Effective leadership is essential for organisational success, and this guide explores key skills every manager needs. From mastering communication and delegation to managing conflict and leading change, we cover practical strategies to help you thrive. Learn how to keep teams motivated, make better decisions through critical thinking, and adapt to diverse personalities within your team. Each section provides actionable insights that can be applied directly to your role, empowering you to lead with confidence. Dive in and discover how to enhance your leadership skills and drive your team's success, no matter the challenges you face.
Promotion doesn’t guarantee leadership success. Boost team performance by focusing on practical training, clear goals, and assessing leadership skills. Learn how to develop managers into true leaders!
Do you want to lead with impact? Go beyond the basics with advanced skills like self-audits, clear outcomes, and understanding motivations. Learn to inspire, mediate, and connect effectively!
Help leaders excel in conflict management! Understand triggers, boost self-awareness, and equip your team with tools to handle stress. Here’s our tips to minimise conflict and build better workplace harmony.
Are your leaders resilient? Equip them to handle unpredictability with mental and emotional strength. Learn to assess, build, and sustain resilience, ensuring your team thrives even in challenging times.
Make leadership competencies work for you! Discover how to build a structured framework to develop key skills like communication, conflict resolution, and decision-making.
Leading change is tough! Equip managers to handle it by fostering clear vision, flexible support, and active involvement. Learn how to set direction, communicate, and inspire teams through transitions.
Equip managers to lead change effectively! Learn key skills like clear communication, setting a vision, coaching, and overcoming resistance. Understand the change process and build a resilient, adaptable team.
One size doesn’t fit all in team management. Recognise diverse values, balance strengths, and seek feedback. Build a high-performing team by valuing differences and understanding motives.
Our leadership development approach drives lasting change. Through tailored workshops, practical exercises, and peer learning, we equip leaders with the skills and confidence to thrive.
Managers must sustain motivation during change. Understand team motivations, manage emotions, prevent conflict, and adapt leadership. Communication and empathy are key to team success.
Effective communication is vital for managers. Plan your message, adapt tone and pace, engage with interaction, and maintain strong presence to ensure clarity and success.
A successful leadership programme builds leaders who align with vision, demonstrate key skills, and drive team success. Tailored training ensures growth and strategic impact across all levels.
Effective delegation is vital for managers. Choose tasks wisely, match them to team skills, and provide clear goals. Monitor progress, give feedback, and maintain responsibility to ensure success.
Critical thinking improves decision-making. Take time to reflect, recognise biases, seek diverse views, and ask probing questions. Balance instinct with logic for clearer, more effective outcomes.
Effective competency management is crucial for reducing risk and improving performance across your organisation. This guide covers essential strategies to avoid costly errors when moving your competency management system online, manage competence throughout the employee lifecycle, and develop robust technical competencies. You’ll learn how to integrate competencies seamlessly into all stages, from recruitment to performance management, ensuring a streamlined approach that drives real value. We’ll also explore best practices for online implementation, addressing common pitfalls and offering practical tips for success. Whether your goal is to reduce operational risks, boost training efficiency, or develop a more skilled workforce, these guides provide the insights you need to build a reliable, effective competency management system.
Moving competency systems online? Start by refining on paper, pilot with a small group, and choose software that fits your needs. Involve key stakeholders, ask tough questions, and keep it simple yet effective.
Moving competency systems online? Start by refining on paper, pilot with a small group, and choose software that fits your needs. Involve key stakeholders, ask tough questions, and keep it simple yet effective.
A Competence Management System reduces risk by ensuring teams have the skills to perform safely. Identify key risks, align job roles, set training, and maintain assessments to build an effective system.
Start your CMS! Effective assessment planning, evidence-based practices, and clear communication are key. Learn how to avoid common pitfalls and build a reliable system to ensure team competence.
Effective competence management should integrate into every stage of the employee lifecycle, from recruitment to performance management. Find out more on how to reduce risks and ensure competence.
