Training Today: Engagement Fur Real

Over the last five years, Petco has worked to engage its more than 1,500 store, field, and support center leaders in the company’s overall business strategy. Petco believes that engaged, well-trained managers create knowledgeable front-line associates, who, in turn, drive customer engagement and loyalty in a process Petco calls the Engagement Profit Chain. The company also linked its business strategy with expected leadership behaviors and practices of its managers in order to deliver results. To achieve its goals, the company engaged Root to implement the Root Compass Manager Development Program and called it “Leading at Petco.”

Petco leaders improved their teams’ connectivity and engagement using three strategic Learning Map modules developed by Root. These creative and visual tools use icons, infographics, drawings, conceptual illustrations, and metaphors to present the Petco strategy in a way that connects each individual’s actions to the company’s goals, and helps create action plans for moving forward.

Petco also worked with Root to provide leaders with a program focused on seven key areas of skill building and development: understanding the business strategy, knowing their specific role in supporting that strategy, connecting their team to the strategy, setting clear expectations, building effective working relationships, coaching and developing, celebrating wins, and continual follow-up.

As a result of these efforts, Petco:

• Trained more than 1,500 company leaders in small groups.
• Increased its customer loyalty index by 5 points.
• Increased manager effectiveness by 2.6 percent.
• Raised its associate engagement index by 7 points.