RESEARCH RESULTS BY:
MICHAEL KEMP
CONSULTANT, CABER
REALIZATION RESULTS:
Leaders experienced a
55 percent increase in on-the-job behaviors related to effective leadership.
Both leaders and observers rated their personal performance as more effective as a result of the leaders attending the training.
Leaders reported financial gains ranging between $25,000 and $600,000 related to risk management, cross-selling, and colleague retention.
needed a strategic plan and a strong group of leaders at all organizational levels. While it spent considerable attention and resources developing the skills of its executives and frontline leaders, the organization also needed a way to strengthen its mid-level leadership.
Banking
United States
Business Impact Leadership ®
With more than 600 local branches and 1,300
ATMs, Huntington Bank serves customers in
Ohio, Indiana, West Virginia, Kentucky,
Michigan, and Pennsylvania. Huntington’s
11,000 employees provide personal banking for individuals and families, small business banking, banking for middle market businesses and nonprofit organizations, and specialty financial services.
The 2008 recession brought many challenges to the banking industry, and Huntington was not exempt from them. But after returning to profitability in 2010, Huntington became more focused on expanding its business and future growth. To execute this approach effectively, it
Huntington recognized that the skills needed for mid-level leaders to be successful were markedly different from those of frontline leaders or executives. Through survey analyses and focus groups, a clear model of the skills and abilities that its mid-level leaders would require was created. The organization partnered with Development Dimensions
International (DDI) to design a leadership development program that would provide
Huntington’s mid-level leaders with the skills and resources they would need to drive the new business strategy. At its core was a curriculum of customized courses from DDI’s new Business Impact Leadership ® (BIL) Mid-
Level Series training suite. This curriculum mapped to the competency model Huntington designed for its mid-level leaders. The courses included:
 Making Change Happen
 Coaching for High Performance
 Mastering Emotional Intelligence
 Handling Challenging Situations with
Courage
 Translating Strategy into Results
 Influencing for Organizational Impact
 Developing Organizational Talent
 Cultivating Networks and Partnerships
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The courses are delivered over a period of six months to optimize the learning and application of new concepts and skills. Leaders go through the training with their counterparts from different parts of the organization to promote networking and to break down organizational silos. Following the training, leaders meet with each other and their managers to discuss issues they are confronting.
To evaluate the effectiveness of the BIL courses, Huntington also worked with DDI to ensure that its mid-level leaders were applying their new knowledge and skills back on the job.
The focus of this measurement study was on the degree to which the leaders’ on-the-job behaviors changed as a result of the BIL program.
DDI’s Training Checkpoint SM tool was used to determine the extent to which mid-level leaders changed their behaviors on the job after the training and to gauge the program’s impact on the organization. Training Checkpoint SM is an online survey focused on the behavioral objectives and specific goals of a training
Figure 1. Percent of Participants by Functional Area program. Participant leaders and their observers (i.e., their managers, colleagues, and/or direct reports) receive the survey months after the leaders complete the program to give them enough opportunities to practice implementing what they have learned. The mid-level leaders and their observers are then asked to rate the extent to which the leaders displayed the desired behaviors before and after completing the program. The survey also gathers perspectives of the work environment and the program’s impact on other organizational outcomes.
Surveys were sent to 82 mid-level leaders from
Huntington who participated in the training.
Of those, 48 were completed, resulting in a
52 percent response rate from leaders in 15 different functional areas (see Figure 1 ). The leaders also were asked to forward an observerspecific survey to three colleagues who have been in a position to observe the leader’s behavior both before and after the training.
This resulted in 78 observers providing responses about trainee behavior. The majority of the observers (63 percent) were direct reports of the trainees (see Figure 2 ).
4.3%
6.4%
6.4% 2.1% 4.3%
6.4%
12.8%
17.0%
4.3%
4.3%
2.1%
4.3%
6.4%
2.1%
4.3%
12.8%
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Asset   Protection
Auditing
Business   Banking
Commercial   Banking
Commercial   Real   Estate
Credit   Administration
Finance/Accounting
Human   Resources
Information   Technology
Investments
Marketing
Operations
Other
Product   Management
Retail
Retail   Banking

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Figure 2. Observers’ Relationships to Trainees
6.5%
14.5%
16.1%
62.9%
For each training topic in the leadership development program, at least three behavioral indicators, identified as learning objectives, were specified. Both leaders and observers were asked to rate the frequency (Never or Almost
Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, or Almost
Always) with which the person who participated in the sessions exhibited each behavior both before and after the training.
Because each of the behavioral indicators selected was considered a critical outcome of the program, results focused on the percentage who displayed a behavior “often” or “almost always.” By doing so, the results revealed the percentage of leaders who frequently displayed effective leadership behaviors before and after the training.