Technical competencies ensure teams perform key tasks effectively. Map role needs, write clear standards, and keep assessments simple, risk-based, and user-friendly for best results.
Commit to effective performance management by streamlining processes, supporting managers, and integrating with business functions. Ensure training, clarity, and resources for consistent results.
Effective performance management needs clear processes, skilled managers, and regular feedback. Commit to daily engagement, goal-setting, and practical support for team success.
Create effective online learning by focusing on engagement, bite-sized modules, and clear outcomes. Understand learning styles, repeat key messages, and align with your development strategy.
Building a cohesive, thriving organisation requires a focus on two key areas: fostering trust and embedding core values. Both are essential for creating a strong, motivated team and ensuring long-term success. In this collection, we explore practical strategies that managers can use to strengthen relationships within their teams and cultivate a culture of trust. We also delve into how clearly defined values can shape an organisation’s identity, guiding behaviours and decision-making at every level. When values are well-integrated, they enhance collaboration, align efforts, and differentiate a business in the marketplace. Understanding and applying these principles will help leaders build a work environment where trust and shared goals drive performance and success.
Want to build a strong culture and keep top talent? Discover how embedding values into your strategy can drive success. Learn key steps to align behaviour, management, and leadership across your team.
Learn how managers can build trust within their teams through effective communication, active listening, delegation, integrity, and understanding personal motivations.
Equipping managers with essential training and coaching skills is crucial for developing teams, enhancing productivity, and fostering a positive work environment. Effective coaching not only helps team members reach their potential but also boosts morale and team cohesion. This approach emphasises understanding the learning process, building trust, and providing constructive feedback. Additionally, a structured training and personal development strategy ensures that employees can absorb new knowledge and skills, retain what they learn, and apply it effectively in their roles. Whether through traditional, online, or blended learning methods, focusing on practical, hands-on training, and ongoing support makes all the difference in creating lasting change.
Effective managers need strong training and coaching skills to develop their teams, offer timely feedback, and build trust. These skills drive growth, motivation, and overall organisational success.
Maximise training success with a blend of classroom, online, and hands-on methods. This strategy fosters knowledge retention, enhances engagement, and adapts to diverse learning styles for best results.
We provided a range of consultancy services during a major reorganisation of its operations. This includes the following main changes:
– The in-sourcing of a range of training and competency services affecting onshore and offshore positions which had previously been outsourced to a major service company for 10 years
– The recontracting of its main offshore services including Fabrication and Maintenance, Operations and Production and Asset integrity
• Polaris Learning was contracted to redefine the training and competency requirements for all offshore positions affected by the re-contracting of major services. This included all positions within Fabrication and Maintenance
(including onshore based managers), Operations and Maintenance personal, Deck and Emergency Roles.
• We liaised with a variety of stakeholders to redefine the minimum training, qualification and competence requirements for all positions affected (around 30 roles in total).
• We also liaised with service providers to ensure alignment of revised requirements and processes with their existing arrangements.
• A long-term relationship to assist the organisation development and implement training and competency initiatives across its international operations.
• The recent project focused on training and competency procedures and a cascade model for tool and workshop competency.
• The CMS project was linked to the organisation’s drive to improve downhole reliability with the human element of performance requiring attention, which was addressed by designing the CMS around their organisation’s key processes.
Provision of accredited assessor training to assist with the implementation of its CAMS programme which gained accreditation with OPITO.
This was followed with the provision of accredited internal verifier programme to a number of the organisation’s internal verifiers.
• The company needed to address the issue of competency for its diverse, international fleet.
• Polaris Learning were initially contracted to provide guidance through to the first road testing of the new competence assurance and assessment scheme.
• We used our CMS Health Check service to provide consistent guidance on the process and also our in-depth experience of working with the IMCA Competence Scheme to help TOPAZ get their approach right. Following initial implementation, we were re-contracted to provide assessor training for initial roll out and then to provide remote assessor training using our online blended learning platform PLUS.
