At Leyton UK, our employees are the driving force behind the exceptional service our clients receive. It’s their unique abilities and individuality that contribute to our vibrant work culture and continuous growth.
But how do you implement professional development and coaching when you have a large, diverse workforce who learn and thrive in different ways?
In this article, we take a closer look at Leyton UK’s development culture by speaking to our Head of Sales Development, Jack Hankey and Senior Talent Development Manager, Josh Felton.
Celebrating uniqueness
Celebrating uniqueness lies at the heart of our successful talent development and sales enablement initiatives. By recognising people’s differences and acknowledging that everyone performs and learns in different ways, we’re able to unlock people’s potential and empower their career development.
Our very own Senior Talent Development Manager, Josh Felton, credits his career journey, moving from sales to talent development, to a manager who recognised and nurtured his unique abilities. This has inspired him to help foster an environment at Leyton where people feel free to be the best versions of themselves.
“I think it’s incredible when people feel they can be themselves at work, and it’s an expectation I set with candidates,” says Josh. “We’re not that company where you put everything about yourself in a cupboard”, he adds. “We want everyone to come here and feel like they are adding to Leyton and adding to the culture here.”
For our Head of Sales Development, Jack Hankey, individual differences also extend into learning preferences. “Everyone learns in different ways”, say Jack. “I know for me if someone sent me a ten-page document to read, it won’t stick with me. I need someone to show me and explain things. But some people will learn brilliantly from reading a sheet of paper. That’s fine, we’ll adapt to what works for them. It’s not one size fits all.
“Our coaching is all conversational. There’s no point coming in saying; ‘right, we’re going to do this! Let’s go!’ It should be like, ‘does that resonate with you? What are your key takeaways if it doesn’t resonate with you? Let’s understand why, because maybe we’re going the wrong way about it.’”
Josh agrees. “We’re making some of the training and coaching material more accessible in terms of people’s preferred approach to learning. For example, if people want to just dip into something like listen to a podcast or watch a video, or if they want to read something long-form; we’re moving beyond just fitting the average user and making those broad, accessible options become available.”
Buying into people
At the end of the day, our goal is to foster a committed and passionate team here at Leyton. The key to unlocking this has been looking beyond just financial incentives and investing in people’s personal and professional growth through mutual respect, collaboration and trust.
“We trust people to take partial control of their own development, we invest in them, we want to know their opinions”, says Josh. “When people see that you’re going to take a genuine interest in them they’re more likely to take a genuine interest in the business.”
Jack agrees. “If you’re adding value to them, it’s really simple for them to buy into you and progress through how they want to work…if they’re able to buy into you they’re able to want to work with you as well as for you.”
The importance of coaching
Jack articulates how building a coaching culture has positively impacted Leyton UK. “Coaching is a kindness. You want to see people flourish.” He describes a “payback culture” with individuals reciprocating the support and coaching they’ve received, creating a collaborative and supportive environment.
Coaching played a pivotal role in his own life, with his past in sports coaching inspiring him to invest in the development of his sales teams. Jack’s focus on coaching goes beyond merely instructing; it involves instilling belief and creating a culture of continuous improvement.
“When coaching tennis, you don’t just tell someone how to hit a forehand. You drill it with them, and you encourage their progress by telling them how amazing their shots are. It’s a two-pronged approach of showing someone how to do something and installing in them the belief that they can do it.”
Coaching at Leyton is a two-way street. Team members actively contribute ideas and provide honest feedback, creating a dynamic coaching environment that fosters growth and innovation. “I encourage people to push me into thinking differently,” Jack concludes.
Josh agrees about the importance of embracing feedback during training and coaching. “I love feedback. Feedback’s one of my favourite things because it means that people are engaged. I think good, bad or ugly, you learn from it, and I think that’s a big thing at Leyton. We have a feedback loop here. We feedback to them to help them develop, and they feedback to us on how we can improve our training.”
Bring your unique skills to Leyton
Our approach to talent development and sales enablement prioritises understanding and adapting to different learning styles, making our training and coaching methods more accessible and effective. We firmly believe that this focus on personalisation and inclusivity fuels our growth and success. We don’t just acknowledge your individuality – we celebrate it, nurture it, and let it shape our culture.
If you’re someone who thrives in an environment that respects and utilises your unique abilities, then Leyton UK could be the perfect place for your career growth.
Are you interested in a career at Leyton? Discover how to empower your career.
If you enjoyed this article, you might also like:
