Reuben Young
Learning and Development Manager, Australian Institute of Company Directors
For the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD), education is key – because education not only builds better leaders, but it has the power to change the society we live in.
The very mission of the AICD is to create a stronger society through better leadership and governance, which is why this not-for-profit membership is the independent and trusted voice of governance and why their membership base is 45,000 strong.
And this is why they offer their 280 internal staff the same level of care and opportunity when it comes to learning and development.
Experts you can trust
When Reuben Young joined the AICD in 2017, the institute was updating its CRM system.
Anyone who has ever experienced a company-wide system upgrade knows these things are complicated.
And what staff members need most of all is careful training and capability building to make the roll-out successful.
Without this, it can take too long and people can experience change fatigue.
“When I joined the AICD, Preetie Shehkkar and her team had already been engaged to help launch the update of our CRM system.
They were brought in to manage the learning and development aspect of the project. Preetie and Matt were scoping the training needs analysis for all staff, so we could deliver the program.
Normally, in the process of working with someone new, it takes a little while to form a relationship and build trust and understanding.
And for someone in my position, I need to evaluate that person’s or consultant’s competency in that role.
What I realised straightaway with Preetie and Matt is that I didn’t need to hold their hands or look over their shoulders at all. Their knowledge, their consultative skills, the way they communicate – they truly are experts in their fields.”
Facilitating successful change
With 280 employees to work with, it was a sizeable project for the AICD.
For Preetie and Matt to succeed in their roles, they needed to work closely with subject matter experts across the business, managers, stakeholders and internal trainers.
And crucially, they needed to shape the communication so that it spoke to every one of those employees.
“It was an extremely successful project, considering how large it was.
Preetie and Matt worked very hard to meet all the deadlines we set, to a high standard, and they built great relationships along the way.
We not only were able to roll out the upgrade on target and to budget, but we received some very high praise across the business about the process. That’s a huge testament to what they were able to achieve for us.”
Consulting every step of the way
From the moment Preetie and the team received the scope of the project for the AICD, they began their consultative process.
They spoke with everyone across the business to develop a comprehensive training needs analysis for what was required.
They met stakeholders around the business to understand each area’s requirements.
Then they estimated how long it would take to create the materials, who needed to be notified and when, as well as the level of detail each person required.
“Glass Rock was incredibly easy to deal with and they made the process smooth and easy. They worked very hard, not just to complete their own tasks, but to build relationships in the business, which meant that everyone felt they were being properly heard and consulted.
And what was brilliant was how open, flexible and pragmatic they were in their approach.
Not just when it came to communicating with people, but in the way they worked. They are just fantastic at what they do.”
“The best course I’ve ever attended.”
Preetie and her team impressed the AICD to such an extent that they were asked to run a ‘train the trainer’ program for the institute.
This is where internal trainers are provided with the expertise and support they need in order to train their individual teams, to ensure the continued success of the system.
“The feedback we got was incredible. We had comments like, ‘I wish I’d done this earlier in my career’ and ‘This is the best course I’ve ever attended.’
In fact, the praise was so high, we’ve asked them to run ‘train the trainer’ courses time and again for the last three years – and we’ve just asked them again for the fourth year in a row.
Every time we’ve run that course with Glass Rock Solutions, we couldn’t get any better feedback. It gets 10 out of 10 from every participant.”
Measurable improvements
Over the past three years, Preetie and her team have designed 14 different training modules for the AICD.
“And we are still getting amazing feedback about them three years on. When we’ve measured participants’ responses through NPS – the net promoters score – we’ve had very high scores.
Now, although you can’t give a figure to the cost savings to the business, I can say confidently that Preetie and her team have improved the business by helping to create a flexible, effective approach to learning and development across the company. And that’s very valuable.
This isn’t just because they are so good at what they do.
Yes, their extensive backgrounds in learning and development are crucial elements of their success.
But it’s more about how they work with you and their emotional intelligence in how they respond to their clients. They’re extraordinary communicators.”
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