How LEADx Helped Syneos Health Increase Coaching Behaviors Among District Managers

The Challenge: Increase sales managers' use of DISC, GROW Coaching, and remote leadership skills

Syneos Health, Inc provides outsourced clinical development and commercialization services to biopharmaceutical companies. It operates through the following business segments: Clinical Solutions and Commercial Solutions. In 2021, the Learning Solutions team sought a solution to increase the retention and application of several training programs that had already been delivered to their sales leadership team, specifically DISC, GROW Coaching, and remote leadership skills.

Given the remote nature of the sales force and the demands of their schedule, the platform needed to:

• Be scalable, so that thousands of participants nationwide could work through the same content at the same time
• Be mobile-first so that participants could access content on-the-go and in-between client meetings
• Utilize high-quality, micro-learning content

Given these requirements, traditional classroom lectures and live workshops were out of the question. Syneos Health needed a solution that could be accessed easily, on-demand through smartphones, in bite-sized chunks.

“What is learning in the flow of work? Consider applications like sales training, safety training, and leadership development…What we ultimately want to do is embed learning into the platform in which they work, so the systems can coach and train you to be better on the job. And this is where all this digital learning is likely to go.” – Josh Bersin, Learning Analyst

The Solution: A behavior change platform that includes micro-coaching, behavioral nudges, micro-learning

Syneos Health with LEADx for an on-demand leadership development solution, launching the AI-powered, app-based Coach Amanda. The LEADx platform includes:

• Behavioral nudge engine
• Micro-coaching activities mapped to leadership competencies
• Over a thousand micro-learning assets, including videos and book summaries
• Built-in DISC assessment
• Additional assessments for Growth Mindset, Resilience, Big 5

LEADx allowed managers to learn skills in short bursts, taking advantage of five or ten-minute time windows. App content can be customized to integrate Syneos Health’s existing training materials.

“I started to look forward to the Nudges,” one participant said. “Whenever I took a break or had a moment of downtime, I found myself grabbing the app. The short lessons were entertaining and a great way to take a break. My colleagues and I discussed the topics we viewed.”

LEADx allowed managers to learn skills in short bursts, taking advantage of five or ten-minute time windows. App content can be customized to integrate Syneos Health’s existing training materials.

“I thought it was GREAT!” one participant emphasized.”I love the ability to watch videos (or listen to videos- I’m a podcast gal) and explore the content. I liked the push reminders and the idea of using the DISC profiling for me and to better understand my team.”

Results: The LEADx behavior change platform helped sales managers increase their leadership behaviors in all target areas

Syneos Health launched LEADx in early 2021, and after four months of usage, a comprehensive analysis was conducted, including pre- and post-assessments and activity metrics. Activity metrics include:

• 23% of users accessed LEADx every single day
• Overall, users used LEADx 12.7x per month
• 100% of users utilized the behavioral nudges

Behavior change metrics include:

• +51% application of DISC
• +35% application of GROW
• +27% remote leadership skills

Qualitative feedback included:

• “My focus has been around EQ, and I’ve found these “nudges” to be very helpful in my day-to-day dealings with my team.”
• “I started to look forward to the Nudges. Whenever I took a break or had a moment of downtime, I found myself grabbing the app. The short lessons were entertaining and a great way to take a break. My colleagues and I discussed the topics we viewed.”
• “I thought it was GREAT! I love the ability to watch videos (or listen to videos- I’m a podcast gal) and explore the content. I liked the push reminders and the idea of using the DISC profiling for me and to better understand my team.”