• Development and implementation of training and competency systems for the organisation’s dive support vessels including all diving and deck positions.
• Working in partnership with the company to implement an online competence assessment system (CAS) across the organisation’s Dive Support Vessels.
• Additional contracts to implement similar requirements for marine and technical positions. Ongoing support to the training and competency manager.
Revision and roll out of CMSDevelopment and implementation of Training & Competency systems for the organisation’s key offshore teams: Well Ops; SIL; Coiled Tubing & Senior DP.
Review of system for diving operations and development of processes to support implementation.
Provision of Assessor and Verifier training since 2011 to assist with the improvement and energising of company’s offshore competency scheme for Marine and Construction personnel. This has included some independent verification of portfolios.
Detailed consultancy during 2021 to review and update the CMS system in line with industry practice.
Integrated LMS and CMS• Development and hosting of organisation’s integrated LMS and CMS. This included the transition of traditional learning programmes online.
• Competencies developed and implemented online in line with IMCA framework.
• Provision of Assessor, Internal Verifier and Train the Trainer programmes to support learning drive.
• Currently working on Phase 3 of LMS and CMS project to cover new parent organisation’s operations.
Stena Drilling were looking for specialist support as they revised their CMS to streamline and finalise their revised CMS prior to implementation.
Polaris Learning prepared and delivered a detailed review of the revised CMS and execution plan, working very closely with the CMS team.
This included a detailed review and benchmarking of their standards, assessment process, supporting procedures, alignment options and plans to update their online CMS system.
Development of online assessor training to mirror the revised CMS set-up.
Our support for the client involved integrating diverse competency management systems into a singular, global one usable across 20+ rigs, accommodating individual rig variations. This effort was centred on the organisation’s performance standards derived from their barrier management strategy and integrated their on-the-job training framework.
This comprehensive approach was risk-based, aiming to streamline the competency management system for seamless movement between rig types and locations while effectively managing associated risks. We collaborated closely to implement their IT solution efficiently, facilitating the rollout of their revised competency management system.
Our involvement extended to providing verification expertise until the in-house verifiers were trained to take over the process. Additionally, we offered assessor and verifier training globally through our online learning portal, PLUS. This training was tailored to the client’s processes, translated into Scandinavian for the Norwegian market. The client was notably pleased with the substantial cost savings from this training route and its remarkable effectiveness.
Since January 2015, we’ve collaborated with Sapura Kencana Drilling (SKD), initially training 500 assessors online through a program with a knowledge test. Subsequently, we extended this online training to verifiers, also incorporating a knowledge assessment. Recently, we further enhanced our support by offering a custom SCORM-compliant e-learning package designed specifically for assessors and verifiers. This tailored package is accessible through SKD’s learning management system, ensuring convenient and effective learning opportunities for their team.
In 2020, Polaris Learning engaged in a project to develop cloud-based competence solutions for agency contracting in Drilling and Well Services. Their task involved crafting a versatile framework that seamlessly integrates with clients’ CMS, ensuring comprehensive access and visibility to competence records. This CMS was meticulously designed to optimize crew efficiencies, acknowledging the varied competencies required for different rigs. Hosting this system on PLUS, their cloud-based platform, Polaris ensured its accessibility and reliability. Furthermore, they complemented this development by providing online training for assessors and internal verifiers.
Well Operations Audit of Supply Chain• We have worked together on a wide range of projects.
• When the Oil & Gas UK Guidance on Competency for Wells Personnel were issued by the HSE we were asked to conduct a full independent audit across all positions affected by the Wells Competence guidelines.
• This was an extensive piece of work covering onshore and offshore production, operations, engineering, drilling and geology as well as offshore production and key contractors including a number of drilling contractors and well services companies providing critical positions.
• The audit included a full desktop audit of systems and paperwork as well as onshore and offshore visits to drilling contractors identified for audit.
Transition of organisation’s CMS from paper to online format. Extension to cover other roles and services. Provision of SQA assessor training and third-party verification service.