Turning your rockstars into superstars

Investing in your Team: Indigo Swan

They exceed expectations. They rock at that one thing. ‘Superstars’ are those who go beyond that day-to-day role. They step up, excel in numerous areas and are the people you look to when considering your future goals as a business.

In an SME business, you absolutely need a combination of both. But what do you do when you have too many Rockstars and not enough Superstars? This was the question and challenge put in front of me around 18 months ago, when considering the next chapter of Indigo Swan.

Preparing for the future

When I looked around the team, there were Rockstars everywhere. Amazing sellers, great customer service people, brilliant data analysts and an outstanding finance team. But where were the Superstars? And how do we find them? I needed a way to turn some of our Rockstars into Superstars, and I had an idea that I knew would help with personal growth, self-awareness, leadership and progression.

After all, you can’t just wait for someone to shine, sometimes you need to give them the polish!

And so, the Swan Superstar programme was born.

When putting the programme out and asking the team to apply, I was nervous. Who wants to spend a day a month with the Managing Director? Who wants to have two-hour chats about their progression and their career goals? Well, the answer should be everyone, but I just didn’t know if we had the appetite within the team. You can imagine my delight when 90% put themselves forward to be a part of the programme.

With four spots available, I ended up selecting Jennie, Louise, Andrew and Amee. Four Swans at different stages of their careers, but all of whom I truly believed could become a Superstar of Indigo Swan.

The 12-month programme started with a full colour insights review, so we could fully understand the personality types within the group. Who was an all-singing, all-dancing yellow? Who was an earth green? Who was a fiery red? This paved the road ahead and gave each of them a better understanding of who they are as people, how they like to be communicated with, how they would gel with the rest of the group and how they could best impact the wider team.

Then over the course of a year, we covered everything from wellbeing, goal setting, prioritisation and delegation, motivations, engagement, action plans, self-belief and leadership development. Terms such as ‘eating like an artist’ and numerous others have become part of their daily language. They have clear goals, and the skills and insights they have been given have allowed them to step up, grow and make a massive difference to their peers and the business.

The lesson to take away? Investing in the people within your team is never a waste of time; it is rewarding and it is business critical. Better trained, more motivated people make the experience for all – including clients – a better one.   

Main picture shows: Back (L-R): Andrew Ducker, Amee Kennett. Front (L-R): Jennie Gilbert, Louise Arnold