In a world where sustainability, readiness for change and efficiency are key parameters of success, the leader of the future must be able to handle complex paradoxes and lead constant change.
Since the year 2000, over 50% of the companies on the Fortune 500 list have ceased to exist. This marks a significant increase in the rate at which businesses are disappearing. No industry is immune to change, and organizations that can’t adapt quickly enough won’t survive.
Organizations must therefore constantly adapt to change. Leadership requires that the right leaders can tackle the challenge. According to management expert John Kotter, it is not the leader’s job to make plans; solve problems; not even organizing people. What leaders really need to succeed in is preparing the organization for change and helping along the way as they fight through it.”
At the same time, the leader must be able to attract and continuously motivate talented employees in a world where there is a shortage of specialized employees. Tomorrow’s leaders at Ramboll must be able to represent an organisation that the most talented engineers, architects and specialists can see themselves in.
Only organizations with adaptable and astute leaders who foster collaboration across disciplines and inspire employee motivation and engagement are well-positioned to meet the challenges of the future.
At Ramboll, they invest in high potentials to become leaders of the future. Ramboll’s leaders must be able to effectively motivate and engage highly specialised employees from all over the world, while at the same time managing complex requirements from demanding clients, partners and authorities. As a global business, it is a key priority to keep a continuous growing pool of strong leaders.
Ramboll has a clear ambition to develop and elevate their high potentials so that they are ready to drive change and lead at next level. This ambition places new demands on a global organisation: “We believe that all employees, regardless of where they are located in the world, should have equal access to development, so we are driving an agenda to scale high potential and leadership development on a global level in a sustainable delivery set up and with global vendors, at speed,” says Kirsten Asta Gehl, Senior Talent Management Consultant at Ramboll;
To achieve this ambition, Ramboll and Mannaz have established a long-term partnership.
Together, Mannaz and Ramboll have developed the Horizon programme, which is closely linked to Ramboll’s strategy, strategic challenges and transformation. .The programme extends over up to12 months and the purpose are to accelerate the learning and growth of those of Ramboll’s high potentials who are expected to take up leadership roles critical to the realisation of our Partner for Sustainable Change strategy and beyond.
The Horizon leadership potential programme strengthens the insight into and ability of upcoming, new and experienced leaders to lead transformation and change, increase their strategic understanding, global mindset, and provide amplified self awareness and insight. The programme also strengthen their skills in dealing with uncertainty, ambiguity and complexity.
Effective leaders exhibit self-awareness and can navigate complex and novel situations. Self-awareness and self-management play a pivotal role in preparing for increased responsibilities and advancement within the organization. In the Horizon programme a substantial part is facilitated in learning groups of 5-6 high potentials with a coach and facilitator, that helps the team establish trust and high level of psychological safety. This is a key enabler of the accelerated learning process.
Ramboll’s leaders are expected to lead the way, be a role model, shape the future, create stakeholder value and develop bright minds. They navigate in a world that can be perceived as paradoxical and complex. Today, Ramboll’s leaders must dare to ask questions rather than give the answers. The leader must dare to try out bold scenarios in some settings rather than choose the safe, tried and tested path. The leader must be able to integrate paradoxes rather than choosing a position. And the leader must be able to share their own doubts, build trust and create psychological safety.
Hence, Horizon places equal emphasis on individual development and self-reflection, while simultaneously strengthening strategic understanding
Ramboll is a company with more than 18,000 employees spread across the globe with ambitions to grow even more in the coming years.
Through the Horizon Leadership potential programme, Ramboll is establishing an ever-growing group of leaders with a common toolbox across geography and disciplines to lift Ramboll into the future.
The leaders achieve a common language for strategic leadership and transformational leadership. Through the programme they also build a strong network across the global organization.
According to Kirsten Asta Gehl, the network established during the programme is of great value to Ramboll: “The participants are connected across the organisation. As a derived effect, it becomes easier to link services and insights across the organisation to the benefit of our clients, as we can partner and offer our full network of thought leaders, experts, products and services. At the same time, the network strengthens continuous learning, being brave, and daring to lead without having all the answers – it is a demanding process to grow in a complex and sometimes uncertain world. It is valuable for the participants to experience that others are also on a similar journey and can benefit from helping and developing each other. In this way, Ramboll will also be strengthened in the long term – we are a people business, and to stay relevant in the market, strong value-based leadership and continuous learning are key.”
”As a consultant delivering on Horizon, it is incredibly affirming to experience how the participants emerge themselves into new leadership behaviour, and especially put aside the idea of needing to be the one with all the answers”, says Client Director Dorte Spiegelhauer.
Through the thoughtfully designed programme, participants are challenged, trained and coached to be able to advance to the next level.
”Horizon is not simply a leadership potential programme. It supports building a common language for leaders and a community of culture bearers,” says Ditte Enevoldsen, who together with Dorte Spiegelhauer is part of the Ramboll customer team.
”We have put a lot of effort in collaboration with Ramboll into tailoring a programme for Ramboll that matches their specific context, their leaders’ situation and the next career step,” explains Dorte Spiegelhauer.
The programme is composed of six main elements. Following the design principle from Ramboll, it balances three elements of learning – mindset, toolset and skillset:
• Individual coaching and feedback.
• Personality profile and feedback.
• Workshops focusing on the leader’s tool kit and key competencies.
• Leadership Lab where participants get to test and challenge their leadership skills in practice.
• Individual learning and reflection, work with strategic challenges as well as get exposure to senior leaders.
• Internal network with learning group, mentor and learning buddy in Ramboll.
Horizon is part of a long-term strategy. It delivers right here and now while it also strengthens Ramboll’s market position long-term.
”In addition to participants finding methods and tools useful in their everyday lives, we find that they especially appreciate the personal element of a dedicated, experienced coach throughout the process who can support and challenge them. Something almost magical happens when the participant challenges their personal basic assumptions about what a good leader is and how they can become successful in their leadership. For a moment, they lose their footing and then with new great energy get the courage to try new and different leadership behaviours.” explains Dorte Spiegelhauer.
For Kirsten Asta Gehl, the effect of the Horizon programme is clear. “Our Horizon participants are top of mind for the leadership teams and our HR Directors when reorganizing or when new opportunities arise. Many of them are promoted or take on broader responsibility either while they are on the programme or shortly after. They grow along the way, and grow into a next level role”
Specifically, we can measure and observe a clear development in:
When Dorte Spiegelhauer and Ditte Enevoldsen are asked where they notice the effect of the programme, the answer is clear from both:
”I am especially impressed when I see participants who with new insights are promoted and with strengthened self-confidence step into the role, and pass on experiences from Horizon to their employees,” says Ditte Enevoldsen.
“And I am proud that we can complete the programme and achieve that effect through what we call a blended learning journey. Most of the programme takes place virtually, except for three days where we gather the participants physically in a three-day leadership lab. On the other hand, it is three very intensive days that lift the group to a new level ahead of the subsequent workshops,” confirms Dorte Spiegelhauer.
