Building societies bank on Achievers Academy
Article Type: Notes and news From: Industrial and Commercial Training, Volume 41, Issue 1
Management high achievers of the future are being given a helping hand thanks to a joint initiative by a group of regional building societies.
The Achievers’ Academy scheme has been created by seven building societies – Saffron, the Hanley, Teachers, the Loughborough, Leek United,Ipswich and Market Harborough – together with Mutual One, a company that provides support services for building societies and other mutuals. It provides high-potential employees in the middle tier of building-society management, who would not normally be involved in strategic decision-making, with a broader range of experience than they would normally encounter.
Each candidate has a chief executive as a mentor and, in each case, the mentor is from a different society from the candidate. This not only gives direct experience of how things are done in other organizations, but also provides a sounding board for candidates on ideas that they may not yet be ready to discuss with their line managers.
Andy Golding, Saffron Building Society chief executive, explained:
The aim is to provide a platform for people who have potential to be the leaders of the future to develop their skills and broaden out their experience. The Achievers’ Academy has given us the opportunity not only to provide formal courses, but also to let our candidates experience different approaches and management styles through their direct access to senior management in different organizations.
Of course, it has meant a significant investment of time by each of the chief executives concerned, but we feel it has been worth it as it has allowed the candidates a unique insight into leadership and running an organization.
Candidates also participate in set tasks to broaden their skills and are given management presentations from senior personnel in other organizations,such as the National Health Service.
The intention, said David Webster, chief executive of the Hanley, is to show the candidates that there can be more than one right answer to any problem and that a successful manager has to be able to identify the particular solution to suit the situation.
It all ties in closely with the fact that we are mutual organizations and value our staff and members. We believe that if we treat our leaders of the future as individuals, and tailor our training to suit their needs by providing access and insight from the chief executive, this will have a knock-on effect throughout the organization and in how we interact with our members.
The academy is now in its second year and we are collecting nominations for this year’s intake of candidates. We have had great feedback from last year’s graduates, many of whom have already begun to move further up the management ladder as a result of the course.
