Best Buy: With Her in Mind

[#1]

By Mary Minton:

On a Mission

Several years ago I visited Kennedy Space Center to experience an up close and personal space shuttle launch. As with many things in life, it’s a ‘hurry up and wait’ situation where you settle in hours before the actual event takes place. During my settling in time, I had the opportunity to  walk through, between and around the Rocket garden containing towering examples of our journey into space. I came across a plaque titled “Inventing Everything” that described how from the single directive by President John F. Kennedy to be the first country to have a man on the moon, NASA began to invent everything it would take to get a man on the moon.  From the Mission Control procedures, the tracking and communications systems – even the test methods and equipment to prove it all worked – with computers the size of boxcars and slide rulers.

On a smaller scale, Best Buy’s Women’s Leadership Forum (WOLF) has a very clear focus and mission – increase the number of females in the talent pipeline.  The Talent Readiness Program is doing just that and we are inventing everything in order to do so.  We have discarded the rules and platforms for conventional training and development replacing it with a formula that goes far beyond the classroom and traditional ways of thinking about career pathing.

This week in Minneapolis, WOLF began its second year of the Talent Readiness Program with an energetic group of 150 female leaders from around the United States. The program is designed to bring S/EQ (social awareness & emotional intelligence), IQ (business & leadership skills) and Experience elements to female leaders at key levels in the organization, for professional development and to prepare them to take on new leadership roles in line with their career aspirations.

We’re very excited about the year ahead, and this week’s kickoff incorporated a more refined focus based on learning through participant feedback last year. FY12 participants entering Phase I of the program, meeting specific program criteria, were selected by senior leadership in each Territory (field), key business areas (corporate) of the organization identified as opportunity areas for cross functional business initiatives and outcomes. Through S/EQ sessions focused on identifying styles and opening the door to self awareness, breakouts designed for sharing and discovery, self-selected workshops to enhance skills used in everyday business situations, and guest speakers providing insights into their leadership journey we ignited this select group of leaders and prepared them for the work they will be doing between quarterly sessions.

Of the nearly 150 participants completing Phase I last year, we have seen role changes and have heard that participants have identified that they are looking at their next role differently as a result of participating in the program. We realize we won’t reach our destination overnight, but we are committed to the mission.

We want to hear from you! What steps are you taking for your own professional development?

[#2]

I think what Wolf is doing in terms of preparing talent within the company is great, but how do you spread this to other areas of the company.  I am currently working on the I-Dream site to narrow things with my personal development, but how do we utilize what Wolf has done throughout the company for those who aren't a part of Wolf?

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