21 Sep Global Employees Embrace “Playing Bigger” At Work
The Opportunity
IHS Markit is a global technology leader in information, analytics and solutions for major industries and markets that drive economies worldwide. Their 10,000 employees support clients in every major financial center around the world including, the United States, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Africa. IHS Markit and it’s employee resource group needed a workshop to cater to female employees in all levels of leadership.
IHS Markit engaged Jennifer Howell to create and facilitate a three-hour custom workshop designed to inspire, teach and motivate its employees to fulfill their potential in a competitive, growing work environment.
How We Worked Together
Jennifer met with the group’s leaders to understand their culture and specific needs in order to create a successful and impactful training workshop. Attendees would range from college graduates and new hires to senior leaders and experienced personnel in the Raleigh, North Carolina office.
In order to enhance learning and engage the diverse group of attendees, Jennifer crafted an interactive presentation and workshop with practical tips, examples related to the fintech industry, numerous exercises and handouts.
Based on research and proven experience in the technology industry, Jennifer created a three hour workshop.
The workshop highlighted three leadership competencies:
- Strategies to increase influence
- Tools to raise resilience
- Exercises to cultivate confidence.
The first half of the training focused on five strategies to increase influence in the workplace to deepen relationships and create positive outcomes without manipulating others.
Participants discussed challenging situations they had experienced. They also helped each other create language and suggestions to move forward in a positive manner.
The second half of the workshop focused on five tools to raise one’s resilience in order to bounce back to a high-functioning state when setbacks and failures occur. Participants also discovered four meaningful exercises to cultivate confidence on a daily basis that drive one to take major action
The Results
“Jennifer’s ‘Play Bigger’ workshop was one of our best rated programs. Her easy demeanor set a great tone for sharing and productive discussions. It was a perfect balance between information and practical tips, story-sharing and discussion. We loved her so much that we’ve asked her to come back and run several more workshops in our other offices!” – Sandra Wang, Director and IHS Markit Women’s Initiative Global Lead
Improved Employee Engagement:
Jennifer established trust quickly and encouraged attendees to demonstrate vulnerability so their specific questions and scenarios could be addressed. The workshops were filled with lively discussions, sharing and learning. Each participant received handouts to enforce understanding of new concepts and were paired into teams for group exercises.
Expanded Workshop Globally:
After participant feedback was received, IHS Markit asked Jennifer to present the same workshop for a total of five times across the globe. Workshops were delivered in person and via a webinar. Participants attended the workshop in the following offices:
- Cape Town, South Africa (virtual)
- London, U.K. (in person)
- Nashville, TN (virtual)
- New York City, NY (in person and virtual)
- Raleigh, NC (in person and virtual)
- San Francisco, CA (virtual)
Large Employee Attendance:
The “How to Play Bigger” workshop was offered as a benefit to the women of IHS Markit, and employees were not required to attend. 75% of the female employee base in the Raleigh, NC office attended the first half-day workshop. Attendance remained high high during the following four workshops. As expected, the range of leadership varied from new hires to seasoned employees.
“I hope you can come back for another presentation. When you do, I will drag every person I know into it if I have to! It was a wonderful experience that I want others to have.” – IHS Markit workshop attendee, Raleigh, NC