Creating a Performance Culture by Developing Managers

Client Profile & Challenge

Novo Nordisk is a global leader in the healthcare industry. Part of the company’s strategy to sharpen its competitive edge is an effort to drive a performance-focused culture. In its Europe Region, part of that initiative was to strengthen engagement and improve the skills of nearly 500 People Managers — managers who lead teams of individual contributors, as well as managers who lead other managers.

Novo Nordisk had defined what it meant to be a good People Manager in the region. The company identified 5 competencies as essential:

• Setting direction and strategy,
• Leading and coaching people,
• Focusing on what matters,
• Personal leadership, and
• Making things happen.

The company also wanted to ensure all its managers were trained in the Novo Nordisk way of coaching.

To fulfill these goals, the company sought to implement a personalized assessment and coaching program for nearly 500 managers in 36 countries who speak 13 languages. When CCL and Novo Nordisk began discussing the plan, the company also had an ambitious timeline, aiming to develop and roll out the program in just a few months.

Solution & Results

CCL developed the Insights for Development program to meet Novo Nordisk’s needs, and rolled the program out in a tight time frame. That included translating assessment and coaching materials into 13 languages as well as recruiting and onboarding 10 new coaches to cover the entire Europe Region.

Featured Solutions

Executive Coaching Services

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Healthcare Leadership Development

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The program launched with a Europe-wide virtual kick-off that included a senior Novo Nordisk executive. It was then rolled out in 5 cohorts across 7 business areas. The program included a customized assessment and individualized, one-on-one coaching for all of the nearly 500 managers involved.

CCL tailored a 360-degree assessment mapped to Novo Nordisk’s competencies and the Workplace Big Five Profile™. In addition to the feedback for individuals, CCL also provided analytics from the Novo Nordisk database to allow the company to compare its managers to other healthcare sector managers who have participated in our programs.

Managers received both face-to-face and virtual coaching based on their assessment results, including a 1-hour alignment meeting with their boss and coach.

The alignment meeting ensures that managers and their bosses both understand the development goals that have arisen for the manager from the assessment and coaching, and that those goals fit the manager’s role and business function.

Managers of managers received 6 hours of coaching broken into 3 sessions. The coaching incorporated business scenarios, a face-to-face developmental conversation with their CCL coach, and a concluding alignment meeting with their boss and coach.

Program Impact

Participants Say