Only 56 percent of the mid-level leaders reported that they frequently displayed effective leadership behaviors before they attended the training. Afterward, those who frequently displayed these behaviors rose to an impressive
88 percent—a 55 percent overall improvement.
Observers were less critical of the leaders’ pretraining behaviors, reporting effective leadership from 69 percent of them. They also confirmed the leaders’ ratings of after-training effectiveness, reporting that 84 percent displayed effective leadership behaviors.
Figure 3 presents the overall frequency of effective behaviors (across the training courses) observed before and after the leaders’ training by the leader trainees and their observers.
Figure 3. Frequency of Effective Behaviors Reported Across All Topics
100
80
60
40
20
0
56.3
87.5
69.2
84.5
Trainee Observer
Before Training After Training
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®
To understand the specific areas in which the training was most effective, data illustrating trainee and observer ratings of the behavioral objectives are presented in this report by course. Figure 4a presents the frequency of effective behaviors for each course, before and after the training, as reported by leaders, while
Figure 4b presents the frequency as reported by observers.
Figure 4a. Percentage of Leaders Frequently Displaying Effective Behaviors by Topic
(Leader Perspective)
Making   Change   Happen
Coaching   for   High   Performance
Mastering   Emotional   Intelligence
Handling   Challenging   Situations
Translating   Strategy   into   Results
Influencing   for   Organizational   Impact
Developing   Organizational   Talent
Cultivating   Networks   and   Partnerships
0
68.5
96.0
47.3
87.9
63.0
89.4
71.9
94.2
55.5
88.8
49.9
79.9
41.6
74.8
20 40
Before   Training
52.8
60 80
After   Training
86.1
100
Figure 4b. Percentage of Leaders Frequently Displaying Effective Behaviors by Topic
(Observer Perspective)
Making
Coaching   for
Mastering   Emotional   Intelligence
Handling   Challenging   Situations
Translating
Change
High   Performance
Strategy   into
Happen
Results
Influencing   for   Organizational   Impact
Developing   Organizational   Talent
Cultivating   Networks   and   Partnerships
57.0
75.8
88.7
65.3
63.1
82.4
70.0
77.9
85.1
88.2
69.1
84.8
80.2
79.1
76.5
88.0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Before   Training After   Training
© Development Dimensions International, Inc., MMXI. All rights reserved.

Making Change Happen
In light of Huntington’s new strategic initiatives, leaders need to know how to influence the change that will be essential to move the business into the future. Regarding this topic, both leaders and observers reported the most improvement for trainees in the area of gaining commitment from others for change.
Before the training only a little more than half of the leaders reported frequently gaining commitment from others regarding a change.
Afterward, however, that number rose to an impressive 95 percent. According to observers,
70 percent of leaders, before they attended the training, gained commitment from others; afterward, they indicated that 85 percent frequently displayed this behavior. Additionally, the observers indicated that more than
98 percent of leaders were frequently communicating openly with others regarding information about changes.
“I work to get buy-in from others when seeking to develop change. I also let others do things that, in the past, I would have done before (e.g., developing and implementing new models across the bank.”
– a Huntington mid-level leader
Coaching for High Performance
Coaching at the mid-level is significantly different from coaching at lower organizational levels, as mid-level leaders are expected to continue to lead across generations while also leading people from different functions, thereby increasing productivity across the board. Of all eight courses in the program, coaching is the area in which the leader trainees felt they had made the most substantial improvements.
Across the five behavioral objectives of this course, they reported an 86 percent improvement after attending the training
(see Figure 5 ).
Specifically, the leaders suggested that, before the training, less than 40 percent of them asked thought-provoking questions during their coaching sessions. But after the training, the leaders reported a 133 percent increase in this behavior, stating that 88 percent of them were frequently asking thought-provoking questions during their coaching discussions.
Observers suggested that leaders made the most significant improvements in demonstrating a personal commitment to building a coaching culture, with more than
8 out of 10 leaders effectively doing so after attending the training.
5
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Figure 5. Percent of Leaders Frequently Displaying Coaching Behaviors (Leader Perspective)
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
47.3
86 Percent
0
Before   Training
Mastering Emotional Intelligence
Handling Challenging Situations with
Courage
87.9
After   Training
In this course, leaders discover tools to prevent
“emotional hijacking” from interfering with their personal interactions and with organizational outcomes.
Leaders and observers had different perspectives regarding which behaviors related to this course had improved the most.
Leaders reported the greatest increase—by
63 percent—in how well they demonstrated emotional self-control during difficult situations
(before the training, only 56 percent effectively did this; afterward, 92 percent did). Their observers, on the other hand, reported that the greatest improvement (a 33 percent increase) was in the leaders’ ability to read situations and then adjust their behavior accordingly. They reported that only 64 percent of leaders effectively did this before the training, but that amount grew to more than 85 percent afterward.
