Leader PREP

Employees are the vital cogs in maximizing organizational performance. To achieve this goal, a company’s vision and objectives must align with that of its workforce. Leader PREP helps clients realize this crucial objective by improving their employee engagement and moving the needle on organizational excellence.

Aimed at developing a collaborative workplace, Leader PREP aligns company culture as a surefire way to boost employee satisfaction, raise morale, and improve performance. It is a culture management and leadership development firm that identifies and bridges gaps in employee engagement through its tailored consulting services, training programs, and workshops.

“We don’t just coach our clients as a consultant and tell them what they could be doing differently and better, but learn more about the organization and help them uncover gaps that exist within their culture to drive them toward organizational excellence,” says Stryder Spillane, CEO of Leader PREP.

We don’t just coach our clients as a consultant and tell them what they could be doing differently and better, but learn more about the organization and help them uncover gaps that exist within their culture to drive them toward organizational excellence

Leveraging this highly specialized methodology enables organizations to bring about an increase in performance organically, as a result of employee engagement.

The PREP Methodology

Instead of a one-size-fits-all solution, Leader PREP offers a versatile process of boosting employee engagement based on the key points of—purpose, results, energy, and performance. These four pillars of the PREP system ensure the alignment of an organization’s workforce, mission, and goals.

Leader PREP targets these verticals systematically to bring about meaningful change in the company culture. The PREP system ensures an organization’s entire hierarchy has the same goal and uniformly directs employee energy to achieve clearly-set results.

Companies begin by articulating their purpose. Direction is a crucial step that takes precedence in Leader PREP’s process. Without that clear direction, there is no uniform drive that compels employees to put the necessary effort into their daily work.

Results are the next step, where Leader PREP asks clients about the measurable and meaningful goals they are trying to achieve.

Defining their goals allows organizations to clearly state what they want from their employees and for employees to see exactly how their work affects the organization. Ultimately, this helps in aligning an organization’s purpose with that of the individual.

“Once we identify the gaps and articulate the purpose, we align the energy to ensure all the work they do is aimed at a common goal,” says Spillane.

To boost organizational energy, Leader PREP begins by communicating with senior leadership teams, frontline workers, and even new recruits to understand each group’s roles, day-to-day activities, and needs. It educates them on synergy; how their everyday work impacts their ability as a team to achieve results while staying true to the company’s purpose.

Employee engagement and an increase in energy are the outcomes of the alignment of a company’s purpose and mission. Employees working toward the same goals as the company, not just doing their jobs but coming up with innovative ideas to be more effective and efficient, bring about true employee satisfaction and engagement.

Performance is the final stage, where Leader PREP’s work culminates in a grand crescendo. A step-up in performance comes naturally after the above factors are correctly implemented, a by-product of the success brought about by the alignment of a company’s purpose, goals, and employee engagement. This is why clients typically run the last leg of the marathon on their own.

Once the primary process is completed, Leader PREP supports its clients with follow-ups to gauge their progress and determine if further work is required. It also helps them post mergers and acquisitions through a refresher so new team members and partners are brought up to speed. The goal is for the client to become self-sufficient and not require external assistance in maintaining employee engagement and morale.

Inculcating Individual Accountability

For most organizations struggling with employee engagement, the issues boil down to accountability. Who is held accountable when a new venture is successful or when a planned product launch fails? Leader PREP tackles complex questions such as this by targeting the human element and company culture—how people think and act in an organization.

On the road to instilling accountability, it conducts a company assessment using StrengthsFinder and Enneagram tests to better understand a client and identify individual leadership tactics, skills, strengths, and weaknesses, from frontline to senior leadership. Based on this comprehension, it designs a tailored plan to address the underlying issues.

Employees gather and have honest conversations through workshops designed to instill ownership and accountability. Here, frontline workers, midlevel executives, and senior management express their challenges and viewpoints and offer potential solutions and feedback in a safe space, where they are free to have these tough conversations and understand the importance of individual accountability.

Building a Lasting Change

Leader PREP’s exemplary service came to the fore when it was called upon to help a pest control company with their employee engagement goals. The client company comprised about 200 employees, with five senior leadership roles at the head office and the rest being technicians who were constantly in the field. A lack of communication and alignment was the primary gap between the two groups, as the senior management’s purpose was out of sync with the frontline workers.

A workshop on accountability and ownership brought the entire team together for important discussions. Through guidance they articulate the company’s purpose and goals together, building accountability as a whole rather than placing it on any one individual. Ultimately, Leader PREP succeeded in creating a unified work culture with employee satisfaction at the heart of it, one which withstood a rigorous storm.

When COVID-19 hit, the client company, like most others, had to shut down all forms of in-person activity. However, the ownership and accountability from Leader PREP’s workshop remained ingrained in their culture. Gone were the days of back-and-forth disagreements and victim mentality. They displayed a unified front, withstanding the pandemic year of 2020 and growing exponentially through it. In the end, they were acquired by an international Swedish company at 20 times their appraised value.

“Despite all the negative impacts of this pandemic, they stayed true to their purpose and results and strengthened the energy and engagement of their employees,” says Spillane.
In its 17 years of service, Leader PREP has worked with a wide variety of clients, from startups to multigenerational companies, across a multitude of industries. How does one company serve this diverse selection? The answer is a genuine curiosity for any business that it works with and an inclination to learn more.

The drive to learn and understand a client first enables Leader PREP to ask the right questions pertaining to their uniqueness, purpose, and how consistently they achieve results. Asking these questions while identifying their key pain points allows it to serve every client with a bespoke approach.

The changing times necessitate an accompanying change in employee engagement, and Leader PREP continues to serve this goal, adapting and molding itself to fit the current environment. In the years to come, it aims to expand its virtual training platform developed during COVID-19 and partner with boutique consultants to add to its repertoire of skills and expertise.

Pairing a curious mindset with an adaptable methodology, Leader PREP continues to help organizations and leaders achieve greater results, positioning itself as an irreplaceable partner for companies looking to elevate employee engagement to the next level.