This Leading Manufacturing Firm Transforms Leadership To Empower High-Performing Teams

BUSINESS ISSUE

The global leader in high-quality connecting solutions for the automotive industry, had built a strong foundation for success. However, as the company pursued its next phase of growth—moving from good to great—it recognized that competency improvement alone was not enough. A recent First Line Manager competency survey revealed four critical challenges:

  • Developing Teams –Strengthening collaboration and team effectiveness
  • Personal Effectiveness –Enhancing productivity, decision-making, and time management.
  • Communication – Improving clarity, active listening, and cross-functional alignment.
  • Setting Direction & Work Organization – Driving strategic focus and accountability.

The company understood that true leadership excellence went beyond skills—it required fostering a culture of trust. Leaders needed to do more than manage tasks; they had to create an environment where employees felt empowered, engaged, and aligned with the company’s vision. However, previous leadership training had been delivered exclusively in English, limiting its impact across the company’s diverse global teams.

The company faced a critical challenge to accelerate growth: How could it transform leadership development to break language barriers, instill trust, and unify teams worldwide?

SOLUTION

Wilson Learning implemented a strategic, organization-wide program to address talent retention and competitive challenges that empowered employees to take ownership of their learning and development journey. Designed for maximum relevance and impact, the program allowed participants to select 6 out of 10 key learning modules, ensuring they focused on the most critical areas for their growth over a 40-week learning journey.

This initiative emphasized:

  • A culture of high performance and fulfillment by equipping frontline managers and supervisors with the skills to engage and develop their teams.
  • Employee-driven development reinforces individual contributors' value and prepares them for future leadership roles.
  • Career progression and retention by equipping associates with the skills and confidence needed for promotion.

Facilitator-supported Action Learning Sets reinforced learning through real-world application and guided coaching, ensuring sustained behavioral change.

The measurable success of this leadership program led senior leaders to expand the initiative to include salesforce development in India, further strengthening the organization’s competitive edge and long-term success.

OUTCOMES

  • “Wilson Learning is flexible and tailors the content to the customer's wishes. There are many providers who only offer one-sizefits-all training. Wilson Learning also has a deep knowledge of the subject and how to teach it in the best way and at an affordable level. We see it as crucial in the choice of Wilson Learning that they can offer leadership training in many languages, which is a prerequisite for us.

    - Talent Management

  • “Compared to all the seminars I have attended during my career, the program has been the most beneficial. I particularly appreciated the excellent organization, group composition, and the fact it was conducted in my local language (i.e., German). The well-chosen facilitator was always able to assist. I highly recommend this to all leaders.”

    - Supervisor Tool Manufacturing HOE

  • “I have learned to handle things more carefully by thinking more about things from the other party's point of view.

    -Participant

BEHAVIORS THAT SHOWED THE GREATEST LEVEL OF CHANGE:-

I liked the facts mixed with fun stories that were easy to connect with. The facilitator was fun and engaging and made a complicated subject easy to digest.