Emerging Leaders

Is your organization doing enough to ensure that you are developing the next generation of leaders? Do your leaders have a succession plan, if not read on and learn all about our emerging leader’s program, and hear from a few of the top candidates in our program! 

At Globalfaces we recognized we could be doing more to help promote the next generation of leaders in our organization and came up with a program this year to do just that.  We created the Emerging Leaders Program for the up-and-coming leaders in our call center that recognizes talent and hard-working employees, and puts them through a three-month training program with measurable activities such as exercises, quizzes, essays, presentations. The content involves team management, queue management, report making, recruitment and a soft skill workshop.

Once they are in the program if they complete it, they may have an opportunity to be promoted when a position becomes available, which helps to endorse growth from within. In the candidates own words here is what the first group of new leaders had to share about the program.  

Semini – Team Lead, Call Center 

The Emerging Leadership program (ELP) was a wonderful experience, which equips each individual with the necessary skills and attitude to become an effective leader in our fast-paced call centre (also affectionately known as the HIVE). It emphasizes both hard and soft skills such as accountability, adaptability, high self regard, team cohesion and self-motivation (The Right Attitudes).

Here are some key takeaways from my training program that I believe will definitely help me in my new role. 

• Adaptability – in today’s fast-paced workplace; especially in the HIVE, change is inevitable. As a leader, it is essential to be able to adapt and be flexible when faced with uncertainty. 
• Accountability – taking responsibility and being accountable for the results. I have come to believe that a good leader holds themselves accountable for their mistakes, takes corrective action when needed, and encourages their team members to do the same. 
• Team cohesion – this is essential for effective leadership. A cohesive team is one in which all members work towards a common goal, respect each other’s opinions, and provide support to one another. 
• Self-motivation – I have observed that leaders who are self-motivated inspire their team members to work towards similar goals; they set high expectations for themselves and their team members, then strive to achieve them. 

I had an amazing time during my stint in the emerging leadership program, which not only helped me grow as an individual but also as a team player, and I gained impressive insights that I can’t wait to put into action!

Nana – Verification Agent, Call Center 

Being a part of the Emerging Leadership program was an exceptional learning experience. It was insightful to get a behind the scenes glimpse of a Team Leads role, see how they work, and how they guide and connect with our agents. It was beneficial to learn about the back end of things and how it correlates to the work we do.

This program helps to expand leadership skills and aids to your growth within the organization and as an agent. You learn about the organization’s right attitudes and core values in terms of leadership, as well as how crucial they are to your success. 

The training consisted of so many helpful levels from how to open a shift, to floor and queue management, to closing down a shift.  We learned about the tools that assist the team lead in order to drive their team’s success. Documentation was a part of our training, 90-day reviews, quarterly planning, monthly business review, and performance improvement plans.  We even spent some time learning how the recruitment process works, how to assess candidates, and how to conduct an interview. 

These are just some of the takeaways and insights I gained during my training in the emerging leadership program. It was very insightful and I was privileged to have the opportunity to be a part of it. It has helped me to grow in the organization, and I have adapted and developed numerous skills that I will take with me and apply to my work and further my skills and capabilities.

Shahnaz – Operation Coordinator, Call Center  

This past January, I was elated to know that I had been selected for the Emerging Leadership program, a program which would provide top agents the necessary skills and resources to become a Team Lead in our HIVE Contact Center.  The program helped me learn how to lead people with a personalized approach and style.

Initially the training focused on the company’s history, what we value, and want to achieve in terms of client success and the organization’s goal. The key theories and policies we follow in HIVE (the 5 Right attitudes) and the core values.  We then transitioned to learning to utilize internal tools and resources to analyze numbers and translate them to meaningful reports to aid decision making. Our daily assignments focused on call pulling, advising fundraisers on donor status, coaching and training agents and working to improve our team’s quality of calls and wrap time performance. 

Of course these tools aren’t a standalone indicator to achieve goals without knowing how and whom to coach and train. In order to identify that, we learned some important leadership style and skills. 

During this time we got to be a part of some projects, and the ones I worked on were improving team’s wrap time performance, conducting huddles on new charity launches, improving quality of agents who were under performing and floor management. Finally the last day of the training was completed with a monthly business review presentation summing up the program’s tasks and journey. 

Needless to say, this program has definitely improved my confidence and self motivation, and taught me so much more. 

As leaders in an organization, it’s our responsibility to create and provide opportunity for the next generation of talent. We believe the Emerging Leader Program has done just that, and we can’t wait to bring the next group of talented up and coming leaders through the program.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Deborah Mammah, Call Center Manager has been at GF for just under 3 years. Deborah is always looking for ways to create and build a better more inclusive work culture, and with the help of the Team Leads designed the emerging leadership program. Deborah implemented and oversaw it, and plans to role out the next session in 2024.