Nuclear power is critical to the decarbonisation industry and transportation, contributing directly to UN Sustainable Development goals on energy, economic expansion and climate action. As such, here at t-three we were really excited to partner with EDF Energy and OPG (Ontario Power Generation) as they support their leaders in the transition from operational experts to spokespeople for the nuclear industry as a whole.

The aim of the t-three initiative was to create sustainable behaviour changes and improve the emotional intelligence skills of department heads, directors and those considered high potential candidates for advancement to more senior roles within their organisation. WANO's (World Association of Nuclear Operations) research was used in order to identify the key areas of focus to help create high trust and inclusive cultures.

This flagship programme for EDF and OPG was designed to enable leaders to become more self-aware, and able to build trust (even when under pressure) right the way through to emotionally mature leaders who were willing to show their vulnerability. Ultimately, they needed to be the culture custodians of their own teams and organisations.

Taking a hybrid development approach we included virtual classrooms, alongside impact-focused site visits and in-person activities. Working alongside current industry mentors, participants gained international exposure to different cultures and nuclear stations. We raised their levels of self-awareness through a non-anonymous 360 (our Truth Teller tool), psychometrics and intensive coaching. We then gave them the stretching task of participating in a 4-day simulation exercise, based on a cyber-attack. Their communication/interpersonal skills were closely observed, and a coach fed those observations back to the participant. The constant feedback loop was key to taking the leaders to exceptional performance.

Leadership Labs and group coaching focused on their learning and growing agility. We also included content and guest speakers on the topics of their role as senior leaders in the matters of mental health and well-being. The range of interventions was vast and included visiting sites in other countries. The value of the peer-to-peer coaching where they shared their experiences and knowledge was invaluable, and experiencing diversity of thought and building international relationships was key.

Every learning activity we designed had a clear call to action, which we were able to record and monitor. We had an unprecedented engagement with the activities and the leaders always went back to their own teams/organisations to play back what they had learnt.