To successfully run a company and assure its undisturbed growth, the projects must be developed under the eye of qualified management. But to make this condition a reality and not just a blank statement, it’s crucial to provide the current and future leaders with a background of knowledge and skills they can use in cooperation with the customers, but most importantly their coworkers. 

To avoid the fate that hangs over every organization under an inconspicuous name “the Peter Principle”  and to make sure that our Leaders are provided with the best support and education to help them reach their full potential, NATEK launched a special development project called LEAD Program. Are you curious about: 

What were the goals of the program? Who were the participants? What training have they received? How is their success measured? What’s the final outcome of the project? Read on to find answers to those and many more questions!  

LEAD Program – the main goals 

LEAD (Leaders Evolving and Developing) Program was designed first and foremost to support managers, who are most promising and willing to develop further in the people manager role. They were not to miss this unique opportunity to invest in their future and become influential leaders who will have a significant and visible impact on NATEK growth.

At our organization, people always come first. We pride ourselves on building a strong community based on mutual trust between the Board and Employees, that allows our ambitious Team to discover various career paths. Over 41% of our Staff have been working with us for more than 2 years, and each month more and more of our Teammates join NATEK 5 Years Club and 10 Years Club, showing their appreciation for the work environment we create together. The Company’s business success is reflected in their individual growth and accomplishments.

First LEAD Program meeting in December 2023 at the old Warsaw office. We made sure that even the online Participants were included in the group photo ;)

The program was prepared with support from Solution - company with over 20 years of experience in preparing employees to play a wider role in organizations. Over 35 thousand managers of all levels have participated in their managerial training. After many successful Development Center sessions we’ve run together in the past, we trusted them with developing the LEAD Program for us, to push our cooperation further, and most importantly, to provide our Participants with the best development methods.

Workshop with a Solution Trainer, Martyna Broda

The program was developed in three main areas: 

• “ME as a Leader” - focused on each individual Participant. The main objectives of this area were to provide the future Leaders with a relational skill set and tools designed for effective people management and reaching one’s full potential and maturity as a manager. 
• “WE as a Team” - focused on all Participants as a unit. Again, with the use of the best tools and knowledge, the group was meant to focus on different leadership styles, discovering how to professionally lead various talents emerging in the Team to success and a better performance. 
• “NATEK as Employer” - as an organization, we aimed to enhance the level of engagement in all our Team Members by investing our resources in the next generation of managers to truly strengthen the company’s growth. We focused on increasing the retention and expanding the strategic thinking concentrated on our Customers and business result. 

The training part of the program started in December 2023 and continued until September 2024. 

Selection of the Participants 

The selection was structured as a 5 steps plan, as seen below:

The Participants were chosen by NATEK Board Members - Jana Kruzliakova, NATEK VP Sales and Marketing, Joanna Pejo, NATEK Chief of People and Culture and Paul Novak, NATEK Chief Officer Legal & Gnl Investment - based on their individual performances, ambition, achievements, size of the teams they manage, contribution to the strategy of company’s growth, customer exposition, agility and ability to prioritize business goals. After interviews with our Talent Acquisition Team and going through the Solution Development Center, the Managers received individual reports and went through feedback sessions, to establish the baseline for measuring outcomes of the Program. 

As a result of those steps, 15 Participants from 4 NATEK countries were selected to be a part of NATEK LEAD Program. 

Areas of development and training methods 

The Participants went through various training topics as well as methods from workshops, through business cases, individual coaching sessions, networking and online and onsite meetings, including lectures from Ola Pucicka (LinkedIn) and Daria Abramowicz (sport/performance psychologist).

Daria Abramowicz’s lecture at NATEK Warsaw Office on the last the of LEAD Program 

Thanks to the mix of remote and face to face sessions, the Participants could be a part of each lesson regardless of their location but also had a chance to see their coworkers in real life. It helped in strengthening the bonds between them and proving that they are a valuable part of our community.

During the sessions, they focused on: 

• How to enhance their leadership skills? 
• How to apply fundamental concepts of people management in everyday work? 
• How to drive organizational success? 
• How to develop, support and empower Team Members? 
• How to keep Employees engaged and increase retention? 
• How to accelerate one's career? 

On-site workshop at NATEK Warsaw Office

To showcase the knowledge that they gained during the training, Participants were divided into 3 groups and tasked with creating feasible to implement business projects that would have a positive impact on the development of our organization. 

Results of NATEK Lead Program 

Thanks to the efforts put into the Program by the Managers, trainers and organizers, 2 out of 3 projects presented are either already in the implementation stage or will be in the near future. But more importantly, our Managers gained new information, tools and skills to lead and motivate our Team Members to greater success, and to derive satisfaction from the work they do. Below you can read some feedback from the Participants:

"During this program, I met a group of very smart people with open minds and hearts, eager to share their experiences and reflect on their learning. This willingness to exchange insights, engagement and curiosity elevated the program to an entirely new level."

Martyna Broda, Solution Trainer

..

We are looking forward to seeing how the careers of our Managers and their subordinates will grow thanks to the lessons learned during the Program. We believe that this new skill set will be the cornerstone of many of our future projects, leading our organization into great success and bringing us new possibilities for growth. 

Do you want to work at a company that values its Employees and provides them with diverse paths of development and self-improvement? Go to our Job page and apply for the job of your dreams to #workITwithus!