The Challenge/Pain Point
What specific problem was the client facing?
A major international bank operating in Bulgaria had selected high-potential employees from different departments across their Bulgarian operations for their new leadership development program. The challenge: these future leaders had never worked together and would need to collaborate intensively over 8 months.
Why was this urgent or important to solve?
The bank had invested heavily in this leadership program as part of their succession planning. If participants couldn’t build genuine working relationships quickly, the collaborative projects and peer learning that formed the program’s core would fail.
What had they tried before that didn't work?
The client realized that traditional facilitated introductions or meet-and-greets, used in earlier similar programs, would not suffice to establish the close relationships needed for a cohort of high-potential leaders.
The Solution (Why Pro.Play)
Why was your approach the right fit for this situation?
Pro.Play modelling created authentic conversations about personal strengths, professional values and leadership philosophy – exactly what these future leaders needed to understand about each other.
What made your solution different from alternatives?
Rather than surface-level networking, participants shared their core professional drivers through hands-on modeling, creating memorable insights about each colleague’s leadership approach.
Brief overview of your proposed strategy:
A focused 2-hour session using Pro.Play to help participants discover strengths, shared values, understand different leadership styles, and articulate a collective vision for their cohort’s impact.
The Process
1. Participants built models representing their personal and professional strengths and core values, then shared these in small groups.
2.Mixed department pairs engaged in structured conversations about leadership challenges, using their models as conversation starters.
3. Collective visioning – The full group created a shared representation of their aspirations for the program and their future impact on the organization.
The Results & Impact
Qualitative benefits:
- Stronger peer connections: Participants formed genuine bonds beyond their immediate teams, strengthening cross-functional relationships from day one
- Enhanced engagement: The interactive nature created a dynamic and memorable start to the development program
- Unified vision: The Vision Circle established a sense of ownership and shared responsibility for the company’s future