IBQ: A long-term commitment to leadership excellence

25 of IBQ's employees were selected to attend the first round of the training program that stretches over the course of two full days. The whole program will last for one year, and by that time the attendees will have instilled strong leadership values, build effective supervisory skills and improve communication and relationship building.

'IBQ has seen growth in all areas of business over the last year, and it is important that we keen on investing in our most valuable asset; our employees. This program is an investment in the Bank's future, and we are confident that the outcome will be a rewarding experience, both for the participants and for IBQ as a whole,'

said Michael Williams, General Manager of IBQ.

The program which stretches over one full year has been designed and tailored to suit IBQ's overall organizational goals, objectives and vision. The program facilitator Sam Swaminathan Consultant, Speaker and Founder of the Center for Creative Thinking has traveled specifically to Qatar from the US, and will be traveling on a quarterly basis, to deliver a total of 8 full-day modules on a wide range of leadership and management topics. Each participant will be receiving detailed follow ups and action plans to execute on, based on the outcome of the program.

'The reason behind selecting a diverse range of individuals and different levels and positions at the bank to take part in this is that we want the information that the attendees obtain, to be cascaded up, down and sideways to the rest of the employees at IBQ. We intend to provide more training and learning experiences in the future for other staff members, to ensure our employees are fully prepared to face future challenges as well as provide them with an enriching and growth inducing work environment,' commented Joanne Scheuch, Head of Human Resources at IBQ.

The first of the two day training, that took place today, witnessed a great deal of enthusiasm and interaction from the bank employees attending the course. Commenting on the training, Samar Atassi, Head of Corporate Communications at IBQ said 'Our focus so far has been on addressing different behavioral styles and effective leadership in the workplace, encouraging open communication and building effective relationships amongst employees. The workshops are very interesting as they're interactive and the new skills and knowledge learnt are extremely enlightening and practical for the workplace'.

The topics covered in the first module of the leadership workshop series include Behavioral Styles, Situational Leadership, Motivating, Coaching and Counseling, Giving and Receiving Feedback, The Art of Persuasion and Becoming a Role Model. Furthermore, the employees covered the Situational Leadership Model created by management guru Ken Blanchard and all took part in a hands-on exercise reinforcing the concept and its effectiveness.