching sessions to encourage teamwork, walking challenges and networking events.
The results
This leadership development programme marks the start of organisational culture change for our client, where technical excellence is matched by confident, people-focused leadership. The solution is currently in the rollout stage, with positive initial reports from client and participants, and full results will follow soon.
By blending practical skills with real-world relevance, this programme empowers a new generation of managers to lead with clarity, empathy and impact. The programme has begun to lay the foundations for a stronger, more connected leadership culture that will support the organisation through its next phase of growth.
Get in touch if you’re interested in developing your leaders, or check out our Leadership development solutions.