Leadership and talent development with a hybrid twist at Master Halco

In our current pandemic world, managers have made unexpected pivots in the way they manage their teams and business operations. With this sudden change, key leadership skills needed to be refreshed, refocused and re-skilled for every level of management in all industries. In this article, we will explore what this looks like in a large industrial, manufacturing company that, in the past, had not focused on talent management initiatives around knowledge gaps, engagement, upskilling or reskilling and succession planning — all while using a hybrid mixture of virtual and in-person modalities.

The overall talent strategy is an essential part of a business approach and includes a broad range of employee focused initiatives.

In late 2020, Master Halco’s senior management team — including the CEO, vice president of HR, and the vice president of sales and operations — developed several programs to address the company’s talent management, including more intentional leadership development and talent management to create more productive and engaged associates. As a wholesale fence distributor and leading manufacturer, leadership development was not at the forefront of the operational strategy. With the business growing through acquisitions and acquiring talent, with varying levels of skill, it was critical to invest in leadership training and orienting to the “Master Halco way.”

One of the first initiatives Master Halco piloted in the fall of 2021 was a web-based, blended leadership journey. The VP of HR and the manager of HR-L&D, in collaboration with the director of learning and talent development from the parent company, Itochu International, Inc., developed Master Halco’s first Branch Manager Leadership Journey.

With the continued challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic and with managers working in several different time zones, planning and designing, the program required some creative coordination. The learning and development collaborators identified key competencies that branch leaders need to be more effective people leaders. Modules were curated and created to build competencies, address knowledge gaps, upskill or reskill learners with new concepts and perspectives, and reinforce relevant behaviors.

“You become what you give your attention to.” — Epictetus

The team designed what is now known as the Branch Manager Leadership Journey, or simply, BMLJ. Some of the key goals and objectives of the program include:

• Building better communication skills.
• Developing a growth mindset and strengthening emotional intelligence.
• Becoming comfortable with change and managing change initiatives.
• Addressing unconscious bias, recognizing, and respecting differences.
• Driving performance.
• Essential financial skills.

The managers are assigned a learning partner to collaborate and discuss assignments from the online courses. There are also reading and reflection modules, and blended modalities to suit diverse learning styles.

Focused on development

Prior to COVID-19, Master Halco would bring new branch managers to Dallas for a week of immersive, in-person training with representatives from each operational department at Master Halco HQs (sales, accounting, credit, marketing, safety, manufacturing, HR, IT, etc.).

In 2020, the company had to limit non-essential travel between the states, and in-person training was paused. Consequently, key skill-building and company specific training could not be facilitated in a timely manner, which caused newly hired managers to have a slower learning curve since they did not have the benefit of participating in the hands-on coaching, training and networking.

In the fall of 2021, the training week in Dallas was resumed and precautions were taken to ensure a safe environment for the incoming managers.

After the new leaders completed the new manager training, the first group of branch managers were introduced to the BMLJ. The first “BMLJ kickoff call” was hosted virtually by the L&D collaborative team. During the call, the CEO, VP of sales and operations, VP of HR and several other members of senior leadership reinforced the need for investment in people and stressed its importance to the ongoing success of the organization. Each executive leader expressed their full support for the program, and acknowledged that with the company’s significant growth over the last few years, this initiative was overdue.

The L&D collaborative team presented a high-level preview of the BMLJ program and the six modules, extending over a six-month period. The L&D team then outlined the expectations, the learning deliverables and the expected outcomes. Next, there was a brief demo given on how to use all the online tools and resources during the program, which included:

• Access to an e-learning portal for micro-learning sessions.
• Video conferencing platform with breakout rooms.
• Customized e-journals.
• Interactive polls, games and chat features.
• Job aids and “best practice” articles.
• Access to live coaching.

For many of the managers, the video conferencing platform was a brand-new skill set to learn, and the L&D team wanted to make sure all were comfortable with navigating the system and taking full advantage of the features it provides. Social media platforms are excellent tools for hybrid learning, communication, collaboration and engaging the audience. Participants were strongly encouraged to keep their cameras on during the program to create a more interactive environment.

To date, a large percentage of Master Halco branch managers have successfully participated in or are currently enrolled in the BMLJ cohort.

With continued focus on the talent strategy, an additional priority was on succession planning. However, succession planning at Master Halco had a much broader focus. Understanding the business strategy and aligning the people, processes and performance to this strategy is the ultimate goal of Master Halco’s development initiatives. Succession planning is a business process that is oftentimes mistaken as replacement planning. That is not the intended purpose of a succession plan. In its simplest form, succession planning is a process for identifying individuals with solid experience, capabilities and growth potential who would be the best candidates to develop and to prepare for future, key roles. By providing development opportunities for these identified individuals, the company creates a pipeline of engaged associates who are committed and ready to transition into essential roles. Companies that invest the time and resources back into their workforce through succession strategies stand a greater chance of sustainability and competitiveness, even in uncertain and chaotic environments.

Master Halco launched its first, large-scale talent review process in early summer of2021. The VP of HR, with the support of the CEO, introduced the management process to the leadership as a key initiative to drive continuous development throughout the company, as well as to align Master Halco’s human capital with the organizational goals and business strategy. Then, the actual toolkit and full succession planning process was rolled out in stages.

First, there was a live webinar hosted by the VP of HR with all of the leaders, where they received coaching and guidance on how the process ties to the overall business strategy, and then how to approach it — to complete the various templates, matrices and performance indicators. This work session assisted the managers with identifying high performing associates at varying stages of their careers. These were individuals who were identified as people they wanted to retain and develop for future leadership roles, and who could be prepared within one to four years for the next logical progression.

Within three months, the leaders were being held accountable for completing their talent plans and reviewing with their group leaders and with HR. Feedback meetings occurred between the managers and HR to ensure the plans were created with integrity, inclusivity and purposeful content. Most of these touchpoints and meetings were conducted on social platforms.

Next, the overall organization review was rolled up to the CEO with each of his direct reports. This brought forward action items to support each region and functional area’s plan, along with requests for specific resources, capital (land, financial and HCI) and collaboration with other departments.

Then, individual development plans were created and submitted for associates identified as having potential and the ability to pivot to other roles. These plans were presented to the associates and will be implemented for the new fiscal year, and ongoing. The plans include high-skill e-learning courses, mentoring, job shadowing, project management, cross functional work and development assignments with incremental check-ins, to monitor progress and practical application.

This continues to be an ongoing process that will be carried forward as a business strategy: Investing in our people.

As previously noted, the overall talent strategy is an essential part of the business strategy, and Master Halco continues to evolve with its talent management approach. The organization has begun to benefit from these L&D programs. Associates are asking for more development, which is an indicator that the programs are valuable and creating momentum throughout the organization. Master Halco will continue to focus on the rollout of the talent strategy and introduce new programs and processes that tie to the overall business focus.