LEAD Awards 2018: Interview with Kristen Knowles, Asurion

Developing Team Members at Every Level

  Category: Best Executive Coaching Program
  LEAD AWARD RANK: 11
 
  Organization: Asurion
  Program: Masters
  Program Director: Shawn Hawley
  Visit: www.asurion.com
   
Our editorial team interviewed Kristen Knowles from Asurion at the LEAD2018 Awards this past February. Here are some excerpts from the exclusive interview.
 
What is the overall objective of your program?
Masters, Asurion’s leadership development program, strengthens and develops team members on all levels of the organization, driving improved engagement and customer experience. Since 2011 the program has introduced over 750 leaders to the concept of flexible, tailored coaching to help team members achieve goals and deliver customer satisfaction.
 

Who do you impact with your program?
All levels of our organizational department has exposure to the Masters program, including front-line employees, managers, and senior leaders. As we developed Masters in the early stages, stakeholders from the front-line levels, senior and executive levels, as well as the management levels were all consulted regularly regarding their training experiences. What was working? What was not? Most importantly, what did they need the most that was not present in any of the current models? This meant that the employees most directly affected by our new training initiative were also involved in a large portion of the development process.
 
Front line supervisors: Receive training to support them as new people leaders. Courses are offered to teach them the basics: coaching, feedback, how to develop their employees, communication skills, and managing excuses.
 
Managers: Supported by coaching consultants who ensure that the skills that they (and their direct reports of supervisors) are learning are being implemented and adhered to. Coaching consultants also practice with the managers and offer guidance if they are unsure whether they are hitting the mark on our coaching requirements.
 
Senior leaders Supported through Masters-led pop-up courses which offer quick, digestible lessons to help them both reinforce the coaching basics to their teams, and also provide continued development opportunities.
 
What are the lessons you’ve learned this year from facilitating your program?
We’ve learned so much in the past year, through the launch of a new certification level. Here are the top takeaways shared by our developers and faculty.
 
“Leadership Development is a skill that most people don’t know they want until they have been in a course. Once they take one course, they keep asking for more!”
 
“It’s easy to forget that coaching is different from managing, and our courses help remind our leaders of this and reground them.”
 
“Sometimes it’s not the content but the gathering of new people and ideas that get people motivated to practice their leadership skills.”
 
How do you measure the return on investment and success of the program?
The first business goal linked to Masters is employee retention. Precision coaching through the Masters program has shown clear improvements in employee attrition rates. For every percent increase in coaching we were able to drive 0.107% increase in monthly attrition. This is attributed to our standard of ongoing feedback.
 
The second goal that Masters has influenced is providing valuable customer service. Focusing on strong, consistent coaching has led to happier, more self-directed employees who find improved ways to assist our customers. To date, feedback scores have improved dramatically as supervisors move through the coaching program. Success is revealed in the customer NPS which is at an all-time high, conversely, customer level of effort is at an all-time low. This attention to how our leaders coach and develop our people has created an enriched environment for our associates and customers.
 
What lies ahead for the program and how will it continue to succeed?
In 2018 Masters has joined with Asurion’s Everyday Leadership team to promote and facilitate Pop Ups: short, approachable, fun, and engaging facilitator-led courses for managers and Senior Leaders. One of our goals through this partnership is to help bring awareness and drive more frequent performance conversations, moving away from performance appraisal. We also plan on measuring the attendance of leadership development courses against key KPIs such attrition, manager effectiveness, etc. The hope is that leaders will speak a common language—this will help shape our culture into one that is inclusive, motivating, and one that facilitates others’ success.
 
In sum, the ongoing evolution of our program, positive feedback, and commitment to leadership development at all levels all ensure that this growth will continue. And we’re that confident because we’re continuing to watch it happen. As we roll out the next Masters certification level right now, we’re confident that our potential for leadership strength will continue to improve across the company at all levels.
 

 

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