At the core of every thriving organisation is the leadership that drives teams toward shared goals, navigates challenges, and fosters a culture of growth. Pharmacies BENU has taken a significant step toward empowering their frontline leaders with the MyWay2Lead Blended Learning Journey.
MyWay2Lead in an innovative, trilingual, 3-year blended learning journey, designed in partnership with Cegos. It has been recognised with the prestigious Silver Brandon Hall Award in the category of Best Development Program for Frontline Leaders. This award is a testament to the programme’s impact on transforming BENU’s frontline leaders into dynamic, empowered managers, capable of driving success in a fast-paced, complex environment.
A Learning Journey Tailored to Frontline Leaders’ Needs
One of the key factors contributing to the challenges of BENU’s frontline leaders is the shortage of skilled pharmacy professionals in Switzerland. Pharmacists, pharmacy assistants, and other pharmacy workers are in short supply, making it difficult for Pharmacies BENU to attract and retain top talent. This war for talent puts immense pressure on the pharmacist managers to not only lead their teams effectively, but also to continuously develop their workforce.
In the competitive world of Swiss pharmacy retail, BENU recognised the need to invest in their frontline leaders’ learning and development – the pharmacists who play a pivotal role in team management, patient care, and operational efficiency. The MyWay2Lead Blended Learning Journey was carefully designed by Cegos Swiss to address the specific challenges these managers face daily, including a highly volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) environment. This bespoke journey equips BENU’s pharmacists with the management and leadership skills they need to navigate change, inspire their teams, and drive business results.
Key success factors of the MyWay2Lead journey include:
- Trilingual Delivery
Available in French, German, and Italian, the MyWay2Lead journey ensures that all managers, no matter their language, can access learning in their own language, improving engagement and adoption rates across BENU’s diverse workforce. - Blended Learning Framework
Combining in-person workshops, virtual group coaching, self-paced digital learning, and on-the-job challenges, this 3-year learning journey was structured to ensure knowledge retention, personalization, and on-the-job application. Spaced learning enabled to bring learning to the flow of work, fostering continuous engagement, and helping leaders learn progressively and apply their skills immediately in their daily practices to solve their real management challenges. - Area Managers Upskilling and Sponsorship
The active involvement and upskilling of Area Managers as manager-coaches provided ongoing support and reinforcement to the Pharmacy Managers throughout their MyWay2Lead journey, further driving the program's adoption and impact within the organisation. Furthermore, the sponsorship of the initiative by the senior leadership team, by actively participating in the kick off and networking events of each cohort, recognised the investment made by each individual in their own learning and development, and demonstrated their involvement in the success of the initiative. - Agile Design and Continuous Improvement
Designed using an agile Design Thinking approach, MyWay2Lead was tailored to the evolving needs of BENU’s frontline leaders. The iterative design process involved direct input from pharmacists, making the learning experience highly relevant and impactful. Feedback from pilot cohorts led to ongoing improvements, ensuring that the subsequent learning journey would have the desired effect.
Building Up Leadership Capabilities for Sustainable Success
MyWay2Lead was aligned with BENU’s organisational objectives and challenges. Key learning outcomes focused on managing self, managing teams, and managing the business – the three pillars of leadership essential for thriving as frontline leaders. MyWay2Lead provided BENU’s pharmacist with the tools to create a positive work environment, set clear business objectives, and deliver exceptional results.
The Ripple Effect of Leadership Development
One of the most profound impacts of the MyWay2Lead journey has been the way it has transformed BENU’s learning and leadership culture, and consequently contributed to retain talent and address one of BENU’s major challenges.
Since its inception in 2020, over 200 frontline leaders have been upskilled, with many more joining new cohorts. Pharmacy Managers who have completed the journey are not only better leaders but also become advocates for continuous learning and development within the organisation. Their newfound leadership confidence and capabilities have rippled through teams, improving collaboration, performance, and morale.
As one MyWay2Lead’s graduate shared, “The skills and insights I gained from MyWay2Lead have transformed how I lead my team. I now feel more confident in giving feedback, managing performance, and guiding my team through challenges. MyWay2Lead has truly empowered me to be the leader I always aspired to be.”
A Commitment to Continuous Learning and Future Growth
The recognition from the Brandon Hall Excellence Awards affirms Cegos’ commitment to creating transformative learning experiences. MyWay2Lead is not just a training program – it’s a comprehensive journey that has shaped leadership practices at BENU. Looking ahead, BENU plans to expand the program to continue nurturing its frontline leaders and embedding leadership excellence into the company’s culture.
Cegos: BENU's Partner in Leadership Development
“Cegos Swiss played a crucial role in helping us meet the challenges of this initiative,” says Melissa Gary-Bobo, People Development Manager at Pharmacies BENU. “As a trusted strategic partner, they brought experience and expertise in learning development, leveraging their global experience. They facilitated high quality workshops to engage and inspire our pharmacy managers and created an environment for peer-to-peer coaching and learning empowerment.”
At Cegos, we believe in the power of leadership development to unlock organisational potential. MyWay2Lead is just one example of how our tailored, blended learning solutions are driving change in the workplace. If you’re looking to develop your frontline leaders and foster a culture of continuous growth, Cegos is your trusted partner in crafting transformative learning journeys.
Interested in learning more about how we can help increase your leadership capabilities? Contact Cegos today to discover how we can support your organisational growth through impactful leadership development journeys.
