Store Manager
Leadership Development

Business Challenge

Our client, a global leader in business services and transportation with over a half-million employees worldwide, was experiencing communication breakdowns between store managers and frontline workers. These communication gaps were undermining both customer and employee experiences. With store managers geographically dispersed and unable to leave the sales floor for full-day training, the client needed a flexible, short-format solution that could be delivered conveniently without disrupting daily operations. To address these challenges, they sought a leadership development solution to enhance communication skills among store managers with the foresight to integrate this into a standardized development curriculum across the U.S.

AMA Solution

The client and AMA collaborated to identify critical skill gaps and develop a solution delivered through live, interactive, instructor-led 2.5-hour virtual sessions. This included licensing standard content in communications skills, specifically “Powerful Communication Techniques” and “How to Manage Difficult Conversations,” aimed at engaging in clear, two-way communication and navigating challenging conversations. These sessions were rolled out to nearly 2,000 U.S. employees, ensuring every participant was trained on both topics over just four weeks. With eight faculty leaders conducting 40 classes, AMA demonstrated its scalability and reliability—each session delivered identical content with a consistent approach, establishing a uniform learning experience. To sustain skill development, participants were given access to AMA’s OnDemand eLearning Library for continued learning after the live training.

Results

The leadership development initiative delivered by AMA yielded impressive results across both training programs. A total of 1,939 participants attended the “Powerful Communication Techniques” sessions, which saw a 12.4% increase in leaders who self-reported a confidence level of 4/5 after completing the training. Participants overwhelmingly reported a positive experience, with 95% feeling encouraged to participate, share ideas, and ask questions, with 93% felt the activities and exercises were instrumental in their learning. Additionally, 95% of participants stated the presenter effectively helped them grasp the material. Similarly, the “How to Manage Difficult Conversations” program engaged 1,894 participants, resulting in a 13% increase in leaders reporting a confidence level of 4/5 post-training. 97% of participants felt encouraged to engage during the sessions, and 92% credited the activities and exercises for enhancing their learning. Furthermore, 96% of participants reported that the presenter was key to helping them understand the material. The strong results have prompted the client to pursue a train-the-trainer certification for internal facilitators, enabling them to scale the program and deliver it to new cohorts of store managers as needed. This approach ensures the training can be consistently implemented, establishing a standard of communication excellence among store managers, in turn resulting in more positive employee and customer experiences.

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