Leadership Challenge at Cbeyond

By Margery Weinstein

When Cbeyond wanted to challenge its next generation of leaders, it launched A Leader of the Future program. Piloted in 2009-2010, the program focused on existing leaders at the director and senior director levels, with leaders teaching leaders, as well as providing a Hogan Assessment and a development plan.

Here are the highlights of the program:

• The topics of A Leader of the Future covered the eight points on Cbeyond’s Leadership Model with members of the Senior Leadership Team leading the classroom sessions.
• As a teambuilding exercise, a group project was assigned as the final requirement for graduation from the program.
• With four out of 19 participants in this program having already been promoted into roles with a higher level of responsibility, the company went full steam ahead in the summer of 2010 with a slightly retooled version of the program known as the Leadership Challenge.
• The Leadership Challenge combines both all-hands and small group dynamics as two-thirds of the classroom sessions are conducted with all participants in attendance at once and the remaining classes are held with pre-assigned groups of 20 participants.
• All classroom sessions continue to be facilitated by members of Cbeyond’s Senior Leadership Team, with the large group sessions including such topics as Building the Team, Leading versus Managing, Achieving Results, and Leading Courageously While Acting Graciously.
• The small group sessions are centered around topics best suited for discussion groups such as Emotional Intelligence, Financial Management, and Strategic Relationships.
• Requirements for completing the program include attending 90 percent of the group sessions, completing the Hogan Assessment, and compiling a personal development plan and active participation in the completion of the group project.
• Each of the three teams of 20 participants in the Leadership Challenge are assigned a group project, requiring assessment of the issue, proposed solution, implementation plan, and presentation to the Senior Leadership Team.
• The assignments are based on real-time challenges faced within Cbeyond such as how to make meeting time more effective and efficient. The group participants are assessed by their project teammates to validate their active involvement in the project.

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