Leadership is key to the good functioning of every organisation. Effective leaders are able to motivate and inspire their teams, guiding individual efforts to accomplish corporate goals and, simultaneously, helping them to grow both as people and professionals. At KLx, the path to becoming a better leader has just started.

October was marked by the start of a new training initiative at KLx. The “KLx LEADer DNA: Lead, Engage, Accelerate Development” is a tailor-made program built with Lisbon School of Economics & Management (ISEG) – one of the 50 best universities in Executive Education worldwide –, that aims to strengthen KLx managers’ team leading skills.

The launch of the program took place on the 13th of October, at KLx offices in Parque das Nações, and gathered around 40 managers for an interactive first session.

Elizabeth Pugeat, KLx General Manager, opened the kick-off meeting by presenting and explaining the goal of the program. She was followed by Ricardo Costa, ISEG's professor and coordinator of the initiative, who gave details on what the managers could expect from the management training path.

The first session encompassed a very special musical experience, encouraging all managers to play the violin. Although no one had ever played the instrument before, everyone was able to learn the basics and create a simple symphony together.

Playing music is known to activate multiple areas of the brain, being capable of enhancing learning, improving memory functions, and facilitating executive functions, making it one of the most appropriate and creative activities to initiate a training program.

Jonathan Grande, KLx Chief Information Security Officer & Chief of Staff, said after the event: "I am very pleased to be involved in this program and that KLx is investing in me. I think I will learn a lot from this training path, with such a renowned institution like ISEG. The kick-off meeting with the violin activity was really interesting, and I am looking forward to the next modules."

Over the next 18 months, the “KLx LEADer DNA” program will cover a total of 16 training modules with sessions both at KLx and ISEG's facilities. Four streams will be addressed: manage with impact, professional efficiency, leadership and client management.

As a tailor-made program, an assessment was conducted to adapt the training to the participants' individual needs, selecting the most useful modules for each manager.

By the end of the training path, all managers are expected to be equipped with skills that will enable them to inspire and motivate their teams, as they help them grow as both people and professionals.

Speaking about the initiative, Carine Cassab, KLx Partner Relationship Manager and a member of the organising team, stated: "Working with KLx Top Management and ISEG Executive Education professors to design and fine-tune this training program has proven to be an extraordinary experience. This program is built to consolidate our DNA: expertise, adaptability, team development and people care."

The panel of professors for the program is composed of experts with a solid corporate and academic background, namely Ricardo Costa, who holds extensive knowledge in Organisational Psychology, Rita Alemão, specialised in Organisational Performance, Ana Sofia Santos, authority in Behavioural Change Processes, and Teresa Almadanim, PhD in Management.

This initiative reflects KLx investment in training as one of its top priorities. In the upcoming months, two other skill development paths will start, this time focused on Service Delivery and Project Management.