Custom Fleet's Leadership Revolution: A Platinum Journey Beyond
BY THE SIAN JONES
The Neu21 / Custom Fleet team at LearnX Awards 2024
Let’s begin by taking a moment to celebrate a massive milestone: Custom Fleet and Neu21 have clinched the Platinum Prize at the LearnX Awards for their incredible leadership program, "Beyond." It’s like the Oscars of leadership training! 🎉
So, what makes a program award-winning? Let’s dive into how this award-winning program has redefined leadership at Custom Fleet. Something big. Something beyond ourselves.
The Challenge: From Operational to Inspirational
Imagine this: leaders excelling at day-to-day operations but struggling to think bigger, connect deeper, and lead with impact. That was the scene at Custom Fleet. While things were running smoothly, there was a critical gap—leaders needed to evolve into bold, customer-centric visionaries who could inspire innovation and cultural change.
Cue Beyond, a program designed to tackle this very challenge.
The Journey: Building Whole Human Leaders
It all began with a bold question: “What does award-worthy leadership look like?” In hindsight, it feels like some masterfully orchestrated long-term planning—especially since we did end up winning an award! But in that moment, the question wasn’t about accolades; it was about imagining the future of leadership at its finest.
We worked closely with Custom Fleet’s leadership team to create a roadmap to game-changing leadership. The answer was clear: leaders who embody authenticity, empathy, enterprise thinking, and agility while leaving ego at the door. From this we created a Blueprint:
This wasn’t your run-of-the-mill leadership training. The program was structured to encourage leaders to grow in four key areas:
ME: Self-awareness, resilience, and vulnerability.
WE: Team building, coaching, and trust-building.
US: Creating inclusive, innovative cultures.
ALL: Thinking big-picture and preparing for the future.
And this wasn’t about theory. Through masterclasses, workshops, accountability circles, and real-world projects, leaders were challenged to apply their learnings directly to their work.
The Moments That Made Magic
The 2022 Leadership Conference was just the beginning—the spark that lit the way for the entire program. Not to mention that Custom Fleet also invited us back for the 2023 and 2024 conferences too. And oh boy, did we raise the bar!
In 2023, we tried something bold: live coaching two leaders at the same time. Picture this—two people, bouncing their raw honesty, vulnerabilities, and epiphanies off each other in real-time. It was electric. They not only unpacked their individual leadership challenges but also drew strength from each other’s breakthroughs. The room was alive with “aha” moments, the kind that lingers and inspires action long after the applause.
By 2024, we turned up the creative dial. The focus shifted to helping leaders transform their teams into the Jazz Orchestras of organisations. What does that mean? It’s all about mastering the art of collaboration—making incredible music together while still shining as individuals. Leaders learned how to listen, adapt, and harmonise, all while embracing their unique strengths. It was jazz, but make it leadership magic.
The camaraderie didn’t stop there. Throughout the program, leaders participated in accountability circles, where the goal was simple: hold each other accountable. In these sessions, they leaned into tough conversations, championed each other’s growth, and kept the learnings alive. The results? A tight-knit group of leaders who weren’t just talking the talk—they were walking it, every step of the way.
Why It Worked
This program wasn’t about telling leaders how to lead. It was about empowering them to discover their potential through self-reflection, experimentation, and real conversations. The goal? Create leaders who inspire and innovate rather than manage and micromanage.
The results speak for themselves:
Confidence Boost: After each module, leaders rated their confidence above 8 out of 10.
Team Impact: Manager effectiveness scores climbed from 85% to 87% in just a year.
Feedback from Participants: Insightful, inspiring, eye-opening, amazing.
“The Neu21 team has elevated the Custom Fleet Leadership team through an emotional journey on the Beyond Leadership Program. The training sessions and conversations focussed on empathy, authenticity and respect, and I’m confident we’re aligning the entire leadership team to bring best of ourselves to work and empower our teams to perform at a high level.
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“I recently had the privilege of participating in the Beyond Leadership Program. I found the program to be very transformational for Leaders no matter what stage they are in their career. The program challenged what I thought I knew about leadership; it encouraged me to be vulnerable and open about where I can be better. The unique blend of self-reflection and shared experiences has re-shaped my leadership style and how I think about the future at Custom Fleet. A special shout out for the Neu21 team – you are all amazing! Thank you.
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The Platinum Moment
Winning the Platinum Prize isn’t just a pat on the back—it’s a testament to Custom Fleet’s commitment to nurturing leaders who dare to go Beyond.
Neu21 couldn’t be prouder to have partnered on this journey. Here’s to creating a legacy of leaders who are resilient, innovative, and always ready to lead with heart.
What’s Next?
Custom Fleet is keeping the momentum alive, refining the program to stay ahead of leadership trends. Because the future isn’t just about navigating change—it’s about leading it.
Feeling inspired? Let’s talk about taking your leadership game Beyond. 🚀