Automotive Manufacturer Prepares a Diverse Workforce of Leaders and Change Agents

Concern

The concern of a major auto manufacturer was the readiness of recent college graduates to manage change and to take a leadership position in business, as they transition from college to the work environment. This Fortune 500 Company also wanted to increase its minority candidate pool for potential managerial positions.

Procedure

B&C collaborated with the client to develop an ongoing education, leadership coaching and training seminar designed to enhance the quality of leaders’ productivity and their ability to accept and manage change in the work environment. B&C developed this signature leadership program targeting Historically Black Colleges’ and Universities’ (HBCU) student government presidents. The goal for participation was to offer training to 60 students from the HBCUs throughout the Nation.

Each SGA president received leadership training modeled for Fortune 500 executives, which provided them a greater grasp of the principles of leadership and managing change. B&C executed all aspects of the three-day program content including identifying schools for participation; developing the training curriculum; creation of marketing materials; coordinating attendee logistics prior to and during the event; securing speaker involvement and agenda development and conducting the post-event evaluation and follow-up. B&C also developed and implemented a national media campaign targeting African American media, automotive media and philanthropic publications. The training took place on the campus of a Historically Black College in Mississippi.

Outcome

The 60 students that participated in the program received education that prepared them to be leaders and change agents. The training additionally helped them understand the impact of human behavior on change leadership. Another important outcome of B&C’s tailored training program was that it provided the automaker and other Fortune 500 companies with a diverse pool of talent for consideration for employment opportunities. Overall, post-event participants’ evaluation of the event scored a 4.8 on a 5-point scale. B&C successfully executed the program for several years and many of the graduates of the program received job offers from this automaker, as well as, other industry leaders.