Becoming a Manager, One Step at a Time
Organisation
HAVI Logistics is a company specialising in supply chain and logistics services, whose day-to-day operations are built around tightly scheduled, round-the-clock work.
Background
At HAVI Logistics, a group of managers had recently stepped into their roles. The daily work is fast-paced: the day fills up with operational matters, and leading people can easily end up with too little room. For a new manager to succeed, it is important to quickly gain a clear picture of their own role, along with tools that work even in a busy everyday context.
The previous manager coaching programme had received good feedback, and this time the aim was to ensure that new managers would also receive the same foundation, keeping the approach to leadership consistent.
The goals set were to clarify the manager's role, strengthen self-awareness, and provide tools for a coaching approach to leadership, feedback, and challenging situations.
"The coaching programme - - delivered exactly what it set out to: support for succeeding in everyday work, valuable peer support, practical tools for managerial work, and insightful discussions with colleagues under the guidance of a coach."
How the program was designed and delivered
The coaching was designed as a small-group programme: groups of 3–4 participants allowed for a coaching-style, participatory approach, where each person's own situations had room on the agenda and could be explored in depth.
Learning was broken down into small pieces: six two-hour coaching sessions held roughly a month apart at HAVI's own premises, spanning a total of about nine months. Time was left between sessions to try out what had been learned with one's own team. At the start, each participant set a personal learning goal, and progress towards it was reviewed at the end of the programme.
Becoming a manager – responsibilities, expectations, and strengths (the MAVEK framework)
A coaching approach to everyday leadership – the manager's different roles and the GROW model
Trust is built through genuine encounters – authentic listening and the power of presence
Feedback – asking for it, receiving it, and giving it
The manager amid difficult situations – the courage and manner to address them
The manager's role in renewal and growth
The learnings were brought into everyday work through practical exercises and in-between assignments.
Client Voice
"At HAVI Logistics, we understand that the manager's role is an entirely new kind of task for a new manager, one where the most significant learning happens through practical, hands-on work. However, to support success, managers also need support, tools, and opportunities to reflect on genuine everyday situations.
Based on participant feedback, the coaching programme was seen as an important sign of appreciation, and it delivered exactly what it set out to: support for succeeding in everyday work, valuable peer support, practical tools for managerial work, and insightful discussions with colleagues under the guidance of a coach."
– Laura Tuukkanen, HR Manager
