Butler University

Leadership 20/20: Building Leaders to Set the Tone for Total Transformation

Committed to providing transformative, student-centered higher education, Butler University established a strategic vision—Butler 2020. University leaders knew that people were the key to cascading this vision of transformation and that attracting top talent and engaging the workforce was essential. They knew leaders would play a vital role by creating a culture of accountability and high performance, setting the tone for meeting goals, and differentiating the university from its competition.

FlashPoint partnered with Butler to create Leadership 20/20, a multifaceted yearlong program designed around the researched-based program The Leadership Challenge^® Workshop; we then implemented Leadership 20/20 widely, first with the executive cabinet, then to the next level down across the organization.

Learn more about The Leadership® Challenge

CLIENT PROFILE

Butler University is a nationally recognized liberal arts school located in Indianapolis, Indiana. With six academic colleges, 65 major academic fields of study, 18 master’s degree programs, and a doctor of pharmacy, Butler has over 600 employees and nearly 5,000 students.

CHALLENGE

Defining a common leadership model that strengthens its leaders across the university and distinguishes Butler from peer universities (in the midst of factors challenging higher education)

SOLUTION

FlashPoint collaborated with Butler to enliven the new strategic vision on campus and clarify how the vision applies to each leader’s area of responsibility.

IMPACT

A better understanding of leaders’ personal responsibility toward their teams and to Butler
The belief that each Butler community member can bring his or her highest self to the collaborative process for the good of the university
Leaders equipped to make better leadership decisions and to apply the new concepts to their work
Action steps to create a supportive environment on individual teams
Improved connections across divisions
Clarity around strategic goals and vision in order to set the tone for culture and environment
Improvement in the university’s culture and a renewed spirit across campus

TOP PROGRAM PRIORITIES

Align leadership talent and performance with the university’s vision and strategy
Invest in the development of leaders to achieve the greater good
Set the tone for culture and environment, taking role as leaders of the institution seriously

CUSTOM PROGRAM COMPONENTS

360-degree assessment: Leadership 20/20 began with the LPI^®: Leadership Practices Inventory^®, an assessment that measures how frequently each participant demonstrates critical leadership behaviors.
Interactive workshops: Every three months FlashPoint delivered a full-day interactive workshop to build participants’ skills in the Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership^®.
Individual coaching sessions: Throughout the year each participant met eight times with a coach to work through current leadership issues and accountability.
Development tools: FlashPoint provided participants with an individual action plan, a manager conversation guide (to involve the manager and drive deeper accountability), and a vision-cascading worksheet (to share the vision and strategic imperatives with direct reports).

MEASURED SUCCESS

In post-program assessments, participants demonstrated stronger scores in 93% of critical leadership behaviors.
85% of pilot group participants increased their assessment scores in 3 of the 5 key leadership practices.
100% of participants achieved of their individual development plan goals.
4.5 on a scale of 5—across the board participants indicated that they see strong value in the program and are to apply the content directly to their current role (4.3 on a scale of 5).
The group experienced a positive average observer score increase on 30 of 30 behaviors. Leaders are prepared to make more effective leadership decisions, have a stronger connection to one another, and valued learning how to clearly and effectively share strategic imperatives with their teams.

“As someone who has studied and practiced leadership for over forty years, I view the ability to develop and cultivate a high level of workplace satisfaction and a virtuous community as a leader’s top responsibility . . . . I believe that workplace engagement and satisfaction underpins our ability to achieve our educational mission. Simply put, student satisfaction mirrors employee satisfaction.”
—James Danko,
President, Butler University

Empowering Leaders to Enliven a New Strategic Vision

Leadership 20/20: Building Leaders to Set the Tone for Total Transformation

CLIENT PROFILE