Aerospace and Defence Company – Inclusive Leadership

Read more on how our work for an aerospace and defence company, helped foster a more inclusive, collaborative leadership culture, driving innovation and team performance.

Our partnership

This Aerospace and Defence Company reached out to Steps in May 2023 as they were planning a 2-day event for their Global Senior Leaders that summer and were looking for a partner to run an Inclusive Leadership session as part of the event, with the aim to raise their awareness on the importance of DE&I and the value it could bring to an Organisation.

Steps designed and delivered a bespoke programme, working with key stakeholders and a selected number of employees globally.

The session was positively received by the top Leaders and given its success and the importance of the topic, the Company decided to roll out the programme to their Leaders and Managers globally in 2024.

The programme was therefore adapted for the new audience and, as of August 2024, we have delivered it in the UK, US, Indonesia and Italy, with more Regions to be covered shortly.

Steps is currently designing a new programme on Inclusive Behaviours for all the UK indirect employees and has also developed and delivered a workshop on Personal Impact, Respect and Integrity for the Company’s top 12 Leaders, which was very positively received by the participants and has generated conversations for further interventions with individuals and other Business Units within the business.

 

 

Working with Steps

We spoke to the Company’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and CSR Director, to reflect on our partnership and the experience of working with Steps.

 

What was the push behind this programme and why did you decide to work with Steps?

“The DE&I function is fairly new in our Organisation, so Leaders were generally unfamiliar with it. Among them, there was little awareness of topics such as psychological safety, bias, equity and how to be inclusive and, overall, there was little appreciation of their benefits to an organisation.

When the function was established, we developed a strategy to embed these topics in the Organisation, starting from the Leadership. Our annual Global Leadership event presented the perfect opportunity to involve them in a training initiative, to raise awareness and knowledge.

I knew we were potentially going to face some scepticism and lack of engagement, so I was keen to explore an alternative, interactive approach to tackling these topics, and this is when I heard about Steps.”

 

What could have been the impact of not doing it?

“The most immediate negative impact would be on employees’ motivation, retention and, potentially, wellbeing, as, for instance, Leaders and Managers could make unaware, biased decisions about an employee’s career.

Externally, this could have an impact on the brand’s reputation, as a lack of diversity could mean lower problem-solving, diversity of ideas and ultimately innovation.”

 

What was the identified solution?

“We decided to launch a workshop for all Leaders to increase their knowledge and competence on the topic and equip them with the necessary skills.

The goal was twofold: we wanted to hold them accountable for being role models in Inclusion and we wanted them to show support to DE&I-related initiatives.

Given its strategic importance, we decided to make this workshop mandatory and, to ensure people could easily assimilate the content and interact with the facilitators and each other, we were also keen to deliver it in local languages when needed.”

 

What worked well about the Steps approach?

“Your tailored approach is what won us over.

Thanks to the research you conducted and the bespoke nature of your design, the context of each scenario resonated incredibly well with all participants, who could easily recognise their reality and identify with the characters. Overall, the session was thought-provoking and encouraged them to challenge their bias, assumptions and stereotypes.

Your approach is innovative and engaging, participants enjoyed your interactive and engaging methodology, which is very different from others they may have experienced before.

I particularly valued how your facilitators created various moments of discussion among participants throughout the session, allowing them to exchange ideas and points of view and to learn from each other, especially because some of the colleagues in the room may have met for the first time thanks to this programme.

Lastly, anchoring the learning to some theoretical models [Deloitte’s six traits of an inclusive leader] has provided a useful reference for them to keep referring to after the session.”

 

What changes have you seen in the Organisation as a result of the session?

“We run a Leadership Survey and an Employee Engagement Survey once a year so we will collect data and insight on the outcomes of the sessions from January 2025.

Based on my observations and conversations with colleagues and Leaders, we’re already seeing a shift in perception and an increased interest and engagement in DE&I activities, including our ERGs.”

 

Would you recommend working with Steps and why?

“Steps’ professional and personalised approach made the experience exceptional.

We felt guided and supported through all the stages of our journey together: your strong project management, prompt assistance and advice ensured that our training needs were always met.

Your ability to prevent and, if needed, handle complex situations during the sessions showed great flexibility and a strong client-oriented mindset.

In the room, your team of facilitators engaged all participants effectively, ensuring everyone felt valued and included.

The fact that you have a global reach is a plus and allowed us to meet the needs of our different Regions by delivering sessions in their local languages.

Other areas of the business have been reaching out to me asking to be introduced to your team, which I think is a testament of the great impact you’ve had on our Leaders and Organisation.”

 

Participants responses

Here are some quotes from participants after attending the session:

Steps drama activity was completely unique experience that drives you in.”

“Giving real-life situations through acting makes you think more about real situations.”

“The scenes set by the actors were appropriate to our business. It was very different to any other training ever done.”

“It was different, engaging, fun & informative.”

“I think the 6 traits of leadership concept is super important to personal growth. The method in which they were played out was excellent.