Developing Senior Leaders to Secure Future Success at Gatwick Airport

Case Study

The Challenge Gatwick Airport employs 3,000+ staff and sees 45+ million passengers pass through its concourse every year. It is an accredited Investors in People organization and strives to:

• Deliver great service every day• Be better than the rest• Work together as one team

In 2014, spearheaded by the chief operating of� cer, Gatwick Airport took the decision to invest in the development of its senior leaders. The organization was in the midst of a period of rapid growth and recognized the need for a uni� ed approach to leadership if they were to continue to adapt, innovate, and maintain competitive advantage. Providing support to their talent pipeline was critical in order to develop the capability to lead change initiatives.

The Solution

Through consultation and a truly collaborative partnership approach, we designed a bespoke leadership development experience that would shape participants’ approach to self-leadership, leading others, and leading the business.

Program Modules

The program was based around the Strategic Speed model of Building Clarity, Creating Unity, and Fostering Agility. We created an experience that challenged participants to work in a pressured experiential environment, with the freedom to practice new skills, tools, and techniques that they could then apply back in the workplace.

In order to ensure real value in the investment, we focused on aligning the program with participants’ wider business priorities—as well as their individual and team goals.

The resulting program—consisting of three 3-day modules—was based on sound research and models, group discussion, experiential learning, reflection, and coaching elements. Activities were diverse and memorable—including actor-led sessions, unique offsite experiences including duck-herding, and valuable “� nancial acumen” simulations. It has now been delivered to three cohorts over the past 4 years.

Chris Woodroofe, Gatwick’s current chief operating of� cer, was head of Security when he participated in the program. He still plays an active role in the project, as his direct reports are now participants. Chris commented on the actor-led role-play element, “It added to the spice of the event. You learn quite a lot about each other through responses to such situations. It’s a shared experience. And as we know, shared experiences that are dull and boring tend not to create great relationships. Shared experiences in periods of adversity and drama generate those relationships.”

of participants said the initiative aligned

well with business priorities by exploring how individual and functional performance drives business objectives.

Module Module Module

Leading Self Leading Others Leading the Business

91%

The Impact As of 2018, twenty-seven leaders across the organization have now completed the year-long program and remain in the business. When we asked them about the impact it has had on their performance and on the organization as a whole, the results were striking.

Gatwick Airport’s leaders are now:• Bene� tting from stronger relationships across their

peer group.• Having more structured coaching conversations with

their teams—and feedback from the teams shows this is in turn is driving their own performance.

• Maintaining a focus on clarity in all aspects of what they do, particularly when discussing purpose, goals, and objectives.

• Able to adapt more easily to challenges as a result of the tools and techniques learned in the program.

• Feeling the impact of the program in terms of its contribution to their own career progression at Gatwick.

As a team, they are now:• Working more collaboratively across functions, and

are better able to deliver cross-functional projects.• Experiencing improved communication as a result

of the common language provided by the leadership program.

• Building deep cross-functional relationships that lead directly to improved understanding between the functions.

• More united as a team, and experiencing reduced con� ict as a result.

• More adaptable and agile, owing to the common language, tools, and techniques provided by the program.

CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS

• Gatwick Airport’s L&D team built a brand around the program to position it as a “select” initiative focused on individual, team, and business growth; the team ensured it was tailored to the fast-paced and results-orientated culture of the organization.

• Regular reviews to assess the impact and make improvements kept this bespoke program fresh and relevant.

• The commitment of executive sponsors within Gatwick Airport ensured it was perceived as a high-value leadership development program.

• Throughout the 12 months, the L&D team provided ongoing 1-2-1 support to the individuals attending the program, focused on personal development.

• The human touch—AchieveForum project leaders, facilitators, and client directors working with Gatwick Airport participants, L&D, and sponsors as one team, toward a shared goal.

• The solid research-based content was delivered in a rich variety of ways to appeal to all learning styles and ensure sustained learning.

Comments from across the business include

“How do you get yourself in that program?” and

“It’s great the company is investing in us.”100% of participants

felt confi dent to apply the knowledge and

skills in their day-to-day job.

At AchieveForum, we empower people to lead successfully in turbulent business landscapes. From in-person instruction to digitally enabled experiences, we are the human touch that drives leadership success, not just leadership

know-how.

© 2019 AchieveForum

The real value of this leadership program is not that leaders have a new technique, but more that the senior leadership community all have access to and understand the same techniques. Everyone is on the same page, has the same templates and the same processes. You burn less time in the debate because everyone has approached it with the same thought process and rationale. The learning has become part of the lexicon of Gatwick’s senior team.

—Chris Woodroofe, Chief Operating Of� cer, Gatwick Airport

I have really enjoyed working with AchieveForum on the GLP where there was a strong ‘one team’ approach. We were looking to create a language of leadership that resonated beyond the program, something which would have a bene� t for both the individual and the business. I believe we have been successful in this objective, and we are now actively looking at ways we can drive this further into the organization and in doing so create a true leadership culture.

—Andrew Currie, Head of Recruitment, Training and Leadership Development, Gatwick Airport

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