Pep Boys’ Challenge: Improve Employee Engagement Scores

Pep Boys, a renowned full-service tire and automotive aftermarket chain, found itself facing a crucial L&D challenge: Their high-performing and high-potential managers, although skilled in their roles, needed an extra edge to prepare them for the complexities of multi-unit management.

Throughout the company, employee engagement scores were low, identifying a need for training opportunities. Find out how the L&D team achieved a satisfaction rate of 100% following their new learning initiative.

The Solution: Training Leaders with Essential People Management Skills

After internal analysis, the L&D team at Pep Boys realized that to drive outstanding employee engagement outcomes across their organization, their managers needed to refine their people skills—communication, delegation, and coaching—skills that many of their new leaders had never practiced before.

A New Leadership Development Program, Powered by Abilitie’s Management Challenge

In response to this need, Pep Boys embarked on a transformation of their training programs. They created the Leadership Development Program, a six-month learning experience designed to empower their managers with the skills and behaviors required for excellence in cross-functional collaboration and talent management.

To instill these crucial leadership qualities effectively, Pep Boys chose Abilitie’s Management Challenge™ as a capstone to the Leadership Development Program.

Abilitie’s Management Challenge is a team-based leadership development experience where learners put their coaching and communication skills to the test in a fast-paced business competition. Within the simulation, the Pep Boys managers engaged in critical employee conversations and coaching moments with six simulated direct reports, preparing the leaders for real-world challenges.

Abilitie’s expert facilitators skillfully framed the experience to further drive home the unique learning objectives of the company. This innovative, technology-enabled simulation provided managers with the invaluable opportunity to practice performance improvement and coaching their talent to better outcomes in a risk-free environment.

Results of the L&D Initiative

Throughout this transformative journey, managers encountered a series of workplace scenarios designed to test their problem-solving abilities. Video-based conversations challenged managers to engage in free-flowing dialogues with virtual employees, tackling real issues head-on. Role-play exercises required managers to collaborate with their peers, fostering conversation, reflection, and a deeper understanding of their roles as leaders.

Proving the Return on Learning

In the participant surveys, a resounding 100% of learners believed Management Challenge was a valuable investment of their time. The concepts learned during this immersive experience were seen as directly applicable to their roles, a testament to the program’s effectiveness.

Participants shared their thoughts on the Management Challenge, offering praise that underscored its impact:

• “It was a very educational program that helped me become a better leader.”

• “Very interactive. Kept me motivated the entire day and reinforced my need to coach more and micromanage less.”

In the end, Pep Boys’ commitment to enhancing leadership skills through Abilitie’s Management Challenge had not just improved managers’ abilities—it had transformed them into visionary leaders, equipped to navigate the complex world of multi-unit management.