Case Study

A meeting of minds back in October 2023 proved to be the start of a hugely successful partnership between Chubb Fire and Security (Chubb) and The 21st Century Leadership Company (The 21st CLC).

 

Chubb forms part of APi Group, a global, market-leading business services provider of safety and specialty services.

 

Graham Hill, Projects Director for Chubb and Chris Whiteley, Owner and Managing Director of The 21st CLC, met to discuss the scope for leadership development and team engagement initiatives within Chubb Systems. This division covers large-scale and complex Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) projects by protecting the most important or sensitive assets for Government, Military, Defence, Nuclear and more.

 

As one of the UK’s leading safety, fire and security solution providers, Chubb are driven by a powerful purpose - to Protect Your World. In the UK, there are over 2400 employees within regional branches that protect over 250,000 sites, supported by a network of highly specialised engineers and two NSI accredited Alarm Receiving Centres.

 

The Chubb vision is to become the world’s number one ‘People First’ company, while the APi Groups mission is to build great leaders.

​

Key Areas of Focus

​​

Chubb recruited Graham Hill to head up Chubb Systems with a specific remit to focus on continuous improvement and excellence. With significant experience in the delivery of major MEP projects, he set about developing the team and optimising the customer experience.

 

Following a full review of people, systems, processes, workflows, communication and relationships, Graham outlined some key objectives:

 

• Invest in continued development for project leadership and teams

• Implement an open-door policy

• Give everyone within the project team a voice

• Ensure team engagement levels remain high and measure at regular intervals

• Explore ways to strengthen relationships and develop an inclusive team

• Introduce continuous improvement initiatives to benefit the team and customers

• Optimise individual and collective performance

​

Following extensive engagement with internal stakeholders, The 21st CLC proposed their proven Leading Healthy Teams programme as a scalable online and face-to face learning and development medium. Here, the focus centred on leadership collaboration, alignment, and excellence. This theme was then brought to life through a series of modules and proven techniques covering purpose, goals, relationships, communication, engagement, wellbeing, performance mindset and performance management.

​

Graham Hill said: “When I joined the organisation it was important for me to assess the here and now. This enabled me to gain a clear understanding of the culture, people, environment and practices. I’ve always viewed employees as a organisations most important asset. So, naturally I was keen to assess each member of my team and identify a development path for each of them. Nurturing motivated, engaged and connected teams helps everyone to enjoy their roles and deliver great outcomes for our customers.

 

“As part of this process I engaged with Chris Whiteley at The 21st CLC to understand how he could help me to deliver in line with our people, customer and performance objectives. His experience working with large and complex corporations such as Siemens and Ramboll proved invaluable as he set out his vision for working with myself and Chubb Systems HPC Project Team.”

 

Solution

​

In supporting Chubb Systems leadership and team development needs, The 21st CLC delivered a series of initiatives from their Leading Healthy Teams programme.

 

To begin the process 26 project team members committed to undertaking the SDI (Strength Deployment Inventory) to better understand themselves and their colleagues. As a widely used and renowned relationship intelligence platform, SDI measures an individual’s core motives, their behaviour in conflict situations, and the potential use of and limitations of their strengths in interpersonal relationships.

 

Following the SDI assessment, two team building workshops presented the HPC project team with an opportunity to voice their opinions on a variety of topics. These sessions included representation at different levels from Design, Delivery, Manufacturing and Commercial. Each team member articulated their problems and challenges in a safe and supportive environment, where the whole HPC team came together to collaborate on solution ideas.

​

As part of the Leading Healthy Teams toolkit delivery all team members completed an online survey that acts as a measure of team progress. The survey results were available immediately, allowing everyone to respond to any issues raised and take the appropriate action. Combined, these two initiatives provided a comprehensive solution for enhancing team development and performance, while helping leaders to lead effectively.

 

“Our leaders hosted the sessions and delivered the activities with their teams. The toolkit offered short, fun, team-based activities centred around seven indicators of team performance - goals, relationships, mindset, climate, agility, processes and leadership. My team responded fantastically well to the SDI, workshops and toolkit. They were fully invested in the process, embraced all the activities and enjoyed the experience. Importantly we were all able to find solutions to problems, establish a better way of working and strengthen the team bond. The collaboration, support and willingness to bring about positive change proved to be a catalyst for even greater levels of continuous improvement,” added Graham Hill.

​

When team members take ownership of improving the quality of their team experience, the potential for team performance increases. The toolkit activities provided a highly effective way to engage the team in its own development.

Experience

​

​The Leading Healthy Teams initiatives proved to be the common denominator for different roles, tiers and skillsets within the HPC project team. It offered a safe place for everyone to have a voice, share their problems and take ownership for action.

 

Graham Hill praised the impact of the Leading Healthy Teams programme saying: “From the SDI through to the workshops and toolkit activities there was total buy-in from everyone. Leaders and teams benefitted equally from the relationship intelligence and positive interactions.

 

“The team performance surveys registered significant progress and improvement against our objectives. Similarly, the HPC project team came out on top as part of the recently published company-wide engagement survey. This included increased scores across all key areas.

 

“There is a direct correlation between the work undertaken by The 21st CLC and the improvements in staff development, engagement, performance and customer delivery. The whole experience has been overwhelmingly positive for me, other leaders and the wider HPC project team. So much so, that we wish to continue this investment in other areas to ensure the momentum is maintained for our staff and customers.

 

“As part of this development programme we are committing a significant number of our HPC project team to The 21st CLC’s emerging leaders programme. This offers an opportunity for team members with leadership aspirations and potential to realise their dream through specialist coaching and training. This grounding gives them the opportunity to develop their skills in line with their development needs.”

​​

Conclusion

​

Each initiative proposed by The 21st CLC has impacted significantly across all areas within the major projects team to deliver a healthy return on investment for Chubb. Graham Hill and his team embraced every facet of the development journey and took ownership of any challenges by taking swift action.

 

The team are now working more collaboratively and supporting each other to deliver positive change for themselves and the customer. Staff development, team relationships and performance have all improved.

 

Investment continues with the commitment to the emerging leaders programme, while discussions are already underway regarding company-wide development initiatives involving the Leading Healthy Teams programme

​

www.chubbfs.com