CASE STUDY

Strengthening Leadership Collaboration and Communication for the World Athletics Federation

The Challenge

World Athletics Federation’s Background

In 2024, the World Athletics Federation partnered with Let’s Talk Talent to support the development of their senior leadership team. Recognising a need for enhanced leadership alignment, the Federation sought to equip its leadership team to better engage their wider teams and effectively drive their transformational initiatives. Given the Federation’s global reach, leaders faced additional challenges in consistent communication and collaboration due to frequent travel and the geographic spread of teams. The limited face-to-face time among leaders compounded these challenges, creating a pressing need to build connection and collaboration across the leadership team as well as alignment around a shared vision and approach.

World Athletics Federation’s Objective

The Federation engaged Let’s Talk Talent to design and deliver an impactful leadership event that brought the team together, and focused on personal and team development. The session aimed to equip leaders with the tools and approaches needed to deliver on the Federation’s ambitious strategic goals. Key to this programme was the incorporation of a “golden thread” across all sessions, emphasising communication, collaboration, and cadence to build a cohesive, high-performance culture.

World Athletics Federation’s Goals

  1. Enhance leadership team collaboration
  2. Support individual and team development
  3. Build psychological safety
  4. Encourage honest and challenging conversations

Approach and Implementation

The programme was anchored through a two-day, in-person leadership workshop designed to address the Federation’s unique needs. Key elements of the programme included:

  1. Communication and Collaboration Workshops: Through a series of interactive sessions, we focused on building an effective cadence for communication across the leadership team and strengthening collaborative approaches.
  2. Personal Profiling and Voiceprint Assessments: Leaders completed personal profiling and Voiceprint assessments to deepen self-awareness and promote understanding of diverse communication styles within the team.
  3. Psychological Safety Frameworks: Facilitated sessions encouraged leaders to practise openness, establishing a culture of psychological safety that would support both transparency and constructive feedback.
  4. Honest Conversations: To build trust and alignment, leaders engaged in exercises that highlighted the importance of challenging conversations, empowering them to discuss goals, challenges, and expectations candidly.

The Results

Impact and Results

The leadership event delivered immediate, measurable benefits, positioning the World Athletics Federation’s leadership team for greater impact across the organisation. Key outcomes included:

  • NPS Score: Participants rated the event highly, with a 74 NPS score reflecting their appreciation for the programme’s relevance and value.
  • 15 Voiceprint Assessments Completed: These assessments provided valuable insights into personal and team communication dynamics, enabling greater understanding and alignment.
  • Two-Day Immersive Event: The in-person format enabled meaningful connections and accelerated collaboration.
  • Initiated a Broader Management Initiative: Inspired by the success of the event, the Federation launched a broader initiative to extend the programme’s benefits across other management levels.
  • Extension for Leadership Initiatives: Since delivering the leadership committed to further development sessions to continue their evolution and development.
  • 20% Increase in Communication Effectiveness: A follow-up staff survey revealed a 20% improvement in perceived communication across the leadership team, highlighting the programme’s positive impact on collaboration.

Conclusion

This project showcases the transformative power of a tailored leadership development programme in addressing the unique challenges of a global, dispersed team. By enhancing communication, creating an environment for psychological safety, and equipping leaders to engage in honest dialogue, Let’s Talk Talent helped the World Athletics Federation’s leadership team lay the foundation for a cohesive, high-performance culture, setting the stage for podium worthy strategic success.