Technology Services 100 employees Leadership Development + 360 Assessment

A fast-growing technology services company had a problem that successful companies often face: they were promoting their best engineers and consultants into management roles with no leadership development infrastructure. The assumption was that smart, motivated people would figure out leadership on their own.

Some did. Many didn’t. The company was experiencing a pattern: top performers were promoted, struggled with the people side of leadership, became frustrated, and either reverted to individual contributor work or left entirely. Meanwhile, their former peers — now direct reports — dealt with inconsistent management and unclear expectations.

The VP of People described it: “We’re in a market where we can’t recruit experienced managers. We have to build them. But we’re losing good people on both sides of the equation.”

The company had tried sending managers to external leadership seminars. The feedback was always positive in the moment — “great content, inspiring speaker” — but nothing changed back at the office. There was no connection between the training content and the actual leadership challenges these managers faced daily. No accountability structure, no measurement, no follow-through.

We designed a six-month cohort-based leadership development program built on a research-based framework defining effective leadership across six domains, each with specific, observable, developable competencies.

Baseline Assessment: Every participant completed a 360-degree leadership assessment at program start. For the first time, these new managers saw how their direct reports, peers, and senior leaders experienced their leadership. The gaps between self-perception and others’ perception became powerful catalysts for growth.

Monthly Development Sessions: Each month focused on one leadership domain — not as a lecture, but as a facilitated working session where participants brought real situations from their teams. “I have a direct report who misses deadlines but does great work — how do I address it?” became the basis for practicing feedback skills, not a hypothetical role-play.

Peer Coaching Pairs: Participants were paired across departments. Between sessions, they met biweekly to discuss challenges, practice skills, and hold each other accountable. This created a support network that outlasted the formal program.

360 Re-assessment: At the six-month mark, every participant completed the 360 again. Comparing results showed concrete, measurable growth — not self-reported learning, but changes in how others experienced their leadership.

Across the first cohort of 12 managers, 360 scores improved an average of 18% across all six domains, with the largest gains in Communication and Feedback — the areas where new managers typically struggle most. Voluntary turnover among the direct reports of program participants dropped by a third compared to the prior year. The company has since run three additional cohorts and made the program a standard part of the promotion-to-management process.

The Takeaway: Leadership development works when it’s connected to real work, measured with real data, and sustained over time. A single workshop can inspire — but a structured program with assessment, practice, and accountability actually changes behavior.

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