LEAD Awards 2018: Interview with Erika Mellin, Brookfield Residential Properties Inc.

Creating a Community of Leadership

  Category: Best Use of Team Building
  LEAD AWARD RANK: 7
 
  Organization: Brookfield Residential Properties Inc.
  Program: Leader Empowerment and Development (LEAD)
  Program Director: Jenn Melnyk
  Visit: www.brookfieldresidential.com
 

 
Our editorial team interviewed Erika Mellin from Brookfield Residential Properties Inc. at the LEAD2018 Awards this past February. Here are some excerpts from the exclusive interview.
 
What is the overall objective of your program?
The LEAD program was built upon a vision to create a community of leadership across diverse levels and regions in the Brookfield organization. It is a unique new internal leadership development program that fosters our vision, reinforces our values and enhances our culture. This priority initiative provides support for managers and directors to grow leadership skills in the context of Brookfield’s core competency framework. LEAD encourages peer-to-peer learning and growing a network of leaders passionate about people development and doing the right thing.
 

Who do you impact with your program?
LEAD was designed for our experienced managers and directors with a strong track record of performance who are nominated by their leaders to attend and who are ready to move into a new phase of development. In 2017, we had 30 senior level managers and directors across seven markets represented in three cohorts.
 
What are the lessons you’ve learned this year from facilitating your program?
Our LEAD program successfully launched in 2017. We attribute the positive reception to the program’s emphasis on foundational values, relationships, beliefs, and motivations. The three-part program begins with self-reflection requiring courageous conversation and intentional contemplation. As leaders gain a better understanding of themselves and what is important to them, they are able to develop leadership competencies that are grounded in their authentic selves. This truly resonated with our group and provided a launching point for them to have similar conversations with their teams and their own leaders. Participants were then able to identify and explore how their own personal values aligned with the values of our organization.
 
How do you measure the return on investment and success of the program?
Tangible outputs are generated through activities, which are designed to provide measurable business results. One of these activities is the Team Leadership Challenge in which participants work together in small groups on an operational initiative or business problem identified by senior leaders. This six to eight week challenge serves as the practice arena for participants to test their newly acquired leadership skills. The solutions are shared with business leaders in the hopes of using their findings to influence decisions around the business problem.
 
Success of the program will also continue to be measured based on the overall feedback received from those who participated. In 2017, 100% of our 30 participants said they would recommend LEAD to their colleagues, agree the program was a worthwhile investment in their development, and feel confident in applying these learnings to their role. These findings represent the achievements reached within our first year and establish a strong foundation for the future of LEAD in our organization.
 
What lies ahead for the program and how will it continue to succeed?
Each year, LEAD will continue to focus on a select group of high-performing leaders around our organization. With over 10 operating markets in North America, our hopes are to include each mid- to senior-level manager across our company in the years to come. Our program will continue to grow and evolve along with our organization, but our core objective of creating a community of leadership will remain the same. Investing in our next generation of leaders and increasing our engagement with our high performing team members will grow our internal offerings and grant us continued success in the future.


 

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