Wilhelmsen
Founded in 1861, the Wilhelmsen Group operates the largest maritime network in the world with 21,000 employees in over 2,200 locations in 75 countries.
90 Middle Managers | 1 Group CEO | 30 Top Executives | 20 Nationalities | 4 Company Units | 60 Training Days | 480 Training Hours | 3 Consecutive Years
The Brief
In 2017, Pracademy was tasked with the design challenge of our dreams: To develop a leadership and innovation training program for Wilhelmsen’s high-potential managers that would enable them to develop their creative confidence and shape the maritime industry. Group CEO, Thomas Wilhelmsen, set out three clear expectations: to transfer tools for digitalization, to develop mindsets for agility and cross-organizational leadership, and to nurture lasting personal networks. Fast forward to today and we’ve executed three annual iterations of the Leadership Development (LePo) program.
The Participants
Thirty ambitious and forward-leaning LePos between 25 and 50 years old from a dozen countries participate each year. Their backgrounds include fleet captains, shipping engineers, technologists, economists, and financial and general managers. In line with our strong belief that innovation doesn’t happen without solid anchoring from top management, the Group CEO and his top 30 lieutenants also participate in an Executive Bootcamp and serve as one-on-one mentors to each of the LePos throughout the entire program.
Program Content
This ambitious and practice-focused program consists of three training modules of four days each covering Design Thinking, Design Sprints, Designing Your Life, Transcendent Leadership, Train the Trainers sessions, and Mindfulness tools. In between modules, the LePos tackle team-based innovation challenges for three weeks and receive remote leadership coaching and top-management mentoring.
Global Reach
During the past three years, we have held the modules in Singapore, Dubai, Bangkok, and Oslo. We make it a point to leave the workshop room often in order to interact with real stakeholders “in the wild,” which is where true innovation takes place.
Design Challenges
Most of the learning and heavy lifting happens while participants tackle a team-based Design Challenge. These challenges are offered by top management and represent critical organizational objectives, such as boosting cross-company collaboration, solving the last-mile problem, and leveraging emerging technologies such as drones, autonomy, and 3-D printing. By using Design Thinking and Sprints, the teams understand the problem space and quickly develop and test multiple prototypes in order to address human and organizational needs. Several of these physical and digital prototypes, including a well-received internal training portal, have gone on to receive company funding for their subsequent implementation.
Life-Long Leadership
Innovation isn’t the only focus, however. This program offers participants the opportunity to grow as leaders by contemplating, reflecting on, and sharing their values and the definition of a life well lived. Meaning, ethics, and compassion are major topics of discussion, and participants are asked to dig deep into important areas of their lives. Balancing work and family life is always a predominant theme given that most LePos are extremely ambitious, and also dedicated spouses and caring parents of young children. Throughout the modules, and especially during social hours, the LePos discuss these sometimes-sensitive subjects while establishing bonds of trust and friendship that will last them a lifetime.
From the CEO & Top Management
“People are over the moon about it! This program is exceptionally good! Lots of energy! ”
From the LePos
“As a manager and mother of three, LePo’s been a real eye-opener. It changed the way I think about life’s most important things like my family and the impact I want to have on the world. Also, Pracademy’s approach to mindfulness, which so many of my LePo colleagues have embraced, has probably been the most revealing and useful for me. After LePo, I started organizing Mindful Mondays at our Lysaker headquarters, where a dozen of us meet to kick off our week energized and balanced.”
— Jennifer Stene (LePo ’17), Director Business Alig. & Dev.
“I’m a finance guy. Radical innovation and deep emotions aren’t the first two things I’d consider to be my areas of expertise. LePo changed that for me. I now facilitate Design Sprints all around the company and have become more comfortable with having vulnerable conversations with my colleagues. That, and the personal bonds I established with my classmates and the Pracademy team, have made the LePo experience extremely worthwhile.”
— Nicolai Søpstad (LePo ’18), Finance Director GBS Europe
“LePo has helped me heaps. I feel so much more self-aware and relaxed. I’m noticing so many more things in my surroundings that I had never paid attention to before! I’m a lot calmer about not planning every single element of my life and really feel I (and those around me!) have benefitted so much from that.”
— Lawra Saks (LePo ’19), Global Strategic Sales Manager
“Experiencing LePo has radically transformed my view of myself and my work. It’s enabled me to be more impactful as a change agent and business leader, and more empathic as a family member. I’ve also shared some truly unforgettable times with my LePo classmates (speeding through the sand dunes of Dubai comes to mind!), and have established many valuable friendships all across the Wilhelmsen Group.”
— Ole Jakob Ytredal (LePo ’17), Communications Director
“I have to be honest, it took me a bit to settle into this wild learning ride. But after getting used to the discomfort zone, which I actually started to enjoy, and making friends for life, the training and coaching program with Pracademy was a game-changing experience! I've developed myself as a person and manager much further than I ever expected. Thank you!”
— Mirjam de Vos (LePo ’19), HR Director Europe
“I use many of the tools I picked up at LePo, like deep listening, literally on a daily basis with a huge deal of effectiveness, both at home and at work. I do have to say though, that discussing the importance of balancing work and family life with my LePo friends onboard a Bangkok dinner cruise was the icing on the cake! I’m very grateful for the opportunity Pracademy and Wilhelmsen have afforded me to grow as a leader.”
— Espen Gjerde (LePo ’19), Vice President of Strategy & M&A