case study - Leadership Development
Senior Manager Training
Kellen Europe

After months of home-working due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Kellen Europe wanted to give Senior Association Managers new tools to develop their leadership skills. They reached out to Neolis for a tailor-made leadership development programme.

The group were highly engaged throughout the programme, and two weeks after the last session, 100% of participants confirmed that they had taken specific action or changed their behaviour based on what they had learned.

Kellen Neolis Leadership Development programme final session
About Kellen Europe

Kellen Europe provide management and related services to associations and trade organisations, as well as strategic, regulatory & public affairs advice. Through its value-added services, the company helps associations grow and create impact on different levels according to their vision, mission, and goals. Kellen’s European team represent a wide range of industry experience, with particular expertise in the food and beverage, energy, and construction sectors.

The context

Kellen Europe’s Senior Association Managers play key roles in over 30 associations and organisations with European and global membership. To further enhance these managers’ leadership skills – especially after a long period of home-working due to COVID-19 – the company reached out to Neolis for tailored training addressing various aspects of their roles. Kellen wanted a leadership programme that would help their employees not only meet the challenging demands of their projects, but also build even stronger relationships with the associations they work with, as well as contribute to Kellen’s long-term vision.

For Kellen, it was important that the programme addressed the specific needs of the participants, be highly practical, and be fully aligned with the Kellen values.

What we did

In close collaboration with Kellen Europe’s HR department and leadership team, we developed an interactive leadership programme. Over a period of 5 months, 15 participants went on a journey of self-discovery, finding new ways to apply their unique strengths and deliver value to both their clients and team members. By using the Gallup CliftonStrengths assessment, the participants were able to uncover their talents and strengths, and connect these to each of the five training modules.

The modules provided practical tools related to topics such as:

  • personal productivity;
  • team management;
  • creativity;
  • pitching;
  • client communication; and
  • stress management.

 

During the programme, the examples and exercises were tailored so they could be applied directly to real-life situations and would encourage concrete behavioural changes. To increase the impact of the training, we used repetition and practice, including group coaching sessions throughout the journey to answer questions, regular recaps of key learnings, and sharing of success stories and challenges when applying the new techniques.

The results

The group were highly engaged throughout the programme, and two weeks after the last session, 100% of participants confirmed that they had taken specific action or changed their behaviour based on what they had learned.

What participants liked most was how relevant the training was to their day-to-day jobs, combining interesting knowledge and useful tools. They also appreciated exchanging best practices with their colleagues, getting to know their strengths, and practicing the new skills during the face-to-face sessions. The positive and respectful environment made the learning both entertaining and useful, and created stronger cross-departmental bonds between colleagues.

What Kellen Europe say about us
Sofie Cabeceiro Luiz
HR Director Kellen Europe
From the kick-off call to every session, Christelle captivated the audience, bringing a combination of your business acumen, coaching approach, interesting insights/models and experience through constant interaction with the group. We appreciate the fact that you customised the training for Kellen Europe from start to finish. Session after session you asked for input and feedback, and listened actively to ensure it remained practical and relatable for our Senior Associations Managers, the potential Kellen leaders of the future.
Maria Teresa Scardigli
Managing Director Kellen Europe
Thank you so much for the sessions. It has been eye-opening for us and a great partnership between Kellen Europe and Neolis. The feedback has been extremely positive, and I am delighted to see my colleagues concretely implementing your inspiring tools and ways of working, and developing new skills.
Giorgio Corbetta
Senior Association Manager
The Programme has been a living learning experience to me. The sessions always ended with punctual actions to take to fully reap the content of the programme. And the mid-term virtual check-ins helped me a lot to focus on using the tools we learnt daily, and compare notes with fellow leaders
Nuria Moreno
Senior Association Manager
During the sessions, I appreciated the use of examples (situations, behaviours) that are recognizable and realistic in our day-to-day professional environment we face as leaders. This made it easier to apply the tools and methods we learned.

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best possible experience on our site and see (anonymously) how you interact with it. More info can be found in our privacy & cookie policy.