The program provides Tecpetrol leaders with knowledge and tools to help them perform their roles better, and enhance the development of their work teams. The last edition ended in March and was attended by 44 employees from the company’s different operations in Colombia, Ecuador and Mexico, involving input from 42 mentors and 25 bosses.

Tecpetrol has been working hard to develop a leadership culture that will allow it to overcome the economic, technological, and business challenges involved in meeting its strategic goals in an increasingly competitive market.

The Leading Tecpetrol Program was launched on the basis of this premise in 2019, targeting the first line of operations in Colombia, Ecuador, and Mexico. As time went on, it became evident that there was a need to extend this training to the second line, giving rise to the creation of the Leaders in Action Program, aimed at ensuring employees in charge of others were equipped with the knowledge and skills required to perform their role properly.

The course is made up of learning modules and asynchronous activities – student-centered teaching methods – where participants can put what they have learned into practice, making the most of mentoring processes and reference material. The idea is to train them to be able to tackle the kinds of challenges that come up in leadership positions, not only within the company’s internal structure but also as part of their interaction with different stakeholders, such as customers, contractors, and suppliers.

"The role played by mentors is key, as they’ve already taken part in a broader program and can contribute their experience. Also, they tend to have extensive knowledge of the company’s inner workings, so they can share insights, strengths, and areas for improvement, thus optimizing networking," explains Sebastián Cabezas, Coordinator from Tecpetrol University. He goes on to say that: “Bosses also play a vital part, because their support has been instrumental in getting their teams to attend a program as demanding as this one. In the medium to long term, they will certainly benefit from the positive impact of this program on their teams, in a trickle-down fashion. In short, Leaders in Action is about sharing content and encouraging new habits to help drive the development of work teams.”

The third edition of the program was held from January 19 to March 26. 44 employees from the company’s different operations in Colombia, Ecuador and Mexico, took part in the sessions involving 42 mentors and 25 bosses. Due to the context of the pandemic, the program was adapted and held completely online, for the first time, involving people from different countries around the world, outstanding results.

The course received high scores from attendees who singled out the positive attributes of tools such as 360-degree leadership, “to connect my hard and soft skills; the ability to influence and motivate the people in my team, helping them to learn, as well as resources for development conversations and the tri-conditional theory of behavior,” details Byron Duke, Head of Systems for Colombia.

The participants also highlighted the role played by bosses and mentors: “My mentor asked me questions which we used as triggers to develop the subjects we worked on in our different meetings, such as: How did I feel? What would I like to see happen? What am I doing to make that happen? This kind of dynamic prompted a fluid exchange. With my boss, I had the opportunity to carry out a practical exercise putting what I learned into effect, which was great because part of being a leader is "making things happen," reflects Byron.

And he emphasizes the contribution made by technology to connect people from different parts of the globe, at any time and at the same time, despite being in the midst of a pandemic. "As a Telecommunications Engineer, this is part of my profession and I’m passionate about it."

For his part, Horacio Pizarro, in the roles of both boss and mentor, considers that “the rationale for the success of our program, and of our organization, is to convince ourselves that R is equal to R, that is, Relationships equal Results. Inasmuch as we can build better 360-degree relationships in our field, we will work more productively and integrate better as a team, to ensure we are all pulling in the same direction.”