Appletree Leadership Development

Ending 2002 with 25 employees and a revenue run rate of 2.2mm to 300 employees and 11.9mm at the end of 2007, screams fast growth company. With a greater than 200% growth rate in the last few years, we quickly realized the enormous opportunity we had in developing our in-house talent. We were acquiring businesses that had experienced, tenured employees that added tremendous value to our organization, while allowing us to blend “best demonstrated practices.” Appletree was forced into developing a leadership program.

Through our PDP (personal development program), we are able to identify early on those individuals who have an interest and possess the skills to hold management roles. As our number of employees grew, the need for people to manage their efforts grew. Our Org Chart began to emulate the teachings of The E Myth, which allowed us to identify the needs within the company, establish a career path mechanism and offer those individuals more leadership roles.

Since the development and deployment of our Appletree Leadership Program, we have instituted weekly sessions for tiered level management. The agenda is to talk about challenges, deliver materials that aid with people management, sharing and role playing. There is also a strong focus on soft skills development, such as professionalism, communication and leadership. The program has evolved over the last couple of years and most recently encompasses multiple segments to give a well-rounded approach to leadership.