Empowering First-Time Leaders to Drive Performance in a Transforming Financial Industry

Building a strong leadership pipeline in a rapidly evolving financial industry

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Strong leadership is at the heart of a leading Dutch bank's ability to adapt, innovate, and drive sustainable success in an industry that is constantly evolving. As digitalization accelerates, customer expectations shift, and regulatory landscapes grow more complex, the need for agile, people-focused leadership has never been greater.

The decision to invest in a first-time leader program was driven by clear insights from the bank’s Organizational Health Index (OHI) survey, which revealed just how critical managerial effectiveness is to overall employee engagement and organizational health.

“During the COVID-19 pandemic, we saw a noticeable disparity in the performance of our leaders—some excelled, while others struggled. This underscored the importance of equipping our first-time leaders with robust people skills. Our data showed that investing in their development not only improves OHI scores but also boosts workforce productivity and morale.” — Saskia, Talent Management & Leadership

Blended training for lasting behavioral change

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Leadership isn’t developed through theory alone—it’s built through real-world practice and continuous reinforcement. To ensure lasting behavioral change, the program leverages a blended training approach that combines theory, peer learning, and hands-on practice.

This learning journey blends inspiration with practice, through:

• Power Hours –  High energy session to inspire everyone on a given topic.
• Buddy Boosts – Peer exchange and coaching.
• Practice Sessions – Small-group, real-life case studies with actors.

"Practicing with actors was incredibly valuable. I could put my own challenges into practice, redo conversations that didn’t go well, and learn from others' approaches. These hands-on sessions really helped bridge theory and practice." – Yvette, Product Lead

“Training with actors was very confronting, which is the best way to learn. As I practiced, I could hear myself saying things and immediately realize, “This is not good.” It was really helpful. It’s putting into practice what you learn, that’s really nice.”— Sebastiaan, Product Lead

Training solution

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The Kickstart Leadership Programme

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To address these challenges, the Kickstart Leadership Programme - developed with Lepaya - was created to help first-time leaders adapt, innovate, and lead with purpose. Built on three core pillars of leadership success, the programme helps leaders:

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• Transition confidently from operational roles to leadership roles
  
  
• Motivate and coach teams effectively
  
  
• Build strong relationships across stakeholders
  
  
• Strengthen feedback, communication, and conflict-management skills
  
  

Leaders highlighted the focus on interpersonal awareness:

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“The training helped me become more aware of the interpersonal layer—group dynamics, emotions, and finding common ground.”

Yvette

Product Lead

The programme combines theory, practice, and peer learning through:

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• Power Hours – High-energy inspiration sessions
  
  
• Buddy Boosts – Peer coaching and exchange
  
  
• Practice Sessions – Real-life case simulations with professional actors
  
  

These practical sessions proved invaluable:

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“Training with actors was very confronting, which is the best way to learn… I could hear myself saying things and immediately realize, ‘This is not good.’”

Sebastiaan

Product Lead

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“Practicing with actors was incredibly valuable… these hands-on sessions really helped bridge theory and practice.”

Yvette

Product Lead

Impact

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Stronger leaders, healthier teams, and cultural transformation

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Since launching, the programme has trained 120 first-time leaders, delivering:

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• NPS of 57
  
  
• 8.7/10 programme rating
  
  
• Improved leadership capability reflected in stronger OHI scores
  
  
• Higher levels of team engagement and retention
  
  

Impact measurement is rigorous, including pre- and post-surveys, OHI analysis, team feedback, and interviews.

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Saskia describes the measurable results:

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“Self-assessments, team feedback, and improvements in OHI scores indicate enhanced managerial effectiveness and higher levels of engagement and retention.”

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Participants report major improvements in communication, coaching, and navigating difficult conversations:

 “Active listening, handling emotions, providing feedback, understanding communication styles - these skills really help me guide conversations more effectively.” Yvette

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 “Learning different convincing methods was very useful… helping me get others to think along with me.” Sebastiaan

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The programme is driving a broader cultural shift toward feedback, collaboration, and performance.

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Looking ahead, the bank plans to evolve the programme to address hybrid work, adaptive learning, mentorship, and emerging leadership trends.

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As the HR Director shared:
“The Kickstart Leadership Programme is a great example of how we support our first-time leaders… It’s fantastic to see how this programme is shaping our future leaders.”