Global Assessment Game took place in Moscow on October 24. This was the final assessment stage of the second enrolment candidates to Strategic Management Reserve – the Volga-Dnepr Future Leaders program. The event gathered 54 participants from the company offices around the world – those who successfully managed the first two assessment stages. Together they did the project management case studies. Along with the candidates the event venue gathered the company senior executives, experts and the first enrolment graduates.

The program on the management reserve training is being realized by the Corporate University within the company strategic initiative “100 new generation executives to lead the strategy realization”. The training is based on the CU professional schools, knowledge management and mentoring system. (For the information about the first stage of the program follow the link).

«Synchronizing watches». The first enrolment graduates presented their performance record.

The first enrolment graduates started the event with the performance record which they presented to the members of the project management committee.

– Such meetings are very important, – says the first enrolment graduate Andrey Agulov, head of the property management department, VDM. – First of all, it keeps you up, and also it allows you “to synchronize watches” with the senior executives, get valuable feedback from them, correct your plans.

The Global Assessment Game comprised five “stations” (project management stages) to be covered by the second enrolment teams successively: «Project feasibility and business-plan», «Planning. Project timelines and resources», «Project stakeholders and communication», «Project risks», «Communication with a customer: preparing a draft management decision and transferring project deliverables».

“The senior executives are ready to provide the space for heroic deeds!” – emphasized Alexey Isaykin.

The company senior executives and the first enrolment graduates were to not only assess the candidates’ management skills, but also find candidates for their own projects.

The game day was accomplished with the “learning by doing” stage. At this point the senior executives took the floor to present seven vital for the company projects and to invite the second enrolment candidates to participate in their realization.

– It’s very important for the candidates to feel and understand that leadership is in great demand! – said the company president Alexey Isaykin. – Acting managers can work for 12-14 hours a day but it can’t last forever. The company executives are ready to provide “the future leaders” with the space for heroic deeds!

Here’s what the candidates share:

Elena Kareva, leading specialist on fleet insurance, ABC:
– The final assessment stage was both exiting and funny. There were colleagues from different offices in our team, but it was a close-knit team with its own name “SKYBEAM”. Hopefully, SKYBEAM will gather again as the project participants!

«Doing cases shoulder to shoulder». Teamwork brought together colleagues from different offices across the world and contributed much to consolidated thinking.

Julia Celetaria, Customer Service Manager, Global Standards & Trainings, ABC:
– First of all, I’d like to express my gratitude to the game organizers for the scale, quality and efficiency of the work done! The contest is very urgent and timely. It ultimately helps employees improve their professional skills, share experience, show their vision of the problems, processes optimization, ways of the company growth. It was useful for me to do case studies, to listen to experts’ opinion, to work in the new team. Looking forward to the next event!

Guli Valieva, corporate management specialist, VDM:
– I liked the performance record of the first enrolment graduates – We are sure to consider their experience! The event environment is worth mentioning, too – moderators didn’t let us “relax”, and, of course, our team 4, with whom we “went through fire and water”!

Anatoly Stepanov, head of planning and provisions coordination department, ABC:
– I’m very positive about the event! It was a kind of adrenalin race. Interesting tasks were set for the teams, especially warm up tasks. I benefited from both, doing the tasks and interacting with my colleagues. This assessment program is also motivating, as you realize that the company is interested in you, needs you. And every employee, including myself, can benefit the customers and the company.

Alexander Chirkov, head of accident prevention automated systems development group, VDA:
– It’s worth mentioning Alexey Isaykin’s captivating speech where he partly shared his strategic vision of the present situation. I wish I could understand “all the beauty” of his conception. Case studies were really interesting. We managed to interact with the program participants, and also with the company senior executives, ask them questions. Now I feel energized for bigger achievements and challenging tasks. Would like to thank my team-mates with whom we worked through all the stages shoulder to shoulder. We seem to have become a real team, ready to realize different level tasks. Also I would like to thank the first enrolment graduates for the support, and the event organizers for the high quality of the event performance!  Participation in the program is sure to give great opportunities for gaining new knowledge, for practicing professional skills when working on real tasks. It’s important for me to benefit the company at such difficult time.

Dmitry Malkov, procurement department director, ABC:
– It’ worth mentioning the candidates’ attitude, their irrepressible eagerness for learning and self-realization; also the company executives’ involvement in development of young and perspective employees. I liked friendly relationships between the participants, particularly in our team. So, I’m very positive about it. Participation in the program gives an opportunity to realize ideas on processes optimization, to implement brand-new approaches to management for achieving better results, to get support from senior executives for realizing these ideas, to try oneself in new activities.

Kirill Chroni, the property utilization efficiency analyst, VDM:
– The global game was really emotional and impressive. Being there you understand what teamwork and relationships between colleagues really are. You can clearly see how ideas are born and can die. Working with the colleagues from different offices across the world allows you to see and understand different psychological and thinking peculiarities. I think, friendly relationships will contribute much to the efficiency of business processes.

Both the candidates and the first enrolment graduates benefit much from the executives’ and experts’ support!

Ariel Zhang, Manager-Revenue & Capacity Management APAC, ABC:
– It is my honor to be a member of this global game. I was in the international team made up with APAC and EMEA teams. In the group discussion, it is very interesting to discover the culture difference between two teams – EMEA colleagues were usually more talkative with very good imagination and fast response. Meanwhile, APAC colleagues were more reserved. But after one or two rounds of discussion, the two types of culture start to merge: APAC team became more open up while EMEA colleagues started to wait a bit and listen more. That’s quite magic moment that we started to learn from each other. The most memorable moment is the financial session involving calculation discounted payback period. When Irma from EMEA team encouraged me to show my result and said “Ariel we need you”, I really felt happy that although with quite a reserved and introversive personality, my ability was noticed and encouraged and needed. I really felt good and that I could be a contributing member of this team.

Jonathan Celetaria, Sales Manager, ABC in Frankfurt:
– I really appreciate the opportunity that Corporate University has given to me. Being able to listen and learn from our Top Managers and all other Experts is the most remembered experience I had. The Global Assessment Games were very interesting. To my opinion, Time management and Teamwork were the key to success.

Caroline Wu, General Manager – North China, ABC:
– I am very glad to take part in the Global Assessment Game! The most express issue is the team work inspires /leadership and cooperation attitude, in first beginning, everybody is just to express what their own opinion, so the discussion is very long and we miss the deadline to get a conclusion. Then start from the 2nd round, the team work start to begin, when someone can lead the team go to right direction, all team member just to use their own working skill, then cooperate together, we can get a very good result by high efficient. The game showed me how to run a team, and what is the most important during the team work! and very good opportunities to learn the knowledge/skills from each other! And we can see how the other perspective from different department! Thanks for the arrangements from the Corporate University! It is really a good learning for me!

Jane Sun, Regional Financial&ADM Manager-APAC, ABC:
– I was in group 1 which contained overseas colleagues who all speak English. As the participants came from the entities located worldwide, our discussion reflected respective regional style. Everyone showed their talents on their thoughts and behaviors. I was deep impressed in our group that Irma – head of CS team in AMS – not only shared her thoughts openly but also encouraged team to get same opinion to fulfill the tasks; Caroline – GM of PEK station – always can find the key points and give guideline in discussion. I enjoyed in the game, shared my opinion, achieved lots of info, etc. No matter whether I can go forward in this project, I wish it successfully and fruitfully.

Good luck to all the participants! The most interesting is still ahead!