Preparing managers for leadership
At Nokia, preparing the next generation of leaders is critical. In addition to learning business skills, the top performers also simulate running a company, in order to be prepared in future management positions.
“The telecommunications industry is wrought with reorganizations and new hires one day and layoffs the next,” explained George Winston, an independent career and development consultant at Nokia. “In this tumultuous environment, it is imperative that a company like Nokia recruits top performers and continually develop their skills so they are prepared for the challenges they might face in leadership positions.”
To build its executive bench strength, the Enterprise Solutions division at Nokia created a rigorous 18-month training program called the “Symphony Leadership,” presented in four “movements.” Incorporating skills assessments, coaching sessions, team projects, classroom learning and case studies, the program concludes with a dynamic cumulative activity – a business simulation called Celemi Tango™ – that reinforces the major business concepts covered during the program. To date, hundreds of Nokia Enterprise Solutions managers from America, Asia and Europe have experienced Celemi Tango.