Strengthening leadership in a national retail brand
A one-day, immersive leadership event where managers stepped into a simulated business set in the context of current challenges facing the industry.
Audience: First and mid-level managers
The project
One of the UK’s largest retailers was seeking to roll out new customer fulfilment strategy. While operational consistency was strong, senior leaders noticed variation in how managers embraced new initiatives to counter a rapidly changing marketplace. HR wanted a leadership assessment that could reveal these behaviours in action – not through forms or interviews, but through realistic scenarios that mirrored the scenarios under pressure. The assessment needed to be set in the context of their business strategy and customer channels.
The solution
We designed a Retail Leadership Simulation, a one-day immersive experience where managers stepped into a simulated business scenario designed to reflect genuine challenges. Participants had to navigate and balance a range of business challenges under pressure – responding to changing customer needs, change in team dynamics, meeting sales targets, and various operational issues – all under time pressure.
Throughout the day, facilitators (and client sponsors) observed key leadership behaviours: communication, decision-making, empathy, and commercial judgment. Between simulation rounds, short feedback sessions helped participants reflect on their approach and adapt their style.
The impact
The experience revealed clear behavioural patterns that traditional assessments simply wouldn’t pick up. HR gained actionable insight into each leader’s ability to prioritise, lead under pressure, and model the company’s service values. The simulation data informed targeted coaching and development pathways. The programme is now a standard component of the retailer’s management development framework, and runs without our involvement.
Trusted by organisations all over the globe…
