An out-of-the box approach to strategic planning

Unleash Talent Inc, a management company is rapidly becoming a force to be reckoned with in the world of strategic planning and leadership training.

“We help people and organisations to unleash their true potential and to live with inspiration,” says Rukmal De Silva, CEO of the flourishing company.

In a time when trainers offer courses on everything from self improvement to negotiation skills it is difficult to tell what really works and what doesn’t.

The fact is that many participants walk away from daylong getaways cum training sessions having absorbed nothing but a few good meals, points out De Silva, adding that this sort of ineffectual training does nothing for the individual or the company. “When we train someone, we need to make sure that the trainee is accountable for whatever they have learned,” he says, adding that this is one of the areas in which Unleash Talent Inc stands out.

At its core, the company is all about leadership and strategy development through combining theory and practice and utilizing experimental learning methods. De Silva and his team seem to believe that half the battle is in just getting people to listen and absorb. In order to achieve this, being different, approaching the problem from innovative and intriguing angles seems to be their solution. When you’ve signed up for an Unleash Talent Inc training session, you had better come prepared for just about anything. They have quite a few tricks up their sleeves - be it using computer games to make a point or a ‘classroom’ that more closely resembles a night club – Unleash Talent Inc seem determined to be make their lessons memorable.

One of their most unconventional techniques makes for a particularly good example. In this session that begins just before midnight, participants are brought together and seated in a circle.

The room is lit only by the dim, flickering flames of candles. At a time when most of them would be normally be asleep and dreaming, they are asked to voice their deepest fears in front of their colleagues. An entertaining and different approach definitely, but it is also one with a solid theory behind it. Such experiences do not only create strong bonds, they inspire trust; and so it becomes apparent that fun and humour can be used effectively to convey an important message.

The company regularly profits from international input in the form of employees recruited from foreign countries, says De Silva, adding that this helps them “work with a global mindset.” Almost as a company policy, the products they offer are continuously being honed to improve service. “There’s this constant innovation and experimentation happening,” says Tomi Astikainen, a Junior Consultant at the firm.

De Silva seconds the notion, and elaborates saying, “in everything we do, we want to lead through ‘curious intellectual experimentation’,” and it is apparent that this applies not only to the participants in their courses but to themselves as well. This willingness to stretch oneself is essential to living successfully. “Irrespective of who you are,” he says, “there are certain individual aspects of leadership you should possess, whether you are at here [at work], at home or with a group of friends.”

Naming credibility as an example of such a characteristic, De Silva goes on to explain that similarly there are other requirements on the levels of organisations and business. As part of the product range Unleash Talent Inc offers sessions on strategic leadership and leading diverse teams as well as sessions aimed at entrepreneurs who must lead their own businesses forward. Among many others are also courses which aim to provide guidance to individuals and first time managers. An offering that stands out is the programme titled BLUE: Blueprint for Living and Unleashing Excellence professes to “map the gap” between “present realities” and “desired destiny.”

Discussing the training process, he explains that the very first step is in getting people to realise what is lacking or need development in themselves, their team or organisation. This is achieved using sophisticated 4 dimensional 360 feedback, reveals Astikainen. The process involved providing the participant with feedback from several different sources including their superiors, colleagues and even friends. Only after insight has been achieved does the team move on to motivating the participants. People need to be willing to invest the time and energy needed for the development, emphasises De Silva.

Having accomplished all this pre-training work, the day dawns when the team begins to inculcate in participants the needed skills and knowledge. While many training sessions would be complete at this point, Unleash Talent Inc seems to believe in going the extra mile. Implementing what the call ‘real-world practice’ it allows participants to try out their new skills, bringing about changes both big and small in the workplace. Input and adjustments and further inputs follow until the final assessment where another 360 feedback is conducted, assessing how far the trainees have progressed. As you can see, this final touch is where the team brings in the concept of ‘accountability.’

In the end, Unleash Talent Inc states its values using these simple terms: ‘Impact,’ ‘Edge,’ ‘No Limits’ and ‘Passion.’ Each offers an insight into the operations of this unusual company. High impact that nurtures individuality and responsibility both long term and shot term; innovation and sophisticated technology used to push the envelope; no limits placed on what people can achieve working together and finally an infectious passion for what they do – all combine to make them one of a kind.