At UWM, we believe that leadership is an attribute anyone can possess and we empower our team members to exhibit leadership qualities every day. Leadership is such an important component at UWM that we have a dedicated Leadership Development Team (LDT) of coaches, trainers, coordinators and instructional designers exclusively committed to enhancing UWM team members’ leadership skills and abilities. Renee Harmon, VP of Leadership Development, and her team support new leaders through one-on-one coaching, classroom training and data analysis processes that result in the development of great leaders. One of the training initiatives offered by the LDT team, Emerge, has helped more than 2,500 team members in non-leadership positions become leaders in their role, regardless of their title.
Learning to Lead
Emerge is an 8-week course of 1-hour sessions per week that offer team members activities and collaboration exercises on topics ranging from emotional intelligence to the importance of a positive mindset. LDT’s goal for Emerge is to provide our team members with a learning experience that will expand their comfort zones and encourage them to be the best version of themselves. To wrap up each session, a leader from the company presents a personal key message tied into the week’s topic. While each Emerge class has a different focus, the theme remains the same: self-improvement and serving others.
Any team member who’s been with the company for 6+ months can participate in Emerge. Upon completion, team members are awarded a plaque to proudly display on their desk, along with the opportunity to opt into a continuous learning program to keep building on the values taught in Emerge.
Bob Fuller, Director of People Data on the Leadership Development Team, helps lead the Emerge classes by allowing team members to put themselves in the driver’s seat of their personal and professional development. The data has shown that Emerge graduates put themselves in a stronger position to be promoted to leadership by focusing on how they can function as a leader, which makes them an obvious choice for their next opportunity.
Bob summed up the team’s impact eloquently, “We’re in the people business at the end of the day, and when you put people first, you rarely go wrong.”
Learn more about the training and resources we provide to help team members grow and succeed.