Zahed Kamathia, the Global Head of Talent at the LEGO Group, is no foreigner to our industry. Prior to working at LEGO, he spent 7 years at GSK.
We asked him if he were to lead a small venture and had the chance to build it from day one, what "programs" and systems would he put in place so people feel like they are learning each and every day?
Why are we focusing on the "learner mindset"?
One of the key learnings of the #iEVP (integrated employee value propositions) study that we conducted with a cohort of our members in 2023 was:
Employees in Biotech and Medtech are generally not satisfied with their learning and growth opportunities.
Whilst early stage life science companies may not have the means to establish the kind of elaborate training programs that big Pharma can afford, there is nothing stopping you from creating a learning culture within the organisation.
At LEGO learning is organically embedded into the culture.
You may wonder, how is the culture of a consumer brand, with 18,000+ employees is in any way relevant for a fast scaling "small" biotech and Medtech, but please bear with us, there are many lessons to be learned.
The LEGO Leadership Playground.
In 2017 LEGO was facing internal stagnation stemming from a weakened innovation drive and lack of focused delivery. The 90-year-old family-owned business needed to empower its people to return to growth. They developed an entirely new leadership model, where they defined leadership "as an act–not a position–in which leaders create the space to energize everybody every day".
Leadership is for everyone, not just formal people leaders. That's because being a leader is not just a title – it's a mindset. - Loren I. Shuster
At LEGO three key leadership behaviours are emphasised:
Being curious,
Being focused
Being brave
By encouraging people to experiment, listen and learn, adopt a growth mindset and seek new experiences, the learning culture is permeating the business.
The cross-pollination of skills and enterprise knowledge by bringing a cross-functional group together to learn, develop, and connect is key to success at the LEGO Group. (Why leadership is not a title at the LEGO Group)
Creating a culture of intrinsic Learning
Curiosity is prerequisite for learning. Encouraging people to be curious creates opportunities for new ideas to be explored, questions to be asked and boundaries to get pushed.
At LEGO employees are encouraged to dream big and have a childlike urge to learn and grow. They embrace the power of play – especially when thinking about learning and development.