B/E Aerospace is a world leader in interior cabin products for commercial, business, and military jets. A half-decade ago, the company was very siloed at a site level, with many acquisitions that weren’t fully integrated into the larger company. The chief human resources officer and executive leadership team realized they needed a stronger philosophy and strategy around talent management to continue the trajectory toward additional growth.
“From a succession-planning standpoint, we saw when roles actually became available, people weren’t ready to be promoted from within,” said Jennifer Anglehart, Global Learning and Development Manager at B/E Aerospace. “People weren’t getting the full development they needed to get prepared for that next-level role, and we saw with our growth that we were going to have a number of director and manager-level positions opening up over the next two or three years.”
The company started by committing to developing a continuous-learning culture. Company leaders developed two programs, Emerging Talent and Rising Talent, to develop potential directors and managers (the first, entry level of leadership at B/E Aerospace). In both instances, they identified their highest performers with the most potential and provided them with a six month, intensive program that was a combination of executive coaching, personality profiles, action-learning projects and workshops, as well as access to a learning-management system they had access to 24/7.
“It was to focus them on leadership skills to get them prepared not for their current roles but for the next level,” said Anglehart, who added that there were no promotion guarantees for employees who signed on for the program. “The idea was that you should feel honored and flattered that all of your hard work got you to this place where the leaders around you see you as a future leader of this organization. We’re preparing you for the time when the right opportunity becomes available.”
“One of the best compliments we’ve received is from Emerging Talent alumni who come to us and say, ‘This is the best thing I’ve done in my entire B/E experience,’” said Anglehart.
The programs have saved the company a tremendous amount of money and have helped with employee engagement. In addition, 50% of alumni from the Emerging Talent program were promoted to director-level roles within one year.
Now it’s so popular that the company has become extra picky with its high-potential program prospects. “I think being able to sustain what we’ve already done is really important,” saidAnglehart. “We very purposely did not run our Emerging Talent Program in 2014 because we had 63 alumni. We wanted to make sure opportunities open up before running the program again.”
Headed to SAPPHIRE NOW? Come hear Jennifer Anglehart tell you all about how they worked on building a culture of continuous learning, on May 5th, 1:00 pm – 1:30 pm. Learn how they:
- Closed leadership gaps
- Improved employee engagement
- Prepared employees for next-level roles in the company
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