Investing in Emerging Leaders
Cohort-based leadership development experiences provide a unique opportunity for leaders to step away from their daily responsibilities and learn new skills in a supportive and collaborative environment of their peers.
Risk Management Division (RMD) | Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
The Context
RMD realized they needed to invest in leadership development at all levels of their organization with a specific emphasis on emerging leaders. Within the organization, there was a wealth of incredibly talented SMEs but no formal mentorship or sponsorship pathways to support high potential leadership candidates. RMD Leadership wanted to create a focused program to proactively support these leaders in developing the necessary skills to lead in a highly complex federal environment.
Our Approach
Joyedele Consulting crafted the Team Lead Development Cohort: a training and development program for emerging federal leaders within RMD. Via interviews and surveys, we identified potential participants, engaged leaders to create buy-in, defined outcomes, and identified learning topics to inform the program curriculum. This six-month program allowed emerging leaders to foster group cohesion, develop their leadership and management skills in an experiential learning environment, and work collaboratively together as they co-designed each learning session. The participants were empowered to drive their cohort experience.
The Result
As a result of the program, participants walked away with a stronger network of supportive peers, new ways of thinking about leadership itself and how to lead in the FEMA context, a stronger shared identity, and feelings of empowerment to tackle and discuss organizational issues that were affecting them as a collective.
