Leadership and Talent at a Global Resources Company

A global resources company gained competitive advantage by investing in the development of its 6,000 front-line leaders.

The CEO of a global resources company recognized the potential productivity and performance impact of investing in the development of its 6,000 front-line leaders across 60 locations. BCG was engaged to design a capability-building program to improve overall business performance and value creation. The custom client learning and enablement program reflected three desired outcomes: change the front-line leadership culture, focus on business objectives and metrics, and reinforce new skills in the context of everyday experiences and activities.

Core Principles

The leadership development strategy ensured ongoing impact through a focus on core principles:

  • Action-oriented and results-focused
  • Anchored in day-to-day activities
  • Reinforced with regular feedback
  • Measured to demonstrate progress and impact
  • Structured for continuous improvement

Innovative design principles as well as the most current in adult learning methods and technologies were incorporated in the program. Different tools and techniques—customized and automated reminders for individuals, tailored online courses, and local focused leader-driven sessions—were comprehensively blended together to create a "learning, doing, and leading" environment.

By embedding capability building with daily activities and on-the-job reinforcement, the program allowed for continuous improvement, course-correction, and refinement. Critically, the leadership development program was anchored in, and directly linked, to business performance objectives through rigorous measurement and assessment tools, ensuring quantifiable results.