Independent community service organisation, Windermere, provides practical assistance to over 22,000 Victorians each year navigating complex challenges, and works towards long-term wellbeing and safety. For the past 150 years, the organisation has provided specialist services to strengthen and protect children and families, many of whom face complex situations and require intensive support. The Black Summer bushfires, unprecedented floods, the pandemic, and now, the cost of living crisis, have exacerbated their needs and vulnerabilities.
Carmela Sojo
Senior Learning & Development Partner, Windermere
With Windermere’s service delivery targeted towards emergency response, family wellbeing, trauma support, and childhood development, 60 people across Victoria require its services each day. Behind the scenes, Windermere’s corporate and service delivery teams work tirelessly to ensure these services are accessible to those who need them most.
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“While our people are busy looking after others, it’s important that we look out for them,” said Carmela Sojo, Senior Learning & Development Partner at Windermere and Hellomonday program participant
Growth, training and development are an integral focus of Windermere’s senior leadership. Last year, the organisation updated its Employee Value Proposition to review employee experience and develop a capability framework designed to identify core skills required across the team. The development of its middle managers’ leadership capabilities emerged as a leading priority.
Comprised of team leaders, senior practitioners, senior coaches and coordinators, Windermere’s middle managers are typically responsible for up to 30 team members at a time on the frontline of service delivery or within its corporate operations. To help this cohort strengthen their leadership skills and develop their core competencies, Hellomonday was selected as the leading provider with the Transformational Leaders Program.
“Our middle managers feel the crunch. Hellomonday understood this from the very beginning and provided a flexible, personalised, and impactful development solution that fits perfectly with our ways of working,” Carmela Sojo said.
Comprised of team leaders, senior practitioners, senior coaches and coordinators, Windermere’s middle managers are typically responsible for up to 30 team members at a time on the frontline of service delivery or within its corporate operations. To help this cohort strengthen their leadership skills and develop their core competencies, Hellomonday was selected as the leading provider with the Transformational Leaders Program.
Of individuals say they are more likely to be retained
Return from coaching initiatives for every dollar invested
Of individuals say they are better equipped to advance in their careers
Improvement across development goals
Carmela Sojo
Senior Learning & Development Partner, Windermere
The importance of Windermere’s middle managers Due to the complex nature of Windermere’s work, its middle managers are often at the forefront of service delivery handling very sensitive situations while providing support to their line reports and assistance to senior leaders above
“Similar to meat in the middle of a sandwich, our middle managers are indispensable,”
said Vanessa Blaxhall, Family Support Services Team Leader and Hellomonday program participant.
“Our senior leadership recognised the need not only to support our middle managers, but to empower us to delegate, lead and lean into challenging conversations.”
With an ongoing commitment to foster and promote employee learning and development, Windermere’s senior leadership championed the investment in leadership development training for middle managers. In response, over 20 individuals undertook Hellomonday’s program.
Hellomonday’s personalised coaching and learning circles that accompanied specific workshops stood out to the organisation. With the split of its middle managers across service delivery and corporate roles, it needed a solution that was customised to support both.
The importance of Windermere’s middle managers Due to the complex nature of Windermere’s work, its middle managers are often at the forefront of service delivery handling very sensitive situations while providing support to their line reports and assistance to senior leaders above
“Similar to meat in the middle of a sandwich, our middle managers are indispensable,”
said Vanessa Blaxhall, Family Support Services Team Leader and Hellomonday program participant.
“Our senior leadership recognised the need not only to support our middle managers, but to empower us to delegate, lead and lean into challenging conversations.”
With an ongoing commitment to foster and promote employee learning and development, Windermere’s senior leadership championed the investment in leadership development training for middle managers. In response, over 20 individuals undertook Hellomonday’s program.
Hellomonday’s personalised coaching and learning circles that accompanied specific workshops stood out to the organisation. With the split of its middle managers across service delivery and corporate roles, it needed a solution that was customised to support both.
