The leadership of a Big 4 professional services firm knew there were opportunities to be gained through stronger client relationships. They believed if they strengthened key skills in their executives, they could unlock even more success. The firm conceived the Relationship Mastery Program, a skill-building effort for executives (partners, principals, and managing directors), and they brought Emerson in to help.
Together, we landed on four main courses: the Art of Empathy, the Art of Inquiry, the Art of Story, and the Art of Engagement. The Relationship Mastery courses were taught face-to-face at their own company university. We used a variety of methods to reach our learners: video scenarios, games, and interactive sessions. In the end, the results exceeded our client’s expectations. Since 2011, over 13,000 partners and managers have attended Relationship Mastery courses. And that’s just in the U.S. — courses are run out of every major geography: Asia/Pacific, Europe and North.
So far, 33 global executives have participated. We surveyed 2700 employees to find out whether the program was helping them in their client relationships. 94% said they would recommend the courses, and 97% reported that these courses and skills are “essential to my work.”