Both the leaders and the observers believed this topic was the leaders’ greatest strength going into the training. Before attending the sessions,
72 percent of leaders reported that they frequently engaged in the related behaviors, just below the amount reported by the observers—
78 percent. After the training these numbers rose to 94 percent and 88 percent, respectively, indicating that the course developed leaders who were moderately effective at handling challenging situations into ones who are very effective at doing so.
“I have been able to maintain my emotions while dealing with a conflict between myself and one of my direct reports.”
– a Huntington mid-level leader
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Translating Strategy into Results
Leaders reported a 60 percent overall increase in the frequency of their displaying effective behaviors related to this course, while observers reported a 23 percent increase (see Figure 6 ).
Specifically, leaders indicated that their greatest improvement was in the area of focusing their particular team’s time and energy on strategic priorities—a 70 percent increase, with
95 percent of them frequently engaging in this behavior after the training. Their observers, however, reported that the leaders’ greatest improvement was in their taking actions to maintain or raise the engagement level of their employees. They saw more than 8 out of 10 leaders displaying this behavior after the training—a 33 percent increase in the frequency of their efforts to increase engagement.
Figure 6. Percentage of Leaders Frequently Displaying All Behaviors Related to Translating
Strategy into Results
100
88.8
84.8
80
69.1
60
55.5
40
20
60 Percent
Overall   Increase
23 Percent
Overall   Increase
0
Trainee Observer
Before Training After Training
Influencing for Organizational Impact
Today’s business environment requires organizations to use cross-functional teams to accomplish objectives. Using this approach, leaders need to get work done through influencing rather than relying on their position power, as they often lack authority over their colleagues. new ideas. Before the training, less than half of them reported frequently engaging in this behavior; afterward, almost 80 percent suggested that they consider their stakeholders when presenting new ideas—a 70 percent overall increase. The observers cited the greatest improvement in the same area (a
36 percent increase in behavior), suggesting that more than 80 percent of the leaders are now considering stakeholders and adapting their strategies when presenting new ideas.
Both leaders and observers at Huntington reported increases in all behaviors related to this topic. The leaders reported the most significant increase in their adapting strategies to different stakeholders when they presented
“The training resulted in better cross-functional teamwork with a better understanding of how colleagues react and what makes them react.”
– a Huntington mid-level leader
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8
Developing Organizational Talent
Huntington leaders indicated that they made the greatest improvements in this topic area in their efforts to create powerful development assignments for others. Prior to the training, only about one in four of them focused on creating such assignments. After the training, however, 60 percent reported frequently creating development assignments. Observers agreed, suggesting that the most significant improvement in the leaders’ behaviors related to this topic involved creating powerful development assignments.
Additionally, both leaders and observers reported substantial increases in leaders’ measuring the progress of development efforts
(94 percent and 40 percent, respectively).
“The training has resulted in developing more metrics to monitor individual performance and to identify coaching opportunities.”
– a Huntington mid-level leader
Cultivating Networks and Partnerships
The observers indicated that leaders were already moderately effective at cultivating networks and partnerships before the training, while the leaders themselves suggested that they were only minimally effective. Both groups reported significant increases in leaders’ behaviors related to this topic (see Figure 7 ).
Specifically, before the leaders took part in the training, the observers indicated that 77 percent were effective; afterward, the observers perceived improvement, saying that 88 percent were effective. Only 53 percent of the leaders reported that they were effective at cultivating their networks and partnerships before the training—a figure that increased to 86 percent after the training. This suggests that, in general, the observers feel that the leaders were better at networking than the leaders did themselves.
Within the course, both leaders and observers reported the greatest improvement in leaders’ efforts to strategically expand their network of key contacts.
Figure 7. Percentage of Leaders Frequently Displaying All Behaviors Related to Cultivating
Networks and Partnerships
100
86.1
76.5
88.0
80
60 52.8
40
20
0
63 Percent
Overall   Increase
15   Percent
Overall   Increase
Trainee
Before Training
Observer
After Training
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Huntington’s leaders reported a 9.4 percent improvement in their overall job performance since attending the Business Impact
Leadership ® program. They attributed
62 percent of this improvement directly to the skills and concepts they learned in the sessions.
The observers believed that 55 percent of the improvement in leaders’ job performance was directly related to their going through the BIL program.
In terms of work group-related changes, the majority of leaders and observers indicated improvements in employees’ productivity, engagement, communication within and across teams, adapting to project changes, supporting and developing individual talent, and making courageous decisions regarding difficult issues.
The participating leaders and observers also indicated that these improvements were a direct result of the training. The greatest progress was in the area of communication within teams.
Over 90 percent of leaders and 80 percent of observers reported seeing improvements in team interactions. Furthermore, more than
80 percent of leaders and 70 percent of observers indicated that these improvements were a result of the BIL program.
