Why is it important

Frontline leaders are connected to more of the people who matter most in every organisations than any other leadership group. Day to day they lead the most significant proportion of the workforce and they and their people are the closest to customers, partners and the various other stakeholders that make the organisation tick.

Yet this leadership community has often suffered from under investment in development, especially when compared to other levels of leadership, even though they hold in their hands huge potential as organisational change agents and drivers of performance.

We believe there is significant value latent within these leaders and their direct reports that can be accessed when they are connected to the organisation’s vision and strategy, have the opportunity to break down perceived functional barriers, increase the recognition of their ability and responsibility to create and lead positive change, and are empowered to bring ideas to life to address common problems.

What we do

Essential to our programme designs in this space is a cross functional cohort approach with 1-Up managers and mid-level to senior leaders involved in key parts of the programme including co-leading workshops, sharing business context, providing respectful challenge to limiting mindsets, coaching individuals and mentoring peer learning groups.

Our experience demonstrates that by connecting frontline leaders to each other and more senior leaders across the business they begin to build internal professional networks and develop broader business awareness. As a result a huge amount of the ‘us and them’ blame game can be broken down thereby reducing time wastage, increasing engagement, optimising frontline business operations and improving the customer experience.

With frontline leaders our approach is to combine personal development, management fundamentals and leadership insights to fill their toolkit whilst opening their minds through increased self, social and contextual awareness.

Through artfully facilitated conversation, we create a trusting, inclusive learning environment where frontline leaders, who often haven’t experienced much in the way of leadership development, can access their organisational wisdom, share experiences and insights, test out new tools and grow together.

Video case study

Watch the client case study video on Amplifon New Zealand’s ‘Leadership Matters’ frontline leader programme below.

If you’re interested in more detail you can visit the full case study here.

What clients say

There was a real acceptance that the participants actually brought something to the table, and that dialogue and conversation that occurred during the programme was as valuable as the tools that were an important part of the programme

Jacqui Simpson, HR Director - Amplifon New Zealand

What I loved about the Blacksmith programme was the number of 'eureka' moments it provided me with. There were these constant and powerful insights that kept coming, one after another

Sean Butler - Fidelity Life

I feel that the leadership program run by the blacksmith team is essential for anyone who is in a current or future leadership role. My skills in communication and time management have improved and I have been able to challenge my limiting beliefs about what I can achieve. As a result I am a much more confident and effective individual in my role

Neelima Yadlapalli - National Hearing Care