Participant Chronicle

Dean Stakos – Challenge of Leadership

The course has given me great perspective in taking a big picture view of the organisation as well as increasing my confidence in stakeholder management.

ONCALL Language Services is the largest language service provider in Australia and a global leader in their industry.

When Dean Stakos joined the organisation as the Learning and Development Manager and HR Business Partner his manager Gayle Anthony, Chief People and Cultural Officer, identified that there was an opportunity to invest in Dean’s professional development by enrolling him into LMA’s Challenge of Leadership (COL) course. As learning and development are not only his professional expertise but also his passion, Dean made the commitment to gain the maximum benefit from his participation in the course. Not only was Dean keen to learn as much as he could, he also wanted to apply any new knowledge into practical application in his role to produce improvements, measurable results and a Return on Investment (ROI) the company had made in him.

Dean established two significant workplace goals to achieve during the course.

  • Maximising his personal and team performance and productivity through clearly identifying High Payoff Activities (HPAs) and the effective delegation of his Low Payoff Activities (LPAs).
  • Launch LinkedIn Learning to internal staff and achieve an 80% activation rate.

Dean also set a personal goal to purchase a property with his partner Laura.

Not only was Dean able to successfully achieve each of these three goals, he was also able to demonstrate improvements in his leadership dexterity through better understanding of:

  • Individual learning styles
  • The Team ADAPT model
  • Running effective NEAT meetings
  • The use of Motivation Plans (Development Plans)

Dean also commented “I have noticed positive changes regarding my clarify in decision making and my ability of focus on working on strategic programs. The course has given me great perspective in taking a big picture view of the organisation as well as increasing my confidence in stakeholder management. I am in the process of formalising Development Plans to demonstrate that we are invested in employees and their personal development.”  The various improvements achieved by Dean have produced greater performance and productivity, an increase of 10 hours per week focus on HPAs and Strategic Priorities within his department.

Gayle Anthony acted as Dean’s Manager/Mentor for the COL course. She said “Dean’s growth as an operator has become growth as a leader. Well done, Dean.”

We congratulate Dean on his exceptional learning outcomes and the improvements he was able to create within his team and workplace. LMA would also like to thank ONCALL for their continued focus and commitment to investing in the development of their people.

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