Leaders and observers also were asked to report both financial and nonfinancial outcomes for
Huntington Bank in the areas of risk management, cross-selling, and colleague retention that could be attributed to the concepts and skills taught in the BIL program.
The findings from these areas follow.
Risk Management
In terms of risk management, the leaders reported estimated financial gains between
$100,000 and $500,000. One mid-level leader said that the BIL program provided “a continued focus on making good/sound decisions from an individual and team perspective as [his/her] department experienced process changes. Utilizing the skills around effective communication has assisted with this process.”
Both leaders and observers at Huntington reported improvements in communications, interactions, working relationships, and engagement. For example, one leader reported an increased ability to recognize deteriorating credits because communication was better within the team, while an observer suggested that increased partnering with capital markets and corporate trusts has actually enhanced
Huntington’s presence in the government sector.
Cross-Selling
Financially, leaders reported revenue gains related to cross-selling between $25,000 and
$600,000. The BIL training enabled participants to “build partnerships and reach out to colleagues to collaborate on ideas,” according to one leader. Cross-selling improved in numerous areas, including insurance, mortgage loans, and private banking loans. Another leader remarked, “Meeting new people across the bank has made challenging conversations easier. As well, it has provided a broader peer group to test out new ideas.”
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Colleague Retention
Leaders and observers have indicated that the
BIL program had a strong impact on colleague retention within Huntington. For example, one respondent reported a financial impact of
$100,000 related to avoiding losses during a reorganization. Their comments also attest to the leaders’ newly learned skills and concepts having a positive impact on communication and engagement within their teams, encouraging increased colleague retention.
Leaders reported that this curriculum covered
86 percent of the total skill set required in their jobs. Moreover, nearly all (99 percent) said that the concepts addressed in the training were important for their jobs. Ensuring training relevance is important; however, equally important is the motivation of leaders to apply the concepts and skills they have gained to their work. Encouragingly, 70 percent of
Huntington’s leaders indicated that they have created an action plan for applying their new skills on the job.
Training relevance and leader motivation are major determinants of training transfer. If leaders believe that what they learned was not relevant or applicable or if they lack motivation to apply the training, the likelihood of their transferring those concepts to their jobs is diminutive. The positive responses featured in this report likely are representative of the significant improvement in leader behaviors at
Huntington.
In addition to relevance and motivation, providing opportunities to apply the training and reinforce new behaviors are critical for creating an environment that supports the transfer of training concepts and skills. A majority of the leaders’ managers (87 percent) reported personally witnessing the leaders applying the skills and concepts from the BIL program on the job. And, about 70 percent of the leaders indicated that their managers support and reinforce their applying the learned skills and concepts on the job. If those managers failed to reinforce the training behaviors, the mid-level leaders might have lost their motivation to use the new skills and knowledge to improve their abilities.
When asked how effective the learning journal was as a learning tool and resource for personal development (on a 1-to-100 scale, with 1 being
“not at all” and 100 being “extremely”), the leaders gave an average rating of 65. Their managers, however, reported that the leaders acted on the learning journal’s development goals only 50 percent of the time. Having more manager support and reinforcement of development plans and learning goals could help increase participants’ applying and practicing their new skills on the job and motivate them to incorporate behavioral changes over the long-term.
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CONTACT INFORMATION
WORLD HEADQUARTERS
412.257.0600
E-MAIL INFO@DDIWORLD.COM
WWW.DDIWORLD.COM/LOCATIONS
This document was developed by DDI’s Center for Applied
Behavioral Research (CABER).
For more information, contact
CABER@ddiworld.com.
Overall, this study demonstrates that
Huntington Bank’s Business Impact
Leadership ® training program had a positive impact on the frequency that mid-level leaders display effective behaviors on the job. The leaders were more critical of their own behaviors before the training; and afterward, they felt that they made vast improvements.
Observers were less critical of leaders’ pretraining behaviors, and afterward they reported outcomes that were comparable to those of the leaders. Both perspectives are valuable in their own right. Leaders provide insight into their confidence in engaging in effective behaviors, such as mastering emotional intelligence; observers provide an objective view of how often effective behaviors are actually noticed.
Overall, the leaders reported that the frequency of effective behaviors targeted in the training and performed on the job increased, on average, 55 percent.
Both leaders and observers reported substantial improvements in team-related outcomes that can be attributed directly to the skills taught in the BIL program, including employee productivity, engagement, communication within and across teams, adapting to project changes, supporting and developing individual talent, and making courageous decisions regarding difficult issues. Moreover, the leaders noticed financial benefits of approximately
$600,000 that may be attributed to the training in the areas of risk management, cross-selling, and colleague retention. However, the leaders also reported that support and reinforcement from their managers to apply their new skills were somewhat lacking. Finding ways to increase accountability of training transfer and manager support would help increase the value and the impact of this training program for leaders and Huntington Bank.
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