SERVICE
Leadership Development
INDUSTRY
Construction
"In an ever-evolving world related to people management, programs like Management Excellence Academy are critical to equip our managers with the tools and resources they need to have the performance conversations that ultimately help each person grow personally and professionally. These programs are also an incredible way to embed our values and expectations to ensure our people managers understand and live our values as culture carriers."
— Suzanne Roeder, Chief Growth Officer, Suffolk Construction
"Management Excellence Academy completely shifted my perception of what being a leader is and provided many great tools to apply in the workplace."
— Management Excellence Academy participant
OVERVIEW
Suffolk is a national contractor and the largest in New England with over $5.0 billion in revenue and 2,600 employees across ten regional offices throughout the country. Suffolk manages some of the most complex, sophisticated projects in the country, serving clients in every major industry sector.
People managers at Suffolk needed a unified approach to performance management and leadership development to navigate the rapid growth the company was experiencing.
OBJECTIVES
Suffolk required a program designed to equip managers with fundamental leadership skills, including performance management, coaching, delivering feedback, leading difficult conversations, and emotional intelligence. The program needed to be immediately applicable back on the job with opportunities for post-training reinforcement.
The program also needed to reach as many frontline leaders in the organization as possible in order to support the broader business objectives of building internal bench strength, internal career growth, operational excellence, and being recognized as a best place to work.
SOLUTION
Entelechy, in partnership with Suffolk’s learning and development team, customized its award-winning Unleash Your Leadership Potential leadership development program, which became Management Excellence Academy. The program features:
- Two days of in-person instructor-led learning, featuring the following content:
- Your Role as Leader
- Analyzing and Managing Performance
- Delivering Powerful Feedback
- Coaching for Results
- Consistent, simple, and effective models and techniques.
- A focus on emotional intelligence, including the book Emotional Intelligence 2.0 and a self-assessment.
- Direct connections to the organization’s performance management and goal-setting philosophy.
- Powerful networking and skills practice.
- Collaborative learning environment with small group breakout activities.
- Management Action Plan and Job Aid Booklet for on-the-job skill application.
- Reinforcement communications to drive lasting behavior change.
- Senior manager sessions to increase adoption.
RESULTS
Leaders at Suffolk are now able to adapt to rapidly changing (and growing) business environments. Management Excellence Academy is now a cornerstone program in Suffolk’s leadership development portfolio, offered monthly in Suffolk’s headquarters in Boston as well as on an as-needed basis in all regions nationally. Key success metrics include:
- 300+ leaders developed with 100+ leaders scheduled in 2023.
- 100% of participants would recommend the program to peers.
- 18% of participants were promoted since taking the course.
- The company has been named a Great Place to Work by the Great Place to Work Institute annually since 2020.
- Suffolk is now ranked #23 on the Engineering News Record list of Top 400 Contractors.
- Awarded two Gold Brandon Hall HCM Excellence Awards in 2023 for Best Advance in Leadership Development and Best Development Program for Frontline Leaders.
