Case Study: Invest in Your Managers — Pason’s Story

“Invest in your people.” 

It’s a tagline we’ve all heard before. Organizations should invest in their employees so these employees, in turn, invest in meaningful work for their organization. By investing in your workers, you’re investing in your business.  

Here’s a real-life example. 

We sat down with Pason’s Heather H. and Neil G., who participated in our Professional Manager Development Series (PMDS). Heather, VP of Human Resources, worked with our team to develop the curriculum and Neil, Manager of Enterprise Applications, completed the series. 

Hi Neil! Tell me, how has participating in the PMDS influenced your approach to leadership and management? 

The program really challenged me to be more self-aware, and to be more aware of others. Now I acknowledge my own personality and characteristics, and any biases that I may have. I take a moment to recognize who I am, what I'm like, as well as who I’m talking to and what they may be like.  

This has been helpful when I’m leading a member of the team through a problem-solving exercise or providing guidance. The program taught me that not everyone wants to be treated or managed the same way. Now I can take a step back and approach situations in unique ways for the unique people on my team. 

Heather, what was the catalyst for investing in this series? 

Well, there were a few reasons. First, it’s important for our leadership team—whether people are in a functional management position or a position to lead without authority—to have the same skill sets to help motivate their employees, to figure out how to work with different personalities, and to share a common language around leadership. Thanks to the PMDS, our leadership team is on the same page and has gained new skills as they move forward as leaders at Pason. This program also provided a great opportunity for our leadership group to learn from each other and share common stories and experiences.  

Also, hybrid working arrangements changed what leadership looks like. It’s much different leading a team that isn’t always in-person together each day. We wanted to give our leaders and managers more skills in their toolbox to help lead hybrid teams. 

Our organization has a group of new leaders who have progressed in their career—and are ready to take on a leadership roles across the organization. This program has helped set them up for success as they begin to put learnings into practice. 

Neil, what were your initial expectations of the PMDS? 

I'm relatively new to a managerial role and I was expecting the program to be a crash course on how to be a manager. And it was. But it absolutely exceeded my expectations. It was exactly what I needed. At the time, I had been in my management role for about eight months. My feet were a little bit wet and I had some experience to pull from. It was great timing to have a course to ask pointed questions.  

I really appreciated the group dynamic we had when Cenera came to us to lead this course. There were 10 of us from our organization who took the program. This meant that my colleagues are operating with the same tools as me, and we were able to spend the program discussing real-life case studies. The instructor, Jeff, was phenomenal. He had such a rich history and shared stories that kept us engaged. The information was useful and real.  

We also had six one-on-one coaching sessions that were super valuable. I could use the time effectively and come with questions about real scenarios I was experiencing on the job. It was like having my own private counsellor to guide me as I sorted things out in real time.  

Neil, can you highlight a few of the takeaways that you have proven to be valuable as you continue to settle into your management role? 

The course has really encouraged me to provide more feedback. There’s a particular method we discussed in the program that I use regularly. And because I’m giving more feedback, my team now expects and appreciates it. People appreciate constructive feedback more than you would think.  

It also shifted my mindset about leadership versus mid-level management. It taught me to focus on people. It’s less about how I can fix a problem and more about what’s going on with an individual. I now consider how can I talk to them, motivate them and/or give feedback in ways that resonate with them. 

Heather, how has this program transformed your organization? 

This program helps our leaders on so many fronts and continues to build our culture of trust and respect. Having leaders who understand how to have difficult conversations helps us tackle problems right away. We now have the tools we need to motivate our teams. 

The impact of investing in a program like this is hard to quantify, but it’s really our employees who are investing in Pason and putting the work in to help us continue to move our teams and company forward. Our innovations come from our great people and teams who work hard for Pason’s success. 

Heather, would you recommend other organizations consider sending their emerging leaders to the PMDS? 

Absolutely. It’s a worthwhile program for new leaders. It builds the foundation and framework to set your leaders up for success, which sets your teams up for success. And when you do that, you have a lot more engagement and success across the organization.  

Thank you so much, Heather and Neil, for sharing your experience with us.