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Custom Training

The right training at the right time for the right people

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Everyone’s job would have to change.  The way the sales force pitched life insurance policies to customers. …How new applications were processed and approved. …Responses of customer service representatives handling inquiries and resolving issues. …The steps home office staff would take to navigate systems and administer insurance benefits.

When this blue-chip financial services company launched a new series of life insurance products, nearly 10,000 client employees would need to do their jobs differently.  A lot was riding on the successful product launch, and there was no option to abort the mission.

The client’s project teams were already at capacity, managing the product design, regulatory compliance, and changes to marketing.  They needed a dedicated partner to translate the upcoming product launch’s impacts into an enterprise-wide training program designed to meet all their employees’ learning needs.

Clerestory led the financial services client from designing an initial training strategy through training development, delivery, and post-launch support.  With EMBED℠ change management guiding our work, we met with representatives from every department and team that might be impacted by the product launch.  We captured the information and skills they’d need to do their jobs well into the future.  We created an Impact Assessment and used it to develop a role-based curriculum that outlined measurable learning objectives, audiences, timing, and delivery modes for each course.

Some courses would need to reach a decentralized workforce.  We built interactive, on-demand e-learning modules and hosted webinars so employees could learn when it was most convenient for them.

Other courses required in-person dialogue and practical application of skills.  We trained a team of client experts from across the company.  With our support, they facilitated instructor-led training to guide their fellow employees throughout the change process.

Other information needed to be accessible for teams to review at the point of need.  Quick reference guides and job aids were designed to support learners before, during, and after the product launch.

Over 50 courses were developed and delivered by Clerestory to prepare our client’s employees for the product launch.  Working with the client’s IT department, we created an online training hub to streamline access to course materials and to post related announcements.  We managed deployment schedules, logistics, and communications, ensuring all 10,000 stakeholders received the right training at the right time.  Clerestory’s change management principles were the North Star throughout the program, giving learners the vision, motivation, skills, and resources to do their jobs well.  We applied adult learning best practices to make training memorable and effective.  Lasting results were imperative so that teams would think, act, and interact differently.

We stayed on-call at the client’s headquarters to help manage any last-minute challenges caused by the product launch.  It was exactly the day we had worked hard to deliver.  Quiet and undramatic.

Doing business as usual, with new ways of working.  That’s what you can expect when your mission-critical program is conceived with the knowledge that “people have to change for companies to change.”

We made change happen.  We did it by preparing employees with the knowledge, skills, and mindsets to do their jobs well.

Teams Trained in 11 Months

“I was part of the last rollout in 2008 and this rollout far exceeded what was done in the past.”

Field Support Team Member

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When people think, act, and interact differently, they transform your business.

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1740 Ridge Avenue, Suite 117
Evanston, IL 60201
312.640.5777

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Sachin Master

Supply Chain Leader, Operations Expert, Program Manager

Sachin is a Senior Vice President at Clerestory Consulting with over 20 years of leadership experience in both industry and consulting.  Sachin serves as a trusted advisor to his executive-level clients and helps them deliver on strategic, operational, and technology transformations.  He leads blended client/consultant teams to provide a big-picture perspective and foster a collaborative partnership between stakeholders.  Prior to joining Clerestory, Sachin earned an MBA, deployed enterprise-wide solutions, and implemented customer-centric strategies.  Sachin has experience in manufacturing, logistics, insurance, healthcare, professional services, and high-tech (hardware and software) industries.  Sachin is known for his holistic approach to problem-solving and his direct communication style.

Maura Halbach

Inspirational Coach, Problem-Solver, Change-Maker

Maura is a Senior Vice President at Clerestory.  Since the firm began two decades ago, Maura has been a cultural standard-bearer and developer of consultants.  Maura has led transformative client engagements in the manufacturing, financial services, property management, and healthcare industries.  Maura has contributed to Clerestory’s change methodology EMBEDSM and helps clients develop a greater capacity for change.  She consistently drives sustainable results in operations excellence, organization design, and technology implementation.  Clients value Maura’s ability to unite an organizations’ employees around a shared vision to develop internal change agents.  She is highly effective at creating enthusiastic participation and meaningful collaboration.

Michelle Kerr

Trusted Advisor, Organization Designer, Change Leader

Michelle is a Co-founder and Principal of Clerestory.  She became a consultant after working in industry and completing an advanced degree in Organization Design.  Over the last 25 years, she has earned a reputation as an authority in the fields of organization design, executive project management, and HR process design.  Michelle has led numerous efforts for global companies aligning corporate strategy with investments in technology and human capital.  She has continuously improved Clerestory’s change methodology EMBEDSM and applies it to help clients with large scale transformation.  Her clients trust her to quickly adapt to fast-changing project needs.  Michelle generates tremendous client value and inspires innovation.

John Wick

Client Advisor, Fact-finder, CFO, CPA

John is a Co-founder and Principal of Clerestory.  He is a CPA by training and has over 30 years of experience leading consulting engagements in the insurance, financial services, pharmaceutical, and distribution industries.  A skilled Program Manager, John is sought after for his expertise in implementing process and technology solutions with a focus on the top line.  His clients appreciate his ownership of P&L and his deep understanding of financial processes, including financial/information technology audit concepts.  Clients view John as a thoughtful listener and an inquisitive and thorough problem solver.

Linda Toops

Leader, Mentor, Business Builder

Linda is the founder and Managing Principal of Clerestory and has more than 35 years of consulting experience.  Throughout her career, she has applied her expertise by developing high-performing teams, delivering business value, and leading companies from vision through execution.  Her bias for clear communication and processes that put people first have become values that Clerestory consultants bring to every client project.  In her role as Managing Principal, Linda is responsible for the firm’s strategy for client and staff growth.

Clerestory's Change Management Principles
  1. A clear vision and the right sponsorship enables change.
  2. Reasons for change should be fact-based and clear.
  3. People support what they create.
  4. People need to change the way they work.
  5. Deliberate communication makes change sustainable.